When to start daily baths?

[nicoleandbump]

My son is 6 weeks old and he currently gets a bath every 4-5 days, and daily wipe downs. I'm curious when to start bathing him more regularly. When did you start?

Also, his skin is dry and flakey, particularly on his head/face. I like to avoid stripping him of his natural oils, which is why I haven't rushed into daily baths.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[krissie328]

Ds started getting baths every other day at about 12 months when he could support himself. However, he has dry skin so I switched to every 3 days about 18 months. Of course on super dirty days he gets an extra bath but usually I don't wash his hair.

 

[Weebles]

I honestly can't remember how old my son was when he started getting daily baths but my DD is about the same age as yours and I only bathe her once a week. I don't see myself doing it more frequently until she can at least hold up her head. It's just too difficult with a screaming and flailing infant that has to be simultaneously supported and washed. I guess I just feel so bad when I bathe her that I'm inclined to go with baths as least often as possible. If your son likes them I don't think a daily bath would hurt so it's really up to you though it'd make me a little jealous because at this point a daily shower is basically a longed for luxury.

 

[minties]

I have never given the kids a daily bath, just don't see why they would need one.

 

[Rachel320]

I started giving my baby daily baths at 3.5 months old but only because it's the only way she'd take a morning nap!!!

 

[CRWx]

I bathed my daughter daily when she was little but then switched to every other day generally now she's 16 months (apart from in these heatwaves where she gets super sweaty!) just go with what you feel is right for your LO hun! People probably think it's excessive that I bath my DD every day when it's warmer but I just play it by what I think on the day also sometimes she'll come home from nursery absolutely filthy for days on end and then sometimes she's not dirty at all- all depends!

 

[nicoleandbump]

Thanks for your replies, ladies! I think I will just play it by ear, as recommended. What appeals to me about daily baths are making them a part of an established bedtime routine, which I'm trying to work us towards. We'll see how it goes!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I don't do daily baths till walking age I guess.

 

[MindUtopia]

Basically when you feel you need to because he is getting too messy or dirty or when it becomes part of your daily routine. We did baths maybe only once every 2-3 days until probably nearly 3-4 months. Then we started to put our daughter to bed upstairs in the evenings (otherwise she slept downstairs with us until we went to bed) and we created a bedtime routine for her that included a bath. That's when we started to do them daily.

 

[heychrissie]

We started daily baths as part of a bedtime routine at about 12 weeks. Milk, bath, story, bed. She got the idea pretty quickly x

 

[jessmke]

We started doing them daily as part of her bedtime routine at 6 weeks, although we would only use soap on her maybe once a week. She found it very relaxing before bed. Once she was 5 months old and could sit unassisted it became a great form of play time before bed, it always seems to get that last little bit of energy out of her and when she comes out of the tub she is rubbing her eyes and ready for sleep even if she was bursting with energy before getting into the tub. Since she started walking I find a daily bath a necessity most days, she just gets herself really dirty! We spend a lot of time outside and by the end of the day she is covered in dirt and sand and who knows what else. The bottoms of her feet are always gross from playing without her shoes on, and she finds puddles and mud to splash around in, etc. She also really loves to put food on her head a call it a 'hat' and then laugh like it's the best joke she's ever heard, so there's often peanut butter or other food stuck in her hair. We still only soap her and wash her hair a few times a week, but she definitely needs at least a rinse off each night. Now that it's summer and really hot she spends a lot of time in the inflatable pool outside so on those days we don't always bath her before bed if she is still clean at bedtime.

 

[cupcake.]

I think we started at around 5 months and a bit as part of her bedtime routine. I agree with jessmke, it seems to get that last bit of energy out and makes her so sleepy after.

And as soon as we started her on solids, more often than not she really needs a bath because whatever she had for dinner is all over her

 

[babyjan]

I think I started doing daily baths from 9 months onwards

 

[xdxxtx]

I only bathe my kids twice a week, more often if they've got hair caked in their toenails and hair from playing in the dirt, but they do play in the dirt every single day, and I rarely will bathe them more frequently. We are prone to eczema, so if I bathed them daily, they'd be dry and rough and gross anyway. Also, I do believe that the bacteria on their skin is great for their immune systems and doesn't need to be washed off.

When I'm dealing with a baby, I won't bathe them but once a week or every other week. Heck, some of my babies had gone a month without a bath. This is until they're crawling. Once they're crawling around a bit, I'll bathe them more often just because they're actually getting dirty. Let me just say that my kids have incredible immune systems and have never been on antibiotics or really sick. Dirt and bacteria don't have to be terrible things. My mother used to bathe me every day. My skin gets so dry so easily, I can't believe she would!

 

[themisfit]

I still don't do daily baths. I honestly don't find them needed. A quick wipe with a wipe often works better, and I find too many baths dries out my baby's skin. I give her a bath every 2-3 days. She's 11 months. I think I've been doing every 2-3 since about 6 months. Before that, I did once a week or as needed.

 

[Noodlebear]

My son is 5 soon and I still don't give daily baths lol. I avoided bathing too much when he was small because I didn't want to dry his skin out but now I just chuck him in when he needs it - admittedly it is getting more frequent as he is somehow constantly covered in snot or felt tip.

 

[thexfadingpat]

My oldest is 16 months and he still doesn't get daily baths. We only fully bathe him twice a week.

 

[Taurus8484]

We bathed every day from when they got home from hospital.....they love their nightly baths

 

[Left wonderin]

We never have , mine get a bath definitely once per week, sometimes 2 per week or whenever I can't stand the grubbiness anymore lol..... If I was to bath them every time they got dirty they would actually never be out of the bath !!!!!

 

[catty]

I still dont do daily baths at age 4. I bathe them roughly every 3 days mainly because my eldest had excema so its been drummed into my head that baths can actually make it worse. Weve never done baths as a nightime routine either we do it in the daytime but i know im not the norm