History of ‘Don’t Throw the Baby out with the Bath Water’

Ever wonder where we get the saying, “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water,” from?

Back in the day bathing was a luxury and labor intense, read more about that here.

The bath consisted of one large tub or something like a tub. Large buckets of water were fetched and heated then poured into the tub.

This in itself was hard work, which is why many took baths once or so a year! Baths were so labor intense that bath times were established for each member of the family.

The men bathed first, women next, then children and finally the baby. By the time the baby was put in the tub, which had been used by everybody in the family before, the water was so dirty you could actually lose the baby in it!

So that’s how we got, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!” And we worry about a little mud getting underneath the baby’s fingernails today! (source)