Pre-operative Bathing

Patient Education

Last reviewed February 2025

How to stop infections

This hospital is working to prevent infections. You can help lower the risk of infection by cleaning your child’s skin the evening before surgery.

You will use:

CHG lowers the number of germs on your child’s skin. It also lowers your child’s risk of infection.

For most children, we will give you CHG wipes at the visit before your child’s surgery.
Call the clinic if you did not get CHG wipes.

You will clean your child’s skin the evening before their surgery. Your child may do more CHG wipes at the hospital before their surgery.

Tell your child’s care team if your child:

Is allergic to CHG.
Has had a reaction to CHG in the past (skin that was red, itchy, or burning for more than 30 minutes after using CHG).

You will do a bath with soap and water instead of CHG if your child:

Is allergic to CHG.
Has had a reaction to CHG in the past.
Is too young for CHG (less than 2 months or 48 weeks adjusted gestational age)
- This is your baby’s age if they had been born on their due date instead of being born early.
- How many weeks since they were born minus how many weeks they were born early.

Wash your child’s body with a new bar of soap or new bottle of liquid anti-bacterial soap, like Dial®, in a shower or bath.
• Wash between skin rolls or folds.
Wash your child’s hair with shampoo.
Rinse your child’s body well with water.
Dry with a clean towel.
Do not put on any deodorants, lotions, creams, or oils after the shower or bath.
• Baby wipes are okay to use to clean after dirty diapers.
Dress your child in clean, comfortable clothes.

Wash your child’s body with a new bar of soap or new bottle of liquid anti-bacterial soap, like Dial®, in a shower or bath.
• Wash between skin rolls or folds.
Wash your child’s hair with shampoo.
Rinse your child’s body well with water.
Dry with a clean towel.
Wipe your child with the wipes using the table and pictures below:

Do not use the CHG wipes on your child’s face, eyes, ears, nose, or mouth. Do not use on any wounds or deep scrapes. If exposed, rinse with water right away.
Do not scrub the skin too hard.
CHG wipes have built-in moisturizers. Their skin may feel sticky for a few minutes.
Do not wash your child with their normal soap after using the CHG wipes.
Do not rinse or wipe their body with water after using the CHG wipes.
Do not put on any deodorants, lotions, creams, or oils after the shower or bath. They might block how the CHG works.

6. Throw away the wipes in the trash can. Do not flush them in the toilet.

7. Put clean, comfortable clothing on your child. What are side effects of CHG?

These side effects should go away quickly. Rinse the CHG off your child’s skin if they have any skin irritation (redness, itching, or burning).