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Original poster

If you have a newborn how often do you shower/bathe?

119 replies

FeedMeCoffeeOrGin · 26/02/2023 01:50

I only ask as was talking to a friend today about how often people shower and I said 'Gosh when DS was born I didn't shower for about a week' and my friend was genuinely disgusted by this..

Tbh at the time we weren't going out anywhere and had no visitors for the first couple of weeks so wasn't bothered about being a bit smelly lol

For the first few weeks it could sometimes be 3-4 days as DS was SUPER clingy and the king of cluster feeds!

Now that DS is older (5m) I shower regularly but damn it seemed like a luxury in the early days!

So yeah, anyone else as grim as me when they had a newborn? 😂

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theycallmestacie · 26/02/2023 01:54

Blimey. Once a week maybe? DS wad also super clingy. His needs superceded mine. 7 years on, I now enjoy daily showers 😄

Adrelaxzz · 26/02/2023 01:57

Different people will have different experiences. I had to shower everyday it else wouldn't have managed. That was me. DH had to put up with crying baby for 5 minutes. But totally wouldn't judge someone who didn't shower!

GoAgainstNicki · 26/02/2023 01:57

DD is now 21 months, I showered about every two/three days once I was home with her. I had three surgeries so it was difficult to move around and stuff.

DS is 10 months. He was in NICU for 6 weeks and I barely showered during that stressful period. Once he was home, I was showering every day.

In fairness, I had a good routine with both kids where they’d wake up, I’d give them a bottle then shower whilst they played with toys on the floor. My kids are both super laid back and not really clingy so it was probably easier for me.

I do think parents with newborns can spare 10 minutes to have a sink wash at the very least. Even when the baby drifts off to nap but everyone has different preferences

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SpinningFloppa · 26/02/2023 02:00

Honestly daily, I don’t understand when people say they couldn’t shower for a week and I had 4 children under 6 one being a newborn but I still showered daily. I had older children to take to school and I wouldn’t have left the house if I hadn’t showered (especially not for a week 🤢) I would have felt dirty

greenspaces4peace · 26/02/2023 02:07

That’s what a cribs for. Daily shower, whether the infant liked it or not.

Original poster
FeedMeCoffeeOrGin · 26/02/2023 02:09

theycallmestacie · 26/02/2023 01:54

Blimey. Once a week maybe? DS wad also super clingy. His needs superceded mine. 7 years on, I now enjoy daily showers 😄

Glad I'm not alone 😂

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doadeer · 26/02/2023 02:11

Every day... He had time with DH while I had a bath. Can't imagine going a week without washing Shock

Namechanger355 · 26/02/2023 02:14

with my second dd (2m) I shower daily. Put her into crib and run into shower for a few mins

i dont function well without a shower and I was too much of a martyr with my first

Original poster
FeedMeCoffeeOrGin · 26/02/2023 02:14

GoAgainstNicki · 26/02/2023 01:57

DD is now 21 months, I showered about every two/three days once I was home with her. I had three surgeries so it was difficult to move around and stuff.

DS is 10 months. He was in NICU for 6 weeks and I barely showered during that stressful period. Once he was home, I was showering every day.

In fairness, I had a good routine with both kids where they’d wake up, I’d give them a bottle then shower whilst they played with toys on the floor. My kids are both super laid back and not really clingy so it was probably easier for me.

I do think parents with newborns can spare 10 minutes to have a sink wash at the very least. Even when the baby drifts off to nap but everyone has different preferences

I hope you're all okay now!
I'd always have a wash if someone could take him for me, but he would only ever nap on me so was pretty restricted. He's a proper water baby now so in hindsight could probably have taken him in with me!

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GoAgainstNicki · 26/02/2023 02:16

FeedMeCoffeeOrGin · 26/02/2023 02:14

I hope you're all okay now!
I'd always have a wash if someone could take him for me, but he would only ever nap on me so was pretty restricted. He's a proper water baby now so in hindsight could probably have taken him in with me!

Show quote history

Thank you! DS has a genetic disorder so a few issues that come with that but all in all, we’re well.

