Once a week baths for baby and four year old

[quillfram]

Is this okay?
Neither the baby (9 months) or the four year old seem remotely stinky. We wipe their faces, necks and hands every day.
Am I the only one who doesn’t bath their children every day..?

It only takes less than 2 mins to top and tail a young child. It would take longer just to run the bath. Less water too. It's not really comparable to adults, once a child is hitting puberty, that's when they need daily washing, just like adults. Babies and young children do not sweat, so they don't get body odour. Their skin is also a lot more delicate, so daily baths, along with products, soaps etc. can dry out their skin.

We only ever had baths once a week as kids. Obviously washed hands face etc every day.

I was a nanny years ago and one family insisted on baths every single evening but also complained that the children had dry skin. So bath time was so long having to bathe and lather them with ridiculous creams, wait for it to dry, then pjs.
Unless they have a skin condition, children really dont need all of these products on their skin daily.

Agree with you.

my mother ruined my skin bathing me every day when I already had eczema. I suffered awfully all throughout my childhood.

when my children were born and with eczema, I knew I wasn’t going to do the same. We also have hard water here. I bath them both twice a week at the moment.

That's fine

Mumsnet is obsessed with daily baths for kids. Putting aside the hygiene aspect of cleaning them, as that’s up to an individual to manage regardless of whether that’s a full bath or a wipe down, baths do not help my kids get in a sleepy state, precisely the opposite, so balls to getting them that excited just before bed. They bloody love a splash about in the bath, and I genuinely would tear my hair out doing that every day. I bath them once a week, and they also have weekly swimming lessons, so shower at the pool. That’s enough to keep them clean, and my bathroom not too flooded.

We bath daily, though occasionally leave a day out.

For me, it’s their private parts that need washing. But my 1 year old also has very long hair which gets all kinds of shit in it so definitely needs washing more than once a week.

Also especially in the summer when they are sweaty and school/nursery don’t have aircon.

Mine were bathed daily. I agree when in nappies it's necessary.
Running a bath and dunking 3 kids in was easier than trying to wash them with a flannel.
They liked the routine too. Bath, story, bed. And they enjoyed the baths.

Once or twice a week is fine until puberty. For some families every day works better. Literally no one cares in real life. Just do what suits you.

Bath, book and then bed was a really lovely routine that settled the house down for the evening. I can see why it's not necessary or ideal for some children, but I wouldn't give it up because it's too much hassle.

Plus, when a daily wash does become a necessity - you aren't building from a standing start.

This

I was told off by the gp for bathing daily when my son was in nappies. He said babies only need bathing once a week unless they have a poo explosion or something. My son had slightly bumpy/dry skin and the gp said it was because the water washes off the skin’ protective oils. After I stopped and swapped to weekly baths, his skin was so much softer again.

Doctor’s orders, one bath a week.

Every night for my toddler, every other night for my baby but only because I think more might still be a bit much for her skin. But if it was very hot or very cold, it might be more frequent.

In the summer just gone, during the heatwaves, DH and I switched from having our showers in the morning to having them in the evening just before bed. We felt so sticky and uncomfortable at the end of the day before having a shower to cool us down and the thought of having to go to bed like that with just a wipe down or wash is quite unpleasant to me. I find a shower or bath cooling in the spring and summer and warming in the winter and autumn.

Also, I cannot wait to get my kids into the bath after soft play and some nursery days when my oldest comes out with paint and sometimes a bit of glitter in her hair.

I have an acquaintance at mum groups who

My two were bathed daily. It was part of the bedtime routine. Particularly when they are babies having nappies on all day.

We bathe our youngest (3) 3x a week, probably the same when he was a baby. We used reusable Cheeky Wipes rather then wet wipes so he was always quite clean as he effectively had a flannel wash with every nappy change.

We top and tail him when he gets ready for bed, and he washes his hands and face.

He does bathe more in the summer as I like to wash suncream off properly before bed, it makes him rashy.

Honestly, it’ll depend on their skin. Some kids love a daily bath but I think it would slough my son’s skin off.

Agree with this. Plus my kids just got so dirty, even as babies. I wouldn’t want to go to bed without a shower if I’d had as much food and muck on me during the day as my toddlers used to.

now as teens it’s been easy to get them washing more as needed because it’s just part of routine that they shower/bathe every day.

i understand that some skin types might have an issue with it but dryness has never been a problem

I think it's ok for the four year old as long as they are washing their hands, face and bum daily. For the nine month old, surely it's just easier to dunk them in the bath after dinner as they get themselves covered in food? Also whilst still in nappies I think soaking their bum in the bath every couple of days must be good for their skin otherwise they might get nappy rash?

It's not enough. It should be at least every other day.

No it's not ok, it's gross. Wash your children.

We do every other day.

And then when you get to puberty you have tweens or teens who resist daily washing because they've never done it. My DS has bathed daily since he was a toddler and now he's a 17 year old who showers daily with ko encouragement. DSD grew up bathing twice a week and washing hair once and regularly has greasy hair and argues with her dad about daily showers when she's with us. Set up expectations from a young age and you're teaching habits for life.

Are you talking about just using wipes or a proper wash?
if just wipes then no that isn’t clean enough imo.
If a proper top and tail wash with water and soap then maybe.
I bathed mine most days at that age, although at 4 mine preferred a shower.

it's fine.

For a baby it’s probably ok, 4 year old needs more. I used to do twice a week for mine, they don’t need a daily bath as it’s bad for their skin.

Those of us "of a certain age" were bathed once a week, usually a Sunday before going back to school on a Monday. However times & expectations have have changed.

My son had bad eczema as a baby/toddler, so he was absolutely not bathed every day. My daughter was probably every other day. So, if you are happy with your routine then continue. Your children will be absolutely fine.

There are a few flaws in your argument. One, that toddlerhood and early childhood are phases of life in and of themselves. I detest this idea that everything has to be "to prepare them for adulthood". It doesn't.

Two, your anecdote using a sample of two children is just that - an anecdote. I could find anecdotes for children who hated bathing and were bathed daily as small children who then developed a genuine phobia of baths. I could find kids who were perfectly fine transitioning to more regular baths when they took up sport or hit puberty. I could find kids who were bathed daily and didn't like showers as adults and struggled living in student digs.

The upshot of both my points is that is ok to just adapt as life goes on. Most kids are perfectly fine with that. No wonder parenting is exhausting when everything has to be so bloody prescriptive all the time.