Bathing an Infant

I think bathing an infant every night is okay. I just could never get it together to do so. And now with two kids, we just make sure to bath them at least every other night unless they get really dirty on an off night.

If you don't want to use lotion on your baby, just rub a little bit of olive oil on his skin. That is the best natural moisturizer that I have found. Plus it is cheap and most people already have it in their home for cooking. I also used olive oil on my breasts/nipples when I was breastfeeding. But just use a small dab of it, or your baby will be a slippery little one :D.

1 mom found this helpful

I bathed my 3 children every night because I of other people touching them. Use a good moisturizer. I tried the baby oil and lotions. Eventually I went to Vaseline. It is awesome! The large jar lasts about a year, you don't even need that much. Put it him immediately after bath. He will enjoy the massage.

Hi there-I do bathe my daughter every day and have also used lotions after the baths, with no ill effects that I can see. She loves her baths and they help her to start to wind down for the night. I tried a number of different baby washes and lotions until I found some that I liked. There are lots that are unscented if you're worried about that but they are all so gentle that I've started using them for my own sensitive skin! Take care.

i've heard they don't need it every night, but it's a nice routine! my best advice is to get in the bath with him. worked beautifully for us!!! that way you get a chance to relax too!!! no back breaking bending over or anything!!! : )

Hi there and congratulations to your baby!
I personally didn't and still don't bathe my daughter every day. I don't think they need it especially when they are babies. It could cause dry skin. But you know what you and your baby likes the most so you have to decide whats best for you. Good Luck.
p.s of course during hot days it could be nice with a bath to cool off.

Hi, C..

It's fine to give your baby a bath every night. The most important thing is that the water not be too warm because that causes dryness.

I have had my daughter on a bathtime/bedtime routine since she was 5 months old and she doesn't have dry skin.

A routine really helps my daughter settle down before bedtime and I think it's contributed to how well she sleeps. I could be wrong, but I'm not planning on changing anything any time soon.

Hope this was helpful!

All the best,

E.

Hi C. ! I don't think it would hurt to bathe baby each night. I used to bathe my young ones at that early age in the afternoon right before their nap time. It's refreshing to them as it is to us ;-)

And generously rubbing him or her with lotion after bath is the best to keep skin moisturized.

Be careful what type of soap you use, though. Check ingredients, if it has alcohol in it, you are somewhat defeating the purpose, alcohol dries out the skin.

Take Care !

C.:

Congrats on your new baby! I did the same thing you did and found the routine of a nice warm bath before bedtime really helped get him into a good sleeping route. However, at three months if you do that his skin will most likely get dry if you don't use baby lotion. I don't know about you but a nice rub down also soothed him. I just used Baby Lotion and would rub his legs, back, etc. and he relaxed so much. His skin remained soft and the lotion didn't harm him at all but I do think a daily bath without may. Best wishes!

PS: My kids are all bigger now and guess what they ALL love? Jumping out of the shower and relaxing with me on the couch and asking for a back rub, lol.

Although we love the smell and feel of a freshly bathed baby, my pediatrician always advised me to not bathe my babies every night. I bathed my first born son every night and he developed skin problems. As an adult, he still has dry skin problems.

Hi C.!

Take it from me...bathtime every evening is an excellent routine to establish! You can use Johnson's nighttime bath wash, I think it has a lavender scent, which is very relaxing. They also have the same scent in lotion. Your baby's skin shouldn't dry out by being bathed every day. I believe if you establish this routine now, not only will it make the evening ritual and bedtime expected and "routine" as your son gets older, it really is relaxing for both of you! I suggest dinner, then a little playtime, then bathtime (which will incorporate more playtime as he gets older) followed by a bedtime story or two and then...SWEET DREAMS! He'll be fine. Also, a great tip...while he is still small, don't hesitate to bathe him in your kitchen sink! It's much easier on your back!!! :o) Have fun being a Mommy!

Give your baby a bath every day - NOT going to hurt him. I have been giving my twin boys a bath every night since they were two weeks old. I do use Aveeno baby lotion on them. I don't understand people who think that a baby only needs 1 - 2 baths a week. They are just LITTLE people.

