To not bath my kids every day?

[Roxetta]

I have a 2 year old and an almost 5 year old. DH works away a lot and I'm finding the whole daily schedule so tough on my own. I bath them both every day at the moment, but I'm wondering, would it be wrong of me to skip the odd bath now & then? DD1 is an exceptionally clean kid, DD2 not so much. But DD2 gets baby wiped within an inch of her life after every meal because of all the mess she makes.

How often do you bath your kids? Would not bathing them daily be wrong of me?

Not having a bath for a week or more makes for a "smelly kid" whether they come from a decent home or not.

I don't even know who has time to bathe their kids everyday! I don't even have a bath, I have a shower but I dont even have time to shower every day so I shower every other day, sometimes the kids join me, sometimes I give my eldest a shower every 2-3 days. They are 3/& 9m

It doesn't take long to fill a bath a few inches and dunk them in. I put laundry away while the bath fills, clean the bathroom while they play, quick swish with a flannel around each kid (I have 3) then dry/pj's on, story and bed.

Depends what we're doing and how grubby they've got. In the summer with suncream and the like - more often. If they're not doing anything other than driving me mad in that dead spot after tea they get slung in the bath to fill a bit of time in too.

Works out every couple of days, showers in between if needed.

Baths have never relaxed my two ready for bed incidentally - they go bloody manic after one.

I shower them most days but baths are once or twice a week depending on time/energy. They're at the stage of being sweaty oiks from lots of sports, so showers daily are essential.

When they were younger it was probably every other day or every third day. They've both always been the kind of children who are outdoors a lot, so have always needed it.

If they're dirty, they're washed. If I pull my eldest towards me and his head doesn't smell nice, he has a shower (we have no baths). If the little one's hair is extra-crazy, it gets washed.

So generally once a week, they don't smell, if they get up in the morning and they do, they wash.

MIL used to give DSes a bath most nights (we lived with them for a bit) -both DSes had big scaly spots on their skin. Since we moved out and they're washed less, their skin is much, much happier.

I can’t do it everyday because of work. So mine get bathed Sun, Tues and Thurs and

I don't think I've ever even seen it recommended that you bath your child every day.

In response to 5seconds' very true post, there was a 'smelly kid' in my class at school. I found out later from someone who used to work at the school that the teachers would frequently give her clothes from lost property and take her uniform home and wash it for her because nobody at her home ever did.

The pp crowing about the smelly kid makes me sick. You do realize that this is likely to be a result of neglect and chaotic home life, with probable deprivation on many levels? Not just having skipped a bath night?

Get some empathy, people.

Yes of course Mind.

But do you think children from homes that aren't neglected that don't bath for more than a week or so won't smell?

I don't see anywhere that anyone has suggested not bathing your kids for more than a week though?

Deffo not unreasonable!! Mine are stinky grub pots before they get a bath. I really drag it out. Maybe once a week or longer.

Fair enough! Though I kind of hope that poster did mean generally once a week... She does admit that they do stink though...

My 3 year old gets done twice a week and the 9 year old 3 times a week. The 6 month old was weekly but now with weaning it will be more often. They do have clean clothes daily and brush teeth twice a day. Hands washed after toilet and before food. As they get older and the 9yo starts puberty it will be more often.

The 'smelly kid' thing isn't just not having a bath though usually. It's in combination with not washing hands, cleaning teeth, clean clothes, clean bedding. Low level neglect in all areas rather than deciding a bath every night is not a priority when every 2 or 3 days is adequate.

My DC are bathed every day unless we get back from somewhere exceptionally late or something.

It's not because of us being desperate to do it , they love baths and they enjoy having one, so a bit of no-brainer here.

My kids (3 and 5) get washed 2-3 times a week, and their hair done probably once a week. A good shower/shampoo after swimming lessons, and a couple of baths during the week. If a kid wets the bed in the night they'll get an extra quick shower in the morning. And obv wash hands and faces regularly.

Though I am slightly envious of the posters who are able to do a "quick dunk". Once my youngest gets in the bath, there's no getting him out for 30-40 mins - it's a major activity here!

What’s the big deal - just bath them whenever! As long as they don’t smell or look dirty there’s no problem

I bathe babies every night - the routine helps, and a post bath massage and bed seems to set them up for a decent night sleep.

At somewhere between 6 months and a year, though - nah. Once they are walking they can stand under the shower for 5 minutes occassionally. Much easier.

Every other day for a 3 and 5 year old is plenty.

Mine both get bathed daily because it’s something to do and they are contained for twenty minutes lol 😂

Every night for my 3 year old unless he's poorly and just needs rest. Hair is washed twice a week.

I bath dd 3.5 most days. Shes a grotbag!

In response to 5seconds' very true post, there was a 'smelly kid' in my class at school. I found out later from someone who used to work at the school that the teachers would frequently give her clothes from lost property and take her uniform home and wash it for her because nobody at her home ever did.

That's heartbreaking And it's even more heartbreaking that this is a picture repeated in various forms in schools up and down the country. I encounter this in a professional capacity frequently so it really rubs me up the wrong way when evangelical parents make a point of implying that a child bathed any less than daily is 'the smelly kid' at school. There are far worse things than not being so freshly washed you can still smell the soap.

Bath 2 or 3 times a week; hair wash after swimming once a week; face and bum washed night and morning.

They don’t smell but if they do and need an extra wash then we do it. Every night is excessive though.