How often do you wash a baby? - Page 2

[sky_and_lavender]

I guess I'm in the extreme minority, but my baby got sponge baths very occasionally until she was about 6 weeks old. She just didn't seem dirty or crusty at all! Then we bathed her once a week until she started adding some food to her diet and moving around on her own (and getting a little dirty). Now I bathe her a few times a week, or more, depending on how dirty she gets.

[jess152]

Congratulations on your new baby!

When our's was brand new, he went about two weeks before his first bath. We kept him cozy and covered most of the time, and like your's, didn't enjoy being exposed.

He's 4 1/2 months now and I bathe him once every four or five days or so. I don't use much for soap, just a bit of gentle shampoo on his head. Our first son had so many skin problems, I think we were over-washing, over-moisturizing, etc. So far, this guy's skin is lovely!

[nola79]

I gave dd a couple of sponge baths until her cord fell off (at 10 days old). She has had a bath every day since. She LOVES her bath, it really calms her down and helps tranition her to bedtime. Her skin has never been dry, I bathe her with baby wash and rub baby lotion on her afterwards.

[CookAMH]

I'd say you could give him a bath. We bath twice a week and have done that since birth. We waited until he was a week or so? before his very first bath. I did wash just his hair once or twice early on when it started to look greasy .

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by bclare

Our little one is 11 days old today and we haven't yet given him a bath, just wiped up messes from diapers as needed. His hair is looking a bit greasy, probably from my lotion or lanolin or milk or something, and he has some acne. I am wondering how soon and how often you washed your baby, and how you did it in the beginning. When I clean his bottom, even if the cloth is warm, he is not impressed. I don't want to torture him if it isn't needed!

In the beginning, sponge bath once or twice a week by the kitchen sink. Do you have Dr. Sears' "The Baby Book"? It had a section on how to bathe a baby (came in handy for me because I'd never so much as held a baby in my life and I was totally clueless). If you don't have it, get it anyway cause it's an awesome book.

After a few weeks we started doing baths in the tub-- I would get in, then my husband would hand me the baby. Still maybe once a week bath.

Once she got older and more mobile and started getting dirtier, we started doing baths a bit more frequently, a couple times a week or more as needed. I still get in the tub with her to bathe her.

[marsupial-mom]

First bath - I waited till the cord fell off. Before then, just wiped him down with a warm wet washcloth.

First month and a half - baths once a week.

Now, bath time is every couple of days. And still wipe down his face and hands everyday with a warm wet washcloth.

[SilverFish]

haha, i started a thread about this a few weeks ago. my LO LOVES the tub... it was the calmest part of our day, especially since she'd always nurse really well after, which was a life-saver during our rough start to breastfeeding. she hated the first couple of sponge baths she got, but our midwife suggested filling the tub up nice and full and getting in there with her.
so she was getting tub baths every day (only using a gentle non-soap wash every other), but now that she's relaxed a bit, we usually only get around to it every other or every 3rd day, and it usually involves her coming in the shower with me. once she can keep her head out of the water a bit better, we might go back to daily... it's getting a bit hard on my back to hold her up and wash her at the same time.

[Nicole730]

Originally Posted by bclare

When I clean his bottom, even if the cloth is warm, he is not impressed. I don't want to torture him if it isn't needed!

Don't know if anyone else mentioned it, but he might like going into the tub with you. Both of my babies absolutely loved bathtime, and I think being a big tub, either floating in the water or else being on me is what did it. I bathe my daughter (6 weeks old) about once a week.

[Mulvah]

Post-cord, roughly once a week.

[babymommy2]

I bath my 6 week old daily, every evening and have since he was 1 day old, full immersion in the tub. He has reflux, throws up all day and smells like vomit all the time. It is really dry where I live so I also massage him with oilve oil after each bath to keep his skin from drying out from bathing him so often. He really likes his bath.

[basje]

She's a dirty girl

I started bathing with my LO at about a week, with just water. I had to sit the the bathtub anyway to try and get my stitches to heal and being single and attachment parenting there wasn't anywhere else to put her. She loved it! I filled the tub up as high as it would go and she floated around, kicked, and I guided her back in forth in the water. We had baths together everyday. And I gave her baby massages afterward with oil to keep her skin from getting itchy.

Once she was three weeks old, I tried showering. At first she wasn't sure about all the off spray but she likes those too. I hold her on my chest facing out and stand back toward the drain. The water runs down her back. I still didn't use soap. I know most people don't shower with babies until they can sit unassisted but this just doesn't gel with my lifestyle. I need to shower everyday and it isn't going to happen if I try and wait for her to be really asleep.

Beyond that, she get's really dirty! It wasn't until a few weeks after her regular baths that I noticed that she had formed a huge bit of funk under the rolls of her neck. And under her arms.

So now we shower or bath, using a non-toxic soap and she get's the whole treatment the same time I do. When she wakes up in the morning she's covered in sweat (both mine and hers) and spends all day accumulating breast-milk in her various fat rolls, and pooping on herself. She needs to be bathed every other day at least or she smells bad.

That said, I tried using a baby bathtub the other day on a whim and she started screaming if that that was her reaction to regular bathing I think I would be trying to minimize bathing. Needless to say that will be the last time I use that big blue screaming device.

[bclare]

Thanks, everyone, this has been a lot of fun to read! We waited until a very warm day, and used warm clothes and he loved it! Still a lot of dry baby skin, but that seems like what happens when they are this little. It is so great to have this community out here!

[sapphire_chan]

Now that you've gotten a bit more used to this whole baby thing, you could try making a pouch sling out of an old sheet to use in the shower. It's awesome, because it holds the water somewhat and makes a little baby-bath. And it'll dry super quickly if you hang it up, I did mine as a reversible one with two layers and even that dried completely in half a day.

[kanga1622]

Once the cord fell off, about twice a week. Usually before church and one random day of the week when he's a bit fussy or has been extra messy (spit up, poop).

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Now that you've gotten a bit more used to this whole baby thing, you could try making a pouch sling out of an old sheet to use in the shower. It's awesome, because it holds the water somewhat and makes a little baby-bath. And it'll dry super quickly if you hang it up, I did mine as a reversible one with two layers and even that dried completely in half a day.

I tried that and she screamed like I was pulling out fingernails, rotfl. For some reason the shower TERRIFIES her. I made sure the water temperature was good, everything-- she is just scared. She won't let me take a shower, either, as soon as I step in there (even if I keep the curtain pulled back so that water gets all over the floor but she can see me at all times) she just freaks out completely-- I have to take evening showers when my husband is watching her. But she LOVES getting in the tub for a bath. Weird, weird.