# baby and bathwater

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/baby-and-bathwater
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Used in reference to an error in which something valuable is discarded in the process of removing or rejecting something unwanted.

## Examples

- Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater when you change the system.
- While we need to fix the budget, we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater by cutting essential services.
- In their rush to modernize the company, the new managers threw the baby out with the bathwater by discarding the very traditions that made the brand successful.

## Origin

From the phrase throw the baby out with the bathwater.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.