What Happens When You Shower Too Much
Normal skin has a protective layer of oil and a balance of good bacteria that help protect your skin from dryness and germs. If you clean it too often, especially with harsh soaps and lots of scrubbing, you can strip away this layer, leading to dry, irritated, itchy skin. This can cause cracks in the skin that allow germs and allergens to get through resulting in skin infections or allergic reactions.
In addition, your bodys immune system needs some stimulation from germs, including those that live on your skin. If you scrub them away too quickly, your body doesnt have a chance to produce the antibodies that protect against them.
Antibacterial soaps can actually add to this by killing off the natural bacterial protection against more infectious germs on the skin that are harder to treat. This can make an even bigger difference in kids as their bodies develop. Thats why some pediatricians and skin doctors recommend against bathing children every day.
What About My Older Child
Toddlers and preschoolers live life like its their job to get dirty. Surely you need to bathe them every day, right? Maybe not, according to Connecticut-based pediatric dermatologist Dr. Brittany Craiglow.
Bathing should increase in frequency as children age, but this doesnt mean that a daily bath is always necessary, she said. It is perfectly fine to spot clean when kids get messy with paint or markers, for instance. Break out the wipes or the wet wash-cloth to clean obvious messes and diaper areas, but save the soap for days when toddlers or preschoolers do what they do best: If they truly get dirty such as from playing in the mud then a bath is a better option.
There are other exceptions to the no-soap rule. Kids also should have a bath after being outdoors wearing sunscreen and/or bug spray, swimming or sweating, Dr. Craiglow said. Soap should be used in these scenarios, but for routine bathing stick to using it only on feet and diaper areas, particularly if kids are prone to dry skin.
When To Give Your Newborn A Bath
You can bath your baby at any time of the day. Its a good idea to pick a time when youre relaxed and you wont be interrupted. And its best to avoid bathing your baby when baby is hungry or straight after a feed.
If bathing relaxes your baby, you can use it as a way to settle your baby for sleep in the evening.
Also Check: How Many Oz Does A Newborn Need
How Often Should You Bathe Your Baby From Birth Through Early Childhood
One of the most common questions new parents ask has recently become the focus of an ongoing social media debate among celebrity parents, including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, and Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell: How often should I bathe my baby?
Some parents bathe their babies daily as part of a bedtime routine or due to regular baby messes, from extra spit-up to diaper blowouts. But for most families, bathing the baby two to three times a week is plenty after the first couple of weeks of life.
In fact, we recommend delaying your newborns first full bath for at least two weeks. Newborns shed about three layers of skin within their first week, which often surprises new parents. Their skin is still adjusting to the dry air, so its perfectly normal. You can prevent further skin irritation by moisturizing your baby with chemical-free lotion and washing their clothes with a gentle, chemical-free detergent before dressing them.
After that first two-week period, its OK to bathe your baby a couple times a week. You can follow this schedule through your childs elementary school years. Of course, you should modify the bath schedule based on your babys skin health and your familys lifestyle.
How Often Should You Wash A Newborn
The answer to this question is the same regardless of whether youre in the sponge bathing phase or have started giving your baby full-blown baths. Per Dr. Poinsett, a baby doesnt need to be bathed dailythree times a week will suffice. In other words, daily bathing is unnecessary as long as youre thoroughly cleaning the bum and diaper area with every diaper change.
You May Like: What’s In My Diaper Bag Newborn
Before Your Babys First Bath
While most parents are eager to give their babies the experience of their very first bath, it is important to ensure that your baby is truly ready. When you first bring your newborn home from the hospital, the stump of their umbilical cord must be kept clean and dry. While it is still attached, sponge baths are the best option for your baby.
Typically, after about 1 to 3 weeks, the umbilical cord stump will dry up and fall off. It is important to continue caring for the umbilical cord until the area completely heals. The ideal way to do this is to moisten one end of a cotton swab with water, gently clean around the base of the umbilical cord stump, and dry with the other side of the cotton swab.
