Should the newborn's private area be cleaned with salt water?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi An - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital

Besides taking care of meals and sleep, the hygiene of the body (especially the intimate area) for children is especially important. Many parents wonder whether to clean the newborn's private area with salt water. Through the article below, let's learn about the characteristics of physiological saline and the best advice on intimate hygiene for children.

1. Why should baby's private area be cleaned?

Many parents, because they are busy, often let their children wear diapers all day or rarely check their children's diapers often. However, urine and feces contain many acids and harmful bacteria, so wearing diapers a lot and taking care of careful hygiene can cause children to get gynecological infections, causing certain effects on health. Children's health:
Inflammation of the intimate area can make children uncomfortable, crying due to itching, red, painful skin. Children with vaginal infections may refuse to eat, affecting development. If not treated carefully, it can affect your baby's future obstetric problems. To prevent children from encountering these situations, parents should prevent them by:
Limit children's exposure to infectious factors. Change your baby's diaper often (about every 2-3 hours). Limit the use of diapers for the baby when not necessary and wear cool clothes for the baby. Have a reasonable diet to increase your baby's resistance. Wash your hands thoroughly before cleaning the baby's private area and wash from front to back.

2. Should the intimate area be cleaned with physiological saline?

Many mothers, when they see that their child's private area is red, itchy, and has a smelly discharge, they often clean the girl's private area with physiological saline or green tea leaves, betel leaves, adult hygiene solutions. .. In which many people think that physiological saline is the safest because they are often used in medicine to infuse fluids, wash infections, and abscesses in the body.
However, physiological saline has antibacterial and alkaline properties while the baby's vaginal pH is inclined to neutral, so using saline to clean the private area for girls is also easy to make the vaginal pH environment worse. imbalance. As for green tea leaves, betel leaves are all types of leaves with high antibacterial properties in Eastern medicine, but not all cases of bacterial and fungal infections can be applied. In addition, with the current state of the polluted environment, finding clean leaves without pesticides, buying them and then mixing them with the correct cooking ratio is also a dilemma for many parents. . A newborn's skin is too fragile to experiment with such potentially risky methods. Adult hygiene solutions have a pH, strong antiseptic properties that are not suitable for the pH of a girl's private area. If used, it can change the pH environment and make the inflammation worse.

Vệ sinh vùng kín cho trẻ bé gái bằng nước muối sinh lý dễ làm mất cân bằng độ pH âm đạo
Vệ sinh vùng kín cho trẻ bé gái bằng nước muối sinh lý dễ làm mất cân bằng độ pH âm đạo

3. How to properly clean the newborn's private area


3.1. Choosing the right vaginal hygiene solution Parents can choose a cleaning solution for their children based on the following criteria:
Choose a specialized product for girls. Choose products that are safe, non-irritating. Products with natural ingredients, organically grown ingredients. The product is odorless and colorless. Products must be clinically tested, and the factory meets GMP standards. For babies, there are also specialized products for babies under 1 year old on the market. Parents just need to mix the solution into warm water to bathe the whole body and clean the baby's private area. Then rinse with clean water and dry with a clean towel.
3.2. How to properly clean a newborn's intimate area For a girl, use a wet cotton swab or cotton cloth without soap and water to gently wipe all folds (including the edges of the vagina) and in an outward-inward direction, from top to bottom (vulva to anus). For boys, clean the penis with a cotton swab or wet cotton cloth without soap and clean the penis as well as the tip of the glans. Manipulation should be gentle, not too strong and avoid lifting the foreskin when the baby is not yet 4 months old. In case the baby's skin is red and irritated, use an ointment or cleanser to soothe the cuticles on the bottom. Parents should give their babies high-quality diapers to protect their baby's skin in the most sensitive areas of the body.
MORE: 5 things mothers need to know to protect their daughters from gynecological inflammation
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is trusted by industry experts Highly appreciated with:
Gathering a team of leading pediatricians: including leading experts, highly qualified (professor, associate professor, doctorate, master), experienced , used to work at big hospitals like Bach Mai, 108... The doctors are all well-trained, professional, have a heart - reach, understand young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

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