Spinoff: How often do you wash your kids?

[melissel]

It used to be so much easier to get these two into the bath. In fact, they loved it. But now, it's a battle every time, and I hate fighting it. So, how often do your kids bathe?

[Barb F. PA in AZ]

When they smell funny.

Barb

[Mrs Mungo]

Every other day unless they are particularly stinky from playing outside or something. Every day is just too drying for the skin and I try to avoid it.

[Daisy]

This is kinda tough. Probably 8 months out of the year here in SoCal, the kids need a bath every single day. It is hot and they get sweaty! But during the winter, they can take a bath on Wednesday and Saturday and be just fine.

[midwestbelle]

Definitely on Wednesday before Church and again on Saturday night. Then any other time they stink. It was daily for the 3yo when he had that stomach bug last week!

[Mary H]

Sometimes they take showers just on Saturday night but I am trying to get them to shower more. Durring the summer they shower daily or everyother day. Expessually (sp) if the "stink."

Mary H

[KristineIN]

More in the summer, less in the winter, dd washes her hair every other night, it's getting long and starts to stink if she doesn't.

Kristine

[SandraDumas]

I am totally freaked out. I can't believe how not often people wash their kids. Twice a week is scary to me but I understand it. Once a week and I wouldn't want to be around them. Every other week? Someone must be joking.

As far as I am concerned once they can shower on their own they should be in there almost every day!!

This is written kind of tongue-in-cheek, incredulous, funny. I really am not judgemental about this, but I am terribly surprised!

[melissel]

I am totally freaked out. I can't believe how not often people wash their kids. Twice a week is scary to me but I understand it. Once a week and I wouldn't want to be around them. Every other week? Someone must be joking.

As far as I am concerned once they can shower on their own they should be in there almost every day!!

This is written kind of tongue-in-cheek, incredulous, funny. I really am not judgemental about this, but I am terribly surprised!

Really? We aim for every few days, but depending on circumstances, we can go as long as a week (longer than that happens, but is rare). They're little kids (at least, mine are), so how stinky could they really get? In the winter, at least. I have never smelled any kind of BO off them, with the exception of the diaper heiny smell, but we're out of diapers now, for the most part. And even with infrequent bathing, my 5 y.o. has such dry skin. I can't imagine making her bathe everyday anymore. Really, it's probably only been in the past 50 years or so that even adults started bathing every day, right?

[Andie]

The 11 and 13 yo girls shower daily, occasionally skipping a day, but not often. The 9yo boy takes a bath every other night, the 4yo boy and 2 yo girl usually take their baths on the night the 9yo isn't. In the summer the three youngest are bathing every day.

So put me down for daily/every other day and mostly daily?! :)

[Andie]

...with the exception of the diaper heiny smell, but we're out of diapers now, for the most part...

Ewwww!!

(That's a nasty smell. Might surpass Lost Sippy Cup in the Car, even.)

[Lisa at Home]

nt

[melissel]

Ewwww!!

(That's a nasty smell. Might surpass Lost Sippy Cup in the Car, even.)

LOL! Mine were never that bad, actually--maybe it's because we used cloth diapers and wipes? I don't know. My mom was much more sensitive to it. She'd come over the day after I gave the baby/toddler a bath, and change her clothes, and come to me and say, "Her bottom is very smelly--when was the last time you bathed her?" I always wanted to ask her what HER tush would smell like after 24 hours encased in a diaper! When they were in diapers, they got baths every other day, generally.

[Melissa B]

I guess it would depend on where you live. Here in Florida, my kids are outside at least a couple of hours every day all year long. It is hot! They are usually playing in the dirt or the sand or the river. They are very dirty and honestly, usually smelly. Most days, they all have to shower or bathe before dinner.

