How often do you bathe your toddler?

[PlumpShady]

A conversation with a friend has left me wondering if I'm really gross!

My 2 year old has a bath twice a week - usually one weekend one where she will have her hair washed, nails cut, ears cleaned etc and one shorter midweek one. That's it, unless we've been doing something like painting.

Friend said her toddler has a bath every night. Is this normal?

I wash her face every morning and evening and frequently her hands, is it enough?!?

We do bathtime every day because she loves it and it passes the time. It's part of our bedtime routine - but if we miss one it doesn't matter, it's not like she's actually dirty, the bath is because she enjoys it, not because she's disgusting

Its part of our bedtime routine.
Every day, they wear nappies, do messy play so they need it imho.

I’m sure someone will say once a year is fine, they have eczema and it saves the planet blah blah. But i think daily washing is basic hygiene.

Every other day

Every day here. I often find pre schoolers a little smelly to be honest!

We've never done it more than 3 times a week. DS has v dry skin and it's not good for it to be washed too often.

Twice a week is fine as long as they’re not dirty.
2-3 times a week here. Eczema means long baths dry his skin.

Twice per week, unless she’s been doing a messy activity or she’s been eating beans (which she likes to smear in her hair).

Normally every other day here, with an extra thrown in if he mushes food into his hair or is covered in paint/mud etc!

Everyday at bedtime. We might miss one at the weekend if we're out and about a bit later and he's tired

We do every night. My son's at preschool and he always comes home caked in food, paint or mud... you name it. I think especially when potty training I liked knowing he was going to bed squeaky clean. But each to their own!

Everyday, it's part of his bedtime routine. We do skip a night if we've been out and back home late.

Every day here. It's part of the bedtime routine and I feel like all the germs and leftover wee from the nappy is washed away which might not be correct but that's how I always viewed it.

We bathed DS daily - partly because when they are still in nappies, they need their bum washing daily. Partly because he got unbelievably filthy at nursery. And mostly because he really liked playing in the bath.

Alternate days once they are out of nappies would be fine, or if you are washing their bum with a flannel daily, that would also be ok. But only washing their bum weekly, when they aren’t toilet trained, is a bit gross IMO.

My dc's have always been bathed every night. They are 5 and 8 now and I'm thinking of changing it to every other night as they are much cleaner. But as toddlers/preschoolers I definitely felt that a bath every night was needed. They just get filthy at that age, and once they start potty training then bathing every night is a must until they are 100% capable of wiping properly imo.

Every night. Helps them sleep apart from anything else.

It really isn't. Children don't need to be bathed every day. Fine if it is part of a bedtime routine which works for the child and the family but every couple of days is sufficient and better for fragile skin.

2 times a week usually, same as you, a bigger wash on the weekend and a quick one mid week.

Imo waste of money to run a bath every night

When mine where toddlers it was every evening and straight into clean pjs.
It was part of a nice bedtime routine and I believe it has helped them with their personal hygiene as teenagers.
If you get them into good habits when they are little it doesn't come as such a shock that they need to shower daily once they hit puberty.

We do every night

I started the daily bath with both of mine when they started nursery, before that it was 2-3 times a week.
The daily bath is water with a minuscule drop of soap, and a quick once over with a flannel. Once a week more thorough bath with proper hair washing etc

I would do it every day if they enjoyed it, but half the baths just with water so as not to dry the skin. If they don't enjoy it or have eczema then your way makes sense.

See I think daily bathing is really bad on a number of levels. Waste of water, dries out the skin, but also time. Mums are under such pressure now and daily baths are just another thing they never used to contend with - when I was little in the 90s we had a bath a couple of times a week.

I bathe 4 year old DD every other day and in between I wash her face with a flannel. She wears a clean top and underwear every day. It means on non-bath days we have time to do her reading activities, play games, just chill a bit before bed. A bath every day would make our evening routine even more hectic.

Ours are washed once a week, as babies, toddlers and now children. Both clean and healthy (eldest is 10).

toddler has a bath once a week!