SHOULD I BATHE MY CHILD EVERY DAY?

Posted by Marissa Smith on

After becoming a parent for the first time, it is the biggest learning curve that two adults can experience barring very little. As well as ensuring they have enough to eat, can play in a clean nappy, and that the house is as safe as can be, a lot of time is also spent battling over bath time. For many, bath time is the biggest struggle of all because no party involved seems to enjoy it. However, is this something that we should be going through on a daily basis?

 

Of course, we all want our children to be as clean as possible because baby safety is paramount so bathing is a natural process but some experts now say that a daily bath isn't entirely necessary. In truth, bathing too frequently will actually lead to dry skin and can be counterintuitive. As you may have noticed, your newborn baby may have sensitive skin and they don’t get too dirty because they don’t move around too much. If you are keeping on top of their diapers and ensuring that their bottom is clean, they won’t need a full bath every single day because this will make the sensitive skin even worse. Often, a simple clean with a washcloth will be fine in between baths.

 

As soon as your child starts to enjoy the great outdoors and digs up worms from the garden, then you might want to consider a more frequent bath time for child safety but you are fine until then. If your child particularly hates bath time or if you are struggling with time one day, don’t worry about the practice of daily baths because it is ok to leave it every now and then.

 

Although you might not want to take it to this extreme, the American Academy of Dermatology states that once or twice a week is actually enough for most 6-11 year olds. At first, this doesn’t seem like a lot but bathing is about cleaning someone that’s dirty. If they aren't getting dirty, a full bath won’t be necessary. Furthermore, many experts even say that a little dirt will help to build a stronger immune system.

 

Dr Michael Welch, American Academy of Paediatrics, has previously said that a ‘little grime’ may protect children because they are still experiencing development in their immune system. After reaching adolescence, daily baths are then advised but parents shouldn't still be battling with their children in the bathroom at this age. With this in mind, it seems as though we can all relax a little and continue doing the best we can!

Post Image via tec_estromberg/Flickr

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