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.

When I was little we used to have a bath on Sunday nights, then a flannel wash through the week.

We have 1 DD (20m) and I bath her 3 x a week usually. If she needs it then she'll have an extra one but not for the sake of it. Other days she just has a wash with soapy water and a flannel.

I really don't have any problem with how often other people bath their children. I'd only be concerned if they were absolutely filthy and appeared neglected.

We have busy evenings. Bathing every other evening means we get more evening time every other day, and can get extra reading etc. done.

Schools where kids can roll around in the dirt sound lovely, but not everyone has access to one of those. I live in the city, no garden, not much mud around. Wish there was, but that is not something that's under my control.

I am also fascinated to learn that there are people who would stick a kid in the bath because they spilled milk on their jumper...

My kids are 1 and 3. I think I have a few years before I need to do 'something about it'. Until then, they do not need daily baths.

Reading this thread has been a bit of an eye-opener! I only bath DS (2) once a week, only use water on his skin and a touch of shampoo on his hair. The rest of the time he just gets scrubbed with a flannel, and a clean set of clothes every day. Maybe I am setting myself up for a very smelly time of it in ten years or so...

My youngest hates having showers and baths. It doesn't relax her.

My 16 year old is grim and hates showers as well. Unfortunately he stinks of BO and it's a daily battle. I draw the line when his smell affects me and the home. He does have sensory issues so it might be that, laziness plays a part too. Shame his relationship with his girlfriend ended because that was the only time he had a shower willingly.

I had a bath on a Sunday and flannel wash in the mornings as a kid as well, so did everyone I know and I don't remember anyone smelling badly, until the teen BO kicked in (we had a couple who were always smelly).

Daily baths for all children are not necessary. I hate this shit of people pretending that if you and your children don't shower daily you must stink. It's not hard to wrap your head around the fact that everyone is different.

My husband does not have BO that smell, it's a genetic thing apparently. He sweats buckets but it has no smell to it. People are different.

My eldest (4) has 2 baths a day. The youngest (1) has 1 or sometimes 2 if he has a nappy incident. They love baths so it's a nice way to kill some time and let them play & I hate them being dirty or smelly. Once the eldest is out of night time nappies I might cut back to just a bedtime bath but at the moment he needs a proper wash in the morning to get rid of the smell of wee and easiest way is in the bath. I understand protecting their skin though and it must be tough for those suffering from eczema.

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

Ir may be a gradual thing but I can assure you it doesn't start when they are 2. Or 6.
Why assume parents are too stupid to notice when their own children need more washing?

You do all realise that it's only in recent years (and by recent, I mean in the last 40 years or so) that the majority of homes have had the luxury of inside plumbing? I'm 50 years old and was brought up in a house with no inside toilet or bathroom. Our toilet was in the garden, shared with the neighbour (oh horror!!) and we just didn't have a bathroom at all! Some of my friends did, but not many. It became 'a thing' to get a council grant to have bathroom extensions built or bedrooms 'knocked through' to add a bathroom. New houses were starting to be built with bathrooms and council houses had them added. You were considered 'posh' round my way if you had a bath 😂 Nobody died of dirt...we were clean. 'Strip downs' were done in the kitchen once or twice a week and we went swimming...a lot 😂😂 Oh the good old days! We got our council grant when I was 16...felt like royalty lying in that avocado bath I did!

You should read a book called "The Fifties Mystique" apparently most people were rather smelly as rarely bathed and only had a couple of changes of clothes which weren't washed that often. Very interesting book actually.

I don't because DC have eczema and I realised that bathing everyday made it worse.

Batteries I got the same advice in the US wrt bathing newborns - no immersion until the cord dropped off, so possibly two weeks without anything more than topping or tailing. My DCs' pediatrician (who was Danish by birth but practicing in the US for many years) was of the opinion that a couple of times a week was perfectly fine for children pre puberty and barring food in hair, mud behind the ears, etc.

He emphasised what my mother always did (she was brought up on a farm) - always keeping nails neatly trimmed, always washing hands before eating and after coming in from playing or a trip outdoors, and washing feet nightly (could be done with a baby wipe).

