Dr. Ison: How Often Do Children Need a Bath?
How often children need baths may vary by culture and time, but there are recommendations that can give the modern caregiver some guidance.
A newborn’s first bath has been given in hospitals shortly after birth. However, a variety of organizations, including the World Health Organization, are now recommending delaying the first bath for a few hours after birth.
This gives the mother and infant time to try breastfeeding.
The extra time also allows for the baby’s temperature and blood sugars to stabilize before being subjected to a cleaning.
Because the sticky white vernix that covers newborns has antibacterial properties that help prevent certain germs from invading them, delaying a first bath can be helpful.
The first immersion bath for a newborn is traditionally given when the umbilical cord stump falls off.
Before this, the newborn can be given sponge baths as needed.
In general, infants for the first year of life can be bathed three times a week (according to the American Academy of Pediatrics).
This assumes that the diaper area is being cleaned well during diaper changes.
Official recommendations on how often to bathe toddlers and preschoolers are hard to locate.
The biggest challenge with this age group is getting the toddlers and preschoolers into the bath in the first place.
It seems reasonable that infant bathing frequency would hold true if the toddler is in diapers.
Recommendations for school-aged children would be appropriate when they are toilet-trained.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that children 6-11 years of age should bathe at least 1-2 times a week.
They should also have a bath if they get especially dirty, sweaty or have body odor.
A bath should be taken after being in a pool, lake, ocean or other body of water.
Tweens and teens should have a bath or shower daily. They should also shower after swimming, playing sports or sweating heavily.
These individuals should also wash their faces twice a day to remove oil and dirt.
A given child’s healthcare practitioner may have specific recommendations for how often he or she should bathe. These would take precedence over these general recommendations.