To wonder how you can not bath or shower kids every day?

[Kalitall]

I know this ones been done, and I don't think anyone is dirty for not bathing every day and I understand about skin conditions.

I just don't know how everyone gets away with not bathing children each day. Especially little ones.

My two boys seem to get filthy. They both play outside every day and end up muddy. The toddler gets really mucky eating meals, usually ends up with food everywhere even in his hair. Also often ends up with paint over him from nursery. He poos in his nappy every day and even though he's clean up is usually still a bit smelly. In the Summer they both get quite sticky.

I find it easier to run a bath or put him under the shower than to top and tail to clean all the muck off.

Like I said I'm not accusing anyone of being dirty, as an adult I could probably get away with not showering each day as I don't sweat much and don't get mucky.

Do other children just not get in a mess?

It's the same with washing clothes. I reuse my own clothes but I could never not wash the dcs clothes, because they're always covered in food or mud.

So go on, how can you tell? Bearing in mind that you'd have no way of knowing how often children that don't smell are washed. I can well believe you know some children who aren't washed much and also smell, but this is quite different to being able to confirm that all the children who don't smell are bathed daily.

And how would you check if you're right, exactly? You aren't really trying to tell us you're familiar with the washing routines of every single child you ever come across, are you? Including getting close enough to sniff their hair. Because that would be implausible and also a bit weird.

at somebody keeping track of the bathing habits of every child they've ever come across (do you peek in at their windows every evening?) and relating it to how smelly they might or might not be. If you seriously know how often all the dozens of children you encounter have a bath/shower, can I suggest that you get a new, more exciting hobby?

I understand that my opinion isn't pleasant to hear if you're a person that doesn't bathe your child as often as they might need so Ibcan see why you might feel the need to basically Make Stuff Up in order to ridicule what I actually posted.

How can you tell?

How many children do you know? How do you know how frequently they wash? Do you ask them? Their parents?

My DD has a bath ever 2 or 3 days. If I was to bathe her everyday I'd have a sky high electricity bill as we have to heat the water (old fashioned Irish boiler). When she was younger she had one every day and now that she's 3, she doesn't need one-she doesn't get that dirty. Nothing a baby wipe can't sort And she certainly doesn't smell.

My children are 10 and 14, the 14 year old showers every day, the 10 year old every other day. Any longer than that and their hair looks and smells greasy and it kind of clumps together and they look unkempt. I don't like my children looking like that.

At 10 and 14 I'm not surprised at all. I certainly needed to shower daily at that age. However, many of us are discussing children much younger. You presumably wouldn't extrapolate your 14 year old's basic care regime to a 3 year old? Adolescents and sometimes tweens are an entirely different kettle of fish to toddlers. Which is why, for example, toddlers don't need anti-perspirant.

Of course you can tell the ones that aren't washed regularly, their hair especially doesn't look clean and doesn't smell fresh. And I meant toddlers and babies when I said "stale milk" seeing as so many have fastened on that. But even with older children you can tell

My toddler dd hasn't had a bath in a couple of days, and she smells delicious. And her hair is lovely and soft and fluffy, and smells of lavender. She does not smell of "sour milk" and there is no reason at all why she should

When mine were toddlers we didn't need to do baths every night, none of them put food in their hair, and bibs seemed to catch most food. But all kids are different, although we live rurally, don't do much screentime, and walk a mile to school, mine

It boils down to this:- unwashed children smell, they look grubby and unkempt and you can tell the difference between the ones that have had a wild day and ones that haven't had a bath for a fortnight (which is grim by the way). It's like dog homes where the family occupants insist that their home doesn't have a dog smell (it always does), you're probably used to it on your children so you don't notice. And for the record I have worked with children before and now in my every day life probably encounter thirty/forty children a day and you can tell the ones that are kept clean and the ones that aren't.

Unwashed things get grubby and start to smell and that applies to people too.

Clearly I am upsetting people so I will leave it there.

Ooops
Mine didn't seen to get that dirty, only in a personal hygiene way, do we bathed them often enough not to be smelly.

Then you change the jumper and wipe up any milk. If my kids had a bath every time they spilled anything, we'd have to evolve to being aquatic overnight and live in a giant bathroom.

Genuinely laughed at this

My kids are bathed most days mainly as they like it. However they very very rarely get in enough of a mess where only a bath/shower would do.

