Bathing frequency

Have you ever wondered *why* we bath our kids every day (or every night)? Is it just because society seems to dictate it, Plunket endorse it (do they?), everyone else is doing it, or cause our kids have formed the habit and will only sleep if they've had the evening bath? Is it really necessary (or good) to have a daily bath?

It's a question which has bugged me for ages cause when I was a kid, it was weekly bathing. Now it's daily but I don't really know why.

We bath Hannah every 2-3 days, usually 2 tho, unless she has had a dirty day. We mainly do this cos of her skin, she drys out heaps and when she had exzema I was told it was better to bathe less. I dont always use baby wash on her either, and her hair (the little that there is!) gets washed with soap once a week or so.

I dont know why it is Theresa, and to be honest I dont normally 'admit' to Hannahs bathing frequency as I think people will think she is dirty

we do every 2-3 days with a wash over in mornings between and a face wash each day....unless too cold for her. ME - i wash my hair 1-2 times a week...its long and thick!

I think we notice we sweat more etc now and dont want other people noticing more than anything else...cause if i am sick and home i migh go 2 days without a cshower cause noone is around to care or impress.....

whether we need it or not - well that is a personal thing i guess - some smelly people may still bathe each day etc???

There does seem to be an increase in bath/shower products aimed at children, which is just marketing. All we had as kids was knights castile soap, and johnsons no more tears shampoo. Not all the fruity bath gels and soaps available now. I have noticed little girls love anything with perfume.

Jake baths every night as he gets really dirty, he loves outside. We only wash his hair once a week, though (unless he has upended a bowl on it) and that is high drama, he HATES it. Charlotte? gets a face hands bum wash daily but bath every 3 or 4 days.

after dinner, believe me, my children NEED a bath (or some kinda hose down outside)..so everyday for us. But when we had the septic tank dramas they were every 2-3 days, which was a killer for me as I had to change the sheets more often as they would get dirtier.

Andrew has a bath or shower every night. He is at preschool and plays in the dirt so he needs it. However if we are out and about at night and its getting late he won't have one. josh has a bath almost every night. He has gotten into a routine of bath, bottle with daddy then feed with mummy then bed and he'll sleep right through (well most nights) the night so i'm happy with that. He usually just has a water bath with nothing else in it.

In the beginning I only use to bath McKayla every second or third day. Is actually bad for baby skin to get bathed that much and it totally overwhelm their senses with all these products ect.

Now I bath her as she is actually getting dirty every night. If she goes to sleep without a bath I am not too worried but that is so seldom.

Our kids get done daily unless for some reason we are out.   Hair usually shampooed every 2nd day.

I bath Ollie every night - I guess it is a routine thing I do and he knows when it is bath time as when I take him into the bathroom he gets all excited. When he was newborn through till around 2 months I was bathing every second day. I guess he gets pretty dirty now after feeding him and he has pretty dirty nappies now too after eating solids!