[Lisa at Home]

nt

[melissel]

I have no idea what Other might be, but there's always something! It's a catchall for whatever else there might be. Maybe...Never? Twice a day? :p

[Chris in CA]

I'm surprised too.
Funny, this is something I never thought of before, we bathe everyday here, but to each her own : )

[melissel]

I guess it would depend on where you live. Here in Florida, my kids are outside at least a couple of hours every day all year long. It is hot! They are usually playing in the dirt or the sand or the river. They are very dirty and honestly, usually smelly. Most days, they all have to shower or bathe before dinner.

Yes, good point. We're in NJ, so not too hot with the exception of a few months out of the year. And my big kid is not that physical, though the little one is turning out to be.

[DKinTX]

My ten and 7 yo dds shower on Wednesday mornings and Saturday night. My 14yo son showers every other day in winter, every day in summer. Same with my 12yo dd.

[chai]

My daughter also has very dry skin. A bath everyday would be terrible for her skin. Now we're at 2-3X a week or if she is especially dirty; it used to be once a week. When she was toddler, she would never do anything messy or dirty so it usually worked out just fine.

[Mekanamom]

... the kids help me with the stall mucking and manure spreading every day. Showers for all immediately after. ;) Fun PE program, eh?

They may need another shower in the evening if we go out and groom/ride in the afternoons. The art of horse grooming consists of getting every speck of dirt off the horse and onto oneself. sigh.

[Daisy]

I clicked other because it depends on the time of the year. :)

[Rhonda in TX]

I'd say 5 out of 7 days. We aim for daily, but it doesn't always happen.

[melissel]

Fun PE program, eh?

Heck yeah!!!! :D

[Rhonda@LivingWater]

In winter and early spring they bathe on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. In the hotter months they bathe nearly every day.
Mine suffer from dry skin also and their skin could not tolerate a bath every day in the winter.

[kokotg]

We have a drought going on here, so we've made a conscious effort to cut down on water consumption. Pre-drought, we aimed for every other day. Now I'd say we're averaging a little less than twice a week (with spot cleaning as needed, of course).

[KristineIN]

Ewwww!!

(That's a nasty smell. Might surpass Lost Sippy Cup in the Car, even.)

We have a friend that left raw chicken in his van over the weekend on a hot summer day. I think there's still a faint smell, at least the last time they were talking about it there was.

:eek:
Kristine

[siloam]

We do Wednesdays and Saturdays here. In the winter when they aren't as active it is sometimes once a week, like I missed this Saturday because they aren't in swim lessons right now (which is on Saturday) and we were extra busy. In the Summers, when they are playing outside more, it is often more.

Still trying to figure out what to vote, LOL!

Heather

[Tonia]

Once a week for dd, 4 yo. But in the summer it changes to every few days.

[Audrey]

Daily baths for all of us! First, it eliminates the chance of a stinky ds getting past me ;). Second, it's just a great way of relaxing at the end of the day.

FWIW, I always put a bit of lavender oil in ds's bath water, which helps to unwind him from his day, and follow that by helping him with some aloe based body lotion afterward. In the winter, we get dry skin easily.

[umarider]

Every other day unless they smell funny. DD12 is getting to the point where daily showers are often necessary, especially after 2hr ballet classes!:p

[Mekanamom]

... that with the frequent showering, we did at least install water saving shower heads. We have the water on to get wet and/or rinse off, and turn it off to a trickle while soaping up. It has made a difference in not only how much water we use, but also ensures hot water. 5 showers 1-2X/day would use up all our hot water very quickly otherwise. :eek: The last person to shower would have a pretty miserable time unless we waited forever for the water to heat back up. Simply don't have time for that! We also try to keep our showers fairly short.

[Amy in NH]

Grown-ups and teens aim for every other day, little kids vary by season - could be every day in the summer, close to once per week in the winter. Of course, if someone is obviously dirty, they get a bath/shower.

[Scarlett]

Every. Single. Day. I bet I can count on two hands the times my almost 8 year old has gone to bed without a bath since he was born. And if we go to town mid day and he has been outside getting all sweaty...he might get two baths that day.

