How Often To Bathe A Baby?

If you have a newborn at home, then I’m sure the question of how often to bathe a baby has crossed your mind many times. When you bring home a beautiful new baby, making sure that they are always kept in perfect condition seems to be the main priority for most parents.

Unfortunately, everyone you ask will have a different idea of how to best go about keeping your child happy and healthy, which can make things incredibly difficult for new parents who need all the help they can get. Of course, you want to keep your child clean. That goes without saying.

However, while you may feel that washing them off each and every time they go to the bathroom seems like the best way to keep them nice and healthy, this isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, giving your child a bath without doing something to ruin that soft and tender skin can be nearly impossible, and many parents can end up struggling tremendously trying to figure out what the perfect amount of bath time really is.

Here are a few simple tips you can keep in mind that will help ensure you get your child perfectly clean without doing any serious skin damage starting today.

How Often To Bathe A Baby?

New Baby? Less Bathing

Every new parent will find themselves struggling to doubt the validity of those many commercials full of smiling and laughing babies covered in soap. It certainly makes sense that you’d want to bathe your child at the end of every day. However, in reality, giving your newborn baby a bath each and every day may be doing a lot more harm than good. This is because the skin of a newborn is extremely sensitive and delicate. It’s not meant to be scrubbed and lathered up with a wide range of soaps and creams. Doing so can actually result in your child having to deal with many different issues including rashes and uncontrollably itchy skin, which no parent wants to see their child suffering from.

Your child has been born with a protective layer of skin cells and natural oils which are meant to keep them safe and healthy. The chemicals and materials found in most soaps and creams can actually wipe this layer away, removing this protective shield and putting your child at risk.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that bathing is much different from soaking. In fact, soaking in a bath of nice, warm water for 10 to 15 minutes a day is really all your new baby needs to stay clean.

Tips for a Newborn Bath

If you’re worried about making sure your child ends up with an enjoyable bathing experience, there are a few tips that you can keep in mind to guarantee they end up loving the water.

First things first, the temperature of the water is incredibly important. As previously stated, your baby’s skin is extremely delicate and it can easily end up burned if the water is too hot. The ideal temperature for a baby will be close to body temperature, and the best way to check this is actually with your elbow. Your hands have become much more accustomed to harsher temperatures over time, while your elbow will still be much more sensitive to this change in temperature and give you a much more accurate reading. You want the water to feel neither hot nor cold to your touch. Once you’ve reached this ideal temperature, you will be ready to give your baby a bath. However, if you’re worried about being able to get an accurate idea of how hot the water is, you can always purchase a child bathing thermometer, which will help ensure you end up with the perfect bath.

Once you’ve got the temperature under control, you’ll want to make sure you add a sling or a seat to your baby bath. Infants will be unable to support themselves in the bath and trying to hold them up with just your arm can end in disastrous consequences. Make sure you have this extra bit of support behind you so that you and your baby feel safe the entire time they’re in the bath.

Finally, it’s extremely important that you never, ever leave your child unattended while they’re in the water, even after they get a little bit older. It’s incredibly easy for young children to slip and fall, which you never want to deal with as a parent. Bath time is meant to be calming, not terrifying, so make sure you stay by their side to keep them safe.

What About When They’re Older?

Watching your child running around and playing in the dirt and mud can be both fun and horrifying for parents who start worrying about having to get them cleaned off later on. However, it’s important to keep in mind that children in the toddler stage are meant to get dirty and explore their surroundings. So, while you might think that throwing them right in the bath is the best idea, it isn’t necessarily the case.

In fact, giving your child a daily bath isn’t really necessary at all. Spot cleaning can be more than enough to handle moments when your child ends up covering their arms in markers or paint. However, if your child has recently discovered how much fun throwing themselves in the mud puddle is, then you may want to throw them right in the shower.

Figuring out how often to bathe a baby can be one of the most difficult steps for new parents who might already be nervous about germs or even the bathing process itself. However, it’s important to keep in mind that your child was born with everything they need to keep themselves healthy, and sometimes even the best soaps can end up irritating and aggravating their skin.

Giving your newborn, and even your toddler a real bath every few days will be more than enough to keep them clean and safe. A warm soak is really the only thing you’ll want to worry about on a daily basis. So keep these tips in mind and help your child keep their smooth and wonderful skin for as long as possible.