Is Okay to Not Bathe Child Every Day?

my son has had eczema since he was three months old. I too was bathing him every night. We followed the pediatricians advice and started bathing him every other night and his ezcema improved. We also used a non steriod cream call mimyx witch also helped greatly. M.

I never washed my kids daily at that age - they did not have eczema but I was told it would just dry out their skin. I have dry skin and as an adult I shower every other day. I think many people over shower and dry out their hair and skin. Good luck!

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My son had really bad eczema all over his body until he was about 5yrs. old. He still gets it in patches here and there. My 15 mo. old daughter also gets it a little. Water dries out the skin even more. Try giving your daughter a bath every other day, and be sure to moisturize like crazy. Unless your daughter plays in a mud puddle every day this is fine. I use Vaseline Intensive Care "Total Moisture" body lotion (it does not have a lot of alcohol in it like other lotions do) after every bath and whenever I notice the eczema. When the eczema is bad use the lotion all over her body 4 or even 5 times a day, after a couple days you will notice a difference. After it clears up you still need to keep her skin moisturized. As soon as you stop it will come back. Good luck I struggled with this for a long time.
The other comment you posted about your daughter grinding her teeth, my 15 mo. old does the same thing. I have no solution other than distraction; I'm hoping to see what others advise you to do.

Hi T.,
Yes, its fine not to bathe her everyday, especially since she has eczema. Do some research on eczema and you can fine out alot of healthy alternatives to help her body cope with it. Such as a diet that includes greens, omega 3's and other oils. I suffer from eczema and always have. I found that washing the affected areas daily rids the skin of its natural oils causing the itching and inflammation to get worse. I am sure she will be fine going to sleep without a bath every night, as long as you are OK with it. You can wipe her face and hands, or whatever parts get messy during the day with a cloth. Good Luck! :)

well..i usually give my 15 mo old a bath daily because he goes to a sitter during the day. i can understand about the going to the crib unclean, but if it is affecting the eczema then i would scale back to every other day and see what happens. it's not like she's rolling around in dirt and mud (smile). try that and see what happens...good luck

it's not necessary to bathe your child EVERY DAY. my daughter's dr. told me to NOT bathe her every day. she told me that i should bathe her every 2-3 days (and only really wash her hair when she needs it). she told me that i can use just wipes, or a wet washcloth to wipe her down, but to actually have her sitting in water, and cleaning her hair every day isn't really that good for her (and she DOESN'T have eczema). and YES from the people i know with it (children AND adults) water is really bad for it. but whether the child has it or not, bathing every single day when they really don't get messy isn't good, it takes away all the natural oils, and especially around this time of year, my daughter takes only 2 baths a week. it's too cold to be having their pores open every night letting the cold in (at least that's how it was explained to me by her dr). i would say if she's not really dirty, then just wipe her down with a warm wet washcloth. of course, if she is sticky, or really dirty, then just bathe her, but if she can go to sleep without that bath, and it helps clear up the eczema, then try to limit the baths!

My daughter had eczema since she is a newborn. And at the time we've been advice to bath her once a week and to use white dove soap, it seems she outgrow her eczema. Also Aquaphore had been effective.
What you can do maybe is to give her a quick shower (rince) or wipe her with a Calendula lait de toilette some other nights.

Good luck
S., mom to Margaux 13 months

We do bathes everynight, too. My son had very severe eczema when he was an infant, its not bad at all now. He just has one little spot on his leg. Try Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief creamy bath wash and Soothing relief lotion. I find it at Walmart and Target. It made a huge difference.
Our pediatrician cautioned us about over bathing. She said not to let him soak in a hot water for an extended period of time.

bathing everyday strips your skin of its natural oils and acid mantle leaving it open to other infections and bacteria... especially in babies.. but in adults too...
i.e
if u overwash your face, youll find first your skin is dry then it is more prone to break outs...

perhaps a product like creamy ( theres 1 in a bar and one that is NOT creamy.. use the creamy one only)
cetaphil would help as it can be used with or without water and restores skins natural ph level... it doesnt burn the eyes and is more like an emollient than a cleanser.. its very safe for babies... it might be a good idea to use both for baths and in between without water

T.,
I've put my kids in the bath every night as a routine to keep things normal, but I don't actually bathe them each time. The soaps and such can dry out the skin and hurt the eczema even more. Was it the water itself the doc said is causing the problem or the actual washing? If it is the soap or actual washing each night, I'd say go ahead and at least keep the bath routine up, just don't wash each time. If it is the actual water causing the issue with her skin, then just get a washcloth and do a wipe over to clean her at night. Either way she should have some type of wash down. As you know, kids to get dirty to some extent. but really it doesn't matter if they get a bath every night. If anything it will give her skin time to produce the correct amount of oils needed to maybe help the condition even more.
P.S. Are you noticing the eczema is getting worse or it is just the doctors SAYING it is getting worse. If it is just them saying it, I'd stick with your own gut feeling.

it is more than okay not to bathe your child every day. 2-3 times a week is fine. it is only in the US where we have the luxury and desire of bathing our children daily. (other 1st world countries have the water available but tend not to waste it like we do here). i totally undertand that it is nice to have a night-time routine and my son absolutely loves the bath... but it is definitely better for the environment and your daughter's skin to bathe her less frequently. i think the only time baths are a must is if your child has had A LOT of contact with other children... so if she is in daycare, i can undersatnd your desire to wash her nightly... maybe try just wiping her face, hands and feet with a warm moist towel.

