To only bath my baby once or twice a week

[newmum234]

He’s 5.5 months - is once or twice a week enough or should he be having daily baths?

Daily bathing for babies is a waste of time and water imo, unless vomiting or whatever makes it necessary. As pp said, it isn't good for their skin either.

After birth waited until belly button stump fell off before proper bath and just did top and tail before then. Once baths began we did 2 a week when very tiny as didnt want to cause dry skin when they are so delicate and then gradually progressed to 3 per week then every other day as got older. My toddler will get bathed every other day regardless but sometimes everyday if particularly dirty or it's been hot.

I've never done daily baths. Twice a week usually but depends on how dirty they are and if they need one more often then I will give them one.

Also when young babies i would do baths in the morning sometimes as found i was more awake then as exhaustion got to me later. Do what best works for you op. With dc1 the bath would stimulate him as well so it was wasted as part of a bedtime routine...

Not a parent, but....how dirty can a baby get? Surely it's only hands, faces and bottoms that get mucky? As long as those bits are clean I reckon you're OK. It's not like they're in a manual job where they get smelly and dirty, or even an older child who's been playing in a muddy park.

Plus, yeah, baby skin is surely more prone to eczema.

Every day here as he loves it and he’s fucking scruffy. But each to their own.

Every second night and when the contents of the nappy dictate! 🤣

We do every 3/4 days as it's not good for my son's skin and he absolutely hates it aswell

I did twice a week in winter but now though, it's more frequent because he puts food in his hair.

@Spidey66 exactly with the exception of spit/sick ups and popnami blow outs...that requires urgent bathing

@YesterdayForgotten
I had at one point fancied the idea of children.....thanks for reminding me why there are advantages to not having them

I only bath my 22 month old twice a week. Obviously if she gets muddy or dirty or puts food in her hair she gets a bath, but normally its twice a week.

She doesnt sweat, she gets clean clothes every day, her hands are washed numerous times a day, her face gets cleaned with a wet facecloth after every meal. She has very long hair, so it needs blowdrying every time she has a bath, not to mention she HATES getting her hair washed.

IMO there is no actual reason to bath a baby every day. Its just become a popular routine with parents.

@spidey66 haha anytime a day of my 2 little cheeky monkeys and you'd be put off for life... I will live vicariously through your life which I imagine filled with copious amounts of sleep and civilised meals and adult things...bliss

“ Not a parent, but....how dirty can a baby get? ”

Some babies, and I managed to have two, have the ability to cover both themselves and their mother with far vaster quantities of partially digested milk than you could ever imagine their tiny bodies could contain. I did manage their intake/position etc better progressively over time, and they grow out of it thank goodness, but from about 2wo to 6mo I would get drenched at least daily. Thank goodness they were spring born so not too many clothes to change, but a quick dunk in the bath was often easier than trying to mop up and clean them with flannels or something

You'll find the frequency steps up when they start rubbing weetabix into their hair, and smearing tomato sauce behind their ears! They also start to enjoy the routine and predictability a bit, in the run up to bed time.

Bath time gets easier when they support themselves- it's less of a physical marathon and more of a chatty catch up time.

It's fine .
Mine is 4.5 now and only gets a bath 1-2 time's a week

Mine and 2 and 4 and get baths 2/3 times a week unless for some reason they need an extra one. We wash hands multiple times a day and face then bottoms and groins are washed with a flannel and water morning and night. And then get wiped and cleaned as needed during the day.

Twice a week is totally fine. I only wash hair about once a week unless it needs a wash sooner as otherwise it gets too dry and straw like.

Some people like the bath routine. And some babies enjoy the bath. Mine all enjoy taking a bath. I just only use soap twice a week or as needed. I let them sit and splash around in warm water. So it doesn’t dry the skin at all. And the water is not deep. Just a couple of inches.

@formerbabe

Children get dirty at school...mine always came home smelling like that weird mass catering odour...plus going to the loo and not always cleaning themselves thoroughly, food on their face, ink on their hands...just grim. And they do get sweaty especially on hot days.

She’s not visibly dirty, doesn’t smell, isn’t sweaty. She could just have a wash of the relevant parts.

He’s started getting her to shower in the morning (as he’s decided the 2+ hour bedtime routine needed cutting down) so it’s definitely not about being dirty from school.

And there’s no point in showering if you’re going to dry yourself with a filthy towel shared with your little brother.

@Spidey66 my child managed to get food in every orifice somehow...it would go down her top (even with full bibs on), into her nappy, in her ears, hair etc. Bath every day is the quickest way to get her clean as opposed to wrestling her with baby wipes for half an hour to get her clean 😂

Oh dear, seems babies can get far muckier than I imagined!

Dd had eczema so was bathed every 3 days.

Once a week

A daily bath really isn't necessary for a routine

Mine are now 9 and 17 but we always did a nightly bath, obviously so they could be clean and also for a good routine. They both slept from the day they were born and I am only now getting payback for that!

I was always bathed daily as a child and I’m 42. I can tell which kids aren’t bathed regularly