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?

[makedoandmend]

Very happy for the company mummydragon!

[MyCatIsABiggerBastardThanYours]

Nah, I bath DD about 4 times a week (more if she gets particularly muddy) and DS (5mths) about 3 times

When DD was a baby I used to bath her every single day as part of the routine but I have since slid into slaternly ways matured as a mum and know better.

[AnarchyAunt]

DD is 6 and gets a bath/hairwash once a week - if she is really grubby she will get washed obviously, but its not an every night thing at all.

She had her first bath at 3 weeks and hated it so much that she didn't have another fo about 6 months! We just top and tailed her daily and washed her all over with a flannel whenever she seemed to need it.

The every night thing is unnecessary, wasteful of precious resources, a baby bath manufacturers dream, and not good for their skin IMO. She doesn't smell before anyone says she must do (have been on these threads before ) - she has her face and bum washed before bed every night and hands throughout the day. Feet when she has been barefoot outside or had sweaty socks on all day too.

[Wonderstuff]

[waves to meglet - hope you're feeling better]

DD 21months gets a bath about twice a week. Normally during the day if I run out of ideas to entertain her. Used to do the bath before bed thing but it made naff all difference - even with Johnsons bedtime bath rubbish.

[Meglet]

{waves back at wonderstuff}

I'm fine, doing nothing all day, no change there . My mum did the dc's baths tonight, so much more fun when I don't have to battle with them,

[Wonderstuff]

Excellent

[greensnail]

I always worried that DD might end up needing a bath to get to sleep if we did it every night so we'd be in trouble if I couldn't be bothered didn't have time one night. So we only bath if I feel like it, or if she's so dirty that its the easiest way to get her clean.

[MrsBeakman]

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

[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.

[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.

[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!

[Botbot]

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

[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!

[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!

[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

[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.

[bronze]

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

Now its the holidays erm...

[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!!

[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.

[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.

[cheesesarnie]

im a scummy mummy.

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

[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.

[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.