Does your baby get a bath every night?

[BeachBaby]

Not sure which forum to post this in, but I'm asking b/c I want to start establishing a bedtime routine (baby is almost 5 months) and have read that a bath is a part of a lot of people's routines.

My daughter loves the bath and they are soothing to her, but I'm worried about drying out her skin. She doesn't have any skin problems, but I'm not convinced that a bath every day is necessary and may do more harm than good, especially now that its winter and the air is drier.

Do any of you do a bath without soap? Just wipe them with a washcloth and then apply lotion?

Also, I'd love to hear what your routines are (or were, for a 5 month old) if you don't mind sharing.

Thanks!
Megan

[jk3]

Nope. My DH gives my DS a bath every other night + it isn't part of the bedtime routine. His bedtime routine takes place in his room. My DH plays with him and reads books with him for about 20 minutes once he's in his pj's. I tend to give him a botlle and then my DH takes him around his room + they say goodnight to his toys and animals. We put on some music + put him down for the night.

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[steph2003]

Yep, bath every night. No, it is not necessary (I don't think) You could wipe them down with a washcloth & skip the bath. As long as their little parts are getting cleaned & the folds of their precious baby fat (wait until you start solids - the junk we find under my DS's chin - yuck!)

We've just done a bath every night as part of our routine. Helps him wind down & have a little splash time. Plus my DH does it as part of their time together. After bath he gets a lotion rubdown, then if he isn't too cranky at this point we read a book (or try as he grabs it from me!) & say our prayers. Then bottle in the rocking chair & into his crib.

That said - we do deviate from the routine at times. For instance over T-day holiday we got back way too late from the relatives one night & just skipped the bath.

[C99]

He gets a bath every night and has since he was about 6 months or so. Honestly? Unless he's *dirty,* I never use soap on him. Just splashing around in water is enough for him. I do wash his hair every other night. I only use lotion if his skin is particularly dry, which isn't very often, or apply aquaphor or lanolin when his cheeks are chapped, which happens more from the way he plays/behaves than from daily baths.

I have a friend whose 19-month-old bathes up to 3 times/day. She just really likes the bath.

When we first started the night routine, I think it was to have dinner, have a bath, PJs/diaper and then nurse to sleep. We later moved nursing to before bath and then dropped it altogether, and added books and rocking before bed.

[usfrph]

DS is 5 months old and we do a bath every night because it's his time with his papa. He loves splashing around and getting all the attention. He gets a lot of lotion after his bath to combat dryness. We read a few books if he's not too cranky, otherwise it's straight to the glider. HTH.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

We don't give a bath everynight and it's not part of the bedtime routine. I didn't want an elaborate bedtime routine because we just don't have time for it after we all get home from work. Besides that, I just let her sleep when she was tired so there was no way to predict when to start the routine. She nursed to sleep, so that was our routine I guess at that age.

Even now at 20 months, our only routine is that she nurses and then daddy takes her up to bed.

I have never used lotion once we got past the newborn dry skin the first week or so.

She gets a bath a couple times a week on whatever night we have time to do it. Or she gets a shower with one of us.

...Karen
DS Jake Feb 91, DD Logan Mar 03
http://members.aol.com/khowe14494/superpower.gif http://members.aol.com/khowe14494/borntobebreastfed2.gif

[babymama]

Definitely not every night when he was 5 months old. And not even really now. During the summer, we had a long stretch when he was getting bathed every night - he was sticky and sweaty and needed a bath. Now that he's not really outside playing (it's been rainy and cold). We're more every other night, but don't stick to that religiously.

I'm working on a bedtime routine now, not sure if it it includes bath or not.

Lydia
Mama to Santiago, born 11/16/03

[dowlinal]

Yep!! Since she was one month old our routine has been bathtime, a massage, a bottle, and then bed. Up until 6-7 months bathtime often was just warm water poured over her while she layed in her infant tub. I use an organic baby massage oil on her so I think that is why we never had a dry skin problem plus I run a humidifier in her room at night.

We started with the bathtime because the warm water seemed to soothe her. Now she knows its coming and she loves it. I read her the stories and at the end my husband will say bathtime and she just gets so excited. She could spend hours in her tub playing with her plastic hippos. I also find that we now have to use soap everynight to get her dinner out of her hair. Oh the joys of self feeding!:P

[Momof3Labs]

Colin gets a bath or shower most nights as part of his bedtime routine. We started sometime after 6 months - babies get much messier when they start solids!

