"You don't shower when you're sick?"

[Sherri]

My next door neighbor growing up was told the same thing by her Mom. She was never allowed to bathe during 'that time of the month'. I always thought it was weird but her parents we older and they had other odd reasons for things.

Now I am really curious about this. Whats the reasoning behind it?

 

[Micca]

How old school is it? DW thinks maybe it goes back to the days of no indoor plumbing. Maybe people thought going out in the cold to get wet was a bad idea. The woman we're discussing here had a grandfather who was a doctor and I think maybe the idea was passed down from him. Looks like the consensus is there is nothing bad about showering when sick, and that it might even help.

 

[helenabear]

Showering always makes me feel better. Unless I am so bad off that I cannot even get out of bed to go to the bathroom really, I always shower ever day at least once.

 

[KristiKelly]

Now I am really curious about this. Whats the reasoning behind it?

I'm curious as well. I can't imagaine.

My kids always take a bath or shower when they are sick, if they're up to it. Over other day tops.

 

[CEDmom]

I can't imagine how there house must smell .

I definitely have to shower every morning sick or not. I had the flu a few years ago and was so weak I could barely stand up but darn it I went in the shower. My DH stood by just in case. Honestly, when you're sick there's nothing better than taking a warm shower and putting on clean jammies to make you feel better. When DD7 is sick she sweats a lot and literally start stinking after a day so I give her a bath and wash her hair.

BTW, using vapor bath like a body wash when you're sick is wonderful.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

that's odd. whenever i'm sick i take a shower to clear up my congestion!

 

[Pixiedust34]

What's worse than having a sick person in the house?
A sick person who smells bad!

That's for sure! We usually take an extra shower when we're sick. It helps if you're congested, and I like to think of it as washing away some germs.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

In general I don't think there's any harm in skipping a day,depending on the age of the person (not when the person gets to be preteens/teens ) but not shower because a person is sick? All the more reason to shower. When I'm sick I don't want to, but I always feel better. And when I have a cold it clears me out a little.

 

[Steffi]

Well, daily showering is a pretty high priority around my house. But when DD is sick with bronchitis or any other cough sickness, I don't like for her to shower and then head back to bed with wet hair. I'd rather she just wait until she feels good enough to at least blow-dry her hair a little after showering.

 

[Evil Genius]

My mom is of this school of not showering when sick. Her reasoning is that you would catch a chill and it would either make you sicker.

 

[RitaZ.]

Sounds like my Mom - she always felt like you shouldn't bathe during that time of the month. Always grossed me out. I think you ESPECIALLY need to bathe then.

One of my mom's friends was the same way.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

We are most certainly a shower-every-day household, even with a typical cold. I think a hot shower breaks up the congestion and just feels great.

However, DH & I had a really nasty bug these past few weeks. Throwing up, fever, dizzy sick. I had a fever of 100 for almost a week. One morning, I took a hot shower and felt awful after. I took my temperature, and it had shot up to over 102!!! I called my doc's office, and they told me never take a hot shower or bath when you have a fever, to use cold washcloths to "clean up" until the fever breaks. Not very appetizing when you've got the chills from a fever!

I kept thinking of Ferris Bueller's Day Off when Ferris is playing sick on the phone with his dad. He tells his dad he thinks he has a fever, and the dad tells him to take a hot bath and wrap a hot towel around his head -- drink some hot soup, maybe. I see the humor in that now

 

[Steffi]

Sounds like my Mom - she always felt like you shouldn't bathe during that time of the month. Always grossed me out. I think you ESPECIALLY need to bathe then.

That really is gross. I wonder what the logic behind that is? My mom was a raving lunatic with a lot of weird notions about everything, especially things related to the monthlies, but even she advocated the need to shower regularly during your time. The idea that someone might not bathe for the 5 or so days of their period...just yuck!

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

When I was listening to the radio a couple of weeks ago, they played an old clip from health class or something. I think it was done back in the 50's or around that time. It stated that during AF, if you must shower, make sure you do so carefully and don't use hot water. No baths of any kind...has to be a shower. The water must be cool or lukewarm. And no swimming or strenuous activities of any kind. It was odd.

 

[Beth76]

Sounds like my Mom - she always felt like you shouldn't bathe during that time of the month. Always grossed me out. I think you ESPECIALLY need to bathe then.

Yeah that is gross. I totally don't see the logic behind that at all. I can sort of understand the no showering while sick thing. But really I think that's just personal preference. If you feel like taking a shower you should, if you don't then don't.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Sounds like my Mom - she always felt like you shouldn't bathe during that time of the month. Always grossed me out. I think you ESPECIALLY need to bathe then.

Oh good lord......I bet your Dad was THRILLED with that.......

 

[NAB]

You guys bath or shower your kids everyday????

I must be a minority because it is everyother here maybe every third day.

I can see if they have played a sport or swimming that day.

My kids are 9 and 6. If I bathed them everyday there skin would be so dry it would crack. Winter does a number on our skin here.

I am sure when my son gets older he well shower more if needed. Or I tell him will probably be the case

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

You guys bath or shower your kids everyday????

I must be a minority because it is everyother here maybe every third day.

I can see if they have played a sport or swimming that day.

My kids are 9 and 6. If I bathed them everyday there skin would be so dry it would crack. Winter does a number on our skin here.

I am sure when my son gets older he well shower more if needed. Or I tell will probably be the case

I don't bathe my daughter every day during the winter. It's more like every other day. She has extremely dry skin and has had bouts of eczema, so bathing her every day turns her into a lizard. In the summer it's every day though, because she always ends up filthy.

 

[laurie31]

Well dang!! All those bed baths I gave as a staff nurse, and now I find out sick people should be dirty!!

 

[ducklite]

Sounds like my Mom - she always felt like you shouldn't bathe during that time of the month. Always grossed me out. I think you ESPECIALLY need to bathe then.

Oh gag!

I think I have the answer to this though. Back in the day, before there was "internal protection" and before most people had showers in their home, bathing was done once a week in a communal tub. The oldest family member got the tub first, and then down the line, with baby being last lest s/he pee in the bath water. Hence the old saying "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater." A woman on her monthly would not get in the tub for obvious reasons, so would skip that week.

Some things like this have been passed down generationally (I'm sure we all have SOMETHING that our parents taught us that was passed down to them that we know maybe isn't quite factual, like not going outside with wet hair, or not swimming until one hour after eating, etc.)

Anne