You actually CAN bathe your baby too much.  Some babies are prone to eczema, aka dermatitis; different types of skin swelling that causes uncomfortable itching.  If your baby is prone to this skin condition, there is also a delicate balance to bathing too often or not enough.

Bathing too often can rob skin of moisture and make conditions like eczema worse.  But not bathing enough, can increase the symptoms of eczema and increase the risk of other infections.

Let’s start with newborn bathing frequency.  A newborn shouldn’t have their first bath until their umbilical cord stump has dropped off.  This usually occurs within a week or two after they are born.  Once this happens, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends bathing your baby three time per week until they are 1 year old.

Babies can be messy!  This is a known fact.  Between feedings, diaper blowups, spitting up and countless other factors, babies simply seem to need to be bathed more often than their grown up counterparts. And it can appear to get worse as they get older and begin to crawl; getting into even more things.

The messier they get, doesn’t necessarily need to equate to more bath time.  But rather, ensure diaper area is cleaned well at each changing and a few “sponge” bath and “spot” cleans will do the trick in between those three bathing sessions per week.

Most often it’s not the bath itself causing a lot of the skin problems for infants. It’s all the products we use that contain dyes and other chemicals that wreak havoc on babies sensitive, new skin. We at Eco Totz and My Shopping Spot for Totz recommend Eco Friendly products specially designed for babies who naturally have more sensitive skin to begin with.  They are ideal for babies who may have even more sensitive skin.

 So what are some best bath time rituals to practice?

Set aside specific times each week for bath time and stick to them.  Your baby will get used to them and most often will be so relaxed afterwards they will nap peacefully too.  So consider this a factor as well if you want to get them on a more regimented sleeping schedule.

Be sure to gently clean in between all those baby rolls.  A lot of dirt and dead skin can build up and, if not cleaned properly, can lead to infections such as cellulitis as well as irritating other skin conditions such as eczema.

 Also be sure to pat your baby well dry to avoid exposure to air drying after bath time.  Doing so will help prevent too much drying of baby’s skin as the air will rob some of her moisture.

Next consider an eco-friendly lotion to apply all over baby’s skin.  It has shown to reduce the risk of eczema.  You can never apply too much of it either!

In short, if you don’t have time for a bath one of those three times in a week, don’t fret!  Just always be sure to thoroughly clean during diaper changes and be careful with making sure baby is always clean in between all those baby fat rolls!

If you want to help to make bath time a little more fun for both you and baby, check out our eco-friendly, smiling frog, Eco Totz Bath Bed below.

Happy Bathing!!