Greetings and a Reminder:
I write this blog as we go through ET Mehta Casting with our daughter Olivia. The blog is intended to inform, possibly inspire, and raise awareness of Infantile Scoliosis and its treatment/cure. Please share our story. For more information please check out http://www.infantilescoliosis.org/
We gave Olivia her first sponge bath yesterday, and I have to say it went pretty swimmingly. (haha, see what I did there?) Here is a description of what we did. Just like the diapering entry, let me start by saying these are mere suggestions and what may work for us may not work for others.
We used the kitchen sink for the counter space and the larger basin. If you have a double sink, all the better. First we laid her down on the counter with a rolled towel under her to wash her hair. My mom used to wash my hair this way. I remember being scared that I was going to go down the drain. Olivia was really good about it.
Next we filled the sink with about an inch of warm water and my husband had her stand in the sink while I washed her from the waist down. If you have a double sink you can have the water on one side and your little one standing in the dry side. We then took her out, and dried what we washed. Brian sat her on the counter and with a facecloth I washed her arms, her hands, and her face. Finally, we laid her back down and with the damp facecloth wiped the skin we can reach that's in the cast and the parts of her torso that are exposed. We dried her really well and she was fresh as a daisy!
I've been told that another good way to sponge bath your nugget is to lay them out somewhere comfortable for you on a towel and clean them with a small basin of water and a facecloth. I think this is a great way to clean the casted babies who aren't quite standing on their own. In Olivia's case, she is an active 16 month old so having her feet in the water and Daddy helping, makes it a lot less messy. I'm always concerned that I'm not cleaning her thoroughly when it's a sponge bath. I also worry that I'm not rinsing her well enough. To me, sponge baths are just one big mess. I felt that the way we did it yesterday with her in the sink wasn't messy and worked very well.
If you have children in casts and want to share what you do for bathing please comment on this post. All feedback is greatly appreciated!
Olivia continues to astound and amaze. I just can't get over how well she is doing with this cast. It's like she doesn't even know it's there. Her 2 year old cousin Aliyah was very curious about her cast when we went to visit. I told her that it's Olivia's turtle shell. Aliyah then tapped it and said "Leeva turtle." I now refer to it as her turtle shell.
The next entry will focus on clothing and bibs. Until then, here are some pictures from today's cousin play date...
Hi Laura! I am the mother of a newly(4 weeks now)casted little girl. Addie just turned 2 on July 1 and is very active. We use the rolled towel method with a towel laid underneath Addie while she is laying on the counter. I also put a hand towel around her neck(like they do at hair salons) cause I'm terrified of getting her cast wet while washing her hair. I have found that the hospital basin works really good. I use 2 cloths- 1 for wetting and washing and 1 for rinsing. I start at head and face and work down to the waist(well arms, neck, and some chest)and then rinse after washing those areas. Then I wash legs and then rinse. Then I wash diaper area and rinse. I leave the feet last. I have Addie sit down on the kitchen counter on a towel with another towel wrapped around what areas that are not being washed. I dry as I go so she doesn't get cold. Amazingly, she sits still the whole time. That is how most immobile patients in the hospital are bathed. I got plenty of experience of basin bathing the past 2 years of nursing school and clinicals. I do the basin bath 1-2 times a week and in between use adult washcloths that are found in the adult diapers section in any store. They are basically no wash bath washcloths. She has very sensitive skin and has not had any rashes from this. We use the duct tape too. I've only been doing this for a month and its basically trial/error concept. I hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteHi guys! We are the parents of Charlee, our daughter is 16 months old and in her second cast. We do the same sink method, however we wrap her cast with Cling Wrap or plastic wrap you use for food storage. Then, I know it sounds weird, but we use the sprayer from the sink, put the water on very low and spray her bum out! Haha. We tried just doing it the sponge bath way, but ended up having problems with diaper rash. Every since we have done it this way the rash hasn't been an issue and the plastic wrap keeps the cast dry and clean! Works like a charm! Just be sure to tuck the wrap up under the cast to completely protect it from water. Thanks for sharing your tips!
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