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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU regarding my DCs' cleanliness?

61 replies

CheekyMaleekey · 21/01/2016 14:05

Following from a conversation I had with some friends this morning, who think I'm being OTT.

DC are 7 and 9, and have a shower each morning (hair wash at least twice weekly) and clean uniform/ordinary clothes every day. The shower gel and shampoo are very mild.

AIBU to think this is fine (both DH and I also shower and fresh clothes daily too) or is this just too clean?

Thanks.

OP posts:

fidel1ne · 21/01/2016 14:46

TBF Broken, puberty is inevitable and night shifts are not

DinosaursRoar · 21/01/2016 14:46

Normal for here too - although mine are baths at night, not showers in morning. I am terribly jealous of these people who's DCs come home in trousers and jumpers that are fit to be worn a 2nd day - only time that happens is in the summer when DS has shoved his jumper in his bag first thing and it's stayed there all day...

Micah · 21/01/2016 14:49

If it works for you, its fine.

I can barely get mine out the house in the morning as it is. If i tried adding a shower to the morning hell we'd never get to school. Id also be swamped with washing and ironing with clean uniform every day.

Mine bath about 2 times a week, when they have plenty if time. Also a shower after their swimming class one a week. Clean clothes the following day. That works for us.

redhat · 21/01/2016 14:50

It is not OTT to wear fresh clothes every day. Mine have five sets of uniform and wear a clean set each day. I wouldn't have imagined that people don't give their children clean clothes each day .

Mine shower four times a week and have a bath twice a week.

StuckInARabbitHole · 21/01/2016 14:52

YANBU. I am the same with my younger 3 (ages 13/13/5) although we wash hair every day - may as well as it gets wet anyway and I hate sweaty head smell. Teens hair tends to get greasy if they don't do it everyday.

It does piss me off sometimes that DC always have to have full clean uniform everyday (teen's blazers washed at weekends) and I really can't be arsed as the washing is horrendous but I find the little one smells of 'eau de classroom' and the big ones inevitably get mud on their trousers so it's just a habit now and has been since DC1 started school 14 years ago! If I tried to get them to wear trousers/jumper twice, I would probably feel funny about it .

DC1 is at college so does her own washing, clean clothes everyday and shower, hairwash as well although her's is extremely long and thick but she does it out of habit now too as it's been done since childhood.

I have few pleasures in life apart from the smell of clean hair (mine and DCs) and fresh clothes .

BrokenVag · 21/01/2016 14:54

Teens hair tends to get greasy if they don't do it everyday.

It's likely to be the washing everyday that's making it greasy!

LaContessaDiPlump · 21/01/2016 14:54

Fresh clothes every day for my messy boys; fresh pants/top/socks everyday for me. DH sorts out his own cleanliness

They don't actually get dirty, just messy, so they only bath once a week. They are 3.5 and 4.6 and do not smell.

BarbarianMum · 21/01/2016 14:54

redhat why would you give a child a fresh jumper if the jumper they'd worn the previous day was still clean?

I think it is OTT to put on totally fresh clothing every day, esp the stuff that is not worn next to the skin. Would you put on a fresh coat every day?

Gileswithachainsaw · 21/01/2016 14:55

Sounds fine to me.

Kids can have any kind if job when they get older so what a stupid argument

however setting up good hygiene habits is a good idea. seriously how can you liken it to night shifts

mine bath/shower daily and have clean clothes daily.

BrokenVag · 21/01/2016 14:56

TBF Broken, puberty is inevitable and night shifts are not

So when should this preparation begin? At moment of birth? In the womb?

Skin is an organ that simply doesn't require the amount of washing that society now expects. Let it breathe and do what it needs to do instead of stripping away all the oils with SLS!

HesterShaw · 21/01/2016 14:58

I don't understand why they need a freshly washed jumper and skirt/trousers every day unless they have visible dirt on them. Shirts I'd say every other day.

Personally I don't think that potty trained children unless they have some kind of continence issue need bathing/showering every single day either. Until they hit the smelly stage of course.

