Scummy mummy? Am I the only one who doesn't bath her dc every night?

[makedoandmend]

DD is 8mo - everyone else I know seems to do the bed, bath routine which I never really started as dd is great at going off to sleep.

She doesn't crawl yet (doesn't even sit up without support) so isn't rolling around in mud everyday.

I do bath her obviously - but not every night. Judging by the faces of my NCT lot I seem to be the only one...

So am I?

[nappyaddict]

I don't think it is slummy at all. He doesn't get any cleaner in the big bath than he does with a flannel bath. How often do you all over flannel him? I used to do mine all over once a week and just face, hands and nappy area every day.

[Sarraburd]

(he's a superfeeder and still waking three times a night)

[Sarraburd]

DC3 full bath every couple of weeks with flannel baths in between. I do feel a bit too slummymummy about that though and would love to do it more just to spend some time with him, am simply too knackered by that time in the evening to do it more often.

[nappyaddict]

Sarraburd How often do you usually bath DC3? I agree that all this bathing is necessary until they start smelling during puberty.

[Sarraburd]

Probably only two times a week depending how dirty they are/tired I am (just had DC3, all under 5, and the whole bedtime thing getting to be rather a marathon nightmare now as generally the baby tends to want a feed right in the middle of the whole thing!)

And DC3 has only had about six baths in his life (he's just four months) - he can't go in the bath with the other two yet and doing two lots of baths is just too complicated.

SIL likewise a bit that I don't do every night, but it's only the last fifty or so (??) years that people have thought it the norm and anyway I can't imagine it's that good for the skin to have a bath every night that young (I had bath every night as child and had terribly dry cracking skin...).

[poshsinglemum]

After reading this thread I think I am going to seriously relax my bathtime obsession. Not healthy at all!

[poshsinglemum]

I've gone to the opposite extreme with mine and bathe her twice a day. But then I am slightly unhinged by all this parenting business and bathing her makes me feel better. Mabe I will learn to relax when she's out of nappies but I have a real phobia of dirty bums.
As long as they are happy I really don't think it matters.

[Cherrybaby]

I find that I have to bathe my 4 month old every day to keep her clean and smelling fresh, because she has the most ginormous poos sometimes, and also she tends to throw up milk quite alot.

I do it mornings though, because night time it makes her really hungry all night.

Some babies probably dont need bathing everyday, but i do prioritise a bath for my little one in the mornings, and I probably would even if she didnt throw up milk etc.

[cheesesarnie]

im a scummy mummy.

ds1 asked why they were having a bath last nightwe had a visitor(who didnt turn up) coming

[Alishanty]

No, generally every other day give or take depending on how dirty they are and time lol! And I both them both together to save time aswell.

[nomoresleep]

My 4 year old loves her bath so generally gets one every night, but I don't think it's very good for her skin. Have been a bit lax with 3-month old baby though - he gets put in the bath as and when I can fit it in, which is about once a week at the moment!

I had a bath once a week as a kid - my parents would have thought it a shocking waste of water to bath us more often than this.

[ginnny]

Mine are 9 and 6. The 9 year old showers every other night and the 6 year old has a bath about 2/3 times a week. Sometimes less sometimes more.
I flick them over with a flannel morning and night and they don't smell.
Also, I only wash their hair once a week which seems to keep the nits away!!

[bronze]

Me!
termtime baby gets done once a week dcs twice (wed and sun)

Now its the holidays erm...

[BertieBotts]

Scummy mummy tip - food in the hair/on the neck/arms is easier to get off the morning after when the worst has been sweated off during sleep

I actually did discover this accidentally, honest - DS is a pain to get to sleep and I sometimes have about 5 seconds notice for the 30 second window of tiredness between awake and overtired.

[Gateau]

No. I think bathing them every day is unnecessay- and not particularly good for their delicate skin - it dries it out(or anyone's skin for that matter!)
When I was a child, everyone I knew only got bathed once a week' so what's changed?
We aim to bath DS (2) every other night, but if we don't manage it, it doesn't worry us! At this age they don't (generally!) get dirty.
Ignore your NCT friends, if that's all they have to worry about

[fragola]

I suspect a lot of this has come from "routine books".

My mum used to bath me and my bro once a week and just wash us each morning with flannels and that's what I do with my 9 month old. When he was younger, I did try the bathing every night thing (Gina Ford told me to!), but it made him more giddy and made his skin very dry.

If you want to bath every night fine, if you don't, that's fine too!

[PuppyMonkey]

Agree about the squeezy dolphin quote - how do we nominate it!!?? PMSL....

We don't give dd2 (aged two) a bath at all. She gets a shower once or twice a week and loves it!

[Botbot]

every other night here. Her skin gets too dry if it's every night.

[Bumperslucious]

Nah, once a week if she is lucky. She is 2 and as longs as hands, face and bum get washed she is fine I actually find she is quite self cleaning (i.e. the dirt rubs of on other things!).

Disagree about the smell though. DD goes to nursery one day a week and always comes home with a horrible sticky sweet toddler smell, I hate it!

[admylin]

When mine were babies I didn't bath them very night but once they were toddlers they needed it anyway as they were so dirty what with playing in sand pits, crawling about outside and feeding themselves (their hair was always sticky with pasta sauce or gravy) and it was the start of the end of the day for them.

[nappyaddict]

Mine (3 years old) hardly ever has a bath. I do aim for once a week but tbh it hardly ever happens. He has his face, bum and hands washed once a day and feet if he's been going barefoot. Obviously his bum and hands get washed throughout the day on top of that. Until they are hitting puberty they don't need it - they don't smell.

[MrsBeakman]

Mine have a bath about twice a week. More if needed. eg if been out in the garden