How Often Should You Bathe Your Kids
You probably know that its possible to bathe your child too infrequently. After all, kids can be pretty messy. But did you know its also possible to bathe your child too often? When it comes to bathing your child, factors like their age, skin conditions, and level of activity can impact how often you should give them a bath. Heres how often you should bathe your kids at different ages.
, where you can connect with other new parents, find trending content, product recommendations & more!
1. How Often Should You Bathe Newborns?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, newborn babies should be given baths approximately 3 times a week. In between baths, parents should pay attention to their babys hygiene, and clean individual body parts that may become dirty. In particular, pay attention to the face, neck, and diaper area, and clean those areas regularly, even between baths. But try to avoid giving your baby baths more than 3 times a week, as they can dry out your newborns sensitive skin, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
For newborns whose umbilical cord is still attached, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding baths altogether. Instead, parents should give newborns sponge baths until the cord falls off, generally within one or two weeks of birth.
2. How Often Should You Bathe Toddlers?
9 of the Best Beauty Products For Under $25 at Target:
3. How Often Should You Bathe Kids?
How to pack the perfect weekender bag:
When Do You Give A Baby Their First Bath
Your babys first bath actually isnt a soak in the tubits a sponge bath. Per Dr. Poinsett, newborns with the umbilical stump still attached should be sponge bathed instead of being submerged in water. In other words, until the stump is gone, a proper soak isnt in the picture. As for how long you can expect to be doing the sponge bath routinethat really depends on the baby. The umbilical cord may fall off within the first week, or it might hang on for a little longerbut it will be pretty clear when it happens because, well, your baby will have a belly button.
Additional Newborn Bath Tips
- As you move from one area of the body to another, change the washcloth parts to keep the clean cloth on cleaner parts of the body.
- Pat the skin with a washcloth and blot dry with a towel rather than vigorously scrubbing, which may irritate your bathing babys sensitive skin.
- Spot-cleaning works best for babies who do not like either a total sponge bath or an immersion bath. Clean the areas that get the oiliest, sweaty, or dirty.
- Clean the eyes on an as-needed basis rather than during the regular bath. Infants often protest eye cleaning, which may set off a protest for the entire bath. Using cotton balls and warm tap water , wash accumulated discharge out of the corners of your babys eyes.
- Cotton-tipped applicators are handy when cleaning little crevices in and behind the outer ear, but never try to clean inside the ear canal, as you may damage the canal or eardrum.
Also Check: What To Do For Gassy Newborn Baby
How Often To Bathe A Baby: Recommendations According To Age
How often to bathe a baby: recommendations according to age.
The skin is the largest organ in the human body and, at the beginning of life, it is extremely delicate. For this reason, babies are born surrounded by an oily, whitish layer that surrounds the entire body, called the vernix. This layer protects them from the cold and external erosions, since they hardly have body fat and we must try to reabsorb themselves. This is done by avoiding bathing the newborn in the first hours or days.
In this article for babies, we’ll look at how often to bathe a baby, how often to bathe a newborn, how often to bathe a 1 year old child, whether it is good to bathe the baby every day and how often to bathe babies.
How Much Water Must Be Used To Bathe A Newborn
When bathing a newborn, you can simply fill a bowl with water and clean your baby using a sponge or gentle washcloth. It is important to make sure that your baby stays warm, so you should keep your baby wrapped up in a bath towel and only expose the parts of your baby that you are cleaning.
How often to bathe babies can sometimes be of concern to new parents. While at first, it may feel a little uncomfortable for you to not bathe your child every day, you will soon realize the many benefits of it. Do not over bathe your baby, or bathe your baby too little either. Babies need a good balance of bathing just as with everything else. If you are still unsure about something or your baby has a particular skin ailment that may require special treatment, you can speak with your doctor to formulate a plan to take care of your baby.
Also Read:
Read Also: Why Does My Newborn Cry After Feeding
How To Sponge Bathe A Newborn
For the first week or so after birth, youll want to give baby a quick, gentle sponge bath. Heres how.
Step 1: Gather supplies. Use our handy baby bath supplies checklist to make sure youve got everything you need. At a minimum, youll want a dry towel, clean diaper, washcloths and baby soap at the ready. Have all your supplies within arms reach so you dont have to step away, Smith advises. Never leave a baby alone in the bath, even for a second.
Step 2: Pick a place. Decide where youll be giving baby that newborn bath. While not strictly necessary, baby bathtubs are convenient. They can be placed in the sink or tub, and some have a hammock-style sling that supports babys head. Choose a spot thats fairly warm and where its comfortable for you to kneel or stand while keeping a hand on baby at all times.
Step 3: Wash small sections at a time. After removing her clothes and diaper and placing her in the baby bathtub , youll want to cover baby with another towel, lifting only a small area at a time and patting dry as you go. Using a washcloth dipped in warm water, gently wipe baby all over, paying special attention to her diaper area and any creases and rolls.
How To Give A Baby A Tub Bath
After the sponge bath stage, the real fun begins. First, choose the right tub thats safe and easy to use. There are many types of baby tubs on the market, or you can simply use the kitchen sink. The kitchen sink is easy to use because it is the right height. If using the kitchen sink, observe the following safety tips:
- Purchase an insert-type plastic or rubber tub that fits into your sink, or line the bottom of the sink with a folded towel or sponge mat to keep your baby from slipping.
- If you have a movable faucet, be sure to turn it away from your baby.