So I think you're being a bit OTT but of course it's up to you. It's your water bill.

Gileswithachainsaw · 21/01/2016 15:00

baths have more of a purpose than just washing though.

fir my two it's always been part of the bed time ritual and relaxes them befire bed.

I use SLS etc free products though.

the amount if smelly people I come across I suspect it does need washing a damn sight more than people think.

Jw35 · 21/01/2016 15:00

Normal to me. I don't wash school trousers/skirts or jumpers daily though unless they're dirty. I do those every 2-3 days. Shirts and underwear daily and daily bath or shower.

DinosaursRoar · 21/01/2016 15:01

BrokenVag - no, overwashing doesn't cause the glands at hair roots to produce more sebum (I think that's what it's called!) - hormone changes alters the amount that's produced so in puberty most DC produce more than their hair 'needs' to coat it, it builds up and gets greasy.

BarbarianMum · 21/01/2016 15:03

Old age is also inevitable but we don't make kids practice with dentures, reading glasses and continence pants to practise for it, do we? Maybe we should all sleep in a coffin to get used to being dead?

Wouldn't it be better if we just washed as much as necessary for the age we are (amount of washing needed will vary b/w people anyway) rather than washing for "practise".

redhat · 21/01/2016 15:05

barbarian they don't have a jumper just a shirt and blazer. They have one blazer which they wear every day and one tie which they wear everyday. Shirt and trousers are changed every day.

steppemum · 21/01/2016 15:06

I think there is a wide range of normal. You are at the cleaner end of it!

pr pubescent children don't need a shower bath every day, but it certainly isn't a problem if you want to. Equally it isn't a problem if someone else showers their kids every 2-3 days.

kids hair really really doesn't need washing that often though

Same with uniform. They don't need a clean shirt and trousers every day, and certainly don't need a clean sweatshirt, I would say a few days for trousers is more average, but if you don't mind doing the washing that is up to you.

BrokenVag · 21/01/2016 15:10

I'm way behind with my old age preparations. I may have to up my game by falling asleep in the chair and starting every sentence with "in my day".

Mia1415 · 21/01/2016 15:18

Completely normal! Shower and clean clothes everyday in my house

NationalTrustLadyGardens · 21/01/2016 15:31

Completely normal. Cannot be too clean.

These threads always surprise me a bit. I don't know if people are just too polite perhaps, but when people talk about greasy hair and sweaty areas, I always think - isn't it nether regions that need washing every day? Small children and teenage boys aren't great for wiping are they, and even if wiping is brilliant, those areas, well frankly they need washing anyway don't they? Urgh at the thought of unwashed bottoms for days!

Debbriana1 · 21/01/2016 15:40

What you have described is what I did when I was young. The only thing I changed twice a week was my kilt and blazer because I had two and they needed dry cleaning once a week. Two jumpers two. Clean shirts every day and nickers and tights. I expect to do the same thing for my daughter.

I may actually choose night shower or bath for her.

Badders123 · 21/01/2016 15:51

I would say my sons shower/bathe 5 nights out of 7.
Hair wash too.
Clean uniform everyday - sometimes jumpers can go 2 days if not dirty or smelly.
Clean pjs every other night.
Yes.....I do a lot of washing! :)

Badders123 · 21/01/2016 15:52

(If ds1 didn't have excema I would insist on everyday as he is going theth puberty and, frankly is a bit whiffy :))
Ds2 is only 7 so everyday bathing not needed IMO

DancingDuck · 21/01/2016 15:54

You're normal. Bath every night here. At that age, clean clothes every day as they did get grubby. Now they're older, trousers and jumpers last two-three days but clean shirts, tees etc every day and clean PJs every two to three nights. Hair wash every other day.

treacledan71 · 21/01/2016 15:58

I bath Ds every other day . Regarding uniform if its clean I will press it and put on next day . Give it a sponge if a bit of a mark. Normally only last couple days though before really dirty.

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