Bath time might be part of your nightly ritual, but doctors actually don't recommend daily baths for babies. Excess exposure to water can zap their skin of moisture and worsen conditions like eczema. Then again, not bathing your baby often enough can also aggravate eczema, plus lead to other infections.
"It's a delicate balance," says Scott Grant, M.D., MPH, FAAP, at Detroit Medical Center's Children's Hospital of Michigan. But bathing itself is probably not the entire problem: "The use of bath products, including lotions that contain dyes or fragrances, can react with babies' skin to make eczema worse even if there isn't a 'bath,'" says Dr. Grant.
So how often should you bathe a newborn? Read on for expert advice.
According to the , newborn babies should not get their first bath until 24 hours after birth; if a full day is not possible, they recommend waiting at least 6 hours after your baby is born. Delaying your baby's bath can have several different benefits, such as:
Helping your baby keep their body temperature stable and preventing hypothermiaHelping stabilize your baby's blood sugarImproving breastfeeding success if you will be nursingEncouraging bonding with you and any other caregivers Helping moisturize your baby's skinPreserving beneficial bacteria on your baby's skin
Most hospitals are very familiar with the AAP's stance on delaying the newborn bath and many hospitals have a policy for a delayed bath, but many don't. Either way, you can ask staff ahead of time if you have any concerns about delaying your newborn's first bath.
When your baby comes home and is ready for baths, you'll want to stick with sponge baths until after their umbilical cord stump falls off—usually a couple of weeks after birth. You must also rely on sponge baths until circumcision incisions heal.
Experts generally agree that parents can safely bathe their newborns three times a week. That said, there is no hard and fast rule about how often you should bathe your infant. The AAP notes that three baths a week should be plenty for a newborn, but if you want to bathe your baby even less frequently, that's fine too! In general, you can bathe your baby when they are dirty or if you notice that distinctive "cheese" starting to set in in their skin folds.
"Obviously there are unique messes that babies can find themselves in as they get older and more mobile that may require an extra bath from time to time," says Dr. Grant. "But in general, this rule is sufficient as long as the diaper area is cleaned appropriately at each diaper change."
Just as you'd still apply deodorant when forgoing your own shower, certain baby parts need attention daily whether they're getting a full-on bath or not.
"Be sure that you're cleaning the diaper area well, especially following , in between skin folds," Dr. Grant advises. For instance, to properly clean a vulva, make sure you wipe front to back using a clean unscented wipe and check the folds for trapped stool.
To recap, bathing your baby no more than three times a week is perfectly healthy, given that you wipe the diaper area thoroughly at each changing and apply moisturizer daily.