I might be different if I had a bunch of kids instead of an only. But I doubt it.

[Jennifer in MI]

As my kids get older, they need bathing much more often. My 11 yo really needs to wash his hair every day or he smells. The 10 yo and 7 yo can go every three days unless they've had a sport that day. Definately every Sat night before church though.

During the summer it's basically every night as we have baseball and the kids get really filthy!!

The baby gets a shower with me a few times a week.

[JudoMom]

Every. Single. Day. I bet I can count on two hands the times my almost 8 year old has gone to bed without a bath since he was born. And if we go to town mid day and he has been outside getting all sweaty...he might get two baths that day.

I might be different if I had a bunch of kids instead of an only. But I doubt it.

It might change if you had more kids and lived in a dry climate. I could see having to bathe my boys more often (maybe even every day :eek:) if I was raising them in Memphis.

But we live in a dry climate, so it's usually only need 3X/week (always on Sunday). And of 1 takes a shower/bath, they all want a shower/bath, so it's a 25-45 minute chunk of time out of the day.

[Karen in CO]

If they are dirty are sick they get bathed more often. If I am running behind or extra tired they get bathed less often. Teenage son must bathe at least once a day. It is very dry here and if they bathe more often, they dry out terribly.

[ack25]

My kids shower or bathe every few days. My dd is 8, so I imagine we will need to step it up soon. Right now, she must shower after gymnastics on Wednesdays and Sundays. She usually showers on Fridays too. Everytime she showers, she washes her hair. DD has *very* dry skin, so we don't want her showering too often. DS is 5. He showers or baths after sports on Saturdays and he'll go in on Wed and Sundays too. His hair is buzzed, so we only wash his hair maybe 1x/week.

[Kathie in VA]

Ack! What a question. If my mil is reading this then the answer is 'of course every day.. at least!'. For everyone else, it's as needed. My 13yo dd showers on her own schedule... what I need to watch with her is the time IN the shower... she'll take an hour (easy) if I'm not on top of her! ug. My ds (ages 11 and 8) only seem to think of a shower when they are reminded to take one (2x per week?). The baby (age 3) gets a bath as needed or as time permits.

[Sugarfoot]

My kids are tiny when they start daily bathing--we take them into the shower by the time they're a week old or so! Seriously, I just like for it to be a habit early in life--no big deal, no fussing or complaining--you just take a shower before bed, brush and floss your teeth, whatever else you need to do to take care of yourself, quickly and efficiently. I like for them to get used to the shower early so that they don't think they have to have a tub bath when we're traveling and stuff. Now that the older 2 are so active, I'm so thankful that I don't have to fight them on this!

[Scarlett]

It might change if you had more kids and lived in a dry climate. I could see having to bathe my boys more often (maybe even every day :eek:) if I was raising them in Memphis.

But we live in a dry climate, so it's usually only need 3X/week (always on Sunday). And of 1 takes a shower/bath, they all want a shower/bath, so it's a 25-45 minute chunk of time out of the day.

You know this is probably true. Growing up in Arkansas, all I know is the sweaty humid climate. My step-dad lived in WA State for years and could not bathe daily because it was murder on his skin. Since he has been in AR though he is a reformed daily bather. :)

[Tami]

We did every other day or so before age 11. From age 11 on, we went with a shower daily. It's actually easier to go daily because there's no fussing. It's just what we do every day.

[Amy in Orlando]

LOL - to be honest, I NEVER wash my kids anymore. But they wash themselves at least once a day. They NEED it.

[Ellie]

if they'd had trouble with dry skin or something I guess we would have bathed them less often, but they didn't. *I* don't like going to bed dirty, and I wouldn't want them to go to bed dirty, either.

[Ellie]

I am totally freaked out. I can't believe how not often people wash their kids. Twice a week is scary to me but I understand it. Once a week and I wouldn't want to be around them. Every other week? Someone must be joking.

As far as I am concerned once they can shower on their own they should be in there almost every day!!