C.,
I am no expert, but I do have 7 children. My youngest is 1 and it is my opinion that bathing your 3 month old every night is fine, as far as skin is concerned. The baby soaps out there are very mild and if he doesn't have any problems with dry skin or reactions to any soaps you are using at this point he is probably fine!
In the warm months I think it is especially beneficial because they do get hot and sticky sometimes in the heat. Bathing before bed is cooling and relaxing and I think a wonderful routine to establish and continue as you do have the time to do this with one child. I say enjoy this precious bathtime, they grow so fast. Congratulations and good luck. God has truely blessed you!!!!!

I didn't bathe my children every night because I was told not to do that. My pediatrician said I SHOULD bathe them every night--so much conflicting information.
For the sake of a routine, I would bathe him every night, but just not use any soap every time.
There are many lotions out there that are for newborns (check out health food stores instead of Target, Walmart, Longs, etc.). My children seem very susceptible to dried-out skin, so I make sure I keep them lubricated. As infants, I used Aquaphor on them.
good luck

C. - you could just keep bathing out of the bedtime routine alltogether and bathe him in the morning (or at some other time during the day) instead.
I think it's a good idea to only bathe him every other night and I wouldn't encourage you to begin using lotions on his skin, because most baby products are really sort of toxic (check out www.cosmeticsdatabase.com).

C.,

I've always bathed my children every night. However, I don't use soaps on them unless they are really dirty (my youngest is 20 months old now and I often use baby wash on him to scrub off food he's smeared all over himself!). As far as lotions go and baby soaps go, I like the California Baby super sensitive stuff (no articial stuff, no chemicals, no perfumes). I like to go to bed feeling all clean and so do my kids. Having a nice bath before bed is really relaxing. Water is an amazingly effective cleanser all by itself.

:-)T.

My son turned 3 months yesterday and he has been getting baths every day since he was about 3 weeks old. My son spits up a lot so I dont want him to smell like sour milk-- so we went to frequent baths fairly early. My doctor recommended using "Cetaphil" soap ( i thought it was for womens faces, but apparently it is SUPER gently and moisturizing and great for babies). We use it and it works great, plus you can get it at Costco in a two pack that will last forever for a lot less than at regular store prices. Then you can get Cetaphil lotion (or just try a baby lotion)

Good Luck...

When my twins were babies, they spit up constantly. They were fat too, so the milk would get in their rolls in their necks and eventually go sour. I would go to kiss them and smell it and be disgusted. So we began the ritual of bathing every night or day, simply because we had to from a cleanliness standpoint. But as time went on, it really helped the whole bedtime routine, settling down before bed. As other posters have said, you dont need to use soap everytime. But depending on your situation, if you have a puker or a stinky baby, you may need to. I always used green products on them, and still do. California baby is great, so too is Earths Best by Jason, Burts bees has one too. There are a lot out there, and due to the whole issue of phlalates, i would strongly recommend using something green/phlalate free. I opted not to use lotion on my kids, for one I had heard that it interferes with their own bodys ability to regulate skin moisture and equally important... I dont like my babies smelling like anything other than baby or me.

When my son was young, I did the same thing using the bath as part of the evening routine, and it still is (he is 21 months). It is important to make sure the water is warm, but not too warm, as hot water is very drying. Also, keeping the baths short will help. However, I did use lotion. My pediatrician recommended Cetophyl (sp?), and I still use it, plus Berts Bees lotion for babies. I hope this helps.

Hi C., I think every night is a little much, I don't remember how often I bathe my babies, I believe i did on a need a bath basis, alk to your pedeatrician for what is best for your baby. J.

Don't bathe him too often! our water has chlorine in it. Your instincts are right. Wash him when he's dirty not because your brain is mechanical and on a schedule. Let me tell you right now so you don't have to learn the hard way....listen to your self! You have all the answers. To every decision you make. make it because this is what is best for your son's well being. And then yours... Much love..
J.

I would double check with your pediatrician, but everything I've heard/read/been told is no! You don't even need to do it every other day like you are. Most newborns are fine 1-2 a week...until they are crawling around and getting actually "dirty" you don't need to do it that often...

