How often do you bathe your kids?

[starry_solo]

So, I take this to mean bathe as in, in the bathtub, versus washing up which could mean in the shower or in the bathtub.

But I didn't click on any links.

 

[Skippy918]

So, I take this to mean bathe as in, in the bathtub, versus washing up which could mean in the shower or in the bathtub.

But I didn't click on any links.

Shower and bath accomplish the same thing. With little kids, it’s easier to help them scrub in the bath, plus they get to play.

 

[DisLiss]

It's been several years since I had to bathe my kids, but we didn't have any hard & fast rules about it. We gave them a bath when they needed it or when they asked for it or when we thought a nice soothing bath might calm them down before bed. It was every day or even more than once a day in the summer due to insect repellent, sunscreen, chlorine, creek water, and plain old dirt, LOL. (I have a photo of my son standing in our bathroom waiting for the tub to fill at about age 2.5. He's so filthy he reminds me of photos of the poor breaker boys who worked in the mines back before the enforcement of child labor laws.)

We tried not to give one of our kids baths every single day in the winter if possible, because they suffered from very dry skin in the winter. Of course, as they got older that changed, but luckily their dry skin issues got better too.

On the flip side, our youngest used to love a nightly bath, and luckily they didn't have similar skin issues, so they would have a quick bath every night, regardless of season for a while.

So, yeah, no real set schedule---it just depended on weather, activities, and the child themselves.

 

[old lady]

Depends how old they are?

 

[CaleCakes]

My kids have gotten a bath/shower every day since the day they were born- they're now 6 and almost 4. Even during the Texas freeze back in February and we lost water for 6 days, I heated bottled water and gave them sink baths. Someone said it earlier- nothing like going to bed clean.
They also only wear pajamas for 2 nights before they get washed even though they change into regular clothes after breakfast each morning. Baths and getting dressed are all part of routine and kids appreciate routine.

 

[brockash]

I really thought this was interesting.

https://www.today.com/parents/ashton-kutcher-mila-kunis-bathe-kids-only-when-they-see-t226485
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends bathing children age 6-11 once or twice a week or when: They get dirty from playing outside. They finish swimming in a pool, lake, or ocean. They get sweaty or are dealing with body odor.

I have 3 and it was usually once/twice a week at that age, unless they had just played a sport etc. I know some love to say how gross it is to them; but I guess I agree with the academy and unless there was a reason to; once or twice seemed to always work just fine.

They never had issues looking dirty or smelling (maybe they've just always been on the less messy side???)

Once they were preteens; they were/are showering every night on their own...sometimes annoyingly so with how long they stay in there lol.

 

[brockash]

My kids have gotten a bath/shower every day since the day they were born- they're now 6 and almost 4. Even during the Texas freeze back in February and we lost water for 6 days, I heated bottled water and gave them sink baths. Someone said it earlier- nothing like going to bed clean.
They also only wear pajamas for 2 nights before they get washed even though they change into regular clothes after breakfast each morning. Baths and getting dressed are all part of routine and kids appreciate routine.

Wow; I just can't even fathom that. To each their own, but I just don't get how especially in a situation like that; where they were probably doing next to nothing all day (certainly nothing that would get them sweaty/dirty) and in the middle of a natural disaster; that so much energy would be put forth to ensure all ppl. of the household were sink-washed.

I totally agree about kids thriving on routine though...but there's lots of ways to do that (bathing every day is not necessary to provide routine )

 

[disykat]

I don't get all the "ewww" responses. We bathed the kids every 3 days or so as a rule, only more when needed. I can guarantee my kids were not seen as dirty. I have a very sensitive nose. I've known people that really struggled with scheduling daily baths for their kids, but insisted. That never made sense to me. My kids were clean.

As they got older, they started showering and did it more often. By junior high they were showering daily because of stinky adolescent boy hair. THEN they NEEDED it![

 

[LSUmiss]

Yikes ! My kids take a bath or shower everyday . Nothing like going to bed clean !

Yes! I didn’t know this was even up for discussion! I bathe my dogs once a month even!

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Yes! I didn’t know this was even up for discussion! I bathe my dogs once a month even!

