Doctor Mihai Craiu answered, on the Virtual Children’s Hospital page, one of the most frequent questions asked by parents during the cold season: whether it is allowed to wash children when they are sick.
“After a very busy week that I will come back to, I was surprised to receive a question from a worried mother: “How long do I have to not bathe my child? You know that three days ago you advised us to unblock the nose with sea water, to give plenty of fluids and to use fever medicine if necessary… You told us, at the consultation, that a common cold lasts about a week. I remembered your expression exactly – the evolution the cold will be up for 3-4 days, then another 3-4 days down… Do I really have to not bathe him for 7-8 days?”the doctor started the story on his Facebook page.
He then said that he was surprised by the question, because he had never made such a recommendation to the children he consults in the Department of Emergency Receptions of the INSMC.
“I asked the mother where she got this information about stopping the bath for a child with a cold, and she told me that “everyone says so””he continued the story.
When he asked who it was “everyone”the answer was simple: “I’ve seen it on TikTok, on parenting groups, I’ve heard it from my aunts and grandma, even my former GP said so”said the woman.
“I realized that it is a real … urban myth in Romania”said doctor Mihai Craiu.
What the specialists say
According to doctor Alina Mihăilă-Fecioru, the child should be washed if he has a fever. He can also be cleaned if he has been vaccinated, but without rubbing the area. Other scenarios in which the child can be washed is if he has chicken pox, irritations, or if he has a cold.
She told parents that to properly clean their children, they only need soap and water and not milk, chamomile tea or other “secret cures”.
“Children don’t get “spoiled” from water. Instead… it breaks down without her”concluded the doctor.