Giles - yes, you do notice when they start to need the daily shower or bath. I was very fortunate in that all my DCs had a certain teacher when they were 9-10 who started the year with a lecture about hygiene - how to clean, how often, and how long it should take - with instructions on using anti-perspirant/deodorant, and who kept a supply of it to hand out to children if they seemed to have parents who didn't supply it. She told parents her expectations of hygiene too, in a letter sent home at the start of the year. She would take children aside if she thought they had not taken her lecture seriously and figure out whether there were issues at home or if it was just inertia on the part of the child.

Her classroom faced west and the weather can be incredibly hot here when school starts in late August, with warmth lasting into early October, and starting up again in late April (school year ending in early June).

Is this still going?
Those who don't wash/shower your children daily - your dc will be fine. Make the most of the bathroom space whilst you can. When you've only got one bathroom/toilet and there's four adults competing for space for an early morning work/college start, the bathing one-upmanship for who washes their toddler the most on here is quite frankly hilarious.
Many of us on here have only one toilet and bathroom and no enSuite or downstairs toilet. It's all fine though, we still manage to produce incredibly hygienic children

My friend only baths her dd(7)once a week. I do notice that her feet are really pongy when she comes to play. I just can't imagine those whiffy feet getting into bed each night. My kids bath daily, if we have lots of time they will play for ages but if it's getting late they are happy to have a 2 minute dip. I have very bad eczema but for me the only way to keep it under control is to bath daily including hair wash. If for any reason I don't shower it so much worse.

I had a chat to some colleagues about this today and wander if it's regional?
I'm in north west and in a department of 42, almost everyone said they bathed daily - in fact most were pretty disgusted at the thought that this wasn't the norm.

Thinking about it now, I genuinely don't think I know anyone who doesn't shower daily?

I'm 40 so don't think it's an old/young thing.

I have to say though I find a quick shower much quicker than a "wash"

I bath the toddlers every other day, in together and dry them off with the same towel. Sometimes I stretch it so they go an extra day. I don't care, I hate bathing them and it's something DH won't do as our bathroom is too cramped. The rest of the time they get attacked with baby wipes/flannels.

Then again I was raised to have a stand up wash at the sink every other day to save water which I gather is unusual in my generation (I'm in my 20s).

I do notice that her feet are really pongy when she comes to play. I just can't imagine those whiffy feet getting into bed each night

How close are you getting to your friends kids feet? And why, more to the point?

I'm in north west and in a department of 42, almost everyone said they bathed daily - in fact most were pretty disgusted at the thought that this wasn't the norm

Unless all your colleagues are all under the age of 12, I'm not sure what point you are offering on a thread about bathing children?

I bath my toddlers every day too. Sometimes would like not too but at least one is usually dusty/muddy/younger has had a leaky nappy etc so that they almost always need one

Because my colleagues, like me, don't really differentiate between bathing kids and adults. All felt less than daily was grim even for kids.

Well you should, because children are not adults. Pre pubescent children don't sweat like adults or have body odor, for example.

I bet at least some of the 42 people questioned realise that. You must not have much work to do, in any case!

'I'm in north west and in a department of 42, almost everyone said they bathed daily - in fact most were pretty disgusted at the thought that this wasn't the norm. '

I don't think you're going to get honest answers, though. You only need one person to imply that they think it's gross not to and everyone after that will be reluctant to admit to it for fear of being looked down on.

My daughter is 7 and goes to Judo, gymnastics, dancing and swimming clubs so I have always put her in the bath and washed her hair everyday, she wouldn't want it any other way .
She sees me and her dad shower every morning before work and sometimes in the evening.
I personally couldn't start the day without a shower.

TheCountess,Yes I agree with you .
I don't wash my hair everyday, but can't even imagine not showering everyday.

I wash myself daily. Children, as said before, do not sweat like adults. And therefore, unless they are muddy or covered in food, do not need to be bathed every day to be clean. I'm pretty sure most of us here as children were not given daily baths - it was Johnson&Johnson marketing campaign that convinced parents that daily bedtime baths are essential and a mandatory part of the 'routine'.