Article
Topping and Tailing: Bathing Hacks to Clean Your Newborn
Oct 26, 2020
5 mins
Many new parents search for what is topping and tailing when learning about gentle ways to keep their baby clean between baths and during the newborn stage.
If you are wondering what is topping and tailing, it is generally described as cleaning your baby's face, neck, hands, and nappy area without giving them a full bath.
Our step-by-step guide to cleaning newborns starts at their head and ends at their bottom!
- You don’t need to wash your baby every day—for the first few weeks it may be easier to top and tail instead.
- Top and tailing is where you carefully wash the face, neck, hands and bottom.
- You will need a bowl of cooled, boiled water, a bowl of warm water, cotton balls or cotton pads, a fresh nappy, clean clothes, and clean towels.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and remove any rings or bracelets.
- Check the room is nice and warm—undress your baby and place them on a clean towel.
- Topping means washing your baby’s face, neck and hands.
- Babies’ eyes can be a little sticky after birth. Dip a cotton ball or a cotton pad in cool boiled water and gently wipe your baby's eyes from the nose outwards, using a new piece of cotton ball for each eye.
- Use a fresh piece of cotton ball dipped in warm water to clean around your baby's ears, avoiding the inside.
- Wash the rest of your baby's face, neck and hands in the same way.
- If your baby still has vernix (the creamy white layer) in their creases, leave it there as it helps the skin barrier to develop.
- Keep your baby’s umbilical cord stump clean and dry to avoid infection—wipe it with a fresh cotton ball dipped in cooled, boiled water each day and gently pat it dry.
- The umbilical cord stump should drop off after about 10 days—if you have any concerns talk to your healthcare provider.
- Tailing means cleaning your baby’s genitals and bottom.
- Remove nappy and wash baby’s bottom and genital area with a fresh cotton ball and warm water.
- If you prefer use baby wipes, but make sure they are unperfumed and suitable for newborns.
- Gently pat your baby dry paying particular attention to the skin folds, before putting on a clean nappy.
- Dress baby in clean clothes. Newborns loose heat quickly so you may also want to use a blanket.
- When you feel ready to move onto giving your baby a bath instead, read our checklist to find out how to do it. [https://www.babyandme.nestle.co.za/0-6-months/how-to-bathe-newborn]
Understanding what is topping and tailing can help parents decide when this quick cleaning method may be a practical alternative to a full bath as part of their baby's routine.