We use a very, very gentle body wash by Aveeno, so dry skin has not been a problem (and we do not use lotion every night).

[steph01]

Ben gets a bath every night as part of his routine, we have been doing this from when he was about 2.5 months old. We only use baby wash once every 2 or 3 nights, and his skin is fine. He love the bath and it has served as a good transition for him to know that it is bed time.

[Java]

Kael gets a bath every night and it's part of the bedtime routine. Usually it's with no soap - just a 10-15 minute frolic in the water and a washcloth scrub - and a massage with lotion. He's soaped every every 2 days or so, depending on what he's been up to during the day.

We've been doing this since his cord fell off and we've never had any problems with his skin drying out. It's a nice and relaxing way to end the day, and he knows bedtime follows.

[McQ]

It's not part of our bed time routine as it winds Declan up instead of calms him down. The boy loves his baths. We bathe him every other day or more often if he's dirty (meals, playing outside etc).

Or if I don't feel like chasing him around the house, I draw a bath and let him play. I'm in there of course but at least he's contained :)

Allison
~ mama to Declan 3.24.03 and Meghan 8.26.04

[candybomiller]

Matt does get a bath everyday, but I don't think we started this until he was around 8 or 9 months. Before then we were still just so focused on survival that being clean seemed secondary. :) Plus, honestly soemtimes I just plain forgot. Now it's definitely a part of his bedtime routine.

[kristenk]

Yes! Ellie gets a bath every night. She doesn't get soap & shampoo every night, though. Every 3rd night, she gets a real bath with soap and shampoo (aka a "working bath"). The other nights, she gets a "happy, happy fun bath" where she gets to splash in the tub and her face is cleaned with a wet (but not soapy) washcloth. After her bath, we'll get her dressed in a sleeper and wrapped in her miracle blankie (we basically just wrap it around her bottom half for warmth - I'm waiting for some larger sleepsacks to arrive), and then she'll go in the rocker with mom or dad for a few minutes to settle down and then she's put in her crib. She loves her bath so much, I can't imagine skipping it. Even if she's in a horribly, crabby mood beforehand, as soon as she sees her tub filling up, she's all smiles! I don't think that the bath is that relaxing for her (considering all the splashing and giggling that occur) but it's definitely part of her bedtime routine!

[urbanmama]

No, my children don't get baths every night (except for sometimes in the summer when they actually get dirty).

At 5 months of age, they were bathed every other day or so. My BIL is a dermatologist and doesn't recommend baths every day for babies.

And it was not part of their nighttime routine. My kids were both easy to put to bed. We just gave them their bottles and put them in the crib-- no elaborate nighttime routine necessary!

[jpang]

Hi,

Yes, our baby has a bath every night, but we only use baby soap if she's gotten particularly mucky that day. Otherwise, it's just a light rub with a rag.

Mostly it is an opportunity for her to play. She has squirty bath toys that she loves, and now that she's older, she splashes in the tub.

The nighttime routine is bath- pjs- bottle- bed.

[Elilly]

ITA. When I was working full-time, there was no time for a daily bath. We give the kids baths or showers with us about 3 times per week.

[Oregonmother]

Yep, it's been part of our bedtime routine since DS was about 4 months old. Dinner, bath, lotion, jammies, book, nurse, asleep by 7 pm. The routine has worked great for us and DS has never put up a fight to go to bed, he always knows what to expect. This is also special time with daddy.

[hez]

Bath is every 2-3 days. Sometimes it's at night, sometimes he joins me in my morning shower :)

Bedtime routine, which we've followed for quite a while now:

Brush Teeth
Start lullaby CD
Jammies & new diaper
Read a book (or two)
To bed

Sometimes there's a nursing in there, but it's no longer a requirement if he's nursed after dinner already.

Last night from start to finish it took 10 minutes (asleep and everything for 7 heavenly hours!). But, DS was pretty tired 'cause he took a morning nap instead of afternoon nap at the sitter's. It's usually more like a 30 minute routine because he wants us in the room 'til he's out. Slowly weaning him off that dependence :)

[jbowman]

We started a bedtime routine very early, but our routine doesn't necessarily include a bath. Ellie gets a bath 3 times a week, and more often than not, our nanny bathes her during the day. I think it's much easier to follow a routine if the routine is simple. Here's ours:

Change Ellie's diaper/change her into pajamas, DH reads her "Goodnight Moon", I nurse her, and then I put her in her crib. I like that's it simple and it's predictable for Ellie.

