Right that there's nothing wrong with bathing a newborn baby on a daily basis?!!?

Question

My sister in law had a baby girl in december and she doesn't bathe her everyday!!! she only bathes her a couple of times a week!! i think that's crazy but i just wanna make sure that it's not just me!! my mom told me that she bathed me and my sister every single day starting with the day we were born!! she said that there's absolutely nothing wrong with it!! she said she's just either too paranoid or doesn't like giving her a bath so doesn't because she thinks that becasue she's so little it doesn't matter. and i feel the same way!! am i the only one?!!

Answer 1

My pediatrician told me not to bathe my first child more than once every other day, or even to go two days in between. Their skin is still very sensitive as newborns and excessive washing will dry out their skin.

My second baby has eczema, and I've been told not to bathe him more than two or three times a week. I usually bathe him thee or four times a week (since he's feeding himself right now at 13 months and puts food in his hair), but lather him up with Eucerin cream afterwards.

Your sister-in-law is not crazy or paranoid. She is doing what most pediatricians recommend.

Answer 2

Until they are able to crawl a bath a few times a week is fine, as long as they are being washed with a wash cloth between baths. If you bathe a baby everyday their skin will get very dry. Once they can crawl and are getting "dirty" from things on the floor every other day is ideal. After a year you can start bathing everyday, although not necessary.

Many things have changed in the medical world over the last 10-20 years. Things that were once okay are now not. They used to tell parents to bathe their babies everyday but have now discovered that not only is that not necessary but also can dry out their delicate skin. So even though your mother did it and you all were fine does not mean that you should continue the way she did things when you were little. When I was a baby we didn't have car seats but it doesn't mean it is okay not to use one today because we all turned out fine. There are medical and technological advances all the time, and for good reason.

Answer 3

My pediatrician and many baby books (like What to Expect the First Year) say that you needn't bathe a newborn daily. In fact, many babies have pretty dry skin (at least in my experience) so a daily bath would be detrimental. A quick simple "wipe down" is sufficient as long as there is a bath every 2 or 3 days. It may seem weird, but they don't really do anything to get dirty. They do poop a lot, but that is wiped clean quite often. Definitely, no real baths until the cord has fallen off.

Answer 4

When I first had my son, his pediatrician told me not to give him a bath everyday due to the fact that it dries out their skin alot. I would only bathe him every other day until he was about 6 or 7 weeks and then started to bathe him every night. One thing you have to think about is that it is your brother and sister in laws child and if they're doing things a certain way they have to have a reason that may not include lazyness or lack of caring. Things that parents did twenty years ago may not always be recommended now. I think you guys should give her a break.

Answer 5

When I had my baby the hospital nurses and my pediatrician both said not to bathe her until her umbilical stub fell off and then, that a bath every couple of/fews days was fine. Now I bathe her every other day unless she's a big mess after eating or a soiled diaper and it's worked fine for me.

Answer 6

They should be bathed every other day, their skin is much to sensitive to be bathed daily, and anything less than every other day causes acne and build up around baby's neck.

The following is an exerpt from the below link:
How often should I bathe my baby?
Although some parents bathe their babies every day, until yours is crawling around and getting into messes, a bath isn't really necessary more than once or twice a week. (Just wash his face frequently and thoroughly clean his genital area after each diaper change.)

Answer 7

My pediatrician told me that it is best to bathe babies every two or three days and just wipe them down everyday with a baby wipe or washcloth because their skin can dry out easily and there is no need for them to have a bath everyday because they don't get dirty. You don't need to start giving your baby a bath every day until they are eating baby food.

Answer 8

I bath my 7 week old baby every night as part of his going to bed routine, so he settles easily in the evenings. It helps heaps. On the dirty side of things, I also need to do it every day cos we live somewhere hot and he gets quite sweaty and sticky each day. Ultimately, I think bathe your child when you think they need it. If I wasn't using the bath as a part of night time settling, I wouldn't be bathing him as often in the cooler months.

Answer 9

There is no reason to bathe a newborn every day - they don't get "dirty" and you risk lowering their core temperature which is a problem for newborns - which is why you keep them bundled and warm. Simply wiping them with cloths are sufficient and bathing them a couple of times a weeks is ample. Be more supportive of your sister-in-law, it sounds like you and your mom have it out for her.

Answer 10

I have 3 children and I bathed them everyday when they were little. I started bathing my son in a sink because I didn't have his baby bath when he was first born but I still cleaned him everyday. They are all age 8 and over now and still take a shower every day.