Significance Of Proper Practices For Maintaining Infant Hygiene
The period after childbirth is a very vulnerable time for the infant. The child is prone to various infections and requires a lot of attention from the mother. Neglecting to provide hygienic care for the baby during this time will only increase the chance of morbidity in the child. Also, the mother should also be physically and emotionally taken care so as to speed up the healing process of the mother's body to return to the pre-pregnancy state.
According to UNICEF: around 2,000 children under the age of five, die every day from diarrheal diseases all around the world and of these approximately 1,800 deaths are linked to water, sanitation and hygiene. Almost 90 per cent of child deaths from diarrhoeal diseases are directly linked to lack of sanitation, inadequate hygiene, or to contaminated water. In India, those without improved sanitation are around 814 million. Improvements in hygiene and sanitation would greatly contribute to a reduction in child mortality in our country.
A practice as simple as hand washing by the mother can go a long way in promoting better health for the child, and also in preventing infections that can be life threatening such infantile diarrhea. Washing hands with soap and water is a very important technique one should follow for maintaining health and restricting gastrointestinal infections. Following similar practices can create better hygiene conditions and reduce exposure to contamination making the children less susceptible to infections. A mother caring for her infant should wash her hands several times a day including after defecation and after the baby defecates such while changing diapers, before or after eating or cooking, before feeding the child and other such after doing any work. Since diahorrea is caused by a several number of organisms, vaccination is not feasible and the compulsion to follow hygiene measures is required.
There are several things used to cater for the baby’s needs like feeding bottles, pacifiers and even breast pumps in many cases. These items can harbor many disease causing pathogens which can use any leftover nutrition as a substrate for their growth. All the equipment require through cleaning and sterilizing after each use to prevent any spread of infections through this means. Other things that the child comes in contact with on a regular basis like toys should be made clear of microbes regularly. Boiling and/or soap water wash is an effective way to disinfect and sterilize these objects.
Infants are very prone to sucking their fingers, and their nails if not properly cut and maintained can take up dirt and potentially harmful parasites which can subsequently enter their system. While resisting the child from sucking his/her fingers might work, a sure shot way to prevent such an entry is by practicing proper hand and nail hygiene. Also, the floors and walls of areas where the baby sleeps, plays and eats food should be kept clean at all times as their interactions with the surroundings can provide a passage for the microbes.
The mothers should also take care to keep the child from contracting any pathogens from any of their pets like dogs or cats by keeping an eye on how the baby interacts with the pet and making sure the infant is washed up well after such contact as the pets’ litter or the pet itself may harbor many disease causing germs.
Diapers are used for the babies to urinate or defecate without having to use a toilet mainly to prevent any soiling of outer clothes or bedding especially while sleeping. These diapers are grossly of 2 types: cloth and disposable diapers. While cloth diapers are used conventionally in India, the costlier disposable types are also fairly catching up, mainly with the upper and middle class families. Diaper rash is a very common skin condition in infants due to poor air flow within the diapers. This can be avoided by use of breathable cloth or disposable diapers. A study showed that cloth diapers lead to bullous diaper dermatitis and this is very important in our country where cloth diapers are conventionally used. Also, it has been found that the use of disposable diapers decreased the incidence of infections for the infant as well as the mother. The antiseptic wiping and washing of the baby after the diaper is utilized is very important and should be diligently done by the mother or the caretaker as soon as possible.
It is recommended that the infant should be bathed and washed regularly. Improper and negligent skin care for the baby can cause atopic eczema. Precautions should be taken to use water that is lukewarm in order to maintain thermal insulation for the baby and not hot water as it can result in skin dryness and burning. Soap may or may not be used depending on the child’s skin sensitivity and when used it should be checked meticulously for pH as an imbalance to the skin ph can cause rashes and allow space for skin infections.
It is thus important that mothers understand the significance behind such practices which could help prevent infant morbidity and eventually bring down mortality in the future.
