How often do you bathe your child?

[pinksprklybarefoot]

I'm talking about a kid who goes to school on weekdays, plays outside a little but does not get filthy and is not involved in any sports. The child will not hit puberty for quite a few more years, so no body odor issues. How many baths/showers a week would be typical?

[LynnS6]

:

Once a week. Sometimes I realize we miss a week, and then it's once every 2 weeks. In the summer I try to go for 2-3 times a week, but will confess that sometimes their 'bath' = running through the sprinkler.

My kids don't stink. They wash their hands and faces after lunch/dinner. They wash their feet before bed if they're running around without shoes/socks. They change their underwear and socks daily, if they're wearing socks. If I notice they're starting to smell (dd is 4, going on 5, and sometimes doesn't wipe well), then they get a bath that day.

[Astrogirl]

Same as Lynn.

I was going to answer "whenever they are dirty enough" but sometimes I even miss it then They get a good face and hand washing before they go to bed, and sometimes feet as well if they've been playing in the garden.

[cottonwood]

For cleanliness purposes? Rarely. Once a month maybe. I just don't see the point unless they're smelly or visibly dirty. The littles do get in the bath often just because they like to play in the water -- at least a few times a week.

[barefootbabies]

Originally Posted by Astrogirl

Same as Lynn.

I was going to answer "whenever they are dirty enough" but sometimes I even miss it then They get a good face and hand washing before they go to bed, and sometimes feet as well if they've been playing in the garden.

:

In the winter when we're in all the time, the kids can go a week or two (maybe sometimes more Spring/Summer/Fall we're out a lot, and its usually 3ish times a week, I'd guess.

[crl]

Once a week here too. He does get in the pool twice a week for swim class and we have to shower before and I make him shower after to rinse the cholorine water off. But even when we aren't swimming he still takes a "real" shower just once a week.

[confustication]

We pretty much stick to every other day. I want her to be used to that sort of a habit because as she gets older she'll need more frequent showers- she also gets a scary mop head without a regular scrubbing. :P

[ramama]

Once a week for cleanliness, sometimes closer to two weeks. If they ask to take a bath, they can, and since DD1 is learning to swim, she likes to get in the tub and practice putting her head under water. But *I* scrub them down about once a week.

During the summer, much more often than that for DD1 because she runs around the neighborhood all day every day and does play in the mud!

[LaLaLaLa]

We do baths every night, but not usually with soap. Soap maybe once a week? The bath is the first step in our bedtime winding-down routine, though, so it's more about sleepy signals than cleanliness in our house.

[Whistler]

We do baths every other night but in reading this I wonder if we can extend it a bit?

[sbgrace]

We've got allergies and one kid has asthma related to that so we do a bath anytime we've been outside that day right before bed. So spring to fall it's almost every day it seems.

Otherwise just whenever we seem to need it clean wise. If we've not been outside due to rain (or in winter when the outdoor allergens aren't a factor) I don't know...3 or 4 days average I think. By a week I think hair here looks sort of dirty no matter what we've done/not done.

[cyncyn]

Every few days or as needed. Not really on a schedule. Maybe with soap once a week. If I notice a smell, it is automatically bath night
We may need to do a nightly foot wash this summer if she is running around barefoot a lot.

[hottmama]

My 6yo has some BO going on so when his armpits are stinky, it's bathtime, but usually in the summer they are dirty enough to need baths every day-- they get covered head-to-toe in dirt, face, feet, arms, legs, it's just obvious that they need it.

[Vancouver Mommy]

DD is nearly 4 and I bathe her pretty infrequently in the winter. Mostly if she wants a bath, or as others have mentioned, when she stinks. In the summer it's a lot more often as she is often covered with sunscreen, sweat and not-so-thin layer of dust and/or watermelon.

[cuttiebearmom]

Another once a week around here too. Glad I'm not alone. I've gotten some funny looks for that response before!

This time of year when we are doing a lot of gardening and their is a lot of playing in the brook but not much actual swimming yet it will often be 2x a week. I'll wash their hands feet a million times though right now! In my dreams there is an outside shower faucet where the hose is in the back of my house by the sunroom door that you can just run through for 30 seconds. Can't you see it there? I can!

[4Marmalade]

We try for twice a week here. Now that spring has arrived we'll see how dirty everyone gets.

[Amylcd]

Daily (mostly just playing in the water), a true bath about 3 times a week.

[Gentle~Mommy :)]

Every day in our house, we have a large tub with jets, the boys love it and all kinds of toys - it's really more like a swimming pool for them than getting clean. We have all kinds of little boats and toys and it gives me a break as they entertain each other.

[pinksprklybarefoot]

Huh. Maybe I am expecting too much. I try to get both kids a bath twice a week. More if they are dirty.

I, for the life of me, could not figure out why my stepdaughter's mom seldom gives her a bath when she is there (she lives with us one week, then her mom the next with the odd extra day or two at our house). She arrived yesterday with greasy, matted hair again and told me that she didn't have a bath all week. But if her mom subscribes to the once-a-week theory, then that would explain it. She could just leave all of the baths up to our house.

[4evermom]

Once a weekish. Ds likes more baths in winter (to warm up). I've been trying to up the baths lately because of seasonal allergies. In the summer, I ask that he wash his feet before bed if they look dirty.