Hello all, My baby is now 13 days old and I am gradually moving to Parenting section where I have lots and lots of queries but less time to post I just wanted to know some basic things for taking care of the baby when we are outside India. I am in Finland and due to the cold climate, though we have been applying the oil everyday, we see his skin peels of and also it becomes so dry that in his ankle and wrist part, the skin is cracked. my mom says back in India infants are given oil bath every alternate day. Here doctor suggests to give bath only 2 times a week since the skin may get dry. I would need advices on such variations between India and staying outside
Hi Pavi :welcometo the parenting section. Whatever Doc suggest plz follow that coz they know whats best for the baby in that climate. Here(in US) doc recommends that only after the umbilical cord falls off we have give regular bath till then we just have wipe the skin with a wash cloth. So don't worry, also as far as I know Babies till their first yr, weekly 2 or 3 times bath is sufficient(I read this in a book). As far as breast feeding at first it will definitely & also will take some time but if u try n try w/o giving up definitely the result will be amazing.(Sorry, even though u didn't ask abt this) Most of all whatever concerns u have just call ur ped's office n talk to a nurse or if possible talk to ur doctor. Every minute is challenging when it comes to parenting. Everything will take sometime. Do post ur concerns here.(Just want to let u know: We have a wonderful Pediatrician in our forum thats VANATHI (Aadhusmom), so don't worry.) Dhivya
Hi Pavithra, Glad to see you on this side of the boards. Congrats once again! Dont worry abt not knowing things - you will pick up very soon and in the meantime there are plenty of people here to advise and support you! Regarding the skin - most newborns have peeling of skin around 2 - 3 weeks, nothing much to worry there. But your doc is right regarding the dryness - I'm sure you have heating on now and that generally makes the atmosphere inside the house dry. Also baths (esp with soap) tend to dry the skin out even more. As Dhivya says , no full baths until the cord falls off but thats probaby happenned by now right? I would suggest giving a proper bath twice a week and a sponge bath on other days. Use very little baby soap and maybe lotion after the bath (or coconut oil if you prefer) to help keep the skin moist. Dont use bengal gram flour as it also dries out skin. Keeping the house too warm might also worsen the dryness. Keep on BFing and try to get as much rest as possible. Things will stabilise in a couple of weeks and you should be able to get into a routine by then. What are you naming him? Do post a pic. Vanathi. PS - Dhivya...Thanks for the compliment. I'm always glad to help and IL has been a source of so much support to me too!
Thanks a lot Dhivya and Vanathi. Yes its very true that Vanathi has been helping out with a lot of valuable suggestions. We are naming him Akshay.
Hi Congrats Pavithra, I sent 2 PM to you and 2 in your personal mail. No reply. But very happy to see that you delivered a baby. But I want to know whether it is a girl or boy? Take care.
Hello krishnamma, Thanks for your wishes. I am sorry but I didnt get your PMs and I have not checked my mails at all. Once in 2 days somehow I manage to log in to IL :hide: Its a baby boy and we are naming him Akshay
