is one bath a week enough for a 4 year old?

[traceface]

My dd1 used to have a bath 3 or 4 mornings a week when she was at nursery. She loves a long soak and a play. Since starting school we don't have time in the mornings and she's never really liked baths before bed, so now she just gets a bath on a weekend. Is this really gross and neglectful of me?

No soap here either! Cracking acid mantle layer though!

If a child gets greasy hair if it's not washed every day, might not that be because it's being dried out by over-frequent washing? Just a thought.

Mintyy - yes, we do have hot water available readily. However - do bear in mind that for some children bathing every day is not always good for their skin, some people do have to watch money and budgets and heating water does cost money, and also for some the environmental aspects of running a bath of water every day may not weigh up. Lots of reasons.

Maybe DD isn't a smelly child naturally. But honestly, even if she does go a while without a bath or shower she really really doesn't smell! We do aim for twice a week.

I do think a decent wash can be as good as a bath for cleaning anyway, and DD;'s hair def doesn't need washing daily.

We do every other night, every night in summer when they get sweaty and sun cream in the hair etc, unless they've been swimming when I put them straight into pyjamas before going home from the pool! We wash hair once or twice a week or it starts to look greasy.

However if you wash her well on other days I'm sure that's fine, but for me with 3 dc it's easier to run a bath and give them all a quick dunk than wash each of them separately.

cory - there is NO relationship between greasy hair and frequent washing. If you have greasy hair, the way to solve the problem is by washing it frequently. You cannot aggravate the problem.

Oh right, I have seen it claimed in the press; haven't got any experience of my own, as we don't run to greasy hair in my family.

It's an Old Wives' Tale .

15yo - daily
12yo - every 2 days
9yo - every 2/3 days
6yo - every 2/3 days - sometimes with her we do along bath with hairwashing and other times we do a 'speed bath'. Two inches of water. Scrubbed all over by me, rinsed and out. All done in less then 2 minutes.
WOuld like the 12yo to bath daily but since puberty is a fair way off she is ok for now.

I read the thread title as '4 month old' and was about to comment on how that was fine and dandy as my 4 month old gets a weekly bath.

I always think it must be quite a faff to bathe a baby every day (not to mention drying to their yummy skin), but my mum, grandmother and MIL are a bit that he doesn't get one every night... am very pleased to read that our once a week thing can continue!

My boys (2 and 4) have a shower and good wash after swimming on a Wed and a Bath once a week, for all thoses saying, 'how hard can it be to quickly bath a small child?' have never met my kids, they can't bath together as they flood my bathroom so doing 2 seperate baths each night is a real chore and is very difficult, especailly when your partly disabled.

I know my kids don't smell, they are washed reguarly and the days that they are not completley bathed they have hands/feet/face/armpits and groin washed well.

dd (nearly 4) has a bath every night, and has her hair washed. she doesnt smell as nice if she misses a bath, and her hair looks dirty.

My 3.9yo DS gets a weekly bath, on average. He doesn't get a wash in between, unless he has a mucky bottom (we still wipe for him). We do wash his hands and face after eating.

He doesn't look mucky. His hair isn't greasy. He doesn't smell. He does enjoy a good bath, but most of the time he would prefer extra play time or stories. And I'm fine with that.

unless the child had dry skin/excema etc then i think a bath/shower is nice daily

my 3 have baths every day (9mths, 3 and 6) and I teach them how to wash their bits and bobs

i wouldnt dream of not bathing/showering every day, and often i will have both

shower in am before going to work, and bath in evening (with a glass of wine)

i would make time for baths in the evening, and if your child doesnt like it, then tough

children have to learn to do things they dont like

Blonde i agree that children don't make the rules, but this is not something I think she HAS to do. She HAS to sit nicely at the table to eat, she HAS to clean her teeth, she HAS to have her hair tied back for school...I just don't see a daily bath as necessary.
I really didn't expect so many comments on this - thought one or two might reply but it keeps on going...!

on the smell thing...I don't think dd1 smells. I don't need her to smell artificially nice (perfumed lotions, soaps, talc, bubbles, whatever...) - I think it's a grown up thing to smell 'nice' - I think children should have no smell in particular!

applause for traceface on the smell thing

eeeeeeewww. Once a week?

I should stress I'm not with Blonde on this! I wouldn't let my DS go without a bath for a week - but that's because he would smell. If your child doesn't, I think once a week is fine.

muffle do you want to come and smell dd?

hmmm goat, I think I can smell her from here!

(But then she is a goat)

Mine are bathed every other night.

There is no way Ds (6) could go more than 2 days without a bath as he does start to smell.

Both dd's could go longer if needs be and if they made sure they had a really good wash inbetween, but it is just quicker to fill up the bath every other night and make them all have one (not together).

I asked a friend for her honest opinion...she says my dd doesn't smell! Phew!

I thought I'd give the evening bath a shot tonight as she was playing in the garden for an hour after school and was grubby. She was fine with it and enjoyed it, although it had to be much shorter than her normal soak! Only thing is she has long hair which I tied up in a bun (not drying all that before bed!) but it still got quite wet. doh! I even dunked my baby in with her instead of giving her a separate bath and they both seemed to like that!

DS had a shower this am and is positively stinky tonight. This is because he had been playing football for two hours in his school uniform. I have stuck him in the bath now.

So I think my earlier post should have read that my two have at least one bath or shower a day.

I'm feeling slightly mad and obsessive about cleanliness on this thread.

I think it is better to bath children at the end of the day particularly after school and nursery. I can't imagine the nursery loos are that clean (due to the age of the children using them) so I would always bath my children on a nursery or school day. I think it is less essential at weekends.

At 4 I don't think your daughter should be choosing what time of day or how often she has her bath. I would just bath her when you think she needs it.

i put dettol in the bath after nursery

i am normal honest