Care of Your Baby's Diaper Area
With each change of the diaper, the underlying area should be gently sponged using a soft cloth and water or a baby wipe.
After drying, a moisture repelling ointment may be applied such as A & D ointment, Balmex, Zinc Oxide or Desitin, but usually is not necessary. Diaper rashes in infants under the age of 2 months should be seen and evaluated by your physician for yeast or bacterial infection.
Care of Your Baby Boy
Circumcision is a common operation in which the foreskin of the penis is removed. Following the operation, a Vaseline gauze will be applied. Wash the circumcision with water and apply Neosporin ointment or Vaseline with each diaper change until the area is healed. This takes about 10 to 14 days. Report any increased drainage, redness or swelling, bleeding or foul odor to your physician.
If your baby boy is uncircumcised, the baby’s uncircumcised penis should be cleaned with soap and water along with the rest of the diaper area. Initially, the foreskin is attached to the head of the penis by tissue, and you should not try to retract it.
Your physician will tell you when the foreskin has separated and can be retracted safely. This will not be for several months to years. After this separation occurs, you should retract the foreskin to cleanse underneath the end of the penis.
Care of Your Baby Girl
Female infants usually have a creamy, white mucus discharge from the vaginal opening. It is not necessary to completely clean this discharge away from the skin between the labia every diaper change unless it becomes stained with feces. By keeping the area between the labia clean at least once daily, you will reduce the chance of the baby contracting a urinary tract infection.
Some female infants may bleed from the vagina in the first two weeks. This is no cause for alarm. It usually lasts for about one day.