Top and tailing

Unless your baby loves his bath from the word go, there’s no need to bath him every day - once or twice a week is enough as long as you give him a ‘top and tail’ on the other days.

1. Gather everything you need together before you begin. You will need:

• A bowl of luke warm water
• Cotton wool
• A towel
• A clean nappy
• Nappy cream, if used
• If necessary, fresh clothes

2. Undress your baby down to his nappy, then clean his eyes, wiping from the inner corner outwards. Use a fresh piece of cotton wool for each eye, in case he has an infection which could be transferred from one eye to the other.

3. Next clean around his nose, the skin creases around his neck and under his chin. Then clean the contours of his ears, without poking the cotton wool into the actual earhole, then his face.

4. Clean his hands, under his arms and around his cord stump or belly button, then remove his nappy.

5. Changing cotton wool frequently, clean his nappy area. There’s no need to pull back your little boy’s foreskin or to clean inside a baby girl’s labia - these delicate areas are self-cleansing and easily hurt. Wipe your little girl’s nappy area from front to back, to avoid transferring any germs to her genitals.

6. Pat your baby dry, paying special attention to the area around the cord stump, then put on a clean nappy and clothes.