Babies get dirty in the weirdest places.

If you have a baby or a toddler, then you already know this. But, if you don't, you may be surprised by the sheer weirdness of where your baby/toddler can get dirty. For instance, I once found a Cheerio stuck to Andrew's skin in his armpit. People, he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

Babies get dirty doing of course, the obvious, number 1's and number 2's. Wiping bum is just a normal part of a baby's day, and you will of course do it several times a day. But babies also get dirty doing another normal everyday activity, eating. A simple cup of yogurt or cereal can end up in any of the following places, and more: under the fingernails, on the arms, in hair, behind and/or in the ears, up the nose, in the eyebrows and/or eyelashes, stuck to the bottom of socks/feet, under the first inch of the diaper, on their private parts, and of course, down their shirt.

Then, you have the adverterous toddler, which I was blessed with. These toddlers will go to any length to get into every cupboard and drawer, and empty the contents onto the floor, and injest them. Today for instance, Andrew got into the dried goods cupboard and opened a box of Ritz Crackers. Now, he did the same thing yesterday, and I was fine with it, since all he did was grab a cracker and eat it. He did this 3 times, and then when he had his fill, he left the crackers alone. Not today. Today, the package of crackers onto the floor. He then stepped on and rolled all over the crackers and smushed them into the carpet. Andrew's older cousin has emptied an entire box of cornstarch onto himself and the floor. These toddlers are to be feared, and their ability to get past child safety locks should NEVER be underestimated.

For the first 3 or so months of life, babies don't really need to be bathed all that often. If you wipe their bottoms thoroughly when changing their diaper and clean the spit off their mouths, a bath every 3-4 days is sufficient. It's also better for their very sensitive skin to not be bathed on a regular basis. But once they start to eat solid foods and move around, a bath everyday or every second day is not something to be skipped. You will strip your baby down, and even if you think you saw every inch of their body at some point in the last few hours as you changed or dressed them, you will be surprised by some sort of glued on piece of food in a very odd part of their body. It is not unusual to find part of Andrew's meals crusted to his back or feet, or a whole piece of carrot clinging for dear life to one of the folds in his neck.

Yes, if you have a toddler, you will be no stranger to weird messes. I suggest you stock up on a little more baby wash if you haven't yet.