How should you clean your baby girl?

[Carlito's_wife]

I feel kind of stupid to ask this because I am a woman but I am so nervous about what is the right way to clean a girl.

I am a very odd person (I am told) because even though I do wipe front to back I come in to wipe from the back.

It was easy to clean my boys, just lift up the booty and wipe. Ok so with girls I shouldn't do this. Is it hard to transition to wiping a child front to back instead of the other way?

And how do I know I am not wiping her little girly parts too hard?

Another thing, just thinking about it I would be very very adjitated down there if I put baby powder in my panties. Will it bother her or clump and make infections? Should I use cream in case of rash or powder? How do I do this?

[True Blue]

I never used powder or cream unless there was actually a rash...I don't see the point in putting it on otherwise. You're just wasting money at that point, IMO. Just make sure you change her often.

It amazed me when I had my DD, at just how many crevices and folds there were for poop to go!!! Just clean gently, mainly front to back...in reality, everything gets everywhere anyway, you just don't want to push it in anywhere if you can help it.

[operamommy]

I remember being surprised at how much harder it was to clean my dd than my ds...all those little folds! Basically when there's a poopy diaper you just need to make certain that you move the labia around and check that there's no poop up in there....'cause 9 times out of 10 there will be. You'll get used to it, don't worry!

[the elyse]

what they said. you'll get creative with holding her legs and spreading the labia all with one arm/hand. it's a little scary at first when they're tiny, but it's gotta be done! ditto on the powder. especially if you just have talc..it won't do any good.

[sarahn4639]

One thing I wish someone had told me about a baby girls is that they can bleed or have mucus from mom's hormones. Not like blood in the diaper or anything but a little when you wipe, like spotting. It is normal and okay, it's just her body processing all mom's hormones and will go away quickly. Not all girls have this but my DD and I freaked! Just giving you a head up there, don't worry if it happens to your DD.

[flapjack]

DD is 2, and I STILL haven't got the hang of lifting legs and spreading labia simultaneously...

[Fletchersmama]

I'm not sure I'm having a girl, but I've had the same worry! Thanks for all the posts!!! it feels like such a strange thing to worry about being a woman.

[Justmee]

Yup just make sure to get in all those cracks & crevises. I never put anything on my girls unless they were rashy. One got rashy a lot, the other 2 only rarely. If this one is a boy you all will have to give me tips on cleaning boy bits .

[newmommy27]

this is really funny...I haven't even given it any thought...I guess b/c I have a vagina I feel like I am fairly aware of how to keep it clean...

my dh on the other hand is completely freaked out about the whole idea...again I find it completely funny b/c he has always been so comfortable changing dipes with my son

[Carlito's_wife]

Originally Posted by newmommy27

this is really funny...I haven't even given it any thought...I guess b/c I have a vagina I feel like I am fairly aware of how to keep it clean...

my dh on the other hand is completely freaked out about the whole idea...again I find it completely funny b/c he has always been so comfortable changing dipes with my son

That is funny about ur husband. I know that mines is going to totally try to leave it up to me. This is going to be his first child as well as it being a girl. I know I should get the camcorder ready because I have a funny feeling he is going to be so awkward trying to change the diaper that it will make for the funniest memory ever.

[StrawberryFields]

I am worried about it, too! Especially because every single girl I babysit is plagued with terrible diaper rash. Ds rarely had a rash and when he did, it was not that big a deal. They have so many folds and crevices for poopy to hide! Especially newborn goo! I was reading a similar thread maybe on the January DDC? And one tip I thought was a really good one was to make sure that you use a new part of the wipe or new wipe with every swipe so you aren't smearing bacteria all over the area. Definitely different than the way I can take one wipe and scrub scrub scrub ds' heinie.

California Baby has a diaper area spray and I was thinking about using that with some cloth wipes, perhaps... but we may not be using cloth diapers this time around so not sure how well that will work as far as washing them.

[BinahYeteirah]

I have always preferred the rinse in the sink method myself. I never feel everything gets totally clean with just wipes, unless I use a ton. Otherwise, what everyone else said.

