When to Give Infant a Bath Everyday?

Hi C.! You definitely dont need to bathe her everyday. 2-3 times a week is fine! I give my son a bath 2-3 times a week and just wipe him down with wipes on the other days. I also clean his hands throughout the day now that he touches everything.

You should only give babies a babth every 3-4 days...There really is no need for it everyday or even every other. They don't get dirty. If you start giving everyday the babies skin will dry out and even get exema and rashy.

My son is 14 mos and I still bathe every other day. I think it's better for their skin to skip a day in between, unless they're completely filthy from playing outside, swimming, etc. I usually just wipe him down with a soapy washcloth on the nights we skip the bath. Hope that helps!
Lynsey

I have 3 kids... ages 6, 3, and 9 months. Typically they get baths once or twice a week, depending on what our activities are and how dirty they are. If they've been out playing in the mud, obviously right in the tub they go. LOL The 9 month old hardly gets dirty at all, he usually only gets a bath once a week and just wiped off in between (from eating or whatever). Oh and we don't use lotion either, we use Dr Bronner's castile soap in the lavendar scent. It's all natural, doesn't dry them out, and smells great.

All three of my kids had cradle cap. What we did: olive oil. Seriously. It works great. Put a tiny amount of olive oil (any natural oil will work, we have also used apricot oil), leave it sit for about an hour or so, then GENTLY wash with Dr Bronner's, then went over it with a fine toothed comb. The first child had it the worst and it lasted well past her 1 st birthday. The second child it was cleared up by the 1st birthday, and now my baby is only 9 months old and it's gone already. Even with the cradle cap I only washed their hair as needed, sometimes even less than once a week, because too much washing can make it worse.

Hope that helps!!

C.,

What are you doing now for baths?

We don't bathe our son but once a week. We wash his hands, face and now that he's crawling, will pass a wipe over his knees and legs and feet, but other than that, if he hasn't made Scotty tell us the diaper can't take any more, he's good.

He's had cradle cap off and on, but he takes care of it himself now - he nurses and plays with his hair when he is sleepy. Even though he's running around most of the day, he doesn't work up a sweat and oils like we do.

Our ped'n said not to use lotions - he doesn't need them. My friend said if you like the smell of baby lotion on your baby - use it on your hands. My son doesn't like the smells - they are too 'loud' for his nose. So I skip a lot of stuff altogether.

Also, we generally (unless he's got something in his hair), don't use soap in his hair - it only goes in his eyes.

Good Luck!
M.

My 6 month only gets a bath once a week. If she gets a lot of food or a really bad poopy diaper, then yes she will get more than the one. I don't feel she needs one every other day. My 2 year old doesn't even get a bath every other day. More of as needed. We have dry skin in our family, plus we have hard water, so giving a bath just makes the dry skin worse.

My son is 4 and I still don't bath him everyday. Unless he's excessively dirty or covered in sunscreen, he and my daughter aren't bathed daily. They say that children who are bathed daily are more likely to develop allergies. And it's really not good for their skin. Soaps are very drying even with lotion. I wash my kids face and hands after every meal, but it's really no necessary to bath an infant daily. She isn't moving around much so how dirty is she really getting. I wouldn't bother with the daily bath unless it's truely necessary and her age it really isn't.

Hi C.,

We've never bathed our little boy every day. It simply doesn't seem necessary (unless he's actually dirty or has gotten sick). He has very sensitive skin, so when he is bathed (every other day) we use Aveeno baby wash or other gentle cleansers.

T.

BABIES DON'T NEED BATHES EVERYDAY!!!! That's crazy talk. Two or three times a week until they are 6 months old, and then every other day until you feel they need to bathe everyday. My oldest is only 19 months, he gets one every other day for the most part unless there is a special circumstance.

If your baby doesn't have any skin conditions like eczema they don't really need cream or oil.

My son had cradle cap. what I did was take his baby hair brush and brush his scalp when I had him in the bath and his hair was all wet and soaped up. There were some flakes in his hair once it dried but I only had to do it 4 or 5 times before the cradle cap was gone.

The best soap for babies is something fragrance free.

Well, I think at this point you dont need to bathe her everyday. The only reason to do that would be if you think it relaxes her , maybe as a nice pre-bedtime ritual. My son had cradle cap for the first 8 months, it eventually went away, we softly passed a wet washcloth over it in the bath, but dont be too aggressive or it can get worse. There are some commercial products for cradle cap but from what I have heard and seen, it usually fades on its own over time.

My 17 month old generally gets a bath every other day. Children really don't need to take daily baths until they hit puberty and their bodily chemicals / hormones change (hence the need for deodorant too). Too much bathing will definitely dry out her skin, and if you're putting lotion on because her skin already feels a bit dry, then even every other day is too much for her.