My oldest son has very fair skin and the doctor actually told me I was bathing him too much and drying out his skin. He said to only bath him about every 3rd day and just wash the diaper area really well the other days. There are baby soaps that can help keep the skin from drying out. Ask the doctor next time you are in what kind of lotion and age it should be started.

My kids have dry skin problems. If you want to bathe every night just don't use soap every night. You might try a little baby oil on him before you take him out of the bath. You can use very little and add some moisture back.

I always did and didn't have any problems. If you are worried, just don't use any kind of soap (he's so little, he doesn't really need soap anyway). If his skin starts to get dry, I'd bet just putting a drop of baby oil in his bathwater would keep him moist (but then, you gotta clean the oil out of the bathtub!)

You do not need to use soap every night. Sometimes we just let them play in the bath, no soap (that dries the skin) to get the "bath" routine in. So he still feels like he has been bathed. I am a big believer in the night time routine, it has helped both are kids sleep better. So just throw in tub, let then get the warm water play time in, w/ or w/o soap.

Daily baths are fine, just use a good moisturizing soap and a good moisterizer after. I have been bathing my 4 month old everyday for a month now and I use the Huggies sensitive bath and lotion. No probs. With my daughter I washed her daily from 4 months on and I used the huggies Cocoa butter formula bath and lotion because her skin was a bit drier and she also had a mild cae of excema. Hope that helps.

I bathe my son every day, I just use soap on him everyday.

I too bath my 2 1/2 month old every night. It started calming him down at night and he fussed a lot less. For me, it was the best thing to do to establish a night time routine (bath/putting on diapers & P.J.'s/nurse/bed. Plus, he loves his baths and I find it to be a great time to bond with your baby!

Hi C.,
I bathed my baby every night. Now she is two and although I don't always soap her up every night, I fill a tub of warm water and let her splash around and rinse off a little before bed. She is not completely potty trained and I like her to rinse the urine from the diaper/pull up area for those times she doesn't make it on time.

I was told by the PED a bath every night was not necessary, but it was okay. I never had any issues.

Enjoy your baby!

It is absolutely O.K. to bathe a baby every night. I bathed all three of my children every night from day one, and they did just fine. (It will help tremendously with the routine because he'll know what comes before going to sleep.) Just use a skin softening baby wash (like Cetaphil) and a gentle baby lotion. Happy bath time! :)

i have been giving my son now 4 months and 4 wks a bath every night. and he has ezima, which baths irritate his skin, but afterward we use tons of ezema creams and lotions etc. He just loves his bath, it calms him down and relaxs him for the day. Its a great thing to have as a part of your nighttime routine.

Good luck.

Totally fine---a little bath and wipe down every night is fine. Obviously no prolonged water exposure, but a short bath is great! I bet he'll love it!!

Hi C.,

I have an 11 wk old adopted son. My older sister, mother of 3, pressures me all too often to bathe him every night as part of a bedtime routine, a bandwagon my husband all too often jumped on. I read in my parenting magazine just this week that every 2-3 days is sufficient (don't want to dry out baby's skin etc.).

Anyways, I prefer to bathe him in the morning (b/c then I am more awake and can enjoy bath time too) and I do so on an as needed basis, usually every 3 days. I've been using Johnson's pink baby lotion since week one and have had no issues. I love the smell (like baby colonge). I also use the lavendar ready to use clothes for occasional sponge bath in between whenever the need arises.

As for bedtime routine we feed him and put him down right away with no rocking etc. Since his second week he typically only woke once during the night for a feeding around 2am until about 7 weeks (he was down around 10-11). Then between 7-9 weeks he started sleeping until about 4am. Now he has offically turned the corner and he goes down around 8-9 and sleeps until 6-7am. Life is back to normal :-)

Bottom line, you are the mother and you know what works best for you and your baby. Don't let anyone tell you what to do. It is great to do research to collect information and then make your own decisions.

Good Luck!

G., SAHM WAHM of 1

I discovered bathing a newborn every night tends to dry out their skin. I would try every other day. Just until he starts moving around more. Once he starts scooting or crawling around. He's not getting dirty or anything at this point. Because their skin is still so new it dries it out.

