How to Make an Oatmeal Bath

Even a baby's skin is not always as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Like adults, little ones can experience itchy eczema, painful sunburns and even baby acne. While these conditions don't always require a doctor’s visit, they can all be quite uncomfortable.

Luckily, there's an easy way to help your baby. Try giving your little one an oatmeal bath to relieve dry skin and other problems.

What are the benefits of an oatmeal bath?

Soaking in an oatmeal bath provides relief for a variety of skin conditions. An oatmeal bath for babies or adults can ease the discomfort of:

• Dry skin
• Eczema
• Acne
• Hives
• Chicken pox
• Insect bites
• Sunburn
• Poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac

Oatmeal baths can help with all these ailments because oats contain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-itch properties. Oatmeal also soothes skin and locks in moisture to help relieve irritation, making it perfect for baby's dry skin as well as dry skin during pregnancy. 

How do you prepare an oatmeal bath?

You don't need too many supplies for a DIY oatmeal bath. Other than a tub or baby bath and water, all you need is oatmeal. You may also want a sock or cloth bag (more on that below). 

While you can use regular oatmeal, the best type to add to your tub is colloidal oatmeal, which contains oats that are ground so finely they become a powder. 

You can make your own colloidal oatmeal at home by grinding whole oats in a food processor or high-speed blender. Or you can buy colloidal oatmeal online, in pharmacies or in some big-box stores (look in the health and medicine department, not in the grocery section).

You’ll want to use about a half-cup of colloidal oatmeal to give infants an oatmeal bath. For older kids and adults, about a cup of colloidal oatmeal is best.

How to give an oatmeal bath

Here's how to make your own oatmeal bath for your baby once you have everything you need.

1. Gather all your supplies

You never want to leave your baby alone in the bath because young children can drown in the bathtub. Plan ahead and have all your supplies ready to go nearby.

2. Prepare the oats

If you choose to grind your own oats, you may want to put the oatmeal in a porous cloth bag (or even an inexpensive pair of pantyhose, tied at the top). This will prevent a gooey mess from forming in the tub and save you from cleaning up afterward. If you use store-bought colloidal oatmeal, you can skip this step.

3. Fill the bathtub

Be mindful of the temperature of the water, as a baby's or child's skin is more susceptible to burns.

Turn on the cold water first, then the warm water. Add just enough water to cover a baby's body. The water should be no deeper than waist-high for toddlers.

Check the temperature with the inside of your wrist or elbow. If you have a thermometer, you want the water to be between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Add oats

As the water runs, sprinkle in 1/2 cup colloidal oats for an infant or 1 cup colloidal oats for a child or adult. Add a little at a time and stir it around with your hand to dissolve. The water will turn cloudy.

5. Let baby soak

For 10 to 15 minutes, allow your child to sit in the bath and play while you rinse her from head to toe with the water. Make sure you keep one hand on your baby at all times. The oats will make her even more slippery than usual.

6. Pat dry

It's better not to rinse baby off after giving her an oatmeal bath, as this will allow the oatmeal to form a protective barrier and seal in moisture. Instead, when bathtime is over, carefully lift your baby out of the tub and gently pat her skin dry with a towel.

7. Apply moisturizer

Put a hypoallergenic fragrance-free moisturizing cream on your little one a few minutes after taking her out of the bath to seal in the extra moisture.

If you're lucky, the warm oatmeal bath with relieve the irritation and itch that comes with a variety of baby skin conditions and provide some relief (plus help you both get a better night's sleep). Keep this remedy in mind the next time you have dry, itchy skin too, since an oatmeal bath can work wonders for babies, older children and their parents!