How often do you bathe your baby?

Question

I give my kids baths every other day.
One friend does it every single day.
My other friend does it maybe once a week.

Answer 1

every other day...

keep up the good work :-)

Answer 2

It's OK to go up to a week without a full bath, especially if the baby has very sensitive skin. As long as the face, hands, and bottom end get cleaned regularly, what's the big deal?

On the other hand, a bath can be a nice, calming bedtime ritual, so bathing every day is fine, too. (I wouldn't use soap/shampoo that often, though.)

In the summertime, or during a "learning-to-feed-myself" phase, a toddler might need a soapy bath every day. And a baby with bad reflux might, too. In the winter, though, when everyone's so dry anyway, I wouldn't.

My kids (3 and 1) take baths on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays unless there's a need for more.

Answer 3

Kids have a tendency to get really dirty...sometimes it not even the dirt that you can see...it's more like all of the bacteria and germs that you don't see. I don't see a problem with every day or every other day ...it all depends on their age and what they do on a regular basis. Babies and toddlers who are not yet potty trained should probably get a bath every day because all of their nooks and crannies may have residual poop and potty....that is a breeding ground for bacteria to grow which can cause irritation or infections.
My kids are 13, 12, 11 and 4. My 13 year old showers every night and the 12 year showers every day but only has to wash her hair every other day. She has very thick and curly hair and is hard to manage....she straightens like crazy. The 11 year old has to be forced into the shower and had to be smelled to make sure he actually used soap and shampoo...he likes to turn the water on and "pretend" he has taken a shower. The 4 year old thinks its a party when it comes to bath time...she would like to take a bath or shower 2-3 times a day if we let her.
Letting the bathing go to once a week seems as though it would be negligent...but that's my opinion...I am not saying your friend is a bad parent ...but it would be better for her kids to bathe more often.
My kids have only gone without a bath for 5 days once and that is because we were camping!!!
To each his own!!

Answer 4

Depends how old the baby is.When my daughter was very young, maybe once a week. Babies do not give off odor or need exsessive bathing when very young. (Under a few months). There is NOTHING WRONG with bathing a young newborn once a week and you can ask any doctor. It only ends up irritating there newborn skin. If needed I would also wipe her down with a baby wipe. When she started crawling and eating baby foods I increased to a few times a week because there was a need for it. She is almost 1 now and normally bathes every other day or sometimes everyday

Answer 5

It depends on how old the baby is I guess. I mean, a newborn certainly does not need a bath everyday. I bathe my 6 month old a few times a week, and just wipe him down with warm wet washcloths after meals and diaper changes in between. My two year old gets a bath every other day, unless he's had a hard day of playing outside and is stinky or decided to write on himself with markers.

Answer 6

I give my kids ages 6,4,3 and 11 months a bath every other day. But sometimes my 11 month old has to have a bath more depending on if her diaper leaked or how messy she got while eating.

Answer 7

When my son was first born and still to this day he has a bath every day. It relaxes them for bed. He started sleeping through the night at 2-1/2 weeks and now at 2 still sleeps through the night.

Answer 8

No more then every other day and sometimes every 3 days. Bathing everyday is very drying to the skin.

Answer 9

Once a week is fine, once per day can be too much- their skin needs the natural oils.

Anywhere in between is right for us. If he is especially dirty he gets one, sometimes just a washcloth over his body.

He looooves the bath so it's hard to not give him one every day!

Answer 10

When my daughter was a new born I did everyother day so her skin wouldn't dry out but I cleaned her neck everyday because milk always seemed to gather in there. Now that she's 2 1/2 I bathe her everyday because she is always dirty but I don't wash her hair every day unless it needs it.

Answer 11

I think babies need bathing every day; well, at least topping and tailing if you know what I mean. It depends on the baby's age, how messy they are, and if a bath before bedtime helps to relax them.