All about Cleaning Baby’s Eyes, Ears and Nose

By Mrunal - Updated: December 24, 2019

In this Article

Expert Tips to Clean Baby’s Eyes, Ears and Nose Thoroughly
General Tips for Baby’s Bath-Time or Cleaning-Time

Bath-time and cleaning-time for babies can be challenging. A baby’s skin is very sensitive, particularly his face. This is why parents and caregivers must be careful while cleaning baby’s eyes, ears and nose. We have compiled for you the best tips recommended by paediatricians to gently clean your baby’s body.

Setting up a suitable bath and cleaning time for baby is the first step to making him comfortable with this as a routine. You might need to clean his facial skin (including ears, eyes and nose) more frequently during the day.

Expert Tips to Clean Baby’s Eyes, Ears and Nose Thoroughly

1. EYES

Keep some cotton balls at hand.
Soak cotton balls in warm water and use them to clean baby’s face around the eyes.
Use a fresh cotton ball for each of his eyes (and also fresh ones for ears and nose).
To clean baby’s eyes wipe from one corner to the other of each eye.

2. EARS

Wipe behind each ear and around the outside of each ear.
Do not stick anything inside baby’s ears, not even ear buds.
Use a washcloth to clean earwax from the outer ear. Do not try to clean wax from the ear canal using any ear-buds. Refer to these safe tips to clean baby earwax instead.
The key is to be gentle.

3. NOSE

Use plain water to clean the nose as baby’s facial skin is very sensitive to soap.
Use the corner of a wet washcloth to wipe your baby’s nostrils gently to get rid of mucus.
Do not put anything inside your baby’s nostrils – not even cotton buds. This can damage the lining of the nose.
Remember that cleaning baby’s nose may cause him to get cranky. Sing a song to soothe him or whisper gently to reassure him when you clean his nose.
Gently wipe under baby’s chin and neck also.

General Tips for Baby’s Bath-Time or Cleaning-Time

Always give paramount importance to safety when bathing or cleaning babies. Some essential safety tips to follow are:

Remember – bathing baby once a day is sufficient, depending on the weather. Bathing too many times in a day can expose babies to the risk of catching cold on this account. Bathing once a day prior to bed time is good enough.
Once your baby is able to sit up, then using a bath tub to bathe him is better. For newborns and babies who are not grown up enough to sit up, use your hands to support baby while you bathe or clean.
Always use lukewarm water to bathe your child.
Never leave your baby alone or unattended in the bath area.
Do not attend phone calls while bathing your baby. Rather, concentrate only on bathing your child. Do not get distracted while bathing him.
Do not keep any electrical appliances or soaps within baby’s reach while bathing him.
Test the water before using it for your baby. Do not use very hot or very cold water as it may harm your baby.
After you finish bathing your child, wrap him with a towel, put him in a cot and keep him warm.

Remember that keeping baby warm and comfortable while bathing him is the key to making him comfortable with bath time as part of his routine. Bathing babies is a good time to bond with your child. But make sure you do a good job with cleaning your child as it is the first step to hygiene for him. All the best.

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