Bathing frequency
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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Topic: Bathing frequency
Posted By: busymum
Subject: Bathing frequency
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 1:25pm
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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. -------------  |
Replies:
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 1:27pm
| good question coz I'm sure babies kind of self clean until we start constantly washing them...a bit like us washing our hair...apparently the more we wash it the more we have to. |
Posted By: aimeejoy
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 1:30pm
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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  ------------- Aimee Hannah 22/10/05 Greer 11/02/08 |
Posted By: megrac
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 1:33pm
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personaly i bath my two girls every second day. i just give their faces and hands and feet (and what elce is nostiable dirty) a wipe with a flannel on the days thay dont have a bath, someone told me that bathing them every day washes all the good oils off their skin which helps with moistrising and healing cuts and scrapes. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Bombshell
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 1:34pm
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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??? |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 1:34pm
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I would be impressed if kids/babies could go a week without needing a bath.
I always thought weekly washing was an old fashioned idea in that people used to bath on Sunday so they were clean for Church. People also used to think never washing was way of not getting sick. I think its more of a hygiene thing. Washing is one way of looking after your health, as bacteria can build up on your skin. |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 1:37pm
| 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. |
Posted By: nictoddie
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 1:39pm
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Mine only have a bath or shower every 2nd day unless they have been having dirty play, otherwise it's a wipe over with warm flannel in the morning and at night. ------------- 
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Posted By: fattartsrock
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 2:13pm
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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. ------------- The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P |
Posted By: Paws
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 2:22pm
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We bathe Maddie every 2 to 3 days as well otherwise it's a wash over with the flannel.
As for me I don't shampoo my hair at all - I just do a baking soda a vinegar rinse each week and water rinse in the shower. My hair feels really god now!! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 2:24pm
| 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. |
Posted By: fattartsrock
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 2:26pm
Liz, In the warmer days, I really have taken Jake and the high chair outside and hosed them down! lol! Jake needs a waterblaster after meal times. lil pig! ------------- The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P |
lizzle wrote:Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 2:37pm
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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. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 2:43pm
| i wasn't being sarcastic annie, i hose down too! |
Posted By: SMoody
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 2:49pm
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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. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Roksana
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 5:22pm
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I bath Zaara every night. I wash her hair every night too...but shampoo every second night. She goes to day care and always comes back with sand in her hair, pain behind the ears etc.
But I like the smell of clean fresh bubba....so even when she was at home she got a quick bath. but occationally when it is extremely cold and it was late she would get a whole body wipe down. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: AlyAyde
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 5:53pm
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Our kids get done daily unless for some reason we are out. Hair usually shampooed every 2nd day. ------------- Jayde 25/12/04 Alyssa 08/04/03 http://Alyayde.bebo.com |
Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 5:57pm
| I bathe Alyssa every night purely for routine. It definitely helps settle her for bed so is worth it in our case. |
Posted By: Millie1976
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 6:49pm
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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! ------------- Sebastien 2 years old Olivier 3 3/4 years old |
Posted By: BabyOnBoard
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 6:55pm
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We did a wee study on this - A lot of the time it is promtoed because of the routine you establish with babies and young children. If they are used to (for example) having dinner then a shower then bed that routine helps them ready themselves for the bed stage and makes them aware of whats coming. It's proven that even babies will get used to the routine and then once out of the bath start falling to sleep. Hope this makes sense ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 7:02pm
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I bath mine daily as part of their routine, and coz they enjoy it. I've just started bathing BEFORE dinner rather than after as the gremlins are in a better mood then and don't scream when they're getting dressed, plus it means I can get them into bed so we can eat dinner in peace instead of inhaling it as fast as possible to deal with them.
------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Bubbaloo
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 7:14pm
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We bath every second night and just use olive oil in the bath at the moment and use a sensitive shampoo when we wash his hair wish is about once or twice a week. When he gets older though we will have a bath every night. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  Was danni-chick Mum to James My Angel 28/07/08 |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 7:19pm
Yes we had a similar problem, since then I have switched to doing baths during the day. It means they don't get the bath before bed routine but to be honest, I'm a bit concerned about that becoming a crutch - like if we went out late one night or something. ------------- |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 7:22pm
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I have that problem. Last night I had to do the groceries after I picked Maya up at 4pm so we got home late-ish and the gremlins skipped their bath and they wouldn't take their bedtime feed and woke squealing at 4am. So hopefully by doing it a little earlier it won't make such a big deal on the odd occasion they skip it. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: linda
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 8:20pm
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We're probably ever three days but then it does depend on how much food Alex gets in his hair...not a nice smell after a day.
