To place the baby in the tub, slip your left hand under his head in such a way that it will rest upon your wrist as your fingers spread out to support his shoulders. Your thumb naturally curves over and holds the upper part of the baby’s arm without pulling or straining it. Grasp his ankles with the right hand and lower the little body into the water, feet first, as shown in Fig. 50. This gradual lowering of the baby into the water is worth while, for he is likely to be frightened if he is plunged in suddenly. If the baby’s arm and shoulder are firmly held and supported by your left hand, it is an easy matter to steady his entire body and keep his head out of the water while giving the bath with your right hand, as in Fig. 51. [Illustration: FIG. 50.—Method of holding baby and lowering him into his bath. ] [Illustration: FIG. 51.—Method of comfortably supporting the baby’s head above the water while giving his bath. ] The new baby is not usually kept in the tub for more than two or three minutes, but when he is three or four months old he may stay in for five minutes and still longer as he grows older. Hot water should never be poured into the tub after the baby has been placed in his bath but cold water is often added, for a three or four months old baby, or the warm bath followed by a quick sponge with cold water. The little body is quickly patted dry, afterwards, and rubbed briskly with the palm of the hand; the legs and arms stroked toward the body; the back from the neck downward and the chest and abdomen with a circular motion. Babies who react well to cold baths are benefited by them, but those who do not, may be harmed. Such “toughening” methods, to be beneficial, therefore, must be adjusted very carefully to the individual baby and should be employed only in accordance with the doctor’s directions. The =genitals= should be bathed and dried with care; inspected daily and any unusual appearance reported to the doctor. It is not uncommon for girl babies to have a slight bloody discharge from the vagina. Although this is unimportant and soon disappears, your doctor should be told of any discharge, however slight. The doctor often wishes to have the foreskin of boy babies retracted every morning at the time of the bath, by gently rubbing it back with gauze or cotton, taking pains that it is pulled forward to the original position after the part underneath has been thoroughly bathed with boracic acid solution. If retraction is impossible after several daily attempts, the baby is not infrequently circumcised.