Support at home – caring for your baby after birth

Support at home – caring for your baby after birth

Skin and body care

Your baby might still have some white, sticky stuff on their skin from when they were inside your belly. This is called vernix. It’s good for their skin, so let it stay there. It helps keep the skin soft and safe from germs.

How to care for baby’s skin: 

• For the first month, only use plain water to wash your baby 
• If you need soap, pick a gentle one without a smell 
• Don’t use lotions, special wipes, or put things in the bath water 
• When cleaning a baby’s bottom, use soft cotton and warm water 
• Sometimes a baby’s skin can be dry. If this happens, don’t use lotions. Let it get better on its own.

It’s normal for babies to have some spots and rashes after birth, these are some common baby skin spots: 

• Milk spots: Little white spots, mostly near the nose. They are safe and will go away naturally 
• Erythema toxicum neonatorum (ETN): A skin condition that looks similar to acne. This can show up on their face, tummy, arms, or legs. It should go away in a day or two 
• Heat rash: Red spots that go away when your baby is cooler 
• Stork marks: Small red/pinkish spots usually on the baby’s forehead, eyelids, and back of the neck. They go away on their own and show more when the baby is warm or crying. 

Your midwife will check your baby’s skin at each postnatal appointment to check all is well. If you have any concerns between appointments please contact your community midwife team or GP.  

Some rashes can be serious, if you press a clear glass hard on the rash and the rash doesn’t go away, it’s serious. It might be from a bad sickness called sepsis. If this happens, call for help (999) right away. 

For more information, visit: Rashes in babies and children – NHS (www.nhs.uk).

Nappy Rash

Nappy rash is common in babies and can usually be treated at home.  

Symptoms of nappy rash can include: 

• red or raw patches on your baby’s bottom or the whole nappy area 
• skin that looks sore and feels hot to touch 
• scaly and dry skin 
• an itchy or painful bottom 
• your baby seeming uncomfortable or distressed 
• spots, pimples, or blisters on bottom (spots can appear red or brown, but may be less noticeable on brown and black skin) 

You should: 

• Change their nappies often 
• Clean the area well, wiping gently 
• Use water or gentle baby wipes without smell or alcohol 
• Let your baby’s skin breathe. Leave their nappy off sometimes 
• Don’t use soap, bubble bath, lotions, or powder. 

If your baby’s rash hurts, ask your health visitor or a pharmacist special nappy cream to help. 

Talk to your Midwife, GP or health visitor if you have any worries, or: 

• if the rash is very bad 
• if the rash doesn’t go away after a few days 
• your baby develops a persistent bright red, moist rash with white or red pimples that spreads into the folds of their skin, which may be a sign of infection. 

You should get help right away if: 

• Your baby has a fever 
• You baby behaves differently, for example not wanting to feed, being very sleepy or fussy 

For more information, visit: Nappy rash – NHS 

Bathing your baby 

You don’t need to bathe your baby every day. You may prefer to wash their face, neck, hands and bottom instead. This is often called “topping and tailing”. 

Choose a time when your baby is awake and content. Make sure the room is warm. Get everything ready beforehand. You’ll need a bowl of warm water, a towel, cotton wool, a fresh nappy and, if necessary, clean clothes. 

For a bathing demonstration by a midwife and more information about bathing your baby, visit: Washing and bathing your baby – NHS 

Caring for the umbilical cord

The cord stump will dry and fall off between day 5 and day 12. As part of normal skin care we recommend that you clean around the stump with tap water only and dry the cord. Powders or other lotions are not recommended any more.

This NHS video explains how to look after your baby’s cord:

If you are concerned about your baby’s cord – there is redness, swelling, discharge the please contact your GP. 

Bowel function and frequency of wet nappies

Your baby should have opened his/her bowels within the first 24 hours. The first poo is called meconium, which looks tarry and sticky. Over a period of three to five days, the colour of your baby’s poo will change from this to a yellowish colour. 

Breastfed babies’ poo is often runnier than bottle-fed babies. Babies have frequent bowel movements in the first two weeks of life.

Babies should pass urine in the first 24 hours of life; however, it is often difficult to tell if this has occurred as the amount of urine produced is very small. Once feeding is established (day three to day four), you should notice that your baby has frequent wet nappies.

Your baby’s poo can look different from day to day but if it changes a lot, for example becoming very smelly, very watery, or hard (especially with blood), it’s good to talk to your GP doctor or health visitor. If your baby’s poo is pale, it can mean there might be a problem with their liver. If you see this, tell your health visitor or GP doctor.

Go back to ‘After your baby is born – support at home‘