How often do you bathe your kids?

[C&Jx2]

At least once a day, if for nothing more than to hit the face, pits, and important bits.

 

[tzolkin]

Shower and bath accomplish the same thing. With little kids, it’s easier to help them scrub in the bath, plus they get to play.

They do accomplish the same thing, but I think it's relevant to the topic/article. There is a huge difference from a dermatology viewpoint between cleaning yourself off and sitting in a tub of soapy water for a long period of time.

I don't think anyone would say that children don't need to be cleaned daily, but many believe that they do not need to take a bath daily. Or even that taking a bath daily may cause them more harm than good-- skin problems, vaginal irritation/infections, etc.

There's been talk lately that showering daily is actually a societal norm, rather than a hygiene practice. And when you listen to the people in this thread, so often we hear "routine" but rarely are people saying that their kids are actually so dirty it takes gallons and gallons of water to cleanse them. I think it's good to re-examine these norms and ask ourselves why? Remember when you learned you're not actually supposed to be washing your hair every day? Just like your hair, your skin has natural oils which protect it. When you strip down those oils, you can open yourself up to infection and skin problems. And think of how much water is wasted to fill an entire bath daily, when if your child was only mildy dirty, that could have been wiped away with a fraction of that water.

This was part of it for me. Occasionally we would fill up the huge jacuzzi tub if the kids wanted to bathe and play, but for daily cleansing a full bathtub just seemed like a waste of water. As babies/toddlers, we would most often just take them in the shower with us. When they got a bit older we would help them shower themselves off or take a quick bath with minimal water.

At least once a day, if for nothing more than to hit the face, pits, and important bits.

But you can clean those bits daily (or multiple times per day) without taking a 30+ minute bath in a tub. I shower in the morning, but I have never once gone to bed without cleaning all the areas you mention including my feet. Even when I have been camping or traveling in rural parts of Africa. You can use wipes or a cloth to wash away any dirt and smells on yourself or your kid before bed on days when they have not gotten dirty or sweaty.

We bathed our kids everyday.
The kids had a friend who was "the stinky kid".
As they got older, we only invited him to join us for dinner in warmer months when we were dining outdoors.
The stench was bad!

I don't necessarily think being the "stinky kid" always has to do with how often you bathe. My best friend from high school has the absolute worst body odor I have ever encountered. After exercise she would actually make you gag. You could not be in a car with her with the windows closed. She showers twice a day and is very particular about her hygiene. She just has pungent body odor. I am certain that even if I went a month without bathing I would not develop a smell like she does in just a few hours.

 

[RangerPooh]

My teens bathe daily. Our younger two are ~3x/week, unless they need it more. Some days I'll settle for them wearing clean underwear.

 

[Wandering Oaken]

Daily! Anything else is ....

 

[tvguy]

I think this is a recommendation based on the source: The American Academy of Dermatology. Fewer baths is probably better for your skin (and I've heard the same thing recommended for adults), but more baths may be better for.... other things.

The standard of care in California for care homes is a bath once a week. As I enter my second week of retirement, and after talking to other retirees about the good things about being retired, the common answer was "only bathing every other day, not every day". And of course in many places in Europe, daily bathing is not the norm

 

[Moliphino]

I don't necessarily think being the "stinky kid" always has to do with how often you bathe. My best friend from high school has the absolute worst body odor I have ever encountered. After exercise she would actually make you gag. You could not be in a car with her with the windows closed. She showers twice a day and is very particular about her hygiene. She just has pungent body odor. I am certain that even if I went a month without bathing I would not develop a smell like she does in just a few hours.

Very true. Some medical conditions can cause more body odor, or just body chemistry or diet.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

There is a huge difference from a dermatology viewpoint between cleaning yourself off and sitting in a tub of soapy water for a long period of time.

That's more how I was reading it. My skin has a tendency to get dry big time in the winter. I adjust the temperature of my shower based on that. It's not cool or anything but less warm. I tend to take quick showers too. My husband it doesn't matter the time of year his water is hot and he doesn't have any issues with dry skin. But that's something that occurred a bit later on for me. When I was young and a preteen I took baths a lot and showers a lot and I'm pretty sure I didn't have the dry skin issues I got when I was older. Summertime I'm not as prone to dry skin but I still don't shower in as hot of water as my husband does.

These days I only take a bath when my knee is giving me trouble so I can soak it but otherwise it's not my thing. When I soak my knee it is hotter water than I would shower with.

 

[PezRuth]

This may have already been mentioned but it is actually not good for their skin to be bathed every day. When they are young we try and do every other day for the tub. But truthfully it may be every 3 days. If they had a busy day of play or anything like that they obviously get a bath that night. In the summer it is more often than not. As they get older it becomes more frequent.

 

[holden]

When my kid were little I bathed them every night. Not because I wanted them clean but because it was part of the bedtime routine. Bath, story, bed.

 

[neverlandsky]

Rule was/is school nights bath/shower. You can skip Friday nights and/or Saturday nights unless you were totally stinky.

When there was no in-person school, they were 1-2 times per week at most. They just sat around in their pjs for online classes and only went out for the Dentist & Ortho.

This summer the record has been 6 days.

 

[anniemae]

Every day. When they were little they loved playing in the tub and it relaxed them before bedtime. As they got older, it was necessary especially in the summer since they would be covered in sweat, sunscreen and bug spray by the end of the day and I just couldn't put them to bed like that. Like a pp said, nothing like a clean kid in clean pj's LOL! Then when puberty hit, yeah every day.

 

[DisLiss]

Once they were preteens; they were/are showering every night on their own...sometimes annoyingly so with how long they stay in there lol.

I can relate! I've threatened to put a timer in the bathroom a few times over the years, LOL! Water conservation is a thing, kids!!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Why is there an entire industry around reporting the life of celebrities? Why do I care how often Ashton Kutcher's kids bathe?

 

[fly girl]

I'm with the majority.

When little: every other day or if it was a day with an activity that meant a bath, she got it.

Tween: every day was typical, but could skip a day here or there as long as no sweaty activities. Especially on Friday nights when soccer was Saturday morning.

Teen: every day. Will skip on occasion, but only when home and not going in public (or at camp! )

 

[NMBCFangirl]

I have germ related OCD...and dry skin. It took years of doctors telling me to cut back to every other day for baths or showers unless dirty to get me to work at pushing past it. And it helped my skin once I did.

ETA: Don't worry. I shower daily at Disney. Got to wash off the sunscreen!

 

[MamaMermaid]

My 3.5yo gets a bath every other day or every 2 days.

 

[Sugardimples]

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Also, if you don't instill in your kids the importance of daily bathing good luck trying to flip that switch at puberty

When my niece was little she was bathed once a week and as a adult she rarely bathes, and, frankly, she stinks.

 

[disykat]

[

When my niece was little she was bathed once a week and as a adult she rarely bathes, and, frankly, she stinks.

Ah yes, the fact that she wasn't bathed regularly as a child must be the reason!

I would venture to say that MOST people are able to learn that hygiene needs and practices vary with age.

 

[kanerf]

American Academy of Hoboes

 

[goofyernmost]

Ew come on people, don't make your kids get a reputation for being the dirtball kids
Also, if you don't instill in your kids the importance of daily bathing good luck trying to flip that switch at puberty

From my recollection puberty fires off a few other reasons for showering not the least being the human attraction element. Childhood is not the problem time. For teens the problem becomes how you are going to pay your hot water bills for those multiple 40 minute showers daily.