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.

'unless they are overweight I don't think kids need a bath more than once a week'
Eh?

My dd played with a little girl in the summer who said she 'baths on a Saturday' she had the filthiest little feet and nails.

So Op where art thou?

5 minutes?

I didn't get much change from an hour tonight once I had bathed, washed hair, dried and dressed for bed 3 children. Plus run the bath twice.

That is why it doesn't happen every night, especially on the nights that they have activities on.

Dd gets excited and wakeful from a bath. Always has.

So she NEVER has a bath at night.

She has a good wash down with a warm flannel (honestly, old fashioned but it works) at night and a bath every other MORNING. Mainly to wash her hair.

I'll bath her when we get in if she's muddy bur night time is a no no!
Weird kid.

Dirt under nails ime (working with kids 20+ years) is often down to them not being trimmed enough. Certainly dd can have a bath and a nail brush and still have finger paint under there if they need a cut ... which seems to be all the time!

I bath my 2 dcs 2-3 times a week, quick showers inbetween if needed ad if they aren't overly dirty or smelly, fill the sink with warm water and give them a strip wash with a flannel

Only1scoop, I am assuming an overweight child might sweat more than a skinny child of the same age?

I live with 3 children, 1 is mine. We all bathe every night, apart from dd who is one. If she gets muckier than usual, then she'll have a bath with me. I can't sleep if, I don't feel clean.

I had my niece stay recently who is 8 and she has a bath every other night and I found it odd. Nothing wrong with it just not for me.

We have three kids and always bath/shower them every night (oldest now does himself) and have done since birth. It's part of their routine. Used to be bath, bot bot then bed, now it's bath and 20mins wind down time and then bed. I'm also strict about bedtimes as I like my evenings to myself. dh is far from perfect but he's always done bath/shower routine while I rush around tidying up. Works for us

DS 10 and DD 6 have a bath Sun, Tues and Thurs or Fri. DD sometimes more often - she jumped in the shower tonight with DH coz we have a new bathroom and she wanted to try it but she didn't wash her hair. In my opinion girls get dirtier (well mine does) DS has never liked getting dirty and he has mild eczema. Whilst she is a muck magnet!

Binky and I (as I said 20+ years working with kids of all ages) think there are a lot of presh-uss parents out there who over wash their kids till they have hang ups. It works both ways.
Pre puberty under 3 days (and remember I'm talking about having worked with thousands of kids in various jobs) they really don't appear "greasy". And if they did they would be raised as a CP issue.
But I've also had kids who have scrubbed the enamel off their teeth or bullied/been vulnerable the other way.

Pre puberty a bath every 1 or 2 days is OK.

However the idea kids won't then start washing when puberty hits because they haven't been trained is presh-uss parent nonsense. Frankly it doesn't matter: some stop when they get more freedom due to distraction, oblivion or sadly stress. Most start because they are young adults and know the difference between themselves and a 5 year old without the need to train.

Just to repeat: I've worked with thousands of kids - from rich to poor and all backgrounds. These hordes (bar a few neglected ones) of "stinky" and "greasy" children simply weren't/aren't there.

DD is 8, she wears the same uniform clothes for 2-3 days obv with underwear changes daily of course! She is at the swimming baths due to swim club every other day so showers there and washes hair but the alternate days I bath and wash her hair because I still smell chlorine on her. So she is having daily baths/showers and hair washing.
DS is 4 and he has a bath and hair wash every other day, same night as DD has a bath at home. His clothes can occasionally get 2 days out of but often they need washing due to him spilling food or getting pen etc on them. Or his latest is falling and putting holes in trouser knees which requires brand new trousers!

CP = child protection (ie neglect).

I don't get the obsession on the thread with baths. I find them dirty myself! Dd loves them but I wash her at night with a shower and flannel and a bath every other morning. Honestly the shower and warm flannel feels cleaner to me. But I guess I can't cluck "bath! Bath!" Mindlessly and accuse others of being dirty if I do things a different way.

Also bath at night ... just before you sweat under a duvet 8 hr? I always have a full shower/hair wash in the morning if I can (if I can't I shower the night before then do face/hands/pits/pants zone 1st thing).

I bath at night as I like to go to bed feeling clean and also sometimes in the morning, I do not sweat at night as far as I know. My DC also have a bath or shower at night. I couldn't comprehend not washing them daily. Without the thought of dirty school toilets they're sitting on etc etc, they actually smell by the end of the day (they're 6 and 8). Their feet sweat and their bottoms aren't always clean after self wiping. They like to put clean pyjamas on before bed and go to bed clean.

My kids have a shower twice a week. They don't need it more regularly and I'm not washing them more just because people on here expect it. How pathetic.

My boys do not find the bath relaxing.

My kids didn't really have any hair as toddlers so that solved that problem 👍🏼

Mine get too hyped up in the bath so I don't do it every day, as it makes bed time too crazy! So it's more like every other day or so in our house. Obviously if they were filthy I'd bath them!

With you op
Bath every day, my Dc15 months and In nappies just nice to give him a good cleanup every day

It isn't great for their skin.

Mine were showered with plain water- skin and hair, daily until they got to a stinky age. Soapy stuff was only used when they were particularly filthy.

They were always sweet smelling and soft skinned.

Daily baths from birth? Washing off all that lovely vernix?

Midwives for my two told me not to bath them for at least a week, and not more than once a week for the first few weeks.

there are some people who never ever take a bath or a shower....
how do you think kids are kept clean in hospital intensive care units, or in PICU, or while very sick in the community - with tubes etc that cannot go in the bath,
what about bedbound older people who cannot be lifted in/out of the bath, but have to be kept clean to ensure their skin is not broken etc...
I think some of you will be very surprised at how you can keep clean with no bath!

I used to put bubble bath in the paddling pool at the end of hot sticky days when the kids didn't want to come in. It was a great idea for getting off the suncream, mud and general ickyness without the fuss of getting them in and bathed while it was still nice outside. Quick rinse off with a jug of fresh water, dried and into jammies, by then they're cool, calm and ready for a story and bed.

Daily baths are actually meant to be drying for the skin. When my dd was born i got told not to wash her every day because it's bad for her skin being prem might of had something to do with it too. I bath her every other day Because she is prone to dry skin. She loves bath time though i will bath her more if she needs it i also don't really use soap often either or as little as possible as that dries her skin out too she doesn't tend to get too grubby when eating. (she's a toddler) but she always gets her face and hands washed before and after food with a flannel.

My MIL hasn't been near a bath for years, she is not interested in getting equipment to use in the bath nor having the bath removed and a shower put in. She is happy to strip wash at the sink, and even did so when she had a stoma bag (later reversed)

There are lots and lots of people who don't have access to a bath or shower for many a reason, for some it is temporary, for others it is a lot more long term - either through choice or due to circumstances. And most of them maintain good levels of hygiene.

DD2 gets a bath once a week. I wash her face and hands and bottom multiple times a day and her clothes get 2 or 3 times. We don't have our heating on unless it's super cold, so having a bath is related to a milder day, plus heating the bathroom, plus water wastage. I don't use either shower on her because although electric the temperature and flow can fluctuate. Up to puberty they aren't as naturally sweaty and stinky so don't feel the need for a full body wash of her everyday.