To wash hair once a week - disagreement with Mil!

[Enidblyton1]

Just wondering how often your DCs have a bath/shower and wash their hair? Mine (aged 5 and 2) have a bath most evenings - at least 5 out of 7 days a week - and wash with soap. Hair wash once a week on a Sunday.
Mil was horrified to learn that they don't have a thorough wash every single night and appalled that hair is only done once a week.
Now I'm beginning to doubt my routine..... AIBU?

Can't even recall having a conversation with MIL about how often dds were bathed. Anyway, I don't think there is anything wrong with your routine.

Washing hair once a week is not grim for small children as their hair doesn't normally get greasy; that is hormonal and comes with puberty! Same as older ladies don't need to wash their hair between their weekly shampoo and set. If children get stuff in their hair of course it needs washed on an as and when basis.

YANBU

But my mum would have also had the same reaction to my DC's routine at that age.

What you are doing is fine. DD'S hair didn't start getting greasy until she started secondary so it was only then she washed it more often.

Navy washing your hair once a week is not grim. We don't all have fine European hair that gets oily. Different hair types require different care.

but most people gave a bath to their kids every day!

No, they really, really didn't.

Daily washing was normal. Having a bath was not. People did not have to go to a bath house - even without a bathroom (and about a quarter of homes in the 60's didn't have hot water), people could heat up kettles of water.

However they were also perfectly capable of washing without having a bath. Many people still wash thoroughly without getting in a bath.

Bath/shower everyday. Hair washed twice a week on average.

My boys have a bath / shower every other day, and she would hate me as I never wash their hair . ds2 is four and never has had his hair washed (he had eczema when younger so I didn't want the chemicals in the water) , it doesn't need it, it gets a good soak with water and looks and smells fine, and I couldn't care less what anyone thinks about it. They are your kids and if they look fine it's got nothing to do with mil.

Shower every evening here hair washed too. Good practice for getting older and smelly, bathing or showering only twice a week would lead to stinky kids.

Grew up in 70s-80s, once a week baths was the norm till we were teenagers and our hair needed washing more often. Not poor at all, but it was still expected to save water and energy. I remember a good few summers when there were water shortages and any baths were discouraged. The save water message was huge at school.

Tbh the amount of resource people use on constant washing shocks me. We all need to consume less of everything if we want civilisation to survive many more generations. Energy bills are high enough now. I foresee a lot more flannel baths in years to come.
I feel people have come up with an expectation to constantly smell of soap, and it's not necessary.

I don't really think you have to practice for being older and smelly. You can wait for it to happen and act accordingly.

Every other night usually. Bath or shower.
Ds1 has started having one every night now though as he is 13 now and plays sports.
Their hair can last two days as it's short.

Yes...child of the 70s here too and weekly baths and hair wash was the norm

Adult european hair needs washing more than once a week. Not kids. My kids' hair at least is glossier and easier to manage a couple of days after washing, it gets dry and tired if we wash too often.

My DT have a bath most nights and usually a hair wash with it. They get very grubby at nursery, and it's part of their evening routine

Bath every night as part of routine, hair wash every other night. Once a week is not enough imo.

She obviously hadn't realised you weren't washing them as often as she thinks you should, which means she always thought they were clean. So I don't think you need to take her reaction seriously.

Sister, in winter when it's muddy they're wearing clothes. Hands get muddy, wash hands. Shoes get muddy, clean shoes. DS doesn't do headstands in the park, hair doesn't get muddy. In summer it isn't muddy anyway.

Well, my DS hasn't got the memo. In summer it's grass stains, they play with water so mud still an issue. They dig, they climb trees, they play with dogs. Mainly though, he just gets sweaty because they run and race and chase balls about. He is dirty every day.

Each to their own I guess, but washing properly every day is just something we do in my house.

I was a child of the 70's. Bath and hair wash once a week until I was a teenager. We had ours on a Sunday night. Dh said his was on a Saturday night ready for church on the Sunday.

Occasionally we skip a bath but mine generally have one every night, it's been a part of their routine since they were tiny and they both enjoy it. My 5 year old particularly hates skipping bathtime. Hair gets washed 3 or 4 times a week but we really struggle on containing nits so it's out of neccasaty rather than them being stinky.

3 and 5. Their hair copes with a weekly minimum hair wash after their swimming lesson. In between, it's variable depending on what they've been up to. They tend to stay quite clean easily.

I grew up with a weekly bath and hair wash. My hair lasts 4 days between washes, day 5 is when I get lank and uncomfortable. My frequency depends on my exercise. I tend to have dry skin and thick healthy hair that grows long without breakage.

Thinking back to my childhood, we had a bath and hairwash on a Sunday in a house that only had a gas fire in the lounge. After said bath we listened to Sing Something Simple (I think) on the radio and went to bed. We washed our face and hands before dressing for school and that was it!!! I do though have memories as a preschool child of being in the kitchen sink on occasion. To be honest, we must have been dirty to an extent, we played out everyday, no tv's or video games etc, fell of bikes, climbed trees and there weren't wet wipes or toilet wipes in the late 60's.