At 10 and 14 I'm not surprised at all. I certainly needed to shower daily at that age. However, many of us are discussing children much younger. You presumably wouldn't extrapolate your 14 year old's basic care regime to a 3 year old? Adolescents and sometimes tweens are an entirely different kettle of fish to toddlers. Which is why, for example, toddlers don't need anti-perspirant.

Not sure how you thought I was trying to do that, perhaps you should re-read my post. I have mentioned very young children and was then questioned about older children so mentioned my own. You have misunderstood.

But I will leave it there. Bath your kids don't bath your kids but if you don't they'll smell, personally I don't like that but understand that's just my opinion and that many others aren't bothered.

For those who regularly see 'grubby smelly unkempt looking children', where on earth do you all hang out?

I live in an urban area, I go to kid's groups, playgrounds and activities daily and it isn't often I see an unkempt looking child.

I don't know if you read my posts about my ds, Game, but I find it hard to believe you can say it is all about avoiding drudgery, after reading them, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you haven't.

I must say though, I find it really disappointing that you work/have worked with children and have the attitude you have displayed here.

They don't smell, and you couldn't possibly tell either way. You can say it all you like, it doesn;t make it true.

that's just my opinion and that many others aren't bothered

Yes that's right, game, it's all just because people can't be bothered, you, of course are, because you are a superior being, with a sense of smell that would rival a wolverines. Well done you.

Not sure how you thought I was trying to do that, perhaps you should re-read my post. I have mentioned very young children and was then questioned about older children so mentioned my own. You have misunderstood.

But I will leave it there. Bath your kids don't bath your kids but if you don't they'll smell, personally I don't like that but understand that's just my opinion and that many others aren't bothered.

If I've misunderstood, it's because you have failed to be specific.

If you're telling us that you're talking about older children, adolescents even, then could you perhaps explain how you're getting close enough to smell the hair of a sufficiently wide variety? And also in a position to know about their washing and grooming routines?

And lastly, the reason people don't like you saying that if you don't bath your kids they'll smell is because you've just pulled that out of your arse. If it were true, you would have some evidence for it. You don't. Basically, prove it or you're bullshitting.

I'm afraid I think it's true that children ( and people) often smell. I guess it's because ( as this thread shows) people don't wash often enough.

Might also be because some people have a better senses of smell than others. I know I do and I can smell if people ( and children) have that unwashed smell.

No, all that means is that you personally are so obsessed with washing and extreme hygiene that you can no longer tell normal smells, and you think people are stinky if they don't smell of shower gel and fragranced shampoos.
That is not the same thing as people actually smelling unpleasant.

My ds2 has a bath every 3-4 days, if I bathed him everyday or washed him down every day he would have no layers of skin on him, he's not a dirty child, he's spotless in fact.

How exactly does she look grubby?
She also does NOT smell,has lots of friends and we always get comments about how nice she looks or how nice her hair is.

I don't think a daily wash is "extreme hygiene"!

my dc's hair looks perfectly clean, not greasy at all. I guess some peoples hair gets greasier than others, so those people may feel they need to wash their hair more often. My dc dont smell either, quick wipe round with flannel deals with that!

Wash, or bath? Because a lot of people wash children without bathing them, as said.
If you're going around sniffing other peoples children, you've definitely got some kind of issues with hygiene.

I have a really heightened sense of smell and am sensitive, in particular, to perfumes, aftershaves and chemical smells. I also work with preschoolers, I would not be able to tell how often any particular child washes. I could tell you whether their parents smoke, what perfume the mum wears, or whether their older brother is going through the 'half a can of Lynx' phase.

By the way thankyou to posters who read my posts and were kind, it means a lot.

It boils down to this:- unwashed children smell, they look grubby and unkempt

Ah ok, I understand now where you're going wrong, MsGame. What you're saying here is that "Children who aren't washed often enough will look dirty and smell bad". Which is just a truism, as obviously a child who is dirty and smelly isn't being washed often enough. But the frequency with which this needs to be done will vary widely from child to child.

What you stated originally was that every child who hasn't had a bath in the last 24-48 hours will look dirty and smell bad. Which is a completely different thing. And not something you could possibly know unless you are literally documenting the bathing frequency of both the pristine and the grubby children.

Does that make it a bit clearer for you?