Could bathing your baby less often keep eczema at bay? A new feasibility study published in the British Journal of Dermatology suggests it might — and that families are surprisingly open to the idea. Researchers enrolled 105 families with infants who had a first-degree relative with eczema or hay fever, randomly assigning them to either bathe their baby no more than once a week (with short, lukewarm, water-only baths) or follow standard postnatal care advice.

The results were encouraging on multiple fronts. Not only did enrollment exceed targets, but adherence and follow-up were both strong — a notable achievement given how notoriously difficult infant eczema trials have been to run. A blinded assessment at 6 months showed fewer eczema cases in the low-bathing group, hinting at real preventive potential.

By the Numbers:

• 44% of eligible families agreed to be randomized (vs. the 38% target)
• ~80% of intervention families bathed their infant once a week or less
• 15.8% of low-bathing infants had visible eczema at 6 months vs. 29.2% in controls
• 89% of families completed the final 6-month questionnaire

Why it matters: Eczema places a heavier burden on families than conditions like Type 1 diabetes, affecting sleep, employment, and finances. A simple, no-cost behavioral intervention could be a game-changer — and researchers say a larger multicenter trial is the logical next step.