How often should you bathe your baby in the first year of life?

Bath times are excellent for bonding with babies. Despite this, bath times can leave a new mother feeling particularly anxious. However, understanding your baby’s requirements and keeping some things in mind can make this experience pleasant for both of you. Here is a quick age-wise guide to help you make bath times with your baby easy and fun.

Newborn babies: Newborn babies should be sponged until the time their umbilical stump falls off. Immersing them in water before that increases their chances of getting an infection. The umbilical stump should fall off in a week or two, after which you can give them traditional baths.

According to experts, newborn babies need to be bathed just twice or thrice a week. This is because newborns do not get as sweaty or dirty as adults do. Moreover, cleaning them after meal times and when changing diapers keeps them mostly clean.

Between one to three months of age: Continue bathing the baby two to three times a week at this stage. You can bathe them in a baby tub using lukewarm water. Do ensure that you do not keep them in water for too long and you swaddle them in a Mylo Essentials Super soft Absorbent Baby Towel immediately after their bath. This will keep them cozy while absorbing all the water.

On the days that you sponge the baby, wrap them in Mylo Essentials Supersoft 3-in-1 Wrapper/Bathing Robe with a hood and expose only the parts that you are cleaning. The hood will keep their head warm hence, reducing the chances of them catching a cold.

Between three to six months of age: As your baby grows older, you may want to increase the frequency of their baths. However, use soap only twice a week. Try the Mylo Care Navpushp baby head to toe wash. Its gentle no-tear formulation of 9 essential oils of flowers and herbs will not dry out your baby’s skin. A lot of parents prefer giving the baby a quick wipe down when they change their clothes or diapers. Mylo Care Gentle Baby Wipes can come handy at this time.

Between six to twelve months of age: Most babies start eating solids and some even start walking by this age. Though you may feel that your baby needs to be bathed more frequently, they still need a soap-and-water bath just thrice a week. For the rest of the baths, you can just give your baby a quick dip in water, allowing it to rinse any dirt or food particles stuck on the baby.

Frequently soaping your baby can strip their skin of all its natural oils and may cause more harm than good. While bathing your baby with soap and water thrice a week with the Mylo Care Navpushp baby head to toe wash can keep them sufficiently clean, wiping them down frequently with Mylo Care Gentle Baby Wipes may prove to be a more prudent solution to maintain the suppleness of their skin.