How often do we really need to wash our kids???

[Bunny10]

So I read today that Vivienne Westwood only has a bath once a week to keep her looking young and to save water/help the environment. It got me thinking - how often do your kids have a bath or shower? I'm in the habit of giving my little ones a bath every night although they probably don't need it. It's just a habit/part of their routine. But I keep reading about how we need to stop wasting so much water in the home as water levels are low and am feeling guilty. Any tips on keeping kids clean without a nightly bath???

Every night for ds (21 months) but we are still shoehorning him into the baby bath so it doesn't use much water. He does love his baths before bedtime.

I live in the tropics and I still don't wash my DSs every day despite the heat.

They go in the bath as and when I feel they need it, generally if they've been racing around in the park with the nanny then they get a bath. But if they've been in the pool then I count that as a wash and that's good enough for me!

I reckon it averages out around 3-4 times a week. I'll give them a good hair wash twice a week generally.

DD is 2 1/2 months and doesn't much care for baths so has a shower with me 2-3 times a week (depending how grubby she gets). Top and tail wash suffices the rest of the time. I shower myself every day and wash my hair every 2-3 days x

10 & 6, bath every other day, youngest leaves water in for oldest, who tops it up with more hot, hair wash every time they bath.

Mine play out every day, so this amount is just right for them.

Feel much better now.
With the time we get home and after school activities it's generally a bath/shower about 3 times a week for the 7 year old. Hair washing tends to be 2 or 3 times. Obviously if they need it then we do squeeze one in.
We don't top and tail because tbh it's just as easy throwing her in the shower.
I sometimes top and tail myself (generally if I've had a bath the night before but feel like I need to freshen up in tye morning) because strangely it is much quicker for me to do than have a shower.

Daily. Age & mood dependent mix of baths & showers.

7 and 2 have baths together usually twice a week. Maybe increasing to every other day in the summer due to sun cream. The 2 year old’s bum gets a good wipe after nappy changes. I think their skin would dry out if we bathed them every day.

I have a shower every day although sometimes give it a miss one day at the weekend. Wash hair approx twice a week.

This has made my day :) I bathe my dd twice a week on a Sunday and weds/thurs.

My ex and his dickhead gf tried telling me I was negligent because I didn’t bathe her every night.

Dd has very dry skin from eczema and as long as her bottom and bits are clean then that’s all that matter.

DH showers every other day but never smells, ever. It's like he has magic armpits

I think it’s genetics. I have lived in a lot of house shares. Some people need to wash every day, others don’t.

It depends on how much you sweat and your skin bacteria.

My nearly 8 yr old has a bath every night. Has had issues with bladder control so has often been quite whiffy by bedtime! That's much better now, but seriously I am amazed at the amount of sediment left when her bath water runs out - she is filthy in a gritty, muddy, been playing outside sort of way. And even with the nightly bath I find her bedclothes are often a bit sandy! And she actually doesn't look particularly grubby, in spite of all the grime that manages to come off.

Every night Sunday to Thursday, weekends not so much unless they have sports training or matches. They don't smell yet at 6 & 9 years old!

5 and 8 yo

Shower 1-2 times a week.

Me, shower 3 times a week

Dh, showers most days.

Every single day - showers and baths. All of us.

Twice a week here (2 adults, 3 kids), sometimes three. No one smells. Our hair looks lovely. It's better for skin.

Only reason the norm would change is on a hot day or when exercising/sweating.

Every day for all of us here too. A bath morning AND night is a huge luxury for me and I really enjoy it.

I have dry skin and produce literally no oil, as in a never get spots, my dad has never worn deodorant and I can't recall him ever smelling of BO, my mum bathes everyday. I don't feel the need to, my hair never looks greasy and only needs washing as it feels dirty but never looks it. I hate washing my hair and if I had to do it daily I'd rather chop it off as it's such a chore. It's thick and wavy and takes hours to dry.

Shower my two daily. Ages 6 and 3.

We shower daily. Why wouldn't they?

Nursery and School and being ages six and three involves more daily dirt and grime than what an adult encounters.

I don't even think about it. It's just part of their routine.

DD is 10 months and comes into the shower with me or DH once or twice a week. (She's never found baths relaxing so it's never been part of her bedtime routine). The rest of the time we just wash her down with a flannel or wet wipe as we go and as she needs it.

DH showers every day. I shower three times a week (wash my hair each time).

I'm vaguely interested to know what kinds of 'shower' people are talking about when they talk about 'showering'. I suspect our 12-year-olds would shower more regularly if we had a half-decent power shower, rather than a limescale-bound bath attachment; as it is, they probably shower four days out of seven, or thereabouts. Me too - I bathe or shower once or twice a week. And I go running at least five times a week. I can feel the MN collective horror from here!

This thread is making me really uneasy

Every day here. My (little) kids play outdoors and get stinky/sweaty and dirty. We dont live in the uk.

Bath time is torture here, so I won't even mention how often ds bathes.

Dd1 is daily and dd2 should be (daily baths help her eczema), but more like 3 times a week.

gluteustothemaximus I wish I was you a bit. I look terrible without a shower and def a bit grubby by the end of the day. Greasy hair and face, a bit smelly. But I quite like a quick shower in the morning. It is my way of getting ready for the day. Teeth, shower, hair make up. I feel like I can face it more.

Definitelt genetics as pps have said. Sadly, I am at the naturally yakky end of the spectrum. As long as everyone is happy esp DCs with skin problems and additional needs. And no one is dirty, not washed bum smelly.

I do know a family who are dirty as in unwashed. The 9 month old has filthy fingernails and doesn't smell like a baby. The older kids are always dirty and wear too big/small clothes that are really filthy. The mum has very noticable BO. I just want to bring them home and wash them/pamper the mum. They have agencies involved though. They are loved and are a really nice family. It makes me so mad when other mummies/grannies gosspi about the state of them.

DD- three times a week for all of her childhood. (She's now 15). Baths when younger, mainly showers now. I once went wild camping for a week and didn't shower. Had a body wash every day with flannel. My hair was gross but my skin was amazing by the end. I'm too scared to try ito on workdays though.

Over the years I have found the more I wash my hair, the more it needs washing. I can make a hair wash last a good 3-4 days now, and with DD, her hair will last for at least a week before it needs a wash.

I don’t always think bathing/showering is about washing. It can be about routine for kids, a way to relax, a way to start the day to wake you up for a shower.

As long as everyone is happy and not smelly, I think there’s variables of washing routines