Should You Skip Baby’s Bath Time Tonight?

It can be tempting to want to bathe your baby every day—after all, with so many germs out there, you want to keep your baby healthy and happy. Besides, you’ve got the most adorable baby bath tub and, let’s face it, your little one looks even cuter when you wet his hair and stick it up like a mohawk! All that said, there’s new data out that shows that you might actually want to skip out on daily bath time with baby, and opt for a bath about two to three times a week.

I’m not trying to be bossy over bathtime (it’s one of the sweetest moments with your babe!) but recent scientific experiments are showing that bathing your wee one every day can actually dry out his delicate skin, leading to eczema, a skin disorder that causes red flaky and itchy sections on baby’s skin. Usually these patches show up on baby’s face and scalp—and in slightly older children, in the crooks of their arms and the backs of their knees. No matter where it shows up, though, eczema can make your sweetie super uncomfortable. And although there are creams that your doctor can give you to help reduce baby’s redness and itching, there is no cure for eczema.

So what’s the best thing to do to keep baby’s skin healthy and moisturized? It’s actually really simple! Cut back on baths (obviously!), and apply a thick, hypo-allergenic, fragrance free moisturizer to baby’s skin immediately after getting out of the bath. That’ll help lock moisture in, and it’s helpful to use it every day, not just after a scrub-a-dub-dub in the tub.