Hello Christine,

I have a 2 month old little girl who has been taking a bath every night since she was a week old. Her skin is not rough or dry; However I do use lotions.

Hope this helps!

Just use a liquid moisturizing soap
and virgin coconut oil instead of
baby lotion.

Hi C.! We do the same thing, giving our son a bath as part of his bedtime routine. In order to protect his skin (and because soap is not really necessary unless there's been a diaper disaster) we just give him a water bath every other time, or for 2 nights in a row, before using the soap. With all the info about phthalates out there, of course you want to be careful with soap. We use California Baby (organic & phthalate-free), available at Target. It's more expensive, but like I said, we only use it a couple times a week. They also make an organic, fragrance-free lotion, for when you do start using it. Good luck with your bedtime routine, hope your son sleeps like the angel he is!

I think he is too young to bathe every night. It is not necessary and it will dry out his skin. Try massage or something else as a routine until he needs a bath every night.

I bathed my son nightly from the time we could bathe him . . . but we always followed up the bath with a massage with lotion to help calm him before bedtime (it worked, too!). Our routine was bath, massage, nursing, down. They make lotions that are designed for babies this young that should be fine for him. Good luck!!

Hi C.- This is your baby so you should do what you feel is right - babies skin is super sensitive for thet most part so there are all natural things you could look into that wont harm him for sure they have some washes that have baby oil in them that you could put a bit in the water for his skin - I usually bath them every other night unless they are REALLY dirty - the natural oils we have need to come out and be with us a bit -I have always creamed my kids after bath time with the aveeno baby products and they are fine -I was always worried that the dry skin would itch them so I make sure they are all creamed up! It is a nice relaxing rub down for them and on the night i dont bath them they still get cream! Good luck and do what you feel is best for you !

I give my lo a bath every night but I dont wash every night. Just so she will not get dry. I do use lotions, so not sure if he would get dry.

C.,
I am a mom of four boys. We bathe our kids every night. I use baby oil (very little bit rubbed in my hands) to moisten the skin. I liked using that since baby get's to have a mini massage. Good for you and baby!
Have fun!
P.

that should be ok to bathe him everynight. my daughter gets a bath every morning. if i notice her skin is getting dry i put some lotion on her and shes good to go. lotion on your baby is ok by now but its your choice on weather or not to use it.

Hey C.-
Bathing every night isn't an issue. I have two girls (2 and 1) who both have VERY sensitive skin. The only thing I can use on them is Aveeno baby products. I love them. Having a routine is key- it establishes a much easier night for you. If it works for you, go head with everynight baths. But, look into something like Aveeno or Cetaphil- both are very mild.

-J.

Hi C.,

I have a 4 1/2 month old and I usually give him a bath every other night. On the nights that I don't, I usually wipe his face with a water only washcloth and sponge bath him elsewhere. I have been using "natural-organic- very Mild" Lotions on him since he was practically born. I have sensitive skin and only use natural/chemical free products on me- so I use a baby lotion similar for him. When I was younger, my mother had my brother and sister about 11 years after I was born- they would often get sick in their baby/toddler days. My grandmother who was from Europe always told my mother it's because she bathed them too much. She said that we as Americans are obsessed with cleanliness to the point of washing away all of our good bacteria to help us from getting sick. I believe she was right to a point. My mother stopped using chemical products (household cleansers included) started using more back to basic products and less on the babies.. Ironically enough, my brother and sister didn't get sick as much. A great product line for home care is Shaklee's Get Clean line. (an environmentally friendly product line- that won't pollute your home with nasty chemicals). Going back to the baby- sometimes just sitting the baby in warm water at night is a great routine to calm them before bed. Get a good natural (less ingredients is better- and be able to pronounce them) body cleanser for your little one and apply lotion- it helps them keep soft natural skin. My little guy- has beautiful skin- so it's working! good luck!

Hi,
Having a bedtime routine is a great idea. My main suggestion would be to not use soaps on him, or even lotions. So many contain chemicals and toxins that get absorbed into their systems through the skin. They lead to exzema and congestion.
Be very careful in selecting baby products. California Baby has a line of skin products that I highly recommend. My son is highly sensitive to soaps, but California Baby has worked great.
Congrats on you new little one!