Do I bathe my child enough?

[Mel2023]

How often do you bath your toddlers?

My DS is 2.5. We’ve always had a routine where we’ve bathed him twice during the week (usually Tues and Thurs) and once on the weekend (usually a Sunday). This is a full body and hair wash. That being said, in the summer it was a lot more often due to wearing sun cream most days, and if he comes home from nursery particularly mucky or has a messy tea time we’ll bath him regardless.

I’ve recently noticed he’s developed cradle cap again (he had it when he was a baby) and it’s quite bad. Everything I’ve looked into online says it’s not unusual for toddlers his age to have it, especially if they had it as a baby. I mentioned it to a family member and she’s said it’s because we don’t bath him enough and she’s always thought this? Do we not? AIBU to think that a bath 3 times a week plus extra if needed is ok?

Not enough for a two year old in my opinion. They should be bathed at least every other day.

Hi, ignore the people saying your child should have a bath every night. It's definitely got nothing to do with cradle cap. My granddaughter had cradle cap and my daughter tried everything. Eventually she found Moogoo scalp cream, and finally the cradle cap has gone

My almost 3yo DD gets a bath twice a week and hair wash once a week, with full flannel wash on all days in between, as standard.

Only exceptions are in summer when she's covered in suncream, or if she's had a very active / muddy day. Sometimes she comes home from nursery honking from razzing about like a mad thing. Then we bath her! Likewise if she's got food in her hair, we'll wash it.

Of course hygiene standards would need to be rock bottom for a medical professional or childcare provider to need to raise it with the parents!

It would also suggest low standards to think it was some sort of achievement to not have one of these professionals comment on your child’s cleanliness.

Cradle cap isn't a dirt thing.

It is a lack of care to leave it and allow it to build though.

I’m afraid I bath my toddler 2-3 times a week due to sensitive skin. It sort of delights me to read how many MN think I’m “filthy” and “disgusting”. 😂

But 3 days a week is every other day roughly, which leaves only 1 day between baths and showers. So they are only getting the same amount of grubby as yours do when you favour a lie in.

It’s not only ok to skip a bath when it’s for reasons you deem acceptable. Its unnecessary to be so judgemental

🤣😂 madness.

Nobody mentioned about it being an achievement. I'd expect it, as should anyone. But my children are clean, and children do not NEED a bath/shower EVERY night. That's my point.

We only have a shower so have to use a baby bath and our boys are 3 and 4 and will NOT stand under the shower so it's a nightmare. I tend to get them naked and flannel wash them more than a bath. My 4 year old goes wild when u put water on his head and he's so storing it's really dangerous wrestling with him 🤯🤯

Your comprehension skills are shocking. IF JOHNNY HAD 5 APPLES

I mean you literally did, you’re the one who brought up medical professionals not mentioning your kids cleanliness to you like that meant anything …

2-3 bath a week is fine and a flannel in between. And of course if needed.
Don't worry about it.

We don’t have a bath and I find them gross anyway.
Shower every day.

Who thinks everyone should piss off and go dip their kids in water for 5 mins 🙋🏻‍♀️

Yes, but not in a sense of achievement, are you ok?
People on this thread are stating children who don't bath everyday, smell, have lazy parents, are disgusting, filthy.. if this was the case, someone would be coming down hard on us in the world about how they should be washed every day, no? Wah.

No wonder there are so many threads about worms 😂 nobodys bathing their kids or themselves by the sounds of it

I don't think cradle cap has anything to do with how often you bathe your child.
Speak to a pharmacist about a specialist shampoo.
As an aside, as a child I was the 3rd to use the bathwater on a Sunday. The rest of the week we had a flannel wash.

Baths wound my kids up to fever pitch, it was never a good end to the day!

Mine were bathed twice a week and when they needed it. Flannelled when needed (faces and hands) and bums wiped with wet wipes.

My son will be 2 later this year. We bathe him every night because it's always a messy tea haha, and he loves splashing. He's got cradle cap, so I don't think it's anything to do with washing or not

Or you just won't answer what the difference is in your child not being bathed on a Sunday and OPs child not being bathed on a Sunday. Because you know you look like a fool. CAPS DOESNT CHANGE THAT.

Cradle cap is entirely dependent on the baby. Both mine had it when small but one it continued until much late - still occasionally a little bit now at 4. The other never had it again since the early months. They both have the same bath routine (twice a week... apparently that's gross but they're fine)

If Johnny goes 48 hours between baths and Janie goes 48 hours between baths, then they're equally clean/filthy/smelly regardless of how many baths they've had before those 48 hours.

Just to help with the comprehension.

It's amazing how often people state this stuff as fact, isn't it, not realising that what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

If Johnny misses a bath and so does his mate Billy, they both missed a bath. They also might like apples.