Why you shouldn't be bathing your newborn baby every day
By Nikolina Koevska Kharoufeh |
For many parents, bath time is a crucial part of their newborn's nightly routine.
It's something that helps keep the night on some sort of track, and on many occasions breaks up the 'witching hour'. ?
However, ?bathing your newborn baby every night may actually have negative effects on their skin จC and an expert is warning parents to do it less often.
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Speaking to 9Honey Parenting, ?Professor Deshan Sebaratnam, a paediatric dermatologist at Liverpool Hospital, says young babies don't need to be bathed every day.
"Babies don't do much. They lie still, sleep, eat, poo and wee. They're not sweating in the first few months of life," he explains.
And because of this, he advises parents to keep their baby's bathing schedule to just two to three times a week. ?
"A three- to five-minute bath with a mild soap-free wash, free of unnecessary perfumes or preservatives, to help get rid of things like food and poo is all you need."
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The professor explains that water and temperature have a significant effect on a baby's skin barrier จC one that can be up to 30 per cent thinner than adult skin.
"Too much bathing can impair the barrier function of the skin. That's not just for babies, it can happen to any of us. This is particularly true of babies with eczema."
And it's not just less bathing that can help with keeping your baby's skin healthy. ?
"Keep babies out of the sun because they can burn and overheat very quickly," Professor Sebaratnam suggests.
He also recommends ?parents avoid applying products with food-based ingredients to their child's skin such as pawpaw and peanut oil, "as this may predispose kids to food allergies later in life."
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Another tip he shared with 9Honey Parenting was ensuring frequent nappy changes and the use of barrier creams to minimise the risk of nappy rash.
?Popular nappy rash treatment products include zinc which helps to treat skin irritation in babies and toddlers.
Last week, Huggies announced their newborn and infant nappies now include a zinc-enriched layer to help protect babies from nappy rash and other skin irritations.
The company made the change after surveying 1000 Australian parents who ?said they were losing time, money and sleep over nappy rash.
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