This is written kind of tongue-in-cheek, incredulous, funny. I really am not judgemental about this, but I am terribly surprised!

...terribly surprised. If we lived in a place where water usage was an issue, or the dc had skin problems, I could do it, but I would not be happy.

[Elm in NJ]

morning, my 8 yr old every night and my 7 yr old twins have baths every night.
:)
Elmeryl

[Melissa in FL]

It depends on the season and the age. In the summer they are in the pool daily, so once or twice a week I make them soap up in our outside shower. In the winter my girls have really dry skin, so I have to be careful, I would say, maybe twice a week. My ds is just getting to the age where he stinks. Right now he's fine with showering every other day, but I can tell that soon it will have to be daily!
HTH
Melissa

[Old Dominion Heather]

All three of my guys have eczema, so we try to not irritate that. We have to be especially careful in the winter. When they do bathe, I don't let them use soap, other than mild shampoo. So bathing is really more of a rinse!

[Plaid Dad]

My dd has dry skin, so in the winter she bathes every second or third day. But in the summer, when she's outdoors more, it's usually every day.

[momtolgd]

My kids do every other day, and occasionally they'll go an extra day between baths...unless they are really dirty or smelly, or we have somewhere to go where they need to look nice.

Every day dries their skin out...both of them have had bouts of eczema, especially the oldest, and it is mostly under control now so I don't want to do anything that could bring it back!

[Jan in SC]

Every single day and sometimes (frequently) twice a day!

[Jennifer]

We are once a weeker's-usually Saturday night-just like Laura and Mary. (But not in a washtub in the kitchen!) It's so dry here in Colorado that once a week is sometimes too much. My kids are still young, though, and haven't started being stinky. Baths wear me out. My dh has been in charge of bathing since all the kids were babies, but now that my oldest dd is 8 both her and daddy are starting to feel uncomfortable.
Jennifer

[OnTheBrink]

About every other day. Dd's hair is fine and can look stringy and icky if not washed every other day. In the summer, she bathes daily, but I let her hold off on her hair unless it's particularly dirty.

I'm a bodily clean freak, so I like myself to smell good and my kids, as well.

[Sunshyne]

My kids bathe twice a week or so. More in the summer time or during sports, but for Winter/cooler weather, once or twice a week seems to be fine.

[AudreyTN]

I was feeling guilty about not doing it enough...

(I voted every few days, btw)

But now I see that I'm not alone! :)

[Laura Corin]

... that with the frequent showering, we did at least install water saving shower heads.

We all bathe every day but.... we usually share the same bath water, topping it up all evening. Hobbes, then Calvin, then DH (when he's here) then me. Anyone can choose to take a shower if they prefer (or even rerun the bath) but we don't usually. The bath is ultra-deep and I soak for an hour every night, reading a book before bed. Luxury in a parched, high-altitude area.

Laura

[Mabelen]

My 2 girls have very dry skin but they still bathe almost every day even in the winter. I just make sure to put some Aveeno bath oil or oatmeal bath powder in the water instead of soap. It is relaxing and their skin actually feels softer after the bath. The exception is our "stinky Friday", when we like to just hang out late in the evening as a family, so we skip their nightly bath.

[Tara from Florida]

We live in SW FL and in the summer because it is very hot and sticky, we spend a great deal of time in the pool. Since our pool is saline (versus chlorine) I have no trouble with them just rinsing off afterwards. No worries about super blonde hair turning green or skin starting to look like local reptiles. :rolleyes:The beach is a different story because of the sea salt causing abrasions and questionable issues like red tide.

In the winter things are dryer and not as hot. We have a fairly busy evening schedule with Church running late on Monday and Wednesday and currently Upward Basketball on Thursdays. Tuesdays both DD 8 and DS 3 get a full wash and shampoo before bed. Thursdays DS gets shampooed but not DD (she only gets a body wash) because it is so late and her hair is so fine it takes forever to blow dry even and would never dry if left alone. DD gets a full clean on Friday mornings to freshen up after basketball the night before - especially the hair. Needless to say sheets are changed on Fridays:eek:. Basket ball games are on Saturday so full washing is always in order before bed.

