Regular baths may harm babies

London: British scientists suggest that bathing babies every day might adversely affect their skin.

Babies should not be bathed more than three times a week. Until babies start crawling, they do not get dirty enough to justify more frequent baths, reported Mother and Baby Magazine, which carried out the research.

Babies who are bathed frequently may develop skin problems such as eczema.

"Babies are cleaner now than they ever had been. A baby's skin is five times thinner than an adult's and needs very gentle treatment," said Elena Dalrymple, editor of the magazine.

"It is not a good idea to bathe babies every day, two or three times a week is plenty with the odd top and tail in between," she said.