Proper hygiene of the navel, ears, nose, and eyes of babies

This is an automatically translated article.

There are many parents, especially those who are first time parents, are worried about how to clean the baby's navel or how to clean the eyes and nose of the newborn baby? Should the umbilical cord be cleaned with physiological saline or not? In this regard, Nurse Ha Thi Tham - Department of Neonatology - Vinmec Times City Hospital has detailed instructions on how to clean newborn umbilical cords and clean eyes and nose for babies.

1. How to properly clean baby's navel - ears - nose - eyes

First, parents need to prepare tools to clean the nasopharynx for babies and clean their eyes, including: 9/1000 saline eye drops, cotton swabs for babies, 70 degrees alcohol gauze, sterile gauze.
How to clean eyes for babies: Use physiological saline (observe the color of eye drops to see if it's safe or not) to keep babies cool. The mother holds the baby's eyes with one hand. The distance from the medicine bottle to the child's eyes is 7-10cm. Add 1 drop on each side. Use your fingertips to rub the lacrimal gland so that the medicine can absorb and unclog the baby's tear ducts. Continue to use sterile gauze to wipe from the corner of the eye to the eye socket of the baby to get eye fluid for the baby.
How to clean the baby's nose: Use physiological saline 1 drop on each side to clean the baby's nose. Then use your fingers to rub the sides of the baby's nose. Use a cotton swab to absorb and collect nasal secretions for your baby. Mother should be gentle to avoid hurting the baby's nasal mucosa.
To clean the baby's ears, do not use salt water. Mothers only need to use cotton swabs to absorb water in the baby's ears after bathing.
How to clean the umbilical cord for babies with physiological saline: Remove clothes, leaving the baby's navel exposed. Use alcohol 70 degrees to clean the section and the base of the umbilical cord (infant first 24 hours). For infants from 2 days onwards, mothers use alcohol 70 degrees to clean the baby's umbilical cord, fold the small alcohol swab to clean the baby's umbilical cord. Be careful not to wipe the baby's belly.
The fact that parents know how to properly clean their baby's navel - eyes - nose - mouth will help their baby stay healthy and limit health problems.