To boil and cool my baby's bath water?

[belephant]

Posting on AIBU for traffic as bathtime is fast approaching, sorry if it's not appropriate for this board!!

I was just FaceTiming my mum when I said in passing "ugh it's bath night tonight, I'd better start getting the kettle going soon" and she looked at me like I was stark raving mad and told me to just use tap water like any sane person would. I had a quick google and can only see stuff coming up advising cooled boiled water for wiping newborns' faces. My baby is 5 months old for reference. I'm struggling to actually remember where I even got the idea that it had to be boiled and cooled from.

So go on then, should I be boiling it or am I lost in the realm of 'PFB' and FTM anxiety?! 😁

We had DS in the NICU and then SCBU and his first bath was there and even they used plain old tap water so I'd assume you're safe to ditch the kettle!

If I had a five month old handy I'd bathe them in the nearest rockpool, burn or puddle just to balance out your princess barminess, OP! 🤣

Oh lovely. Definite PFB moment. Especially with current energy prices!!!!

Tap
Water is totally fine

Pretty soon your baby will be mobile- and will be eating cat food, carpet and soil.

Unless your water supply is straight out of a swamp you’ll be fine.

Thats one of the loveliest and funniest things I’ve ever read.

Of course you boil the water! If you’re in the 19th century.

This is delightfully bonkers and I’m glad you worked it out at 5 months rather than 5 years – go forth and run those taps!

Oh dear, who told you to do that? How very strange! A five month old will be starting to put anything and everything in their mouths so putting them in a sterile bath really is a total waste of time and energy!

This is why so many children have asthma and allergies these days - over-sanitised environments!

Love it you'll look back in wonder.

This is so funny, thank you OP! Enjoy your new, considerably shortened bathtime routine!

I hope that some day you can look back on this and laugh. it will certainly make a good story to tell your child if you ever become a grandparent.

Second time round, you'll be debating whether you really need to change the water if DC2 poos in it.

This is great! you're going to have a great story to tell baby someday.

This is the loveliest PFB I’ve ever heard

but also (being a bit anxious myself) I’d be more worried about putting a baby in too hot water or some sort of boiling water related accident!

Oh bless you. We all do bonkers stuff with our first.

🤣

Mental. Absolutely no need. Just use tap water.

This is so sweet, OP. Very PFB, but in a really lovely way!

I’m struggling to actually remember where I even got the idea that it had to be boiled and cooled from.

Could have been from the days when many families didn’t have running hot water. You’d maybe need one kettle full of boiled to top up with cold to get a decent bath full.

OMG OP! <3

this!

would have been great for the PFB thread 😂

love the commitment of having done it for 5 months too!!

😂

This is adorable 🥰

Plain water straight out of the tap.

Did baby's Dad never query this?

I shall defend you, OP! I was told to use cool boiled water for topping and tailing... for the first few days until the cord falls off. TBF that was 2 decades ago so I've no idea if that advice still stands.

DS is in his 30s and I wasn’t told that. How was that even practical unless you had a home birth? I can’t see how you could have been boiling kettles Ona hospital ward.