There's been talk lately that showering daily is actually a societal norm, rather than a hygiene practice. And when you listen to the people in this thread, so often we hear "routine" but rarely are people saying that their kids are actually so dirty it takes gallons and gallons of water to cleanse them. I think it's good to re-examine these norms and ask ourselves why? Remember when you learned you're not actually supposed to be washing your hair every day? Just like your hair, your skin has natural oils which protect it. When you strip down those oils, you can open yourself up to infection and skin problems. And think of how much water is wasted to fill an entire bath daily, when if your child was only mildy dirty, that could have been wiped away with a fraction of that water.
As an adult, I shower daily, sometimes multiple times a day. But if I really examine that practice, I can be honest in saying that the cleanliness aspect could be accomplished by using a lot less water. My showers are more about waking up, relaxing, shaving (esthetic reasons) and shampooing/conditioning/washing. The hygiene portion only takes a few minutes.

Thanks to the OP @Disneyfan754321 for posting this- as it's good to ask yourself why you do something, rather than continue to do something simply because that's the way you've always done it.

 

[NYCgrrl]

No longer my job and thank goodness for that.

 

[indimom]

When my kids were young, every other day, unless they did something to get particularly dirty or sweaty.
ETA, I just remembered that we did bathe our son daily during allergy season because we tried to keep him/his room/his bedding free of pollen. He had terrible allergies and would cough all night long. It seemed to help to create an allergen-free zone.

 

[luv2cheer92]

.

 

[Pooh2]

We bathed our kids everyday.
The kids had a friend who was "the stinky kid".
As they got older, we only invited him to join us for dinner in warmer months when we were dining outdoors.
The stench was bad!

 

[Disneyfan754321]

There's been talk lately that showering daily is actually a societal norm, rather than a hygiene practice. And when you listen to the people in this thread, so often we hear "routine" but rarely are people saying that their kids are actually so dirty it takes gallons and gallons of water to cleanse them. I think it's good to re-examine these norms and ask ourselves why? Remember when you learned you're not actually supposed to be washing your hair every day? Just like your hair, your skin has natural oils which protect it. When you strip down those oils, you can open yourself up to infection and skin problems. And think of how much water is wasted to fill an entire bath daily, when if your child was only mildy dirty, that could have been wiped away with a fraction of that water.
As an adult, I shower daily, sometimes multiple times a day. But if I really examine that practice, I can be honest in saying that the cleanliness aspect could be accomplished by using a lot less water. My showers are more about waking up, relaxing, shaving (esthetic reasons) and shampooing/conditioning/washing. The hygiene portion only takes a few minutes.

Thanks to the OP @Disneyfan754321 for posting this- as it's good to ask yourself why you do something, rather than continue to do something simply because that's the way you've always done it.

This is why I found this article interesting.
It was talking about Ashton Kutchers family but he was the one that got the discussion going.
I really thought it was interesting that it says no need to rinse off after the pool. I was taught so very different. I guess there are many things in our life that we just do what our parents did and so on.

 

[Kitty 34]

I had boys with a big yard and forest attached.....it was every night bath time!

 

[design_mom]

I think this is a recommendation based on the source: The American Academy of Dermatology. Fewer baths is probably better for your skin (and I've heard the same thing recommended for adults), but more baths may be better for.... other things.

When my kids were little, we bathed them when we felt like they needed it, which was somewhere between daily and every other day. When they got old enough to shower on their own (which was way younger than 11), we switched to pretty much daily because it was much easier to remind them to shower daily than try to figure out when they'd done it last. (Also, hopefully if they missed a spot one day, they'd catch it the next day.)

 

[Meglen]

When my son was 3-9 it usually was every 2 days. But once he hit 10 and the puberty started to loom he would take one before bed every night. He's now 12 and enjoys his showers everyday with our Alexa and plays his music.

 

[unrequited23]

Each kid takes a bath about 3x's a week (they alternate nights) and tend to wash hair once a week. Some nights, after a soccer practice, there might be a quick shower to shampoo and wash up (5 mins), but not the full, relaxing bath experience.

 

[CaleCakes]

Wow; I just can't even fathom that. To each their own, but I just don't get how especially in a situation like that; where they were probably doing next to nothing all day (certainly nothing that would get them sweaty/dirty) and in the middle of a natural disaster; that so much energy would be put forth to ensure all ppl. of the household were sink-washed.

I totally agree about kids thriving on routine though...but there's lots of ways to do that (bathing every day is not necessary to provide routine )

You're right, they weren't doing anything to make them dirty or sweaty where they needed to bathe but it was more of trying to keep somewhat with the normal routine. Everything else was so weird with no water, melting snow to flush, rolling blackouts, that at least at the end of the day they knew it would still be a (sink) bath, fresh pj's, book and bed. It wasn't really that much effort- and we weren't exactly busy doing other things that we couldn't find the time.