AIBU to not want my ds to have bubble baths

[MoanCraft]

I have tried all the nicer no so chemically bubble bath and it just doesn't really bubble and it's quite expensive. So I just don't do bubble bath. I refuse to sit my ds in a bath full of chemicals. It's not like he asks for it.
But my dh pours shampoo into the bath to froth it up. Argghhh. Ds has slightly dry skin and it makes it worse.
But AIBU?

YABVU

Water contains very nasty chemicals: hydrogen and oxygen.

What's with the anti chemical bias...... Everything is made from chemicals, even you!

Also, "fishes f* in water".........

I'm not that worried about bathing every day, but my ds really likes to sit in a bath. I shower every day, and feel unable to function properly when I don't, so I don't deny my ds that if he needs it. He has some sensory problems and can get very 'worked up' for want of a better expression, bathing really makes a difference to him being able to calm down ready to sleep. So, we have to balance that.

My children have quite dry skin but they are ok being washed frequently in plain water or certain bath stuff so we don't need to be too strict either way. Everyone has to do what's right for them, it doesn't matter.

Although, my ds would get very grubby bathed less than three times a week! He's a mud-magnet. He's getting wet with a wash anyway so easier to dip him in a bath or let him shower himself (where everything gets wetter than him), and he gets the calming effect too.

Big yawn at all the I'm-so-clever but EVERYTHING is a chemical inclucding nasty old dihydrogen monoxide!!! crap. So boring and so disingenuous. You know fine well what OP means. Of course not all substances are equal and not all are harmless to health, and it is a perfectly reasonable position to have concerns over sitting a dry-skinned child in a soup of surfactants, colours and fragrances that might well affect the skin in ways that plain water, natural oils or plant butters probably would not.

No-one piles in to mock posters who choose to drink water or milk over additive-filled squash or pop, do they?

OP I do not think it's a problem to have non-bubbly baths. My DD has a skin condition and when she was small I tended not to add bubbles. We normally used the Little Me bath milks and kept bubbly baths for an occasional treat. They are only bathed 1-2 times a week anyway, though, so can get away with bubbles now as it's not too frequent.

You know fine well what OP means - you can;t be sure of that Tulip - I mean I know what OP meant and *you know what OP meant but perhaps we are smarter than most [smug emoticon]

Maybe people should be specifiying synthetic chemical compounds not occurring naturally which are also harmful to humans even on a mild level eg drying to the skin. Posts might get a bit long mind you.

Of course you would need to qualify "not occurring naturally which are also harmful" because of course plenty of naturally occurring "chemicals" are harmful and whilst you and I know they aren't sold in most Sainsburys, its obviously important to be specific.

Have you tried baby shampoo?

Chemistry certificates in the post

I agree. If it doesn't agree with your ds's skin, don't do it.

Me and DS are alergic to sulphates. I use Naked bubble bath that's 97% natural with no sulphates, or halos and horns, a similar thing.

MoanCraft if you don't want to put bubbles in the water itself you could always keep bottles of bubble mixture for bath time and blow them to him to pop. Or you can get those frogs that blow out loads of them that are quite fun. Just thinking of alternative 'fun' things that still won't hurt his skin.

No one's mentioned it yet but the shower attachment works SO much better than a tap for bubbles. I use E45 bubble bath for kids which is a bit shit but froths up a treat with the shower but going. You can buy a rubber shower adapter to put on your tap end if you don't already have a shower bit.

It is quite tedious holding it whilst you fill a bath but worth it.

Only on MN, could a discussion about bubble baths, veer towards arguing

Op, if you get bath crayons, be careful if you have teenagers in the house and old fashioned tiles

I long for the days of tiny babies in bubbles...

SLS comes from coconuts, natural isn't always good.

SLS is synthesized in a lab in a minority of cases one of the ingredients (lauryl alcohol) can come from coconut but more commonly from petroleum but don;t kid yourself that marketing it as "from coconuts" makes it "natural"

If its synthesized in a lab its not natural whatever the source ingredients.

Aspirin is not natural, willow bark is.

Synthesized doesn't always mean bad - aspirin in controlled amounts always better than chewing on bark.

Natural doesn;t always mean better - bella donna = natural.

But when OP says he child gets dry skin from "chemicals" surely to god you know what she's talking about?!

If you don't have bubbles you can't turn all the lights off and play with waterproof torches in the bath because you won't get the fantastic moving patterns on the walls and ceiling.

Bother it Hak! Now I want a bubble bath! First time ever.

I'm still reading these post but for now tulip thank you. Fancy taking the time to write 'if you don't like chemicals you don't like water' what a knobby thing to say.
And vitamin glow water, can't wait to try it.

Haha just got to yours kewcumber

I can't use any of the kids sensitive ones - makes my eczema flair up so dc use my imperial leather or original source ones. Not letting them near my lush ones, they are mine!

Oh and as a child I only had oilatum bath oil as my skin was so bad. Bubbles were a treat that I loved but always suffered later :(

Well moancraft, some people actually get dry skin from good old H2O.

I suggest you use a petroleum based emollient like aqueous cream, silcocks base or liquid paraffin for your child's bath. Or if you want to go for an edible emoillient: I suggest using nylon tights/ pop socks (made from chemicals.. ) and fill them up with oats, tie it to the tap, and run the water through it. Be warned, natural products also contain chemicals.
You're welcome.

Is Matey still going? It was bloody awful stuff in the 60s. All the skin on our bits flaked off.

Just a thought on H2O out the taps. Our water has so much chlorine and other treatment chemicals in it sometimes it feels like you are bathing at the swimming pool. Not sure whether or not I add bubbles makes much difference.

The reason people point out that water is also a chemical is to stop this idea of chemicals as being something bad. Some chemicals are something completely innocuous, some natural things are dangerous.

Indeed, my comment about coconuts was made somewhat out of frustration at the word chemical being used as shorthand for nasty. Strictly speaking, whether natural, nature derived, nature identical or whatever, all substances are chemicals, but the term is generally taken to mean things that have been synthesized artificially, which is fine. However most of the substances we find in "natural" products have been treated to all sorts of complex chemical processes to get them to their final form, as have substances produced completely synthetically. Some synthetics ("chemicals") are safe and beneficial, some natural products are harsh and harmful.

And yes I know what someone means when they say that they get dry skin from chemicals, but it is such a sweeping, negative generalisation that just adds to the public perception of "all chemicals are bad" and is detrimental to the science of chemistry. Without chemistry we wouldn't have the natural products or the synthetic ones, we are lucky to be able to choose.

" frustration at the word chemical being used as shorthand for nasty "

exactly my motivation for making sly comments too!
'Chemically' bubble baths
'sitting in chemicals'

it is just so......I dont know....negative and ill informed