Bathing babies too often may cause skin problems such as eczema and rashes, experts warn.

Bathing babies too often may cause skin problems such as eczema and rashes, experts warn.

Today's infants are twice as likely to suffer from skin problems than their parents, a British survey of 2000 parents has found. And scientists in Europe have found infants who swim regularly in chlorinated indoor pools are more at risk of developing asthma and bronchitis.

Child-care experts say parents are ignoring advice to limit baths to two to three times a week due to concerns about keeping babies clean and germ free.

The British Mother And Baby magazine survey found six out of 10 babies were bathed every day, 20 per cent were bathed every other day and only 19 per cent were bathed the recommended two to three times a week.

In addition, 60 per cent of mothers used antiseptic wipes on their children's faces and hands, some more than five times a day.

Mother And Baby editor Elena Dalrymple said a baby's skin was five times thinner than an adult's and required very gentle treatment.

"It's not a good idea to bath baby every day. Two or three times a week is plenty," she said.

Anne O'Neill, a dermatologist at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, said babies did not get dirty until they began crawling.

"We really don't have to be quite as fastidious unless the child has an immune deficiency," she said.

The survey found 37 per cent of baby boys and 33 per cent of baby girls had skin problems - more than double that of their parents' generation.

Meanwhile, a European study published in the journal Pediatrics this month found exposure to chemicals in indoor swimming pools might alter the lining of the lungs, predisposing infants to airway disease in later years.

The lead author, Alfred Bernard of Belgium's National Fund for Scientific Research, said a possible culprit was the chemical trichloramine, a by-product of the chlorine used to clean public pools.

專家提醒，寶寶洗澡過于頻繁可能會導致濕疹和皮疹等皮膚問題。

英國一項對兩千名家長的調查發現，現在的嬰兒出現皮膚問題的幾率是他們父輩的兩倍。歐洲科學家發現，經常在室內氯化泳池游泳的嬰兒更容易患哮喘和支氣管炎。

兒童護理專家稱，寶寶每周的洗澡次數應控制在兩至三次，但由于父母生怕寶寶身上不干凈，染上細菌，因此忽視了這個建議。

英國《媽咪寶貝》雜志的此項調查發現，60%的寶寶每天都洗澡，20%的寶寶每隔一天洗一次，僅有19%的寶寶是按照專家建議，每周洗兩至三次。

此外，60%的媽媽用消毒巾給寶寶擦臉擦手，有的一天甚至要擦五次以上。

《媽咪寶貝》雜志編輯艾莉娜·戴爾里姆普說，嬰兒皮膚的厚度僅是成人的五分之一，需要十分溫和的呵護。

她說：“每天給寶寶洗澡并不好。一周洗兩至三次就足夠了。”

威斯特米德兒童醫院的皮膚科醫生安妮·奧尼爾說，寶寶到了開始會爬的階段才會容易變成小臟孩。

她說：“除非寶寶存在免疫缺陷，否則我們真的沒有必要過于認真。”

調查發現，有皮膚問題的男嬰和女嬰比例分別為37%和33%，是他們父輩的兩倍以上。

此外，本月在《兒科》期刊上公布的一項歐洲研究發現，嬰兒與室內氯化泳池中的化學物質接觸可能會導致肺部紋理發生變化，這會使孩子日后易患呼吸道疾病。

研究報告的主要撰寫者、比利時國家科研基金會的埃爾弗萊德·伯納德說，罪魁禍首可能是清潔公共浴池所用的氯產生的一種化學物質--三氯胺。