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.

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.

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.

Sorry, should be DD age 2. And why the heck did it double post?

For those saying that bathing actually helps eczema, with my daughter it doesn't at all. Makes it worse in fact. We tried daily bathing but not only does the bath hype her up, her eczema got worse, we reduced it down to once a week and now it is pretty much gone (all but one stubborn patch). The doctor told us to stick to once a week if it was helping. She is 5 and she doesn't get grubby because she is still washed down everyday. When she was bathing everyday she was scratching all night and was getting infections. Haven't had a single infection since we cut down.

I used to bath DS (9) everyday when he was a toddler because he was so messy. Now he is older he has a bath every other day, and even then he moans about it.

I think some people on this thread should count themselves very lucky that they have children that are happy to have a bath every night. I remember that happy little bath time with dd1, part of her routine, relaxing and snuggly, it was lovely. But this is not the case for some children, and it is very, very hard.

Children don't ever need to be called minging or smelly or stale - this is just cruel.

Washing yes daily bath or shower not ideally no. It's not healthy for the skin, even without a skin condition, removing protective oils. As others say, frequency depends on age & what they are doing. If they are very muddy & covered in food it seems reasonable. DC wash in the morning & bath/shower every other evening, clothes washed after 1 wear.

I have to bath my children pretty much every night. The youngest can get particularly minging! He's a really messy eater-likes to rub food into his hair etc and he gets really dirty at nursery too..comes home muddy or covered in paint. The eldest can often skip a bath but if the little one is having one, the big one likes to join him. Ita become part of their bedtime routine so I think they enjoy it. I have sensitive skin so my hands are usually a complete wreck.. But my children are clean!

Cleanliness is next to godliness is alive and kicking on mumsnet! I'm obviously a slummy mummy, there is no way I have time to bathe them every night after I get back from work. And like sqizita said they really really dont need it. It would be truly hard to keep up some of the standards I see on mumsnet!

I haven't bathed or showered mine for years......but they are 23 and 24

I'm a complementary Therapist and work with skin on a daily basis, I have to have a indepth knowledge of anatomy and physiology, especially skin muscle and bones. To wash the skin every day isn't healthy, you are washing away a protective layer that helps fight against bacterias and infections. Also children who are bathed everyday are more likely to suffer from skin conditions and irritations.

A doctor once told me that the healthiest kids he sees are farmers kids, they are exposed to the dirts and bacteria and don't have parents rushing around cleaning everything, and because of this have a much stronger immune system. Children to parents who are borderline OCD with their cleaning are more likely to be sickly as older children and adults.

My children are bathed every 3rd day unless they need bathed sooner, which is the same as me, we only clean our underarms, private areas and feet every day.

I find the same camomilla- too many baths and DD comes out in excema so I limit to 2-3 per week.

People do sometimes set these things in motion on an assumption that everyone has a similar charmed life to their own.

Bath-time is not such a a lovely part of the day if you get home from work after 6, need to get the child in bed by 7.30 and in between you need to cook dinner, eat dinner, supervise home work, get teeth cleaned and PJ's onto child and hope to include some reading and cuddles without tantrums for either parent or child. And you are the only adult in the home at the time.

If you don't have a garden you're children won't be out in it getting muddy after school regardless of how much time you have.

DS gets plenty of exercise belting round the school playground after school, but it is a city centre school and very little mud is available.

My lb only gets eczema if he bathes too frequently. Warm wet flannels are great for post food mess on hair/hands/anywhere.
Daily bathing is quite a waste of time & resources & potentially bad for skin if not really necessary..

I can understand slightly not wanting to daily bath your kids but once a week?!! I'd feel dirty if I only bathed or showered once a week regardless of how many full body washes I'd had. And yes I sweat but I don't smear food on myself or get muddy!

It's silly saying I have this regime so why wouldn't my children. Unless you're also putting anti-perspirant on your small children, you clearly don't think you and they have the same washing and grooming needs. I wouldn't leave it a week for my own kids personally, but my reasons are unrelated to the fact that I'd ming.

My kids don't sweat, smear food on themselves or roll around in mud either Jessikita. I wash their hands and faces which get dirty but I'm not showering them because you think it's ew! I agree I'd feel dirty (and I'd smell, even though I'm not a sweaty person) if I only bathed once a week. But I'm an adult.

My kids don't sweat, smear food on themselves or roll around in mud either Jessikita. I wash their hands and faces which get dirty but I'm not showering them because you think it's ew

Thing is kids don't smell sweat or get muddy until they start to sweat smell and get muddy.

By the time you realise they are starting to sweat and smell it's probably kinda too late and other people have started to notice they sweat and smell a bit.

You are immune to your own smells and smells of your surroundings.

There comes a point surely where you would rather increase the hygiene routine than risk missing the point where it has become necessary?

I notice on here how almost all the weekly or bi weekly bather/showerers....are the DC that NEVER roll around....NEVER get covered in mud/paint and Never get covered food on them/in hair

Lol mine do, it just tends to go on their clothes. I am very fortunate that our food smearing periods were pre hair! They do get dirty hands but obviously with young children these would need washing a lot regardless of daily baths.

I think how mucky your kids get depends where you live and how you live. Live in a city with no pets - perfectly possible to go days without getting mucky.

Small children do not in fact have the same washing needs as adults. Apocrine sweat glands, the ones that produce the sticky smelly sweat, only activate in puberty.

And puberty is a gradual thing and many parts of it go unnoticed for quite some time. Especially as the kids start to want or need more privacy around getting dressed and bathing etc.

Why wait until it's staring you in the face to do something about it. By that time it could be too late and the child has experienced some negative response.

Oh lord. I must have one of the broken toddlers. He HATES getting grubby - can't stand stickiness or mess on his hands or face. He does poop, yes, and he produces some monsters, but equally, I'm pretty mean with a handful of baby wipes. He loves bathtime, but as a bedtime routine, it is totally useless. He finds splashing about in the tub far too much fun, and getting him wound down/dressed/calm/to sleep afterwards is a mission. So, barring catastrophic poonadoes and other disasters, he gets a bath once at the weekend in the afternoon, and either swims mid-week (hence a shower afterwards) or gets a bath at grandma's when he visits there instead, more for her enjoyment than anything else. Add to that fresh clean clothes daily. I would be literally staggered if anyone gave him a jolly good sniff and inspection, even ten minutes before weekend bathtime at the end of a long day of playing, and could find anything whatsoever to object to.

And for those throwing out the frankly bizarre argument that we should set their routines now, as babies, to what they will be when they're pubescent teens - erm, no. That's about as logical as suggesting I should shove him in 8am-3pm school now because that's what he'll do then too. And demanding the same level of self-discipline as if he were thirteen. And putting the same amount of food in front of him as he'll eat then. It is possible to change, gradually, as the demands require it. Like we do with everything else in their lives.