Alex, who is 16 months, really loves his bath but for the last few he has done poos while having his bath. What a drama. I have to take him out, get rid of the poos, change the water, clean the bath and then refill...what a drama!@ |
Posted By: fattartsrock
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 8:41pm
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LOL Liz, I so knew you were a cypfs candidate like me... ------------- The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P |
Posted By: Katherine
Date Posted: 09 May 2007 at 10:22pm
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When Emma Rose was born, we bathed her every 2-4 days. She once went a week without a "proper" bath (I think it was in the winter, when it was too cold in the house we were renting to strip her totally down for the bath!). Now that she's self-feeding, it's more like every night or every other night after dinner. But if she didn't get food crusted all over herself, I probably wouldn't bathe her unless she was "dirty". When we'd just come home from Birthcare, one of DH's aunties (who used to be a nurse) came to see her and was asking me when Em had last had a bath. I answered, "Um... At Birthcare she had one, I think it was three days ago?" and she FREAKED OUT, saying that we HAD to bathe Em EVERY DAY, and telling us that she was going to run the bathwater RIGHT THEN AND THERE and bathe our child. We somehow managed to change the subject but after she left, you know I was crying on the phone to my mother, my midwife, and my doula asking if I was harming my baby by not bathing her every single day. |
That auntie really made me feel like a bad mother! Months later, another relative mentioned that was all Auntie could talk about at family gatherings immediately following her visit to us -- how we didn't bathe our child every single day. SHEESH!Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 10 May 2007 at 9:20am
Oh Katherine, how shocking! Don't you know babies need bathing every single day! 
As newborns mine often went 3-4 days without a bath coz I couldnt bath them without someone else to help with the other baby. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: MyMinis
Date Posted: 10 May 2007 at 9:22am
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i bath haleigh every night now shes older only cause she loves it, when she was little there was no need to as she didnt get dirty enough.
my midwife I had with haleigh told me not ot bath her everyday as a baby not until she started getting 'dirty' basically. Whats a doula? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
http://tweetytweety85.bebo.com - bebo |
Posted By: EllenMumof2
Date Posted: 10 May 2007 at 9:44am
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i bath maddy every second day normaly but now she feeds herself i chuck her in the shower with her dad at night cause she makes a mess of herself. Kalem has a shower every night because hes always coming home from school with dirty legs etc -------------  
 
Kalem 6! |
Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 10 May 2007 at 1:35pm
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DH gives DD a bath every day because she loves it and he enjoys it - it's their 'thing'. I don't stress if she misses a bath and sometimes if we're out and she falls asleep we just put her into bed or give her a quick face/hands/feet wipe.
I do like to bath her because I figure it's good for her since she's sitting around in nappies all day and it must be nice to get a really clean bum. Just my theory! |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 10 May 2007 at 2:08pm
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We bath everyday, just try and keep routine. I have started to look at our routine and we do it the same every night right up to the time. Bath runs at 7, bottle made and in gob by 7.30 then it is all over...hopefully!
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 10 May 2007 at 2:10pm
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Our girls went without for nearly 2 weeks when I broke my foot - I couldn't do it, DH wasn't available when they were, and I didn't try my home-help's sense of co-ordination etc. (Have since found out that she needs new glasses.) So I can't believe you got hassled for not bathing every day Katherine! ------------- |
Posted By: Peace
Date Posted: 10 May 2007 at 2:22pm
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Olivia has a bath on the floor of the lounge every night for routine and hygiene purposes. I want my kids to know young that personal hygiene is very important. I don't like the old fashioned attitudes of bathing once a week, people keep those habit's for their lifetime - YUCK!
I also don't at all expect that others see my view point nor do what I do. These are self expectations and my way of parenting. ------------- DD1 May 2006 DD2 March 2011 DD3 August 2012 |