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When bathing a new born should you use soap? are there any benefits or harms to using soap vs just using water? This is on top of the question How often should I bathe my newborn?
Some time frames to consider
0-1 Weeks - Month 0
1-4 Weeks - Month 1
4-12 Weeks - Month 2-3
12-36 Weeks - Month 3-6
We used a baby formula soap on the first day of my daughter's life. The nurse brought soapy water into the receiving room to give the first bath. Like others had mentioned, use a soft cloth until the chord falls off and avid getting that wet or soapy. Just like any person, the important parts are self evident. And be sure to rinse thoroughly, especially below the waist.
Many people choose not to wash their hair every day, I am sure that either way is fine.
Soap for newborn babies should be gentle and mild as a newborn baby’s skin is very delicate. Most of the time washing with lukewarm water would be enough, and when using soap, use soap from reputed brand, which contains natural oils and with little chems and is gentle on skin.
If you want to be on the prudent side, to wash your children, you should use as little that is not water as possible to get them clean. Thus if they are not really dirty, just water suffices. If they get excrement all over themselves, then soap may be the only way to get them clean. Soap will clear the natural oils off of your skin, potentially getting your skin to produce more to replenish what was lost, so using soap may mess up the amount of oil your skin naturally produces.