Good luck!

[missmelis01]

We started a bedtime routine at 4 months (the 3 B's) -- a bath every other night, books and booby/bottle.

I use baby lotion after every bath -- not sure Lucas needs it, but it makes him smell so good!!! :-)

I read somewhere that a bath every night is not necessary until baby starts crawling, before then, they don't get really dirty! Also, my ped said it is not necessary to wash baby's hair in every bath, so Lucas gets his hair washed 2x/week with baby shampoo, and just wiped with a wet wash cloth on other nights.

[ALLEYCAT]

Every morning he showers with either DH or me. I love to hold his slippery naked body and sing and play in the shower. He cries when we get out. Any time he hears to fan or water being turned on he crawls as fast as possible, head down like a bull, to the bathroom. He is part fish I think. I wish I could get footage of him and DH or me in there with him it is just that funny! And no soap is not necessary at every bath. For really dry skin we use Cetaphil cream. Magic.

[Judegirl]

Dd's bath days are twice a week (though we often skip one of them.) They're not part of bedtime, but a warm, wet washcloth "bath" is.

[tippy]

No, not every night. If he has been running around and sweating or has a particularly messy meal I will pop him in the bath. Sometimes we will go two days without one (three max). The bath totally revs him up so it isn't a way we try to relax him. He actually needs time to wind down AFTER his bath. I do massage him with Calendula oil after he bathes. It is somewhat of a ritual (I am a massage therapist so he's a bit spoiled that way) I don't wash his hair every time either (it tends to get very dry even though I use conditioner). His routine really starts in his nursery. He gets a story, nurses in the rocker with his symphony in motion music box music and then goes down while still awake.
Teva
Mom to AJ born 1-8-03

[lrucci]

At 5 months, Kyleigh was only getting a bath every other night. It was part of her bedtime routing - bath, pjs, nurse, then bed.

Now, she gets a bubble bath every night because she loves them. Unless she is dirty from eating, I don't use baby wash or shampoo every night. Though lately, it seems like she is becoming messier with the food and needs a more thorough cleaning.

Lisa
Mom to Kyleigh 7/19/03

[egoldber]

No. Honestly, I hate the bath. I just don't like it. She gets a bath or showers with me probably 2-3 times a week. She gets lotion after the bath if she has been scratching or itchy, more lately now that we have the heat on. Her bedtime routine is pretty simple, 3 books, 3 songs and then lights out.

But in the summer when we go to the pool a lot of days, we take a shower at the pool before we leave. I always wash her hair then too to get the chlorine out.

[papal]

Yes, every night. We don't give her a bath as in fill-up-the-tub type of bath. Dh keeps a bucket in the tub which keeps filling with hot water.. he sits in the tub on a low-stool. Leela stands or sits (if she is really tired) and using a little tupper, he pours water on her from the bucket, soaps, shampoos and rinses. Her favourite part is the 1-2 and THREE when a whole bucket full of water showers down on her. We do lotion (Baby Bee Buttermilk..yumm..), then 2 books and 1 song and milk. :)

Lots of hot water on her head and body really really tires her out. And our system of the bucket and stool is fantastic! We don't get wet, only Leela does. heehee.

[KrisM]

No. At 7 months, we still do baths twice a week or so. They are DH's job, so sometimes I wish they were every night!

Our bedtime routine is simple - pajamas, story, kiss from mom, kiss from dad, turn off the light. It's all of 7 minutes. We started this at maybe 4 months. I didn't want anything long or complicated.

[californiamom]

Yes, DD gets a bath every night -- she also LOVES it. We alternate who gives her a bath, me or DH (we both work) and it is part of her bedtime routine. Plus, she gets so dirty eating her dinner and playing with her food that it is impossible NOT to give her a bath! :-)

We use Baby Burts soap and apply Baby Burts moisturizing lotion every other day and we love them. They're very gentle and smell wonderful.

HTH

Edited for spelling

[wreckgirl1]

Hehe! I'm so glad for this thread. Now I know I'm not the only person who doesn't bathe DD at all but showers instead! We did the damp washcloth thing for the first 2 months then showers in the morning ever since (> 1 year). It is very quick and so much fun, and has evolved quite a bit since we first started. Now I shower first, while she stands patiently (or impatiently) outside the shower door until I say "Time for you!" And I suspect that is part of the reason she LOVES swimming - she is not at all freaked out by water in the face.

