No bath, no soap.
Anyone who has ever given birth will know that when babies come out, they might be brand new, but they are certainly not clean.
Covered in vaginal fluid, blood and a waxy, sticky substance known as vernix, babies most often come out looking like they need a good, old wash.
Except they actually do not need cleaning at all, and, in fact, you might just be better off leaving them with their ‘gunk’ in tact for a while before washing them.
This is now pretty common knowledge, and most hospitals and birthing centres will not advocate that you give your baby a bath on the first – or even second – day after they are born.
However, one mum recently took to social media to share that not only will she not bathe her newborn son the minute he is born, she is, in fact, planning on not giving him a wash until he is at least a month old. .
Shahnta Hoare, 24, from Washington, recently gave birth to her fourth son – and the baby, Ozzy, is still covered in the fluid that he was born with.
And Hoare insisted she is not going to wash it off because it ‘gives a protective barrier’ to the baby and is ‘an antimicrobial.’
@hoareboys Reply to @leylaniramos14 ♬ original sound – Shahnta Hoare
“We actually don’t give baths for, like, the first month,” she explains in the clip.
“Ozzy didn’t get wiped off of anything. What you see in that video stayed on him until it naturally came off. Vernix is actually really good to keep on their skin, it’s super, super moisturizing. It’s almost a little oily.”
She adds:
“He had it in his neck creases, in his ears, fingers, toes, it’s the best. I know it is maybe gross to some but when it’s your own baby, you’re like, this stuff is so good. So yeah, he didn’t get wiped and he won’t get his first bath for many more weeks.”
The mum of four also claimed that soap can dry out babies’ ‘delicate’ and ‘fragile’ skin, and that not washing them for the first few weeks is much better for their health.
‘The vernix helps newborns regulate their body temperature with skin to skin, it gives a protective barrier and is an antimicrobial as well,” she explains to The Post recently.
“So my husband and I decided to not bathe our son because of the health benefits.”
“How is this OK for a newborn?”
However, the internet being the internet, Hoare’s video caused a major debate online, with many claiming they found it gross not to wash the baby for so long.
“If my baby isn’t sparkling clean I will not be touching it,” one person wrote.
Another one said:
“I couldn’t imagine anything worse.”
And a third one commented:
“Why? Like, how is this OK for a newborn?”
Other people chimed in with:
“I’m sorry but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of this, and I don’t mean to judge but no. I feel like this wouldn’t work for me.”
Others agreed with the mum-of-four, saying they would not be in a hurry to wash their newborns either.
“I’m convinced this is why my kids don’t have skin issues,” one mum wrote.
Another one added:
“We did the same with both our kids. That’s how you create good gut health from infancy.”
Someone else said:
“Yes I wish more mothers did this. That is the best moisturizer ever. I even put it on my hands and face.”
What are YOUR thoughts, mums? How quickly did your baby get washed after birth? And would you do it differently now if you were to give birth again?
