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How often does your 4 year old bathe?

Poll Results: How often does your 4 year old bathe?

 
  • 14% (22)
    Every day
  • 16% (25)
    Every other day
  • 40% (62)
    2-3 times a week
  • 20% (32)
    Once a week
  • 7% (12)
    Other
153 Total Votes  
post #1 of 63
10/17/10 at 4:30pm
Thread Starter 
DH and I are having debates about this. Just curious what others are doing.
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post #2 of 63
10/17/10 at 4:40pm
Mine gets a soak every day, for about 15 - 20 minutes, while I sit down and relax after the day (laptop on lap while I sit on the toilet). She just washes with water, no soap or shampoo. It's part of their bedtime routine.

I only shampoo, condition and oil her once a week, on Sunday. She could probably go with bathing once a week but I feel it's relaxing and it freshens her up a bit. I don't think soap every day is healthy but water is fine.
post #3 of 63
10/17/10 at 4:42pm
My 4 year old takes 2-3 baths a week on average. Sometimes she will take one daily if she's on a playing in the tub kick. And of course if she gets filthy she will bathe right then. I aim for washing her hair once a week.
post #4 of 63
10/17/10 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdnaMarie View Post
Mine gets a soak every day, for about 15 - 20 minutes, while I sit down and relax after the day (laptop on lap while I sit on the toilet). She just washes with water, no soap or shampoo. It's part of their bedtime routine.

I only shampoo, condition and oil her once a week, on Sunday. She could probably go with bathing once a week but I feel it's relaxing and it freshens her up a bit. I don't think soap every day is healthy but water is fine.
That's pretty much exactly what we do. I also think daily soap is too much.
post #5 of 63
10/17/10 at 4:46pm
2-3 times a week, more if necessary. I don't have a 4 yr old, so I answered based on my 3 and 5 yr olds.
post #6 of 63
10/17/10 at 5:08pm
I said once a week, but I actually can't remember when she had a bath or shower last. I guess she's due! I figure if I can't tell by looking or smelling her that she needs washed, then it must not be too pressing. Her skin and hair are lovely.
post #7 of 63
10/17/10 at 5:12pm
In the summer, every day. But in the winter, every other day (unless we go outside or the museum or something).
post #8 of 63
10/17/10 at 5:35pm
2-3 times a week. She's a messy girl and needs rinsing more often than her older sister did at the age of four. However, I never use soap otherwise it will dry out their skin and only rarely use vinegar/baking soda if there is sticky anything stuck in the hair, otherwise, no hair washing. I sometimes use my conditioner, maybe once a week, on their hair when I'm too tired to comb their hair after bathing before we go to bed.
post #9 of 63
10/17/10 at 5:48pm
It varied depending on the child and the season. Wintertime, kids playing inside in the cool house, not getting very sweaty or dirty; once a week might have been enough. Other weeks they'd get 2 or 3 baths if they got dirtier. In warmer weather they needed baths daily, especially after playing outside barefoot or in sandals.
post #10 of 63
10/17/10 at 5:52pm
DD is 3.5 and she usually bathes 3 times a week, sometimes 4. Often she just hops in the shower with me and sits on the bottom. Lately she isn't interested in bathing at all. We probably actually wash her hair (with a natural shampoo) about once a month or so.

I am hoping once her little sister can sit in the tub she they can bathe each night and give me a break!
post #11 of 63
10/17/10 at 6:01pm
our almost 5 yo dd bathes every day, sometimes more than once. we suspect that she may have SPD, so we have been using baths as a way of "resetting" since she was a baby.

she only uses soap if she's actually dirty from playing outside or eating or some such thing. we wash her hair rarely, maybe 1-2 times per month. i know it sounds gross, but she has short hair and we brush everyday. it never looks or feels greasy, and we never see her scratching her head or complaining that it itches.

oh, i have taught her to wash her yoni and butt with soap everyday, even if the rest of her body doesn't need soap.

eta: we use essential oil aromathehrapy in her baths everyday too. she loves it, it makes the whole house smell lovely, and really helps with her mood. i also wanted to add that she loves to sit in the bathtub with the shower on. it allows her a different feeling and is the technique we use when she needs a good washing. it also gives her a longer time with the warm water than she would have in a bath.
post #12 of 63
10/17/10 at 6:19pm
Twice a week in the winter.

As needed in the summer which means almost everyday unless it's been bad weather and she hasn't been playing outside.
post #13 of 63
10/17/10 at 6:33pm
Everyone in our household is expected to shower, with soap, daily, regardless of season or activity level. On rare, and I mean RARE, occasions in the winter, one of us may skip one day. Occasionally, I skip shampooing for one day. This is if I am in a huge rush, or if my hair just happens to look really good and I don't want to mess with it. The boys have very short hair and so it's no hardship for them to shampoo daily. So right since birth they have been washed with soap (Bronner's Baby Mild) on a daily basis. Anything less is just yucky.
post #14 of 63
10/17/10 at 7:07pm
My dd is now seven, but she has bathed every day of her life with soap (and shampoo once she was old enough to move beyond baby soap) with very few exceptions.
post #15 of 63
10/17/10 at 8:33pm
My little one gets a bath just about every night - if not to clean her but to give me some quiet time. She plays and I sit and read or knit.
post #16 of 63
10/17/10 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cjam View Post
Twice a week in the winter.

As needed in the summer which means almost everyday unless it's been bad weather and she hasn't been playing outside.
This our routine as well. Of course everything is subject to change based on current needs.
post #17 of 63
10/17/10 at 9:01pm
I said once a week. She really could use bathing more often, but it's such a tremendous battle that I don't fight it any more than absolutely necessary.
post #18 of 63
10/17/10 at 10:57pm
We use magnesium baths, so he'll have magnesium soak every 1-2 days, but I only use soap once a week. If not for the magnesium we'd do once a week.

I think kids and adults alike are over-cleansed!

We also don't trust the water, even with a bath ball, so I like to minimize his exposure. Hoping to drop the magnesium baths back to 2x week soon.
post #19 of 63
10/17/10 at 11:50pm
it's a shower, with soap to wash feet, hands and butt only. also quick shampoo with conditioner on hair. and teeth brushed during shower. and it's playtime, and a transition to bedtime.
post #20 of 63
10/18/10 at 1:14am
Once a week full bath or shower is routine.

Depending on what they're doing, they may get tossed in the shower (after rolling in the mud) or soak their butt (after a bed-wetting incident) in an inch of warm water. In the summer they get a foot bath every night, since they run around barefoot.

My dh is African, so my kids have that quick-drying skin, and my skin is pretty dry too. If they had a proper bath or a full shower every day, we'd have skin issues.

ETA: None of us are rank, gross, or smelly, either.
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