Midnight Baby Support

 Cutting baby's nails

Are you on your way to trim baby nails? Maybe wondering how to do it without hurting your baby?

Trimming your baby’s nails can seem like a really scary thing to do. And baby nails grow fast!

And as infants can’t really control their movements during their first few months, they tend to scratch themselves all the time, especially in the face.

With a newborn, the baby nails are not too difficult to trim, because the infant is usually quite still. But in the beginning, your baby’s nails shouldn’t be cut at all.

Later on, it is much harder, but must be done often.

Here you’ll find advice on when and how to trim your baby’s nails, and how NOT to trim them. 

1. Wait – It is very tempting to try to cut the nails to help the baby. Wait a few weeks though. The skin on the fingertips is delicate and there is a risk to cause infections if you trim the nails too early.

2. Peel them off – You can, however, peel off the ends of the nail already from the beginning. Do this as soon as you see any loose ends. Babies’ nails tend to “break” now and then – a good opportunity to peel them off. But be careful, so you don’t peel off too much and hurt your baby!

3. Regular trimming – After the first few weeks, you might have to trim the nails several times a week. Use a pair of scissors that are aimed for trimming baby nails. Adult scissors are way too sharp. A baby nail clipper is a great choice

4. Light & pace – Make sure you have a lot of light when you cut the nails to prevent accidents. Also, take your time to trim the baby’s nails slowly. Take breaks if your baby protests!

5. While asleep – If your baby gets too interested in the scissors, it might be a good idea to trim the baby’s nails while your baby is asleep. Or have someone else distract him/her.

6. Don’t bite! – I know some people recommend biting off the baby’s nails. Don’t do it! As you can’t feel what you’re doing, you might bite your baby. There is a high risk of infection too.

7. How to cut – Cut fingernails following the curve of the fingertip. Toenails should be cut straight across.

 Top & Tailing 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.

• Hold your baby on your knee or lay them on a changing mat. Take off all their clothes, apart from their vest and nappy, and wrap them in a towel.
• Dip the cotton wool in the water (make sure it doesn't get too wet) and wipe gently around your baby's eyes from the nose outward, using a fresh piece of cotton wool for each eye. This is so that you don't transfer any stickiness or infection from one eye to another.
• Use a fresh piece of cotton wool to clean around your baby's ears, but not inside them. Never use cotton buds to clean inside your baby's ears. Wash the rest of your baby's face, neck and hands with cotton wool in the same way and dry them gently with the towel.
• Take off the nappy and wash your baby's bottom and genital area with fresh cotton wool and warm water. Dry very carefully, including between the skin folds, and put on a clean nappy.
• You only need to wash around your baby's umbilical cord if it's dirty with pee or poo. Clean the area with fresh cotton wool and warm water, and gently pat dry with a towel.
• It will help your baby to relax if you keep talking while you wash them. The more they hear your voice, the more they'll get used to listening to you and start to understand what you're saying.