It's funny; I am a little apprehensive about having a boy (I have two girls so far). I do childcare, too, and I always feel a little concerned that I'm hurting the boys' testicles by wiping them and moving them around to get them clean. I never worried with my girls. This might be a little TMI, but I always loved every part of my babies, thought that every little bit was so sweet and perfectly formed. That goes for their little vulvas and butts as well. With boys on the other hand, I can't help thinking it's a little weird, despite all the cute babyness. Will I feel the same way eventually if I have a son?

[poisonedpenny]

Thanks for this thread! I hadn't even really thought about it. :

[justmama]

And I wanted to add in that these are all great tips but here's one more:

to those mamas using cloth wipes, the BEST wipes solution I've used is one that contains some oil in it. I LOVED just plain water and burt's bees apricot oil with my 3 year old because the oil made it slide better and wiped poop off easier. I'm currently using water with lavender dr. bronner's soap and olive oil to clean Grace and it's working wonders. she's got a rash from the hospital that's very raw and open so I'm putting on some earth mama angel baby rash cream(it's like a calendula oil almost) which is helping a lot. I haven't bothered with powder of any sort because it looks very irritating to girly parts.

[tamarw]

what about wiping after pee, with my son we never did, just put him in a fresh cloth and off we went, but with a girl I wonder bc I wipe after peeing???

[Nikki Christina]

its really not that complicated you'll all be fine!!!


I cloth diapered my girls.. always used a plain cloth wipe with warm water.. except when we where out & about.. then i used regular unscented wipes

just clean the folds..
i always used a wet wipe even for pee pee
no powder..
no cream unless theres an irritation (which my girls pretty much never had)
& i tried to always let em dry before putting on a new diaper

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by Carlito's_wife

I feel kind of stupid to ask this because I am a woman but I am so nervous about what is the right way to clean a girl.

I am a very odd person (I am told) because even though I do wipe front to back I come in to wipe from the back.

It was easy to clean my boys, just lift up the booty and wipe. Ok so with girls I shouldn't do this. Is it hard to transition to wiping a child front to back instead of the other way?

I didn't find it difficult, and I had to be super paranoid about it because not only was my second a girl, but she had a congenital kidney anomaly. It was all insane, but she got and stayed clean most of the time. It's odd at first, looking for all the little folds, but you get used to it in a hurry.

And how do I know I am not wiping her little girly parts too hard?

Same way you know if you're wiping boy-parts too hard-- the baby will kick you and shriek, not the shriek that says, "What the heck do you think you're doing with that cold wet thing on my behind," but the one that says "OOOOOWWWW!!"

Another thing, just thinking about it I would be very very adjitated down there if I put baby powder in my panties. Will it bother her or clump and make infections? Should I use cream in case of rash or powder? How do I do this?

You're not supposed to use any powder on baby girls especially save plain corn starch-- and that's cheaper to buy in the bakery aisle than the baby one. (Sorry, I'm dirt poor-- this is an issue for me. ) It's totally superfluous in most cases, and potentially hazardous at worst. In other words, save the baby powder for under your boobs; You'll need it there more than anywhere on your baby unless she's got huge fat rolls. In the case of superchunks, powder (again, *corn starch*, not talc!) can really be nice. Thigh rolls, arm rolls, neck rolls (my youngest niece looks like the Michelin man dipped in chocolate )-- all of them benefit from a light dusting, which keeps things from rubbing uncomfortably. It goes everywhere *EXCEPT* into the diaper, though.

As to whether or not you should use cream, it will depend entirely on the nature of the rash and it's cause. Bella has been my rashiest baby, and nearly all of her rashes have been caused by allergies of one sort or another-- either to foods she or I had eaten, or to skincare products. My favorite baby wash was Johnson's Head-to-Toe baby wash. . . it broke Bella out in Head-to-Toe hives. : A rash like that will go away with a bit of TLC & benadryl cream if it's really, really bad. There are so many different kinds of diaper rash, though, that it's absolutely impossible to say what you'll need, or even what you'll be able to use. Preventing generic diaper rash is pretty simple-- change your baby regularly. (This would seem self evident to most of us, but 90% of people who use sposies don't change their babies often enough-- that's why they get diaper rash.) The other varieties? People here can help you deal with them as they arise. The only thing I'd keep on hand is a supply of soft cloth wipes, even if you're not using cloth diapers-- oftentimes a rashy baby will be much more comfortable with plain water and a soft cloth than anything else.