Bathing Baby

twigpig

I bathed my little one every 2 or 3 days a a newborn but didn't use any bubble bath until they were 6 weeks old. I'd suggest that you bath/bathe regularly and if any signs of skin drying out, then make it a little less often or seek advice from your midwife or whoever is looking after you at this stage.

Congrats by the way.......

rach_k

Stop thinking so much about the water and just enjoy it!

I'd definitely skip the baby wipes. If they're as gentle as cotton wool and water, you could just use cotton wool and water! Or my preference would be for washable wipes so you don't get the fluff - Cheeky Wipes do some lovely soft ones. Bamboo are probably nicer than cotton ones in hard water, although it only really matters if you ever use them dry. I'd avoid microfibre for sensitive skin as it can be a bit 'catchy' on dry bits. Don't bother with their essential oils though.

I'd avoid Johnson's like the plague! Weleda do some lovely baby products - the ones in yellow bottles were fine on my daughter's sensitive skin, but the newer white bottles (mallow, I think) are supposed to be even better.

barbiedoll

Hard water is fine to wash babies in! Current research suggests that you shouldn't use any products at all on a baby's skin for the first couple of months at least. They really don't need oils, lotions or soaps (unless they have eczema or other skin conditions) and if you really want to oil them for dry patches, just use the oil on the flaky parts, don't oil them all over.

I used to use a baby shampoo to wash my son's hair, you then have some bubbles in the water which does make you feel as though they're getting a "proper" wash. Baby shampoo is very mild, but don't use it too often. Baby oil is NOT recommended by anyone who works with children, it is a by-product of the petrol industry. Rub some between your fingers, it will "squeak"....not good for babies and very drying to the skin.

It's very confusing with a new baby, the information is relentless and often contradictory, I know. You're doing a grand job, but if you think it's stressful now, just wait till your baby starts moving....you'll be having a heart attack a day! :rotfl:

jjj1980

With my daughter being premature and having eczema, the advice I received from the hospital and Health Visitor was obviously more cautious but there was never any questions over water type.


I was told to only bathe her once a week unless she had a major vomit or nappy leak. Otherwise, a general wipe with warm water and cotton wool or even just Olive Oil for skin on cotton wool. I remember worrying that she would be "dirty" as everyone around kept mentioning how they bathed their babies every night but the doctors soon settled my mind. Even with a vomit or nappy leak, using large cotton wool pads with Olive Oil got her perfectly clean.


Too much bathing can dry skin out as it removes the natural oils. I was told not to use any type of product, other than the Olive Oil until she was at least a year old to give time for her skin to adjust.

Nicki

Is baby's mum still seeing the Health Visitor and going to drop in baby clinic?

This is such an odd thing for her to be worried about, that it would be worth encouraging her to do so if she isn't already. Being overly worried about these sorts of issues can be a sign mum has tipped from being normal new mum nervous into suffering a degree of post natal depression. Having some extra support from experienced professionals can do no harm.

I'm with others by the way that she should bath the baby as often as she wants to. No baby wipe is gentler on the skin than pure water, or olive oil, whether the water is hard or soft. However if a he is very concerned and you all have sensitive skin, how about fitting a water softener?

meer53

What happened to all the babies who were washed with plain water and carbolic soap ? And had zinc and castor oil on their bottoms ? Nowt of course. Common sense has disappeared these days, to be replaced by "experts and professionals" and Google.

baza52

buy some bottled water and bath the baby in that (warmed up) or failing that run some water through a water filter before using if your that worried.

Has to be better and kinder than using baby wipes.

pollypenny

Whether hard or soft, all water from our taps has to meet stringent standards.

I'd prefer to bath my baby in water than use baby wipes any day. Use a gentle cream afterwards.

tea_lover

meer53 wrote: »

If eczema is diagnosed you can still bathe daily, my daughter had it as a baby, there are prescribed emollients you can add to the bath water, makes them hard to hold though !

Doesn't it?! I had a very slippery niece :rotfl:.

busiscoming2

I live in a hard water area, bathed all three of mine from a few days old. I loved Infacare and just added a couple of drops to the water when they were tiny rather thank actually 'washing' them.

Unless your little one has skin problems I wouldn't worry.

Congratulations