But to get back to the original post, we use a very small amount of baby shampoo everywhere - it is gentle and very inexpensive. After the towel-dry, we lotion up with Aveeno and then sunscreen.

Cynthia

[babyparker]

My DD is 20 moths old and has had a bath almost every night since she was 3 weeks old. I swear by the routine we have established for her. She NEVER complains about getting a bath and actually looks forward to bath time now that she is older and can have play things in the tub to occupy her. When she was little we used to give her a bath in the Eurobath everynight. Sometimes we just let her splash around and other times we soaped her down, etc. She has NEVER had diaper rash (I think it's becsuse her bottom is always getting washed) or dry skin. We do use lotion on her every night too which I think has helped to keep her skin from not drying out. When she was 5 months we would give her a bath before bedtime, then a warm bottle and a night time story. We still use this routine today! Good Luck!

[JElaineB]

Heck no. Based on bath frequency I'm probably the worst mommy out there. I give DS a bath once a week at this point, twice a week if he's really grimy. In the summer I was pretty consisent with 3 or even 4 times a week because he did get dirtier when he played outside more. Plus his skin does dry out more in the winter and he is prone to mild eczema. If he really needs it I do bathe him more, but my standard at the moment is once or twice a week in winter, 3-4 times a week in summer.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[aguinn]

unless we are out too late somewhere, DS gets a bath every night, and boy does he look forward to it! we say "bath time!" and he starts making the sign for bath and runs up to the bathroom door and pounds on it so that we open it. almost every night we wash his hair since he's going through a phase (or at least i hope it's just a phase!) where he likes to stretch out while eating and rub his food-filled hands through his hair, causing him to faintly smell like peanut butter for the rest of the day.

when he was little (newborn to 6mos) he *hated* being immersed in water, so i used a foam baby bath cushion someone gave me. i would put it on a couple towels on my bed and, leaving his diaper area for last, would wash him with water and a washcloth, only soaping under his chin every other night to get out the grungies from dripped BM.

when he was finally able to hold his head up better, we moved him into the sink and he loved that, too. the sink didn't last too long, as he got too big too quickly and would then start to try to climb out! that's when i knew it was time for the big tub! we put a baby tub into our larger tub and washed him in that. again, that only lasted a short time, as he then would start to climb out of the little tub and want to pull up on the side of the big tub. that's when we moved him to the big tub and he's been in love ever since!

sorry this is long, but i was lost when i first was trying to figure this out, so i hope i helped!

;)amy
proud momma to DS

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030729/1/5/1/-5/.png[/img][/url]

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif Weaned @ 13 months

[alexandria1981]

I'm with you!!! My DD gets a bath about twice a week in the winter, more in the summer. Especially because during the summer she was young enough that her diapers were regularly leaking or "exploding" as only a newborn's can. Her skin is dry enough, daily bathing just wouldn't work. Can anyone recommend a really gentle baby lotion? I've heard the Aveno oatmeal is good but I was worried about a possible allergic reaction.

[tippy]

I use Calendula Oil from the Health Food Store. It has a really nice smell and no additives or chemicals.
Teva
Mom to AJ born 1-8-03

[TahliasMom]

We started to bath DD every night when she started sleeping for long stretches at night, I think around 3 months. DD loves loves water and DH gives her a bath everynight in the Eurotub, soap everyday and shampoo 2 times a week, followed by lotion/pj's, story and lights out. DD loves it!

[kijip]

Um, no. As far as Toby is concerned until recently bath time equalled baby torture time. Now, just hair washing is baby torture time. He gets a bath when he is dirty and never right before bed since he would never go to sleep unless he wound down from the bath tension. He HATES water on his face unless he is swimming. Any water. Even if he spills a few drops on himself.

At 5 months bath time was MAJOR torture so we just did the sponge down thing daily and a bath maybe every 4 days. Now we are talking 2-3 times per week AT MOST!

[squimp]

Not at night! DD is a sweaty sleeper so she gets a bath every morning. She wakes up stinky :)! We use the Aveeno baby wash, and no lotion, since she's never had a problem with dry skin.

We've tried a nighttime bath but she got so fired up that it took hours for her to go to sleep. She has way too much fun in the bath for that to be a nighttime event around here. Baths used to make her sleepy when she was tiny, but not anymore.