WFMW: Keeping your baby’s skin newborn-soft and smelling like a rose

Newborns grow into babies in the blink of an eye, and I know I always wish I could freeze time when they are so tiny and downy and soft and cuddly. But alas, time marches on, and with it, the fading of the precious newborn days. The good news is that growing babies come with many perks, like sleeping through the night and not seeing stars every time you nurse.  What’s more, you can freeze some of those delicious newborn attributes!
Our sweet Ellabeth is now 13 months old, but if you stroked her sweet little cheek, or scrumptious arm or leg rolls, you would think she was 3 minutes old.  It is that soft and smooth.   People are always asking me how I keep her skin so smooth and smelling so good. And so today I will share. (It’s definitely not rocket science.)
My first suggestion is to bathe your baby daily. 

Yes, I know this goes against a lot of old fashioned conventional advice, which claims that bathing babies too often dries them out, but for all five of my children I have found the truth to be completely opposite for me.  If we skip a day of bathing my babies get dry and itchy.  And in fact “many experts now believe that bathing daily can be helpful to children with eczema”. 
It also makes sense from a hygiene point of view. If your baby is crawling on the ground, and getting into everything, (and they do touch EVERYthing),  they are probably getting much dirtier and germier than you are every day, and you shower daily (or so I hope assume). 
Remember that they are not washing their hands several times a day the way we do, and so I truly do think it helps to keep babies healthier if you give them a quick shower every day. It just makes sense.  Germophobe that I am, I actually do agree with the belief that exposing kids to a certain amount of dirt and grime is important for building up their immunities, but basic hygiene is not the same as dousing them in antibacterial gel every time they brush up against something (which I am totally guilty of doing in the first few RSV-prone months by the way). And trust me, my kids get plenty of germ exposure from my house.
I also just think washing a baby is one of life’s greatest simple pleasures. The time I spend bathing and grooming my babies is so soothing and serene. It is definitely one of my favourite, most nurturing things to do as a mother, and one of my happiest times of day.
I actually shower with my babies. I have them join me in the shower when I am done washing myself, and I give them a quick wash in warm rather than hot water. We save baths for fun. This saves time, water, and keeps them from getting too dry. It also gives you a chance to cuddle when they cling to you like a koala bear. (Love that!) I love Burts Bees Baby Bee Body Wash and Shampoo. It is a little pricey but a bit goes a very long way and I find it lasts a lot longer than cheaper imitation. Plus it is a lot more natural. I put a small amount in Ella’s hair and then use the lather to wash the rest of her.
Then I wrap both of us up in towels and pat her dry.

While baby is still damp, I put body butter on.  I have used lots of different lotions for babies in my obsession with keeping them nice and soft, and The Body Shop body butter is by far my favourite.  At the moment we are using Moroccan rose on Ella and have found it to be the perfect weight for moisturizing her without leaving her at all greasy.


I put it on every inch of her, and she loves to help.

(Don’t forget behind the ears! Babies can get really dry there). 


I give her a little massage at the same time which is probably more fun for me than it is for her, but she tolerates it. I find it really calming and meditative, and she ends up smelling and feeling just exactly like a velvety rose petal.  Heaven, I tell you…just..heaven.
That’s what works for me..linking up with We are that family for what works for others.
(This is not a sponsored post :).

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