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?

and my children do have odd names but I don't have a baby called Dettol .....honest

It is interesting that it is believed that a bath is seen as more hygenic than a general non bath wash ie top and tail. If you think about it when you get into the bath all the dirt (germs around your bottom) goes into the bath. So bascically you are sitting in your own filth. This is why after CS baths are discouraged for such a long time as it encourages germs around the wound so can lead to post op infections.

Hair if left will actually self clean the oils in it are part if this process.

However saying all this I do like a good long hot bath, but Traceface you are far from negligent and not pandering to your child.

Someone much earlier on mentioned being able to smell, when they sat next to a child: its breath, whether it lived with a smoker, 'overuse of fabric conditioner'...

'Overuse of fabric conditioner'???

Trace, you are clearly a caring mother. If she has a wetwipe round the bum every night and doesn't smell, that's fine, isn't it? I really do think that a four year old is TOTALLY fine to have a bath once a week. Also, I think kids vary. Some kids are smellier than others. End of. And people assessing the precise make up of the fragrance of kids in their vicinity, well...they must have noses like the Child Catcher

Hi Trace, Hi LadyT - I was only ever bathed once a week when I was little (ie pre-sweating) and I didn't pong. My DD gets bathed about 3 times a week but she does tend to whiff slightly if she doesn't get bathed more often. I don't think she sometimes wipes her bottom properly. Sorry tmi....

that should be "doesn't"

Haven't read the whole thread as have to go to work now but I remember seeing a lovely Kiwi locum GP when my son was small and being told too many baths wash off the skins natural oils, not sure if that is the case but and I have to say his dry skin cleared up when the baths were reducded to 2 a week not every night....

My 2 sons (6 and 2) have a bath every night before bed without fail. They are "grubby, mucky types" with filthy hands and faces at the end of each day. A bath takes minutes to fill, only comes just over the tops of their thighs (when their sitting in it) and they are in for about 10 minutes, together and playing. I don't see, honestly, why this would be a problem to do every night! It signals an end to playing and a start to winding down for bed, not just for cleansing. I know my 6 year old doesn't really want to bath every night but at 6 its not really his choice to make as far as i can see and he always has fun once he's there, its more a case of having to stop what he was doing before that annoys him.

I do think every other day would be fine, but I think Once A Week is a bit gross. (sorry...)

my 4-month-old baby needs a bath more often than that!

DD gets bathed every other night. I'm at work so dh does it, if I was home she would be bathed every day.

I was only bathed once a week as a child and its nasty

I guess every child is different, but my three would be minging if they only had one bath a week. DH and I like a soak in the bath most evenings, so we usually run a "family" bath about 6.00pm every evening and we all take it in turns to jump in. The three kids sharing with an adult sometimes, or all three kids in together. To be honest, with three, it's easier to run a communual bath every day than to wash them, or get them wash every day. Ocassional we miss a day, and they have a hair wash twice a week.

My DD had ezcema when she was younger and also often a sore bottom, we asked the doctor about this and he recommended not bathing her as often and not using bubble bath. We now use no bubblebath, although she does sit in the bath every day again, but inbetween only had 2 baths a week. She didn't smell at all. And the reason she has a quick sit in the bath every night now is because she wipes her own bottom and I'm not sure it's always clean. We do have soap free organic body wash which seems to suit her fine for a quick wash.

I would not want my daughter to smell of perfume or bubblebath, just of herself, which I think is the most beautiful smell in the world. She has plenty of time for using smellies when she's older.

And if you also take into account all the horrible ingredients that are included in bubblebath and body washes that are commonly available, I don't want my daughter's skin to be absorbing these on a regular basis.

Shower in the week - Wednesday - for both and bath at weekend - extra scrubs as necessary depending on what they are up to - swimming, football etc... teeth, face, hands everyday - morning before school, evening before bed. Hands when ever they come in from playing in the garden, down park etc. Although older one has smelly feet so he tends to fill the bath with an inch of water and paddle some days do de-smell them.

Ds (4) showers every day after school or when DH gets in, and has done since he was 2. He gets in himself, shampoos etc and then jumps out. Takes between 2 and 4 minutes depending on his mood. Baths for special occasions.

It's really difficult to get their bottoms clean without a soak in the bath. My DD has a bath every other night which she loves.

I am thinking a little further ahead and wondering what messages this is sending for later life. I have known women have to nag grown men to have a bath once a week. (smelly feet - yuk!) I have a shower every day (the luxury of a bath when I have time)and would worry that I smelled if I only had a bath/shower once a week.

DS (20 months) has a bath every day unless he's ill & grotty. As others have said, it winds him down for bedtime, plus he loves playing in the bath. He gets pretty grubby too so I think he needs it.

but so long as a child has face / hands cleaned daily and has a clean bum I guess they don't NEED a daily bath. It's just a matter of habit & routine for us.

Unless there's a medical reason for, I don't think once a week is enough. My DS has eczema so gets a bath every second night, but it's a nice part of his routine and it's getting him used to keeping himself clean and learning about hygiene. I think it's a bit grubby tbh.

Happychic, I was thinking exactly that too..I mean, how do you educate a child that as they get older, they get smellier and no, one bath a week is not good enough? but it was good enough last week mum . Get them into good habits early, that way they don't have to be nagged when they are teens as it will be just what is the done thing. My Ds(10.7)is very good at showering daily and my 2yo Dd loves to shower. No fuss or screaming when her head and face get wet either because I've had her in the shower with me since birth.

DS (4.5) showers every weekday with a bath (goes for hours) on the weekend. He is a particularly manky child though and really does need to.

Expat - not sure you cam compare a baby with a 4 year old. My 3 month old gets bathed everyday in plain water to make sure there is no sick/poo/milk gathering in any creases etc - and because she loves it...it's part of bedtime routine etc...

We did the same with dd1 as a baby but when she developed eczema we were advised to cut down down the baths, then as her skin improved we thought "whyt are we doing daily baths anyway?" - so that's when we cut down

It's not that I couldn't give her bath - I can make time, and dh and I make the rules...that's not the issue - it's more an 'is it necessary' thing. I'm guessing from the replies that most would find 2 a week more acceptable than 1.

my boys (8 and 11) have baths very infrequently, they will do ANYTHING to put it off as they would rather play and as I have a1 year old to deal with too i admit ages go before i remember that they are filthy probably but they have never been stinky ever. i have recently noticed that the 11 year old is getting greasy hair though. But if the stank i would remember more often obviously. their breath smells even though they brush well... yuk

Mine ( dd and ds) both normally have only 1 or two baths a week - hair wash once a week. Strangley they don't smell and dd's hair still looks nice at the end of the weel

Trace - yes I do think most would say two baths a week (or even once every three days) would be more acceptable, absolutely fine, even.

I bath DS every night, though I don't wash his hair every night.

Don't use soap. I generally only use shampoo on his hair if there is an issue (yogurt/paint/vomit etc in hair).

He smells of him and its lovely.

Well, trace, my 5 and 3-year-olds have a bath every other night, too. Once a week is minging.

The 5-year-old does have sensitivity to SLS, so we use plain water and Napier's Baby soap or Earth Friendly baby when they want a bubble back and Organic Children shampoo and conditioner.

Mine get WAY dirty at school/nursery and both girls have long hair, too.

The baby is washed in plain water or Oilatum.

Mine have a bath every day- they are 4, 2 and 11mths.

If they don't have a bath for some reason they are all grubby and sticky even if I wash them with a flannel. I find it impossible to get all that muck off without soaking them in bath or shower- I must have incredibly muck children...

They do love their baths and showers though.