If you’ve had a baby around, you probably know what I’m talking about. If not: babies dribble when they drink breastmilk or formula, some of which ends up deep in the folds of their necks. It curds up. It smells.
My kid HATES having the folds of his neck invaded by the Evil Towel (or the Even Eviler Washcloth). Serious top-volume extended squalling results. Anyone have tips on either preventing neck cheese in the first place, or, once it forms, cleaning it out in a baby-approved method?
I use a folded paper towel under the chin during feeding.
Baby wipes clean it out well afterward.
Just deal with the squalling. If a child crying for no real reason is affecting your parenting style, you’re in bigger trouble than you think you are now.
They will eventually learn that the cleaning is no big deal and quit the squalling.
Thanks, Bearflag70. We use cloth towels tucked in around his neck during feeding… I wonder if paper ones work better, or if our kid just has super-milk-repository neck folds?
And baby wipes are scream-worthily evil too. Why? I do not know.
Bibs help, but nothing will eliminate it. Just wipe it and be done with it. S/he’ll get used to the routine sooner than you think.
Wilbo523, I’m sure you’re right. I was just hoping, you know. He’s otherwise pretty mellow – other than genuine issues, like being hungry or wet, this is almost all that upsets him. This and his parents sneezing, which scares him (unlike dogs barking, cars backfiring, or the Blue Angels showing off directly over the house, I kid you not).
I used to take mine to the car wash, hang them upside down from the floor mat hooks and give them a good rinsing. Since their lungs are above their mouth they can’t really drown, but it was probably a lot like being waterboarded. They got clean though. 120 PSI worth of sparkling baby skin. They looked like Stephanie Myer vampires afterward. And it’s cheap too, just 25 cents per day.
Enjoy,
Steven
Do you think the hot wax treatment is worth paying extra, or is that just hype?
My experience is that it’s easier to do things with babies if you make a game of it – and making a game out of washing and towelling their necks is pretty easy.
Our baby used to hate it, too, but lately she’s decided it tickles and chuckles like a madman. She gets her neck scrubbed in the bath. It’s also easier if you lie her on her stomach so she holds her head up.
I just use bibs during feeds, and then have a good clean using my hands during bathtime. It makes it easier to get into the folds, and he’s usually too busy enjoying splashing to notice he’s actually getting clean. You may need two sets of hands, though, to really get a good clean. You may have noticed how slippery babies become in the bath!
I’ve also noticed that my baby collects cheesy smells elsewhere if you aren’t asiduous at bathtime - belly button, between toes, behind ears.
Good luck with babs. As others have said, if he really hates it, he should come around if you keep at it and make it fun. I know how hard it is in the first few months to hear him cry, but the older he gets, the easier it becomes to push their boundaries even if they are crying.
I concur with Wilbo.
Lots of kids have these capricious dislikes, which change regularly: “I don’t want to sit in the carseat I’ve been happy with for many months.” “I’ve decided I wish to consume nothing but hot dogs.”
The best way to deal with them is typically to do what you believe is right, taking limited notice of the objections. You have to put up with some squalling, but the kid concludes “Wow - this is a woman that isn’t readily pushed around.”
It makes it LOTS easier if you do it when the baby is on his tummy. He’s lifting his head up himself that way, and the area is much more accessible than the normal squnched down position.