OT- Bathing & hairwashing (topic came up on other post)

[powellrj]

It really depends on the kids too. My kids are older (youngest is 11) and they are also really active so a shower everyday is a must. After a day of school and an evening of basketball, DD isn't pleasent to be around if she hasn't had a shower. Most nights when she is in for the night, she will take a shower as soon as she gets in.

DS is in high school and I think he would take 2 showers everyday if he could!

 

[Hillbeans]

In my house it's every other day for the kids' baths. They both have dry skin and unless they were rolling around in the mud or sweating profusely that day, every other day is enough to keep them clean.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

Well, in college I wouldn't have believed this...but I DON'T shower everyday! With a 5 year old and 7 month old, I can barely find the time to cook a meal, let alone take a shower! Of course, once I start working and actually having a life outside the home again, I will shower everyday. I have a fear of being "smelly". Probably because I remember the stinky classmate that got made fun of.

My 5 year old has a mandatory bath during the school year every night except Saturdays as part of her bedtime routine. It makes her sleep easier. My 7 month old is a full bath when she's filthy, but just a sponge bath daily. And lavendar lotion (mmmmm). During the summer, my 5 year old has somedays off depending on what we've been doing and how late it is. But, when she starts getting the wet-dog smell (as my sister and I call it) it's BATHTIME even if she all ready had a bath that day.

Just a quick question: How old do you usually start implementing showers? My daughter took a shower once with me and fell. She ended up bruised and cut that I have been shying away from trying it again. Plus, she's afraid of water in her eyes. My 6 year old niece has been taking showers since she was 3! What's the right time to start?

 

[mom2alix]

DH and I shower daily (and sometimes I take a bubble bath at night too, but that's more mental health than cleanliness )

During the winter the kids get a bath every other day and I still have to slather on lotion since we have pretty harsh winters. Now that it's warm, the get a bath every night, but that's also to wash off the sunscreen/bug guard/chlorine/dirt since they get to play outside now. DD will probably keep taking a bath every day when she starts Kindergarten next year since they'll have PE, etc. plus she's getting older. DS will likely stay just evey other day in the winter - he has super dry skin.

 

[pooh4evr]

We all shower and wash hair everyday my girls are 6 and 4 - the baby 5 mos its maybe every couple of days- she doesn't have any hair anyway!

My middle one just turned 4 last week and started taking showers maybe in the fall - usually it is just quicker and easier for me she still takes baths but if we are in a rush or she is really tired she showers my 6 yr old has been showering for a year or so mostly because she has a ton of hair that is hard to rinse in the tub- i put in a hand held shower head in their bathroom and it makes it all much easier she washes her body and I wash her hair.

 

[mama4]

In the winter I tend to shower every other day, summer it is everyday. But we have a pool, play outside, garden and I definately need it! Being in the house almost all winter very seldomly do I shower 2 days in a row.

DS4 I bath about every 3 days in the winter, summer it is pretty much everyday also.

DH showers everyday, but he stinks from work and his hair get oily. Every once in a while he'll skip a day on his day off, maybe once a month, if we are staying home.

Last night 3 neighbor kids were over swimming, 2 different families, and all said, "Now, I don't have to take a shower right?" The funniest part is both parents said they didn't have to! I feel so gross after swimming with chlorine! I can't imagine not bathing and the kids were running around before that!

ITA! My kids are both in swim lessons right now. They look clean when they get outta that pool but I can't stand to not put them in the shower!

 

[mama4]

Well, in college I wouldn't have believed this...but I DON'T shower everyday! With a 5 year old and 7 month old, I can barely find the time to cook a meal, let alone take a shower! Of course, once I start working and actually having a life outside the home again, I will shower everyday. I have a fear of being "smelly". Probably because I remember the stinky classmate that got made fun of.

My 5 year old has a mandatory bath during the school year every night except Saturdays as part of her bedtime routine. It makes her sleep easier. My 7 month old is a full bath when she's filthy, but just a sponge bath daily. And lavendar lotion (mmmmm). During the summer, my 5 year old has somedays off depending on what we've been doing and how late it is. But, when she starts getting the wet-dog smell (as my sister and I call it) it's BATHTIME even if she all ready had a bath that day.

Just a quick question: How old do you usually start implementing showers? My daughter took a shower once with me and fell. She ended up bruised and cut that I have been shying away from trying it again. Plus, she's afraid of water in her eyes. My 6 year old niece has been taking showers since she was 3! What's the right time to start?

Some kids just don't like those showers. My boys prefer baths (they are 3 and 5) but will take a shower with no problem. They both started (with Mommy or Daddy) as soon as they could stand and could shower alone (with me in the room of course) by age 2. This allows me to run them through the shower after they get out of swim lessons at 6 pm those 4 nights a week. Much easier than dealing with a bath.

 

[snowy76]

Just a quick question: How old do you usually start implementing showers? My daughter took a shower once with me and fell. She ended up bruised and cut that I have been shying away from trying it again. Plus, she's afraid of water in her eyes. My 6 year old niece has been taking showers since she was 3! What's the right time to start?

I don't know if I'm normal or not, but I remember not really starting showers until I was hitting puberty and started to need to bathe more frequently - I was probably 11. Just too much hassle to have a bath every day or every other day. Up til then it wasn't an issue - no b.o. and I wasn't menstruating yet.