I have a 17 month old son and I give him a bath every night. It is part of our bedtime routine and it helps him understand that it's night time and he needs to go to sleep. He also suffered from cradle cap as an infant and excema (spelling??)My son was born with very thick hair so the only way I could get rid of the flakes from cradle cap was to wash his hair everyday. After I did that, his cradle cap never came back. As for his excema, I used gentle soap(Aquaphor) and I smothered him in petroleum jelly after his bath instead of lotion. My mom told me that she used it on my dry skin when I was a child. Well, doing this not only cleared up his excema, but his pediatrician remarks at how soft and smooth his skin is. Of course, ever baby is different. I just wanted to share my experience and hope that it can help you in some way.

you never bath a child every day. If you do, you wash the natural oils off her skin - not too good. C'mon, how dirty could the little one at 6 months get to need a bath every time. Don't worry, every other day - is more than enough.

My boys (3 and 5) STILL don't get baths every day, unless they have been playing outside and are covered in dirt or bubbles. :-) Bathing every day can dry out their skin (a problem we had with our older son), so even if I have to rinse him off (he has seasonal allergies, so during the height of the allergies, I have to at least rinse him down if he's been outside), I don't use soap, and I certainly don't shampoo his hair.

You do not need to give a bath everyday until your child is getting dirty and needs that bath - when they start eating on their own and are mashing food in their hair and face or are walking on their own and getting into stuff - such as playing outside and getting dirty. For us it was probably around a year old that we went from every other day to every day.

I would say that every other day is plenty right now. I started bathing my son (almost) every day when he went to daycare and I knew he was crawling all over, touching everything! and playing outside a bunch. Not sure if your baby girl is home all day or is crawling yet (probably not yet)...but I would say try to keep her hands and face as clean as possible before each nap and bedtime with a soapy washcloth. I was told by a dermatologist that putting a little grapeseed oil in the bath or on baby's skin afterwards should help skin retain its moisture well. Hope this helps. B.

Hi C.
I always gave my kids (babies) baths everyday, sometimes twice in the summer if they were out and it was hot. I did wash their hair too. My thought is I take a shower every day and I feel great after it why shouldn't the kids bathe daily too. I think they feel much better after a bath besides. Just put cream on the baby after. As far as her hair goes, you can shampoo it every other day. If she doesn't have a lot of hair, shampoo it every day and put some cream or oil on her head. I assume you are using a baby shampoo on her head maybe a little conditioner could help. Hope all goes well for your little girl and you. xoxoxo D.

Hello~
We used to bathe our daughter (now 2) every day but then switched to every other day - unless it's a major part of your sleep routine, you really don't need to bathe them every day. We've had some issues with cradle cap as well and actually found that cradle cap didn't have anything to do with how often we washed her hair but that we weren't exfoliating her scalp enough (combing her hair in the bath solves this). Cradle cap does seem to occur a little more when she's teething but as long as we comb her hair (making sure the teeth glide gently on the scalp as well) it's never an issue any more.

good luck!

You don't have to give your daughter a bath every day. I have a 6 month old also and she does not take a bath every day. My first daughter had cradle cap because I did give her a bath everyday. Alittle olive oil cleaned that up with a comb and I just combed it out everyday. Giving her a bath daily is up to you. I agree with other moms babies at that age hardly get dirty or have a odor. Now my two 1/2 year old she basically needs a bath everyday. good Luck

I started my nightly bath rotine at 2.5 months. Not because he was dirty, but it calmed my son and he was a routine baby. We still do this, but now he really needs it. I always used organic products, and did not wash his hair every night. I washed his hair about 2 imes a week, sometimes once a week. Unless you want this to be your routine, at this age you don't need to bathe your baby every night. I alays felt better for bathing him every night since this was really the only diaper free time, and he enjoyed it so much. Either way, your decision. good luck

My kids are 5 and 3 and I still don't bathe them every day. It's more like twice a week. If they are extra dirty they get a bath earlier. Other than that, I just wash their faces and hands and even their feet. And I make sure they clean very well after going to the bathroom.
Be careful about what lotions you are using too. A lot of them have harsh chemicals in them that will dry out and/or irritate the skin (especially for a baby). Even Johnson and Johnsons!
I read something about 4 years ago when I was having problems with my son's skin being extra dry. It was on a message board and it was a nurse in a dermatologists office speaking. She said that if you put lotion on the baby every day, eventually, his/her skin will NEED the lotion just to stay moist. So I stopped using it. My son still has sensitive skin but it isn't really dry and I saved on lotion too.
Good luck with the cradle cap. Both my kids had it for a while. I think it's pretty common. I didn't worry much about it, just brushed their heads with a little oil oil and a soft bristle brush a few times a week. It went away.

Do what feels right to you! Our culture is hygiene-obsessed, but I really believe there is no need to bathe a child every day. My daughter is 5yo and still doesn't bathe daily. She gets a lot more baths in the summer because I like to get the chlorine from pools or the salt/sand from the beach and ocean off her skin, but without that she gets a bath every 2-3 days. My daughter has very dry skin, and I just feel that for her bathing was making that worse. Also, children don't have the same hormones as adults, they don't secrete the same things when they sweat, and their skin isn't as oily to start with. Your daughter is probably getting thoroughly cleaned every time you change her diaper, if you do decide a bath makes a nice nighttime routine, I would still only wash her hair no more than 2 to 3 times a week.

