To only bath DD twice a week?

[BucketAndSpadeAtTheReady]

DD is 9 months, she did have bad excma (sp?) and baths made this worse so we've only ever done 2 a week, but it's not so bad now so she could cope with more.

She doesn't smell, and I wash her face in the morning and after any food with baby flannels.
Everyone I know who's mentioned baths seem to do a daily one for bedtime, but she doesn't seem to enjoy them much, should she be having more, or is 2 a week (or more if there's a nappy or food explosion) ok?

I'm a daily bather but wouldn't flame you for not - jeez people on MN like the idea of making other people irate, don't they. So left field and modern to not bathe your child daily... Or summat. I found it to be a lovely bonding time and a good routine for DS, also agree with the clean to bed, clean sheets thing. All clean, cosy and innocent dreams

The "fresh" smell after a bath, which has bubble bath or soap in it, is actually artifical chemicals. It's got nothing to do with the way a baby actually smells.

YANBU, mine have never been bathed showered more than twice a week, except when there is a major outbreak out break of swimming.

They are 12 and 15 and dont look very grubby or smelly.

I agree with LaQueen, it's part of DD's routine, she regularly sticks food-encrusted hands on her hair and it's what we do in this house, we shower/bathe every day.

We just use shallow tepid water with a very small amount of micelar water and her bottom is washed with terry cloth/water during nappy changes.

A friend derides the daily bath on the basis of it not "being natural" and yet is perfectly happy to use acres of baby wipes. To each their own.

YANBU. No need to subject them to daily baths or showers until they get to 9 or 10 and start being properly smelly. I sometimes put them in the bath in the afternoon if they were cranky.

YANBU OP. "Preferring" your child to smell fresh and clean is not really an option when your child has eczema. I prefer my child not to be screaming in agony with blistering inflamed skin because I chose to bath him daily with or without the addition of a splash of bubble bath.

A "sweetish stale smell" won't hurt him, infected eczema could hospitalise him. But as LaQueen says depends on your outlook

Carry on as you are op you're doing fine.

Our paed and dermatologist have both told me to bath my eczema prone twins DAILY, with suitable emollients in the bath ( we use Dermol, on prescription) to reduce the risk of the eczema getting infected.

The Eczema Society agrees - see here under 'bath oils'.

I don't bath them daily, as I've got 4 kids, it takes ages and their eczema has rarely been infected so I risk it, but the 'I don't bath them much 'cos of eczema' line is out of date.

I only bath my 11 year old when he's messy enough. Probably about once a week. Sure it'll increase when he's walking/playing outside more but at moment he's fine

We bath ds nearly 3 every 2-3 days. I've got eczema and just didn't want to run the risk of causing dry skin.

We established a bedtime routine without having a bath. We often do it in the morning to kill a bit of time!

And aside from sweaty grubby skin, I actually think bottoms could do with a regular daily wash tbh!

I really really don't think my children smell sweetish stale after two days without bathing, but if they did, I would bathe more often! Four days and you may have a point, although I was with a friend the other day and she only gives her dd a bath once a week and she didn't smell whatsoever and has gorgeous curls. It is sooo different when they are pre-teens/teens though, when even once a day may not be enough- my husband sometimes has two showers a day.

Our eczema nurse told us that some people are worse with daily bathing, some better and to some extent you do have to experiment and find what works; for us, daily bathing was awful and stripped the skin/dry/flared up the eczema, but I think the exact opposite can also be true especially where there is dermatitis/skin infections. What you can't do with children with eczema is cover them in Johnson's baby bath or even worse, something like Disney fairies wash with glitter in it which my children always want to use, whatever every day, most of those soap-based products are terrible for exzema.

I think most parenting threads on MN can be resolved by agreeing that everyone does what's best for their own DC, what with knowing them best of all, and that no size fits all; there is no right or wrong. Right?

My Dc always had a nightly bath - one with severe eczema used prescribed bath stuff and the got coated in ointment

The bath and bedtime routine was very important for my DC - they loved it. Cant imagine putting them to bed without a bath and clean PJs.
They still shower or bath at night now as do I. Clean Pjs and fresh from the bath bliss

Sitting in a bath of shallow, tepid water with no detergents isn't what I would describe as a 'bath'.

It's achieves the same as a flannel wash or top and tail.

Those of you who say you do this and 'bath' your children every day don't really, by my standards.

Twice as often as we've always done it. Nobody needs a wash every day unless they have a medical condition or do activities that necessitate it. I'm always baffled by people who shower first thing every morning.

I think we have been sold a load of marketing bull when it comes to bathing small babies. Probably from Johnson and Johnson,

totally agree with the posters about stripping away precious moisture from the skin and lathering with chemicals. Totally un necessary.

I wash DD as and when we are not working to a timetable and bath has never been a part of their bedtime routines.

Neither smell or look dirty. Older one has a bath a few times a week as she is definalty starting to need it more. But when little, NO.

If you choose to bath your DC fine, what I amazed at is the sheeples who just do it and think they have too!

YANBU.

My DD (2) has dry skin. We bath her every 2-3 days with a bath additive and have to use very little emollient creams as a result. No Johnson's products as they dries her skin out dreadfully.

She smells good to me all the time.

I found it easier for my DC to have a bath each night as they were very active and it was easier to give them a good scrub in the bath and they also had a lovely wind down time and played in the bath. It was a lovely relaxing time before stories and bed. There is nothing like the smell of a freshly bathed little one

I don't remember being told to bath babies every day ,in fact it was usually top and tail if I remember correctly rambling

Im afraid if you only bath/wash once a week bailo then you are probably the person at work who stinks !

Actually I usually shower several times a week after the gym, but if I didn't go it certainly isn't necessary to do it that often just from sitting in an office or watching telly. If you smoke or spend a lot of time in smelly pubs that's another matter. Our toddler can certainly go a while without smelling bad' its not always as long as a week but its not far off.

Bailo - today for example I mowed the lawns, I worked up a sweat, sweat smells when it stays on the skin, so I have had shower tonight.

At night particularly as it has it a little warmer, people can sweat, same applies as to why people have a shower in the morning, actually I will have another shower in the morning, I like it, it is how I start my day clean and fresh.