How long can DS go without a bath? May be TMI

[sidmand]

So, DS is sick--he was running a fever, vomited once, is mostly better, but has pretty much had diarrhea since Thursday. Every single diaper has had something messy, runny in it. We tried to give him a bath thinking it might make his poor, red, little butt feel better, but as soon as he hit the water, well, it wasn't clean water anymore! So I wanted to wait until at least one diaper is just wet and not wet and messy, but now we're going on five days! (We did call the pediatrician and they said he sounds sick, but there's nothing much to do, but wait it out--he's still plenty hydrated--drooling up a storm, crying tears, etc.)

Any suggestions--I know we could sponge bathe him like we used to--he's not getting THAT dirty since he doesn't get into much, but his last bath was Wednesday...

I feel so bad for the little guy but he does seem to be feeling a bit better, except for his butt, and we're trying all the things we've seen on here so far (except triple paste--that's my next venture, it's just not been so possible to even get out of the house with him yet!).

Debbie

Mom to Sawyer!
http://lilypie.com/baby1/060607/0/3/1/-5/.png[/img] ([img)

[aliceinwonderland]

My kid has gone a whole week before. And he wasn't sick. Take my BBB card away, I do not care that much :)

[brittone2]

LOL. We've done a week before too. He usually gets a bath 2-3 x a week, more often 2x. If he's particularly dirty or sweaty, he gets one more often.

He's had times in the past where he got a daily bath, and then he was on a bath boycott for a while so I mostly sponge-bathed him and bathed him in the regular tub only 1x per week. He's now okay with the tub again and we're back to 2-3 days.

The only reason I could see that it would be a problem is if the poop is hurting his toosh at all. As long as that is all getting cleaned off well and he doesn't look irritated, I don't think there's any reason to be worried about bathing once over the course of a week or even a little longer.

[Sillygirl]

My son has very dry skin that gets worse with frequent bathing - so his usual bath schedule is only 1-2x/week, especially in winter. I hope your little guy is feeling better soon!

[elliput]

DD has just recently started to get more than one bath a week. She never really seemed to need it before.

[smallestangel]

Awww, poor little guy! I hope he gets better soon.

Jacob has very dry skin too (or he's really rusty as a nurse once said). :) He also has mild eczema. So, he only gets a bath every Sunday night. It's been like that for ages now.

If he has a major blow out and gets poop up his back, or gets REALLY messy eating, then he'll get a bath that night too. But that's pretty rare.

Amanda

[ellies mom]

Yeah, we go a week all the time. Even more sometimes. Heck, I only shampoo DD's hair every two weeks at the most. The rest of the time she just gets conditioner.

[BarbieSmith]

When Ava is sick, I do not bathe her, because she gets so shivery afterwards. I just wipe the essentials (butt, face, hands) with baby wipes. I think I went 10 days once, with no bath.

Do not worry, he cannot be that dirty! And a little grime will not impact his health :)

Barbie

[Marisa6826]

I don't understand why he would "need" a bath - short of a TOTAL blowout and/or barf fest. It's not like he's out in the mud, or anything. The girls have easily gone a week between baths. And that's when they're healthy! It's a combination of procrastination and a bad back on my part. ;)

As far as Sawyer's bottom goes, after a dipe change, make sure that he's totally dry (use a hair dryer on 'cool' if necessary). Then dab on some Mylanta with a cotton ball. Use the dryer again. When the Mylanta is dry, then smear on the Triple Paste.

The Mylanta will not only act as a barrier, but it will help neutralise any acidity in the poo and/or his urine.

I hope Sawyer's better soon

-m

[JElaineB]

I agree with everyone else, nothing wrong with waiting a week between baths when a babe is healthy, and certainly more than that with a sick kiddo (unless he needs to be cleaned up for other reasons). Frequent bathing is really a very modern concept (though I do shower every day myself, don't get me wrong!)

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[sidmand]

Good to know--I've actually probably gone a little while before, even if he wasn't sick (if he starts to smell, I know I've gone too long!:)) but I thought maybe even that was too long.

But so many people I know seem to have a bath EVERY DAY as part of their bedtime routine (I don't know what kind of kiddo they have, but bath is definitely not a restful activity in our house that would precede bedtime!).

I just thought a bath might be helpful because I wasn't sure I got everything out of his hair when he threw up and I'm trying to be more gentle with his butt and wanted to make sure it was clean. Or if people had another good option...

And I've read about other people using hair dryers on their baby's butt to dry it out--does that only work for girls though? Pretty much anytime he's exposed to air, I get a little fountain! After eight months you'd think I would figure out how not to get sprayed, but I have to close up the diaper pretty quickly for that to work so not a lot of air drying. I did think about letting him go bare bottomed to try and help, but it's so cold here and he shivers pretty quickly and he's so wiggly that I don't want yuck to end up in his mouth or hands.

Debbie

Mom to Sawyer!
http://lilypie.com/baby1/060607/0/3/1/-5/.png[/img] ([img)

[starrynight]

I always just wash them off with a washcloth through the day and give them a bath when they are finally over the sickness in times like that.

[BarbieSmith]

Just want to say hope DS is feeling better now!

Take care,
Barbie