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Parenting

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Original poster

How often to bath a baby?

32 replies

Sn0wflake · 10/12/2009 11:03

I'm sure this has been done to death....but I only bath my 3 month old about once a week - is this too little? He seems fine and I keep him clean by wiping and such.

He seems to have a little bit of dry skin on his legs which I oil (vegetable).

All my NCT mothers bath daily and I think perhaps I may be in the wrong.

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Picante · 10/12/2009 11:05

Hmm. Well dd is 16 weeks today and has had...

er....

Maybe 4 baths?!

rubyslippers · 10/12/2009 11:07

DD is 9 weeks

had about 8 baths in total

they don't really get dirty at this age

mistletoeandjuan · 10/12/2009 11:07

That's plenty - as long as you are washing his face, neck, hands and nappy area every day.

My DD loves having a bath and to be honest I do find it easier to plonk her in the bath most days rather than faffing around with a flannel and bowl of water but it's entirely up to you.

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Original poster

Sn0wflake · 10/12/2009 11:13

Thanks . I feel better about it. Probably will bath him more when it is warmer. He always looks very puzzled when I bath him.

OP posts:

Madsometimes · 10/12/2009 11:13

Dd1 was bathed every day, dd2 was bathed twice a week.

I think for most children there is no right and wrong answer for how often to bath a baby. Dd1 loved her baths, did not have eczema, and we had plenty of time, so she got a bath every day. Dd2 also loved her baths, but had to fit in with the family, so she had a top and tail wash every day and a full bath twice weekly.

pfb

WinkyWinkola · 10/12/2009 11:19

I bathe my DS (6 weeks) once a week. But he only had his first bath at three weeks.

My other two, DS (4.5) and DD (2.5) get a bath twice a week and they go swimming once a week too.

I just think bathing every night is very drying for little ones' skins. And I think exposure to germs and being a bit grubby is all a very healthy part of being a kid.

RorysRacingReindeer · 10/12/2009 11:24

I think if you're a first time mum you might do it a lot, when you realise it's not so scary and the baby has stopped screaming every time you change it's nappy or clothes. #

I'm on dc3 and he's had 4 baths in 12 weeks as i haven't worked out when to bath him without the other two wanting to get involved. But the face, hands and bottom are done regularly.

OhChristmasTEEOhChristmasTEE · 10/12/2009 11:25

my DS (6 months tomorrow) gets a bath every night in special soya oil for his eczema, on doctor's orders.

But I would imagine most babies don't need it more than once a week or so.

It is also part of DS' sleep time routine, anyway.

memoo · 10/12/2009 11:28

My 12 weel old DD, who is my 3rd, Gets bathed about 1 or twice a week. The other days I just give her a quick wipe on her hands, face and bottom area.

flowerybeanbag · 10/12/2009 11:37

I bathed DS1 daily. DS2 (5 weeks) gets bathed twice or three times a week. DS1 loves 'helping' but it's so time consuming doing both of them one after the other and trying to keep the other one happy that I tend to only do it a couple of times during the week when I'm by myself.

We put a bit of grapeseed oil in DS2's bath for the dry skin btw - works a treat.

flowerybeanbag · 10/12/2009 11:38

'bathed DS1 daily' - I still do bath him daily, I meant when he was a newborn I did as well!

roslily · 10/12/2009 16:59

My 13 week old ds gets a bath every day. But that is because he loves it, and for a long time was the only part of day when he wasn't screanming!

Sometimes I have a bath with him in middle of day if he particularly grouchy!

awastingamanger · 10/12/2009 17:11

2 or 3 times a week til he was 6 months.

Then, every night as he'd be covered in food.

unfitmother · 10/12/2009 17:21

I bathed mine late every evening but it was part of a night-time routine, which followed by a feed made them sleep all night!

amothersplaceisinthewrong · 10/12/2009 17:38

I found the same.

YanknChristmasCrackers · 10/12/2009 17:55

Snowflake, are you me? I oculd have written your post nearly word for word!