Although moisture and drops of blood around the belly button is normal during this period of time, keeping the area clean and dry will help fight infection and prevent delayed healing. Check out our blog post on bathing a baby with an umbilical cord for more information.
Clean The Baby First Heres How:
- Pick up baby and enter the shower.
- Adjust the shower valve so water is coming out of the extendable wand and not out of the overhead shower head.
- Sit down on the shower floor with baby.
- Save
You May Like: What Do Newborn Babies Sleep In
Doctors Recommend Sponge Bathes To Start
For the first two weeks, or so, pediatricians recommend sponge baths. Two weeks is about how long it takes for the stump left from the baby’s umbilical cord to fall off and heal. If you completely submerge your baby in water before the wound heals, this could increase the risk of infection or cause irritation, says Daryznkiewicz.
Also, if your baby is circumcised, pediatricians recommend sponge bathing until the circumcision site is healed, as well.
“The sponge bath should start with washing the face and working downwards until you are done,” says Daryznkiewicz. “As you get comfortable you can extend the bath but you want to make sure your child stays warm.”
As they get older, you can transition to a warm bath in a few inches of water. When choosing a soap, Daryznkiewicz suggests a scent and fragrance-free option, since scents can irritate sensitive skin or cause flare-ups of eczema.
Your Baby’s First Bath
Your midwife or public health nurse will show you how to bathe your baby for the first time. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or to see it done once or twice before you try.
You can also give your baby a ‘top and tail’ clean instead of a bath. When you are more confident, you can wash your baby in the main bath or in the sink, or in their own small baby bath. You could also have them in the bath with you.
Recommended Reading: How Many Ounces Should A Newborn Drink A Day
Best Temperature For A Bath
You can experiment to see what temperature your baby likes their bath best. In general, lukewarm temperatures are ideal. You dont want the bath to be too cold, but you certainly dont want it too hot.
Some parents err on the side of heating the bath up too much, and risk scalding their babies. The AAP recommends that your babys bath be no more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Its helpful to fill the baby tub or sink with a few inches of water before immersing your baby in it. Test the water first to see if it is an appropriate temperature for your baby.
Where To Bath Your Newborn
You can give your newborn a bath in a small plastic bath or even in the kitchen sink. The kitchen sink might be easiest in the first few weeks. A plastic baby bath is probably easier once your baby gets bigger.
You can bath your baby in any room thats warm, safe and clean it doesnt have to be a bathroom.
You can also shower with your baby. Keep your babys face away from the pouring water and make sure to use warm, not hot, water.
Recommended Reading: How Much Oz Should A Newborn Drink
What To Wear To A Sip And See
Being a Southern tradition, most sip and see guests dress in cute outfits and baby shower attire.
Depending on where you live, jeans with a cute top or a summery dress would be appropriate. Also pay attention to where the sip and see will be held.
A country club or fancy restaurant would require a more conservative look than someones living room. At any rate, you can never go wrong with a cute dress and shoes.
And what should a man wear to these kinds of baby showers? A nice pair of pants and a button-down shirt is perfect.
How Many Diapers Do You Need In The First Year
A baby can go through an average of 2,200 diapers in the first year. Thats a lot of wet bums. Your baby shower is a great time to start a diaper stockpile, if you have the space to store them.
When youre creating your baby registry and youd like to build your reserve of diapers, know that you can register for enough diapers for an entire year, either by adding individual boxes of diapers for people to gift to you, creating a diaper cash fund in order to purchase the diapers yourself, or by registering for a diaper subscription service.
Also Check: How To Produce More Milk For Newborn
What Is A Sip And See
Although you might not be familiar with the term Sip and See, you probably know this Southern tradition by its other name Meet the Baby Party.
In essence, a Sip and See is a party, often in the form of an open house. It gives friends and family the opportunity to see your new baby while sipping on light refreshments.