I am personally a morning shower person - just helps me get started. We have begun to transition DD to a morning shower routine partly because of the late night schedules and partly because it seems to help her "get in sync" to start the school day off right as she has sensory processing dysfunction. There's nothing quite like a warm shower beating on you, a good scrub with a thick wash cloth, a rub down with a fluffy towel and a squeeze followed by hair brushing, and body brushing (for those of you who don't have an SPD kid - this is not a joke but something real and it works so well) to get the day off on a good foot. We often double up for her on days of activities (i.e. basketball on Sat etc.) and will skip hair washing in the mornings those days. Showering though is often more a part of her sensory diet rather than because of a hygiene need.

My DC (and I) insist on a clean washcloth for face, pits, feet and between the legs on those days that they don't get a bath or shower. This has been SOP in our house from day one along with undies changed at least twice (and in the case of DD when she feels the color would make her feel better or the 'feel' of the waste band or legs is getting to her because of the humidity coupled with her sensory issues).

Probable TMI, but it has been interesting to see we are not the only ones who have a varied approach to this subject!

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Sometimes they "Really need it" more than once a day. Sometimes, they stay tidy and clean for so many days, I lose count. My 11yodd needs to wash her hair much more often now because it gets all oily and stringy after just two days. My 10yods loves to play in the tub, and will often ask to take a bath twice in the same day (just to play in the water). My 2yodd gets "sponge baths" every night, but only gets a full in-the-tub bath when her hair needs washing (or she pukes all over herself, or some other major-messy event occurs).

[nitascool]

My boys bathe daily. This is because it is set into our nighttime routine for them (it helps them sleep). I only wash the 3 yo now as my 7 yo and 6 yo can do a good enough job on their own.

My 8.5 mo dd gets bathed about 4 times a week. She has dry skin. On the nights she doesn't get a bath, I wash her up with a damp cloth.

In summer they may get two baths due to dirt build-up.

[Snickerdoodle]

All three of my guys have eczema, so we try to not irritate that. We have to be especially careful in the winter. When they do bathe, I don't let them use soap, other than mild shampoo. So bathing is really more of a rinse!

yeah, that.

[gardenschooler]

I am totally freaked out. I can't believe how not often people wash their kids. Twice a week is scary to me but I understand it. Once a week and I wouldn't want to be around them. Every other week? Someone must be joking.

As far as I am concerned once they can shower on their own they should be in there almost every day!!

This is written kind of tongue-in-cheek, incredulous, funny. I really am not judgemental about this, but I am terribly surprised!

Every other week has zero responses, so I think we can safely say that no one would actually admit to that.

[gardenschooler]

I don't understand how they can stand to skip a day, but they do. I don't let them skip more than a day or, at the most, two. That's stretching it for me.
http://www.clicksmilies.com/usersmilies/einzelusersmilies/bath.gifOf course, my teenagers STILL have not washed their clothes - does anyone remember that post from the last board? I went back to assigning days for the washer, still, nothing. So I guess being gross is not even noticeable to them. They're claiming they have plenty of clean clothes that they haven't even worn yet. I'm about to sentence them to a day in the laundromat.

[gardenschooler]

Well, it can't be twice a day, because the top one says 'at least once a day'. Or maybe someone got confused. What else could it be? Just whenever? Just never?

I bet we'd all get grossed out if we did a 'how often do you shave your legs' poll. http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/surprised/yikes.gif

[gardenschooler]

Really? We aim for every few days, but depending on circumstances, we can go as long as a week (longer than that happens, but is rare). They're little kids (at least, mine are), so how stinky could they really get? In the winter, at least. I have never smelled any kind of BO off them, with the exception of the diaper heiny smell, but we're out of diapers now, for the most part. And even with infrequent bathing, my 5 y.o. has such dry skin. I can't imagine making her bathe everyday anymore. Really, it's probably only been in the past 50 years or so that even adults started bathing every day, right?