Before the water touches your baby, make sure it is comfortably warm but not too hot. Tie a towel around your neck to keep yourself dry during the bath, and in case your baby needs to be picked up quickly and cuddled. Most newborns do not eagerly await their bath. Singing a few songs, making eye-to-eye contact, and gently massaging your baby during the bath often relaxes the reluctant bather.
Read Also: How Often Can I Bathe My Newborn
Topping And Tailing: Washing Your Baby Without A Bath
Instead of giving your baby a daily bath, sometimes itâs enough to just âtop and tailâ your newborn â this just means giving the face, neck, hands and bottom a quick clean.You also might prefer topping and tailing to a âproperâ bath in the first few days after your baby is born, until you feel more confident about handling your newborn and looking after the umbilical cord stump.Although you might sometimes hear this referred to as a sponge bath, you donât need a sponge for topping and tailing your baby. Cotton wool is far better from a hygiene perspective, because youâll need a fresh piece for each part of your babyâs body that you clean.Before getting started, youâll need
-
a bowl of warm water
-
a towel
-
clean clothes.
Hereâs how to top and tail your newborn:
Hold your baby in your lap or on a changing mat, in just a vest and nappy, and wrap him or her in the towel.
Dunk a piece of the cotton wool in the water , and gently wipe around your babyâs eyes. Start at the nose and move outwards. Use a new piece of cotton wool for each eye.
Take another piece of cotton wool and use it to wipe around the ears, but not inside them.
Use the same technique to wash the rest of your babyâs face, neck and hands.
Dry your babyâs skin gently, but thoroughly â taking care to dry in all the creases â and put the clean nappy on.
Drying And Dressing Your Newborn After A Bath: Steps
Heres how to take your newborn out of the bath, ready for drying and dressing:
Bathing your baby takes practice, so try to relax and take your time. You might like to start by bathing your baby when someone else is around to help. If youre worried about losing your grip on your baby, you can make the bath less slippery by lining it with a clean cloth nappy or towel.
Also Check: What Books To Read To Newborns
Proper Bathing And Skin Care For Your Newborn
A newborn’s skin is soft and delicate. Proper skin care and bathing can help maintain the health and texture of the baby’s skin while providing a pleasant experience for both of you.
Contrary to popular thought, most babies don’t need a bath every single day. With all the diaper changes and wiping of the mouth and nose after feedings, most babies may only need to be bathed 2 or 3 times a week or every other day.
Baths can be given any time of day. Bathing before a feeding often works well. Many parents prefer to bathe their baby in the evening, as part of the bedtime ritual. This works well especially if bath time is relaxing and soothing for the baby.
Sponge baths are needed at first. To prevent infection, bathing in a tub of water should not be done until the baby’s umbilical cord falls off, and a baby boy’s circumcision heals.
Improper Care Of Infants Skin May Increase Risk For Eczema
Eczema affects 10% to 20% of children, mainly infants. Too frequent bathing may be one of the causes, researchers suggest.
New thinking on the cause of eczema is prompting some scientists to investigate whether how parents care for their infants skin has contributed to the diseases growth.
How often a baby gets a bath, what is in the baby wash and shampoo and whether the skin is properly moisturized after bathing are things that could help bring on eczema, recent studies suggest. Researchers say many babies may be getting too many baths, and two to three a week is enough. Eczema causes patches of dry, itchy, inflamed skin that usually starts in early childhood.
Scientists increasingly believe that environmental factors, such as bathing, pollutants and indoor heating, can disrupt the skins ability to keep moisture in and allergens and microbes out. A weakened skin barrierthe outermost layerallows outside irritants to penetrate the skin and spark an immune-system response. Other research has found that genetic variations in some eczema patients also can compromise the skin barrier.
The more we understand about the causes of eczema, the more it seems how we take care of the skin of babies may be relevant, says Dr. Eric Simpson, associate professor of dermatology at Oregon Health & Science University.
Skin Protection
Recent research suggests proper care of infants skin may help reduce the risk for eczema. Here are some tips:
More From WSJ
You May Like: How To Help Newborn With Cough
How To Give A Full Bath
Use one hand to support your babys head and the other to guide the baby into the water feet first. Softly reassure your baby as you slowly lower him or her into the water up to the chest.
Using baby shampoo, create a lather and gently wash your babys head and hair, massaging the scalp with the pads of your fingers, including the area over the fontanelles on the top of the head. When you rinse the shampoo from your babys head, cup your hand across the forehead so the suds run toward the sides and not into the eyes. Gently wash the rest of your babys body with water and a small amount of soap.
Throughout the bath, regularly pour water gently over your babys body so he or she doesnt get cold. After the bath, immediately wrap your baby in a towel, making sure to cover his or her head. Baby towels with hoods are especially good at keeping a just-bathed baby warm.
How Often To Wash A Newborn According To A Pediatrician
Babies are so cute…but theyre also small and fragile and strange, which is why every aspect of caring for them can feel a bit intimidating, especially if youre a first-time parent. Naturally, you know the basics: Make sure the baby is fed, well-rested, cuddled and clean. But when it comes to that last part, you might have a couple questions. After all, there’s been a big personal hygiene debate going on ever since celebs like Ashton Kutcher and Kristin Bell started weighing in on how often they wash their kids. As such, you might be wondering how often to wash a newborn and, um, how to do it too. Good news: We spoke to Dr. Pierrette Mimi Poinsett, pediatrician and medical consultant for Mom Loves Best, and got the lowdown on what to do and how frequently you ought to do it.
Don’t Miss: What Size Bottle For Newborn