A tiny Top 'n Tail

Cleaning a baby is no easy feat under any circumstances.  Cleaning one that weighs less than a bag of flour, while contained in a box too low for your height, with nothing but two small hand holes to operate through, is not for the faint hearted.  To date, Luka has not yet received a real big-boy bath.  Instead, we (or the nurse at night) clean him every six hours using the following procedure:

Supplies drawer

1. Prep all cleaning supplies from his dedicated drawer - this includes: fill small bowl with warm water, pour a hand-full of cotton balls in. Place at foot of isolette (the dirty end).  Place sterile pad gently on top of isolette (these boxes are extremely loud when things are placed on top, so one has to be very careful).  Take a packet of sterile cotton balls (in a sealed plastic packet) remove 3.  Add 2 sealed cotton swabs, a tube of saline water, and a tube of sterile water. Place a few more sterile towels at the 'dirty end', and one (or two) under the little guy's backside.  Place a brown paper bag for 'trash' at the foot of his bed, and make sure you have a fresh diaper handy.

Saline and Purified water tubes

Sterile cotton balls

2.  Wash your hands
3.  Sterilize your hands using the bottle of sterilizer attached to each bed
4.  Warm up your hands by rubbing them together
5.  Open the isolette doors

Calming and ask permission

6.  Place your hand(s) gently over the baby's body without startling him.  Make sure he is calm and not stressed.  Ask permission to change him, then continue to tell him what you are doing throughout the process.
7.  Start from the top to the tail.  First of all, the eyes:  Open the saline solution, pour generously over two sterile cotton balls.  Holding his head  gently with one hand, wipe one cotton ball once only over one eye from the inside out, repeat on the other eye with the second cotton ball.

Cleaning inside the mouth

8.  Open the sterile water - pour generously over the third cotton ball.  Still cradling his head, gently, but firmly, wipe the cotton ball over his mouth.  Pour some of the water on the cotton swabs and wipe the inside of his lips and gums.

Cleaning the bottom

9.  Making sure he is still calm, move down to the diaper.  Gently undo the diaper tabs.  Folding the diaper in half underneath him (to catch unexpected surprises), take two cotton balls from the bowl of warm water, squeeze excess water out, gently wipe down the affected area. Repeat until clean, without lifting his legs too high in the air to avoid a spike in blood pressure.
10.  Remove the diaper from underneath him, discard all used items into the brown paper trash bag at the foot of his bed.

Dry thoroughly

11. Dry bottom thoroughly using sterile towels, apply bum cream
12. Attach new diaper.
13. Undo and remove sensor from one foot, move and reattach to the other foot to avoid burns from the light on the sensor.
14. Hold baby once more, thank him for being so good and cooperative.

Almost done!

15. Wash hands, bowl and restock drawer.