Basics of intimate hygiene for girls
When a girl is born in a family, a young mother has many questions about the baby's hygiene rules.
Mom is usually interested in: how to wash the baby properly, how often should the baby be washed with soap, is there any point in washing the baby with herbal infusions?
Mom's concern about hygiene is quite justified, because the health of her daughter's genitals in adulthood depends on how well the mother takes care of the baby in infancy.
We invite you to find answers to all your concerns about girls hygiene with us:
1. The genitals are washed with clean hands, warm water, in the direction from the pubis to the anus.
2. After intimate hygiene, the skin is dried with a separate, clean and soft towel.
3. In case of accumulation of white plaque between the labia majora and labia minora, remove it from the baby using a cotton pad dipped in boiled olive or peach oil.
4. Choose underwear for girls from natural materials (cotton, linen). Clothing should not constrict the genital area, hinder movement. Wash baby clothes and clothes separately from adult items, using detergents recommended for baby clothes. Thoroughly iron your underwear with a hot iron.
5. Without a doctor's recommendation, avoid using herbal infusions, any disinfectants (for example, potassium permanganate), chemical antiseptics as means of intimate hygiene. It is strictly forbidden to use cosmetics, laundry soap, wet wipes containing an alcohol solution for the purpose of intimate hygiene.
6. Baby soap or special liquid soap for intimate hygiene of girls (pH-neutral) can be used while bathing or showering (up to 5 years old, once a week, at an older age - several times a week). The detergent should not get into the genital crevice, only the surface of the genitals is washed.
Important! Your child must have a personalized towel and washing sponge to help prevent infections.
From the age of 5 and older, girls with normal physical and psychosomatic development should be able to wash themselves.
You need to contact a pediatric gynecologist if a girl has:
- profuse discharge;
- redness and itching in the external genital area, burning and soreness when urinating;
- adhesion in the labia minora.
You need to consult an endocrinologist if secondary sexual characteristics appear in girls under 8 years of age:
- engorgement of the mammary glands;
- hairiness in the axillary region and pubis;
- menstruation.