Hygiene for Babies

[charibelle_925]

I am very strict with regards to my baby's hygiene. I give her daily baths, clean her umbilicus thrice a week, swab her earlobes every after bath, and clip her nails as needed. But when it comes to cleaning her tongue, I am having a hard time. I use wet towelette or a baby tongue brush just to scrape off the milk. I read an article about this and I learned that it is important to prevent bacteria build-up and tooth decay. Since my baby is only 3 months old and doesn't have teeth yet, is it necessary to brush her tongue often? Can it cause trauma or fear on her? Thank you for reading.

[5Homebirths4Kate]

I have never head of cleaning a baby's tongue at 3 months of age. I breastfed all 5 of my babies and never cleaned their tongue (they all have very good teeth). Cleaning teeth once they emerge is important and can be done by wiping them with a damp cloth or brushing them with a finger brush or soft toothbrush but I've never heard of keeping a 3 month old baby's tongue clean.

Has anyone else cleaned their baby's tongue?

[charibelle_925]

Thank you 5Homebirths4Kate. Cleaning of baby's tongue is a practice of our elders in our place. Since I am a new mum, I am learning a lot from this forum about parenting. I'll take note of that. I'll just wait for the time for my baby's teeth to come out.

[ljmarsden]

I've not heard of cleaning a baby's tongue either.

I didn't bathe my baby every day as I found this made his skin too dry. I would give him a wash with cotton wool and warm water.

[Jessica]

I did not bathe my babies every day either, as it does seem to make the skin drier. I also never heard of cleaning the baby's tongue. I really don't think it is necessary to do too much. Of course, you do need to keep the baby clean, but I personally wouldn't worry too much about hygiene at such a young age.

[charibelle_925]

Thank you ljmarsden and Jessica. It's a great advise from you!