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?

*as it has become a little warmer

I'm thinking more along the lines of a typical work day - if you work in an office and you only get a couple of hours at night then the last thing I'd want to do is find another 20 minutes to shower and dry off when I've barely physically exerted myself anyway.

Ooh, please don't think that those of us who don't bathe our DC every day don't necessarily wash ourselves properly every day!

My DC get a bath every other day but I shower (including washing hair) every morning without fail with another one after the gym (x3 a week(

YANBU Op
I have never bathed my DC every day, I don't believe children need it.

There are different types of eczema and some find water aggravates their skin and others find it helpful.

My ds1 gets weepy infected eczema when in contact with water so we bath once a week in a slippery bath of epaderm ointment melted into the water. We wash his hair with the shower over the bath. This has all been trial and error and we have tried numerous, creams, emollients and ointments in the bath and found what works for him.

My nephew also has eczema but his isn't a weepy type and he finds multiple baths daily improve his skin. My sons eczema consultant said that you just have to find what works for you. If my son wants to swim we have to put his steroid cream on a few hours before then a thick layer of epaderm just before he gets into his swim bits. Afterwards I wash him in cetraben in the showers with a shampoo to get all the chlorine out and then another thick layer of epaderm and he has to wear his dermasilk eczema pyjamas under his clothes else his skin gets infected within hours. The consultant gave us ideas to try but no one knows how an individual person with eczema will react as everyone is different. Trust your instincts.

YANBU

I bathe my 21-month-old every day. He gets absolutely filthy. I cook with a lot of olive oil, so his hair is thick with grease after three meals, and he plays in his sand box daily, as well as running sticks through dirt to make pictures. I could bathe him every few days, but the California Baby products are extremely gentle on skin, and well, he's a grubby little so and so :)

I bathe mine daily but only because its part of their routine, mine enjoy it and it calms them before bed. I only use shampoo and body wash 2-3 times a week and limit bubble bath because those products can dry out their skin and its not necessary to use them daily.

Do whatever works for you.

I'd say thats fine.

I bath DD everyday as part of her bedtime routine, less because she's dirty but more because she loves it and it helps her relax.

If baths create problems with eczema then your DD isnt going to enjoy it or find it relaxing.

I found in recent days DD has got a bit sweaty so in that case she would need a bath.

I think a bath every 3 days is advisable when they are still in nappies, or a good wash.

You might find she enjoys baths more when she turns 1 and you can do them more often if eczema allows.

I lather DD in aveeno before and after baths which helps her skin no end, also don't use any soap/shampoo.

I actually did once a week and it was fine.
Still often do and DS is 8.
He doesn't get smelly or that dirty, particularly in the winter.

If yours still has eczema, I'd cut rather than increase baths.

When DD was a baby I bathed her everyday & my MIL said I'washed her so much I'd was her away! But I was a naive first time mum! DD is 23 months now & she has a bath 3 times a week. Sometimes she has one consecutive days, depends how mucky she's got at nursery!! A good top & tail is all that's needed I think.

YANBU. Ds3 & Dd have baths 2 - 3 times a week (usually 2 but if they've been in the garden and are grubby, they get a quick hose down in the tub). Ds1 & 2 shower every other day though. Ds1 is almost 9 and starting to get a bit noticeably manky if he hasn't showered, and ds2 (7yo) is the world's messiest eater and a natural urchin.

About getting eczema infected, if the baby has no flares, o doesn't get infected.
Besides washing can strip away nice bacteria leaving it open for nastier ones, which can infect skin with eczema.

My reasoning was why to upset the natural balance of the skin with artificial products? Emollients and oils are not the same as skin oils and promote the growth of different bacteria.

I shower my DS every day. He is outside a lot and very active so he can smell a bit stale sometimes. He's also quite a sweaty child so it freshens him up before bed and a shower only takes 5 minutes.

I work as a child minder and two of the children are bathed once/twice a week and they are filthy. They are toddlers so they have food in their hair, smell stale and sweaty and look grubby. The smell of urine off them can be quite strong too. But their Mum insists they only need to be washed once/twice a week, even though other children and parents have commented on the odour.

Personally I think it's different for each child. If you have a clean child then there's no need to wash every day. However, if your child is starting to smell or look grubby then they need to be washed more often.

We bath our five month old every couple of days. Ish. That's pretty much what the hospital said when we left.

Our memories are usually jogged by a particularly explosive poo :)

I think a lot of people do nightly baths to establish a bedtime routine to help sleeping. We have a good little sleeper so we've not really had to bother with that.

DD1 used to have a bath every night, up till about 4 months ago. But she started to complain that it was hurting her skin and is now down to 2 a week. Even that is too much for her (the screams!) but she needs it. I try to put some Aveeno on dry-ish bits after and she does like that.

She goes to nursery so I would be loathe to do less. I'd like to do more baths, maybe once she's through this phase. She likes to get in with her baby sister who has a small bath every night so maybe it's passing already. She used to love her baths, I'm pretty sure they don't hurt her as she loves them once she's in.

But she's normally quite clean. If she really needs a bath one day she does get one, but if she's clean I will let it slide.

We had bath night once a week as kids, as did most of my friends. When did a bath every night become the norm?

My youngest son has eczema and I find that oily eczema baths are great for his skin. I give his body a rub down with a washcloth & the oily water, and wash his hair & bits with soap and his skin is much better afterwards for this.

I think that school-aged kids should be getting in the habit of daily bathing. My 10 year old cannot skip his daily shower - he gets nearly as smelly as an adult does.

I bath mine every other night and myself every morning. There are some right grubby people on mumsnet! A child in nappies surely needs a good wash more often than once a week. Plus my 3 year old gets covered in all sorts on a daily basis. I only bath every other night because the older one has dry skin (was eczema with oilatum etc when she was a baby but it's settled down a lot) but they go to nursery and get covered with all sorts of other kid germs/sand/food/paint etc etc. so I would probably prefer to wash them daily.

Yuk to only washing once a week.

"We had bath night once a week as kids, as did most of my friends. When did a bath every night become the norm?"

That's really interesting, I wonder if that was the case across the UK in general?

I was born in the late 70's in Southern Europe and everyone (including children) showered/bathed daily.

I agree.

Also, I know I feel better and fresher after a shower so I'm sure children feel the same.