My DD on the other hand, has been taking showers since she was 7 (she's 11 now). Her hair is much different from mine and if she doesn't rinse it well, it starts to get funky. A shower is much better for her to soak her head.

 

[bellesnow]

Sorry to get OT but I just wanted to let those with Eczema issues about the stuff I have used since DS 2 1/2 was born. He had severe eczema and this stuff worked great for him and cleared him up in a few days. It is called Freederm, here's the link:http://www.freederm.com/

We use the soap and the jar of cream only in the winter now.

 

[graygables]

While I do think it is bad to go for too long without bathing, I think Americans are overly obsessed with cleanliness. There is no need whatsoever for a child to bathe every day. The have no hormones making b.o. and if they don't get dirty, what's the point. We bathe our two every other day in the summer unless they get really nasty outside or itchy from grass and a couple times a week in the winter. As for me, my hair is so dry I only wash it twice a week and in the winter my skin is awful so I deliberately try NOT to shower every day. In the summer I do manage to shower most days because I get pretty dirty in the yard and garden and just feel better after a cool shower.

Definitely an American thing. I grew up in Europe (Army brat, our family was 10 years overseas) and we only bathed once a week. Most of that was simply conservation and we thought nothing of it. We also spent a LOT of time in a camping trailer. In the summer. We showered a bit more often then, but when you've been to Turkish or Greek campground showers, you'll understand why it's OK NOT to be so clean...

DH is in construction and showers every day he works b/c he has to. I shower every other day unless I *need* one. DDs (11 & 8) shower/bathe usually twice a week, but they do both wear deodorant daily and we use a detangling spray in their hair to freshen it up a bit.

 

[momto2girls]

My husband and I shower daily (although I do occasionally skip a day when I'm not leaving the house for any reason), but our two girls do not. They truly don't need it most of the year. In the winter, they are inside all day and their most strenuous activity is coloring. They do bathe more often in the summer, of course, but even then they rarely get dirty. I bathe them to wash off the sunscreen/chlorine, etc. I'm sure that they will bathe daily when they hit puberty, but right now it just isn't necessary.

I agree with the previous posters who said that this is an American fixation.

 

[bzzymom]

DH and I shower everyday. DD is 3 and now that it is nice out, she gets dirty and smelly when she plays outside she gets bathed daily, however on a day that she is inside and doesn't get sweaty, she doesn't need a bath. In the winter I give her baths 2-3 times a week. DS in 10 and bathing varies with his activities. When he has sports or plays outside and gets sweaty he gets a shower. In the winter, when he didn't have much going on he showered 2-3 times a week.

I don't feel it is necessary to bath young children everyday unless they get dirty or sticky. As they get older and active in things they need more.

 

[rigs32]

If I workout, then I have to shower. But if I don't, and I'm not dirty, there's no reason to shower everyday. I use deodorant. I am clean.

(going a bit off topic) Then again, I'm also one of those people who will rewear clothing or reuse a towel before needing to wash it.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We shower every day in our house. Hair is washed every other though, because like many here-we find it too drying. My two oldest are in their teens, so skipping a days shower would be gross to say the very least. DD and DS think that in the summer they don't have to shower so often because they are in the pool, but then they have hair like scarecrows because of the chlorine (I let them try and prove their point one summer). So now when they are in the pool, they shower more because they rinse off inside and wash and condition their hair.

 

[tmarquez]

Just a quick question: How old do you usually start implementing showers? My daughter took a shower once with me and fell. She ended up bruised and cut that I have been shying away from trying it again. Plus, she's afraid of water in her eyes. My 6 year old niece has been taking showers since she was 3! What's the right time to start?

There probably isn't a "right" time to start. DD(4) sometimes takes a bath with bubble, etc...but more often she takes a shower. I guess she was probably 3 when she started showering. She's never fallen, but she has bumpder her had pretty good on the water spout while sliding around (goofing off). I think the water in the eyes is a big one. DD doesn't care at all about water in the eyes (maybe from swimming so much?). But she has a friend (6)that won't even swim without a towel by the pool to keep drying her eyes.

 

[smithstation2004]

my boys get a bath when they need it. sometimes it's every day, sometimes it's every other day. it just depends. if they're outside playing, of course they're gonna get stinky and sweaty. They are little so don't have BO and hormone stink...so they can go a day sometimes if we've just stayed inside. I don't wash their hair everyday unless it gets sweaty...they just don't need it. it's babyfine and if I wash it everyday it just sticks straight up.

I also take a shower when I need it, but more often than not, that's everyday. I work out at least lightly everyday, so, shower. But I don't wash my hair everyday either...it's just not necessary unless you have oily hair.

I will say this is an American thing too. People over there don't think they stink...this is how people really smell. It's your natural body chemistry and pheremones...and WE are the only ones who think it stinks (americans). They think they smell normal...and that we smell "clinical". We are washing away our natural protective oils and whatnot...and if you've ever seen the skin of some europeans you'd think twice about scrubbing up so often...and they don't use all the expensive creams and lotions that we do--they just don't scrub off all their protective oils like we do.

to each his own, and nobody wants to be the stinky kid in school, I'm just saying this is a cultural difference.