Baths- How often?

weezie825 · October 2010

How often do you bath your LO? And, how old are they?

We were told in the NICU that we should not bath her every night and only give a bath "as needed" because preemies have very sensative skin.

One of the other posts where people were talking about night time routines made me realize that it may be time to reevaluate the bath schedule, especially since Evie is now + 6 months old and starting to get mobile.

Thanks!

TraceyandJate · October 2010

Tyler has gotten a bath every day or night since he has been 2 months old. When I was home I preferred to do it in the morning but when I went back to work I incorporated it into his bedtime routine. Which makes me sad bc I love the way he smells right out of the tub and I only get a few minutes of it. If we are going somewhere special, I will also give him a bath in the morning.

cdc1982 · October 2010

In the beginning, we were told no bath (sitting in the water) unti the cord fell off. Until then, sponge baths. Once it fell off, his pedi said only give baths when it's needed (spitup all over himself, blowout, etc).

Now that's he's 5+mo, I try to give him a bath a few times a week but not every day.

KathrynMD · October 2010

Ella has really dry and sensitive skin so I've never given her a bath every day.

When she was a little baby (under 6ish mo) and over the winter - I only bathed her 2x a week - unless she really needed it. When she started crawling more and got dirty (and it was warmer) I bathed her about every other day; since she turned one she does a bath once every other day/every 2 days depending on what she's gotten into, how tired she is, how messy her eating is (i.e. we only have spaghetti on bath nights)

Mrs.Wtobe · October 2010

Rebecca gets a bath usually every other night unless it was a messier dinner than normal.

jcsntms06 · October 2010

When Annabelle first came home from the NICU we were giving her a bath every three days, but ever since she turned 2 months old or so, we've been giving her a bath every other night. If something comes up and we aren't home, we usually just give her a sponge bath with a wet rag.

anonsouthernbell · October 2010

Now that Matthew is older we give him a bath every night but we only wash him with soap every other night, unless we are out and get home too late then we skip it altogether. (He is almost 14 m.o)

jnealet · October 2010

Emily is coming up on 19 months and she gets baths every other night unless she gets extra dirty. She does have fun in her baths though!!

And I probably shouldn't even admit this - she still takes a bath in her infant tub. Embarrassed

mrs. remy · October 2010

he's 14 months and we have always done every other day.

also, if her skin is sensitive, remember you don't have to buy any fancy 'baby wash'....we wash him with a bar of Dove for Sensitive skin.

weezie825 · October 2010

Thanks for all the replies!

I guess the main "problem" is that I am a creature of habit. We had a routine and it never really occured to me to change it. But now that she is starting to roll around on the floor, I am thinking every-other-day is probably a good idea!

daisyterp · October 2010

I am of the less is better. Babies don't sweat a lot, and have clothes protecting them from dirt. Baths are a lot more drying than showers, so daily baths for babies/kids aren't great for their skin.

DS gets at most 2-3 baths a week.

DD is mostly every other night, but she has been known to hop in the shower with DH or I, or request a bath.

I think my mom thought I was being gross w/ DS only giving him a weekly bath (even though I KNOW this is what she did w/ me and my brother as babies) until she saw on that show The Doctors that babies don't need to get full on baths more than once a week.

FWIW we use cloth diapers so blow-outs are super rare and when I change him I use water from a squirt bottle and a cloth wipe, so he gets mini-sponge baths below the belt constantly...

mrs_sherod · October 2010

Every night and he's 10 months. We started bathing him nightly around 4 or 5 months because the weather was warmer and he sweats a lot.

KRMac · October 2010

Every 2-3 nights. His skin was so sensitive at first that it was once a week. But it seems less sensitive now and he LOVES getting a bath, so we've upped it a bit.

We just use Dove bar soap for sensitive skin too.

kelleymark82606 · October 2010

Every other night unless there is a reason. She's a sweat monster so if she is clammy or spits up everywhere or i know the next day will be rushed, etc. It's been working well every other day though.