I have never ever bathed my kids every day. They are bathed once a week or more often if they get dirty. Babies do NOT need to be bathed frequently, just have their problem areas wiped down. Like their bottoms, obviously, and their faces and necks. Bathing them often can dry their skin severely, as its still so new and sensitive.

I was told the same thing. My son is now almost 4yrs old and the eczema is under control. I used to wipe his hair and face with a washcloth at night when I didn't give him a bath. I bathed him every other night. Now he takes a bath or shower every night but I have to immediately put aquaphor on the areas where he gets the eczema to prevent flare ups. I was also just told by the pediatrician to not bathe my almost 5month old daily for the same reason. The doctor said only to bathe my infant every 3 days. I do every 2 and wipe her with a washcloth every morning and night and then put aquaphor on her.
My son takes allergy medication for his eczema too which also helps to control it.
I hope I helped you a little.

Actually giving your kids a bath every night really isn't good for their skin. It dries them out and causes all kinds of skin problems. Plus they are looking at kids that get baths every day and seeing that they are more prone to have allergies because their bodies over react to any foreign substance. Besides how dirty can your 1 year old get. Give her one every other day. Just the basic cleaning (hands and face) will do for every day. Also avoid using non wash anti-bacterial stuff on her too. There was just a little girl in my area that had alcohol poisoning with that stuff (it's really high in alcohol). The mother would use it on her hands and then the girl would put her hands in her mouth.

I bathe my boys every other night. The only time they get a bath everyday is in the summer because we swim in a chlorine pool.

Yes, and I would recommend Aveeno products for when she does have her bath. They have many products that are soap and tear-free. They carry bath powders, shampoos, body washes, lotions and diaper rash creams all designed for releiving the itch and sootheing and moisturizing the skin. They have adult and baby products. I love the bath powder and body washes and lotions. They even have a line with lavendar to help promote a claming and relaxing feeling pre-bedtime.

Your doctor is absolutely right. My son has eczema and I bathe him every 2-3 nights. In the summer he does get a daily bath ( sometimes even 2x a day) but I will only use cool water and lubricate him well afterwards. Kids just do not need daily baths even without eczema.

A.

Yes. My pediatrician said as needed is fine. That said, my son went through a time where he didn't like baths at all, and I wondered what that meant. I look at his hair and don't like to wait more than a day or two.

My daughter too has eczema and another skin condition that is basically dermatitis, bathing every day will make it all worse. The skin has natural oils which help the eczema, by bathing everday you wash this away. She will be FINE. Especially during winter months, washing every day can dry the skin even more and actaully make her skin painful to touch.

Hi T.,
I always heard from my doctors that it is better not to bathe a child every day. It's better not to wash away the natural oils that their bodies produce. I want to tell you that I shop from a company that has great products that dramatically improves excema. I don't have excema but one lady had it so bad she had alot of trouble bathing her children because of the bath water she had to protect herself with rubber gloves because she would break out so bad. Since she switched to products that don't have harsh chemicals and formaldehyde in them along with this lotion, her excema has been eliminated commpletely. If your interested you can contact me and I can explain everything to you. The thing that's great is that these products do not cost anymore than grocery store products. In fact they save me money. It definitely is worth a try and if you don't like them there is a 60 day empty bottle money back guarantee.

T.,

Both of my fair skin children have sensitive skin and eczema. It occurs mostly in the winter.Listen to your doctor, otherwise why bother going to them for your babies check ups? The eczema ONLY gets worse with constant bathing and it gets more red and broken down each day. I would just wash your little one with a wash cloth on the hands, bottom and face before bedtime if it important to you. I have learned that my kids can only be bathed every two - three days because of the eczema and since I started that everything has cleared up. I will just wash them up. Be careful with fragrances and soaps also. I use ointment when the eczema gets real red and broken but that is rare. It is harder in the summer when they start playing in dirt, sand and playgrounds.

Hope it helps

My sister (now 24) has had severe eczema since she was very small, and from her experience, I would definitely recommend NOT bathing her every day. Your doctor is right. Maybe every other day or even once or twice a week.

It is absolutely OK not to bathe your child daily. I have a 12 year old with Eczema and he still does not bathe daily becuse it would make his condition worse. We have other ways to ensure that essential hygiene is provided.

Yes, it's more than OK! My 21 month old DD has eczema and we bathe her every other night. We also use Aquaphor 2-3 times a day and that has also helped a lot. When we do bathe her we use cetaphil, not soap, which is very mild. Good luck and glad she slept w/o her bath!