C., you don't haveto give your daughter a bath everyday not until they get perhaps over 3 yars of age....I have a 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 year olds and a 10 1/2 month old an they ;gte a bath every other day. They don't have body odor so when they play in the dirt or at the park, they get a bath afterwards. Other than that, they get it eveary other day. Craddle cap, here's a solution...it's cool...put a small amount of baby oil in here hair and comb it through and you'll see it goes away. Sometimes sooner than later. Let us know how you made out and pray for you and your daughter.

Wow. Once a week.. I had a friend who did once a week.. and her baby smelled like a diaper sometimes.. yuck. Every other day is great. That's what I did. My son at 8 started every day because of sports. My daughter has dry hair so one day she'll wash her hair.. the next just a quick shower and conditioner only.. not wash her hair. It works for us. If the feel like giving her a bath every day..I would put a little oil in water.. and just dip her in quickly to clean her off... then the next day.. let her relax a while in the water. I think baths sometimes soothe. Good luck..

I think the personal care products industry brainwashed us on this one. A baby doesn't do anything that would get her so dirty that she would need a daily bath!!! 'cept, of course, cleaning her bottom.
R. Conte

Hi C.,

My son is 6 years old, and he still doesn't get a daily bath. His skin is so sensitive and dry that if we give him a bath every day, it starts to itch and flake, no matter how mild the washing product we use. So we've settled to every other day. In the summer, if he runs and sweats, then we'll do it more often.

So I wouldn't worry, and keep giving your daughter a bath every other day. The truth is that a daily bath is not necessary at this age, it's just a habit and it's easier to get them used to it as babies than as teenagers, when they really start to need it. But she can safely wait for a few more months - or years - before you make her take a daily bath. Don't forget to wash her hands and face every day, though. :-)

Hope this helps,
K.

Our dermatologist recommended bathing twice a week for our 6 month old with excema and cradle cap. Our son's cradle cap dramatically improved after we started rubbing his head with olive oil. I know it sounds funny, but it worked WAY better than anything else (vaseline, baby oil, moisturizers). Good luck!

Massage olive oil into her head prior to the bath.

After each bath I give to my son, I massage his whole body with extra virgin olive oil. There are no harmful chemicals or perfumes in olive oil. When he was a newborn olive oil was the only thing we put on his bottom when changing his diaper. He rarely had diaper rash and wiping his bottom was much easier. Only when signs of diaper rash showed up (redness) we used zinc oxide.

At the beginning of this year studies came out regarding the use of soaps and lotions on babies. Google "chemical in baby lotions" to find out more. This link is an article from the LA Times.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/04/local/me-babies4

I always gave my kids baths everyday. When they were infants it was a great way to start the day, breakfast and a bath. Once they were able to sit up in the tub it became part of their night time routine, a bath some cuddle time and a book, it started the wind down time. If you are afraid of your daughters skin drying out able some cream after the bath. I just always felt i like to shower and be clean why wouldn't they.

I have given both of my kids a bath every day since they were born (sponge bathing until they could be put in tubs) - I have missed only one day in both of their lives and that was last week. I know this sounds nuts but I genuinely enjoy giving them baths and they both love bathtime, plus it is a very soothing bedtime ritual. Try using California Baby products for the cradle cap and you will be amazed how well it works (both my son and daughter had terrible cradle cap - just covered their scalps - my daughter's hair only would go in one direction because of it - it was awful until I switched soaps). I also used olive oil, as mentioned here by other moms, but my kids both have a LOT of hair, so it made it very greasy (but it does work). California Baby products will not dry out skin - it's the additives in the other soaps that do this. Or just don't use soap every night, just rinse. As my kids are in daycare, I feel that it's necessary to wash every day (plus I don't like the idea of sunscreen just sitting on them overnight), but this is my personal preference. I think however often you choose to bathe will work fine (but try natural soaps and I don't think you'll have any more problems with cradle cap and skin dryness, unless there is a true condition). Hope this helps!

Never. No one, infant, child, or adult, should shower or take a bath every day. Of course, this does not apply if the person get excessively dirty through play, work, or sports. Your skin contains natural oils that are important to your health. Showering/bathing daily drys out the skin. Using mild soap or moisterizing creams will help to prevent this.

My daughters and I shower/bath every 2 or 4 days.

Think about it this way, everytime you change your daughter you clean her diaper area. You're probably cleaning her hands frequently throughout the day. So if she needs it, wipe her down with a just a wet wash cloth before you put on her pajamas.

For the cradle cap, try rubbing some baby oil on the scalp.

Ha! I only bathed my baby once a WEEK! Or if he got dirtier than usual for whatever reason, then more often. They just dont get dirty enough to need that many baths and it washes away their natural oils. They are fine! I used olive oil and a comb to rid him of the cradle cap. Its a natrual oil and washed right away. Good luck!

I give my 7 month old son a bath every night, but I only wash him with soap every other night. He plays in the water, and I practice pouring water over his head, so he doesn't know the difference! I also don't ever use lotion, because my doctor told me he didn't need it. His skin is soft, and has no peeling or dryness.

He loves the bath, and just that quiet play time (water toys are so fun by 6 months!) is enough to signal that we're heading towards bed.