The sip and see normally takes place over a few hours, say from 1-5pm on a Sunday afternoon with guests coming and going as they please. Hors doeuvres and light snacks are provided along with punch or sparkling wine and juice.
There is often a cake or cupcakes at sip and sees parties.
You can have your meet the baby party in person or you can hold a virtual sip and see.
With an online Sip and see, you can hold office hours on Zoom or Skype and tell people that you will be available during a certain time and they can jump on to meet the baby whenever they like.
What Do You Do At A Sip And See
The beauty of a sip and see party is that you can keep it as informal as you like. As guests will come and go during the afternoon , you can just have general chit-chat and socializing.
You dont need to lay on formal entertainment for your guests as all they will want to do is see your baby anyway!
If you prefer a more formal approach, you can play some baby shower games with your guests.
You can have a table laden with food and treats for guests to grab whenever they want instead of a formal sit down luncheon. Also make sure drinks are either accessible and self-serve or someone is tasked with serving guests as they arrive.
Now bear in mind that many of your guests will expect to hold the guest of honor or at the very least, get up close and personal with him or her.
If this is a concern of yours because you are holding your sip and see during flu season or just dont feel comfortable with so many germs around your newborn, you can try the following:
- Place bottles of hand sanitizer at the entrances with a note asking people to use it before touching baby .
- If you are feeling a bit more assertive, you can put a cutesy sign like this one from Tags for Tots.
Recommended Reading: How To Give Bath To A Newborn
How To Stockpile Disposable Diapers
To help you build up a big diaper stash before your due date, here are tips on everything from how many to register for to how to figure out what size diapers youll need for each stage.
Tip #1: Dont focus on the newborn size
On average, a newborn diaper fits babies up to 9 pounds. Take into account that a newborn will often gain up to three pounds in their first month of life. And most hospitals will send you home with an armful of newborn diapers, so you most likely wont need to buy a lot.
Although newborn diapers are the most common size people typically gift at showers, you probably dont need to register for more than one or two packs of newborn diapers . Its possible your baby will outgrow them within the first few weeks or even skip them entirely and go straight into Size 1 after birth. What might be a better option? Ask for sizes your little one will quickly grow into.
Remember: Diaper sizes are based on the weight, not the age of the baby. Heres a look at diaper sizes for Huggies Little Snugglers, for example:
- Preemie: Up to 5 lbs
- Newborn: Up to 9 lbs
- Size 1: 8 – 14 lbs
- Size 2: 12 – 18 lbs
- Size 3: 16 – 28 lbs
- Size 4: 22 – 37 lbs
Tip #2: Consider babys growth rate
If you have limited space, the bulk of your diaper collection should be for sizes 1 and 2. These diapers generally fit babies up to 18 pounds, depending on the brand.
If you have the storage, register for Size 3, as well, which should take you through your babys first birthday.
Benefits Of Delaying Your Newborns First Bath
- Temperature regulation
During delivery, your baby experiences a sudden contrast in climate as they enter a dry environment from the fluid-filled amniotic sac. This causes their skin to easily dry out, crack, and peel especially when babies are born further along in the gestation period.
- Prevent dry skin
Your baby will be born with a coating of vernix caseosa on their skin. This creamy, waxy build-up consists mostly of water, lipids, and proteins and promotes better temperature regulation and softer skin after birth.
Frequent bathing results in drier skin at any age. So, to help prevent dry skin, we wait up to 24 hours before wiping off the vernix caseosa. However, if the mother has an infection that could be transmitted to the baby, such as HIV or herpes, we clean the newborn right away.
- Breastfeeding benefits
Studies have shown that delaying babys first bath can also lead to more success with breastfeeding, as it increases skin-to-skin contact between the baby and mother. And by staying warmer longer, babies are less tired and irritated when learning to latch.
Related reading:5 tips for successful breastfeeding
You May Like: When To Change From Newborn Diapers To Size 1