DS is 15 weeks, I only bath him once a week, and all the mums in my groups, NCT or otherwise, say they are doing at least 3 times per week if not every day.

Mine also has the dry skin on legs, which I put E45 on. Where do you get grapeseed oil? I get groceries online at Tesco and they don't seem to have it.

I find it so funny that people bath every day as part of the bedtime routine--DS gets really excited by baths, makes it harder to get him to sleep! Ah well, different babies and all. He sleeps through the night 8p-7a, so I'm happy to have him be part of The Great Unwashed.

Rebecca41 · 10/12/2009 19:43

I bath DS1 and DS2 (ages 4 years and 7 months respectively) every day, and have done since they were born (apart from a handful of exceptions for illness, late night etc).

I think it's a useful part of a bedtime routine, as it tires them out while simultaneously relaxing them a bit too.

I also think it's a good habit to get into for life, especially when they are smelly teenagers!

I'm a GP, and trust me, babies do smell if they're not washed regularly. So do adults. Apart from the endless admin, seeing patients who smell is probably the worst part of my job!

I'm confused - what is about about daily bathing that people find so offensive? (apart from medical issues like dry skin)

addictedtolatte · 10/12/2009 19:54

i bathed mine everyday just to get him used to a routine of bedtime. on most occasions i just used water and nothing else so his skin didnt dry out.

YanknChristmasCrackers · 10/12/2009 21:00

Rebecca, I don't think anyone is saying bathing babies every day is 'offensive'. Just unnecessary. Or were you talking about your adult patients that don't wash?

He hardly ever spits up, and is quite long and lean without many folds for grime to get stuck in, so I think he's got an advantage over some babies who spit up lots and get it stuck in their neck folds.

notcitrus · 10/12/2009 21:21

My ds got his first bath the day before my 6-week check so I could say I'd done it. And his second just before his 8-week one. I had enough to deal with learning to walk again and having no roof that I couldn't figure out how to do it and my sensible mum-of-3 friend told me not to worry until I thought at least one of us would enjoy it!

He screamed all the way through both times. Tried again at nearly 3 months and he loved it so has had baths 2-4 times a week since. Except for much of the last 2 months when he hated it again, so back to fortnightly. Until yesterday when he decided it was OK again...

Warm flannel wash on the changing mat fulfilled the same purpose and I didn't have to worry about not being able to lift him out of the bath. He's a pretty non-sicky baby, too.

duende · 11/12/2009 09:30

we bath our DS (4 months old) every other day. I'd do it every day as he really enjoys it (provided the water is nearly hot) and it helps him relax, but I don't want his skin to become dry. He is so happy in the bath I felt like I was depriving him when I bathed him only twice a week

Original poster

Sn0wflake · 11/12/2009 17:47

Yank.... obviously you are me! I'm liking the idea of the grapeseed oil.... would any vegetable oil do? I've got some ponsy avacado oil in the kitchen that I am failing to use in my cooking.

OP posts:

fledtoscotland · 11/12/2009 20:40

DS1 is bathed daily - usually because he is so grubby that he needs it.

DS2 was bathed daily with me from about 1 week as it was the only time he would settle when he was in warm water. Now he goes in the bath daily with his big brother with the soya bath oil for the eczema.

IME its only drying to their skin when you are using lots of bath products esp johnsons & johnsons as they have parabens and fragrances.

duende · 11/12/2009 20:44

for the first 6 weeks or so, we only bathed DS in water. now we use oilatum in the bath and sometimes oilatum cream if his skin is a bit dry. I didn't like j&j and I've heard that many babies are allergic to their products.

TubbyDuffs · 12/12/2009 03:54

My DD is 6 weeks old and I am bathing her about once a week, unless she has been particularly sickly and then will pop her in. Hurray for this thread, thought I was being lazy!

She is child number 3 and tbh I have never bathed my two elder ones boys every day as find it unneccessary. Saying that though, at 5 and 3 they do need more than once a week now!

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