Friday, January 9, 2009

Update and Question!


We got all our paperwork from the adoption agency in the mail today. I was looking at "K's" information from the hospital. She gained 50 pounds during the pregnancy. Wow! Included in the paperwork is an autobiography that "K" wrote about herself. I have a special box that I am saving all this information in for Samuel.

I''ve also got the first letter and packet of pictures ready to send off to "K." For the first two years we will do this in January, April, July, and October. After that just January and April.

I got a question for you...The pediatrician told me to bathe Samuel once a week, but my neurotic sister says every night. What do you all do?

12 comments:

Robin said...

We bathe our daughter 1-2 times a week. I feel guilty with only once, but thanks to your doctor now I don't need to! She's African American though and the fewer baths she has, the better it is for her skin because it gets so dry.

KathleenSBass said...

Hi Tracey!
So nice to see such cute pics!! He is adorable!

I would say that once a week is not enough, but every night might be too much. It all depends on his skin and the weather near you. If he is getting hot and sweaty during the day, bathe him that night. If his skin is getting dry, I would probably just use a damp washcloth on his hands and feet, face and diaper area. There are babies at work who have the same "funk" in between their fingers, toes, and belly-button for days at a time. Gross. But there are also babies at work who have such dry skin that thay cant be bathed every single night.
Use your best mommy judgment. :) You wont be wrong! Do what works for you and Samuel. :)

Bri said...

50 pounds of pregnancy weight is my little cherry on my adoption sundae!

I love your question and I look forward to everyones' response.

It is really interesting how many different things there are to think about with babies. I have heard so many "rumors" about stuff like water, baths, flash photography and a million other things! It is hard to know what to believe! I am glad you got a thumbs up on the water thing- especially since it is working for you!

Sonya said...

Once a week, ESPECIALLY in the winter--it dries their skin really bad. Baby wipes take care of the bottom and formula around the mouth and neck...no need to dunk the little darling in water too often!! Congrats...just found your blog!

Anonymous said...

I would say to bath him every 2 or 3 days. When he's older, he may need a nightly bath. Also, it may calm him and make him more ready for bed to do a nightly bath. Key here, a nightly bath doesn't always have to include shampoo and soap. ;) Even with my two year old and my 1 year old, I only shampoo their hair every other day. I usually bath them nightly though. When he gets older, he'll get much more dirty. :)

I can't find my blog said...

You're his mom-trust your gut!

I, personally, would find a happy medium. 2-4 days should be fine; that is about the schedule that I kept. If there were a lot of poopy diapers and spit up then more often, (milk can sometimes get 'crusted' in the baby's neck if you're not careful.) Otherwise, go longer. It's quite a chore, and there is plenty of time for baths when he really wants to play!

Tina said...

Yep, I agree. You're the mom. If you think he NEEDS it bathe him. I also agree that it depends on what his skin can handle.

- Do you a cloth on his neck, it can get very funky in those crevices.

- Do brush his head/hair, gently and in all crazy directions, to prevent cradle cap.

- Do check the wrinkles in the palms of his hands, those get funky too.

Otherwise, bathe him when you want to...again, as long as his skin doesn't react poorly!

Enjoy your sweet dumplin'!!

Ashley said...

Once a week?? Yikes!! Early on we bathed Declan every 2-3 days but usually do it every day or, at most, every other day. I like bathing him daily. It's our little ritual. He doesn't have any problems like dry skin or anything so I would pay attention to Samuel's skin.

Michaele Sommerville said...

Aw, this is the first time I've been able to drop by and see Samuel! Welcome to the world, precious boy!

Yes, babies don't have to have a full bath every night- spot cleaning is good! Just make sure to watch his scalp so it doesn't get all cradle-cappy. If you don't have the books, pick up "What to expect the First Year (it might be Two Years)" and "What to Expect the Toddler Years." It takes you through all sort of first-time parenting stuff, month by month.

Becky said...

I can't imagine 1 night a week!
As infants, I think we bathed each every other night.
Around 3 months, for sure when cereal starts, every night. Mine loved bathtime and it helped sooth them into bedtime routine, sleep better etc. We applied lotion after EVERY bath, it was part of the experience for them, a little lotion massaging and that helped with relaxing too so, they never had dry skin. I LOVE Baby Magic regular lotion, they smelled sooo yummy! Had to get that fix every night!
You'll soon get more sleep, then more and more!!

HappyAutisticMama said...

We only bathe A. when he starts to smell bad, so a little over once a week. I've never read anything that says they need it for health reasons.

hope548 said...

Everything I've read and heard says every 2-3 days.