I betcha people stank to high heaven back then, too. http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/silly/stinkyfeet.gif

[gardenschooler]

It might change if you had more kids and lived in a dry climate. I could see having to bathe my boys more often (maybe even every day :eek:) if I was raising them in Memphis.

But we live in a dry climate, so it's usually only need 3X/week (always on Sunday). And of 1 takes a shower/bath, they all want a shower/bath, so it's a 25-45 minute chunk of time out of the day.

We are a sticky bunch. Maybe that's why I think it's gross to go too long without a bath. In the summer, I have taken 3 showers a day at times.

[Tammy in Germany]

The youngest take a shower before school...he's discovered we like a clean smelling boy at the table. Much easier on Mom. ;)

[GreenKitty]

Every day:)....mostly

[Marie in Oh]

Oldest dd showers almost daily. Oldest son is about 3-4 days a week or more if he is in a sports season and practices alot, and the littles go at least Tues/Thursday/Saturday. Sometimes more in the summer. They go barefoot in the summer alot sometimes I wipe their feet and hands with baby wipes. My 4 yo has really dry skin and she cries when she has to take a bath. 3 times a week in the winter seems sufficient.

I also think about water and if daily washing is really responsible. If all 8 of us showered daily- which I realize we will eventually get to-- that is a lot of water. I am not sure that it is a really good idea to use that much water daily. Thoughts on hygene vs. the environment?

[Robyn]

My 1.5 yr old takes a shower with me (or Daddy on the weekends) every morning. He gets excited every time someone runs the water in the shower and he starts to rip off his clothes. Sometimes he takes a bath in the evening with his big brother too. My oldest (9) has Taekwondo classes 3 nights a week and for 3 hrs on Saturday, so he usually takes his showers/baths after class.

[Sixmeadows]

The little ones get a bath a few times a week around here. especially in the winter. There isn't a need for more than that. In the summer when they get in the dirt it can be daily, it just depends. The 12 year old is pretty much daily though. He may skip a day here and there but he is at the point where he needs regular cleansing. Now me is another story, I go every other day. Where in the world I would get the time to take one daily is beyond me. That forces me to only exercise on the days I will get a shower in.:D

With 7 kids all we would do is take baths or showers around here. You realize some things are not as neccessary as you once thought and you make adjustments.

Cheri

[StacyWithFourRugrats]

After reading an article that says bathing children twice a week is perfectly fine and good for their skin, I was curious as how often your children get baths (or showers). I am wondering if in the winter it might be better for us to bathe them less, especially to prevent dry skin.

[Rebecca in GA]

I voted once a day, but truthfully, only the oldest one gets a shower every day. He's almost 12 and getting a little greasy, so we figured now's the time to get in that habit.

DD is 8 and can go two or three days with just a sponging off, as long as I wet down her hair (ala Curly Girl).

Youngest, nearly 7, gets a shower or bath once or twice a week as long as he isn't dirty or sweaty and his hair smells clean. He has terrible eczema, so this has been much better for his skin. Still have to scrub under his nails, though...ick!

[Robin Hood]

I am finding this question funny today. Earlier this week I gave my 9yo dd the Lily Series Body Book. In one questionaire, she checked off that she'll shower only if someone makes her. I never knew she felt that way even though that is the case. I have a hard time getting her in the shower, but once there I can't get her out. She fills the tub as she showers and then I hear mad pounding a splashing around. She has had left her body while a horse has come to live in it. She becomes a bucking bronco. Well, each time it is a different horse. She'd stay there and for an hour and be a horse if I didn't make her get out.

In the summer showers are daily and it is easy because of swim team. And there is no time for horse play.

That body book is making her rethink things, but she is still not to sure about the daily stuff.