Yeah see I’ve never had any of my kids only wanting to contact nap so I couldn’t relate. I would have just left them in their cots whilst I showered because they’d have to learn sooner or later! I don’t think your friend needed to judge you though, we all do things differently especially in the beginning

Original poster
FeedMeCoffeeOrGin · 26/02/2023 02:23

doadeer · 26/02/2023 02:11

Every day... He had time with DH while I had a bath. Can't imagine going a week without washing Shock

I can't imagine going a week now he's older and tbh think for me those early days felt so consumed by being with DS that I forgot about basic self care. We all cope differently, I suppose!

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Original poster
FeedMeCoffeeOrGin · 26/02/2023 02:24

Rarely brushed my hair either so much have looked like a right state 😂

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SpinningFloppa · 26/02/2023 02:24

I never had a partner with my last one ( single parent) but still found the time to shower, babies sleep or I would have just left them to cry for a few minutes, when you have older kids you don’t really have the luxury of never leaving the child to cry as had older children to see to. I wouldn’t have commented on it but I would have been thinking the same as your friend.

Happyhappyday · 26/02/2023 02:27

Showered every day, DD on changing mat on floor, sometimes she cried, sometimes the warm, steam and white noise put her straight to sleep.

Catsonskis · 26/02/2023 02:30

Daily as I was so scared of my episiotomy getting infected, plus all the blood.
howcee when my DH went back to work this def dropped to alternate days at best for a loooong time

SpinningFloppa · 26/02/2023 02:31

With all the bleeding surely you would smell really bad after a week with no shower? I guess we all have different priorities but I would have made it my priority to shower daily.

Original poster
FeedMeCoffeeOrGin · 26/02/2023 02:42

Tbh I don't explicitly remember if I smelt very bad, and only had DH around at the start to comment and he'd be too polite to say anything. Was changing pads regularly so that probably helped. With any future babies I'd likely make more of an effort to wash regularly and utilise DH being around before he returned to work!

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Original poster
FeedMeCoffeeOrGin · 26/02/2023 02:44

Happyhappyday · 26/02/2023 02:27

Showered every day, DD on changing mat on floor, sometimes she cried, sometimes the warm, steam and white noise put her straight to sleep.

Ahhh that's a good idea! Our bathroom is a wet room so not safe to put baby on the floor, but we have a baby chair in there now which is a godsend!

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icefishing · 26/02/2023 02:53

Every few days. I had twins and for some reason had decided that I needed to see them at all times.
So I dragged them into the bathroom in little bouncer chairs while I showered, one of them always started crying. I got maybe a minute?
Utter madness, why I did this I really don't know.

RebeccaCloud9 · 26/02/2023 03:06

My youngest is nearly 5 months and I've showered every day since having her apart from day one and two post c section. Washed my hair most of those days too. She's my third, so have 2 others at home.

For me, I feel a bit yuck if I haven't showered, and feel so much better (mentally as well as physically) after a shower.

brightare · 26/02/2023 03:13

FeedMeCoffeeOrGin · 26/02/2023 02:42

Tbh I don't explicitly remember if I smelt very bad, and only had DH around at the start to comment and he'd be too polite to say anything. Was changing pads regularly so that probably helped. With any future babies I'd likely make more of an effort to wash regularly and utilise DH being around before he returned to work!

You don't need to shower every day it isn't essential. But if you ask you will be slated for not washing every few minutes. All I've ever learnt is just don't ask. Do you and don't mention it x

stockpilingallthecheese · 26/02/2023 03:18

I have a newborn at the moment and shower daily. I also had an episiotomy so shower and then air dry it 😆

HappyMarriage · 26/02/2023 03:20

I also had 4 children under 6 and never missed a daily shower with a newborn (my DH does work from home though). I feel dirty and grumpy without a shower so was always something I prioritised especially with a newborn. Also I was bleeding for a couple of weeks after giving birth so needed to regularly wash away dried blood etc.

WandaWonder · 26/02/2023 03:25

Every morning like normal I have no problems how other people do it or not but just because I had a newborn did not stop the world from being normal

Sure it wasn't as easy but I showered, put clothes on, ate meals, cooked, housework, went out and did whatever I wanted to do I just lugged around more stuff and a baby

If people not to that is up to them no one should comment

elevenplusdilemma · 26/02/2023 03:50

Urm daily. No baby is so clingy that it can't be left with a DP or put in a cot / bouncy chair or even laid on a mat / towel on the bathroom floor for a few mins whilst you have a quick freshen up. It literally takes no more time than 2 mins for a quick shower (plus a couple more if I needed to wash my hair).