Bath Time

Bath time!!! Super fun, right? Time to get clean. And all those bubbles! I know bubbles rock and are super fun to create that cool bubble-beard photo of kiddo. But there is a reason why pediatricians often try to steer families away from bubbles.  Bubbles are bubbles because they are from soap. When taking a bubble bath, the kiddo is soaking in this soap. Duh, Dr. Fradkin. I know, I know, but soap, no matter how “gentle” or “baby friendly” or “organic,” will dry the skin out. That is how soap works. Soap is soap because it collects up dirt and such in the oils of the skin so you can rinse it away along with kiddo’s naturally occurring skin oils that are really good at protecting the skin. If your kiddo or family has a tough time keeping their skin soft and well hydrated without the use of lotions and moisturizers, we should leave bubble baths out of the hygiene picture. Let’s just use soap applied to a washcloth a couple of times a week. You can do clean water baths the other days if you want to keep with a nightly routine, but kids don’t get that stinky that we need to use soap on babies every day of the week.  

Bubble baths can also cause issues with female babies and kids; the overdrying and irritation can lead to vaginal irritation, itching, and discharge. So again, let’s try to put the kibosh on bubble baths.