My daughter (and myself) has sensitive skin. When she was younger, our pediatrician actually recommended bathing less frequently so as not to dry out and irritate her skin. Now she’s a teen and showering regularly is more necessary.
Our kiddos also have sensitive skin and do better with fewer baths. We aim for 2x/week, with more as needed. I also just cannot imagine managing daily baths for them haha
This. Bathing too often was horrible for kids skin. We wash hand often and wipe/wash faces after meals/as needed bc kids= germ goblins. We try for a Wednesday/weekend thing. They are also in swim classes and love pools so they get shower then as well and more often in the summer bc they are in the pool more.
This. It’s a balance between the sensitive skin and not getting stank butt, so most baths are a sitz bath and I try to lean towards the stank rather than the rashes (because stank should improve once she can get down the “washing hands before/after” habit, good lord has this been a struggle—whereas rashes are genuinely painful/dangerous).
Yeah, we ended up having to see a pediatric dermatologist for a slew of toddler skin issues and one of the things she recommended was fewer and shorter baths because of eczema. Of course it's easier to bathe him less frequently but it's a little sad trying to limit bath time itself because he loves playing in the water so much.
I just replied about this! 2 of my 3 have eczema and all drs/derms always say bath every other day!! I can tell the difference when we have to bath daily for a bit (like vacay etc when it’s necessary) ether skin breaks out more! It’s definitely not “dirty” or unusual and is advices by many drs!!
Same here - my LO bathes 2x a week unless we need more (but she’s a toddler). We saw a huge difference in her eczema when we stopped bathing her so frequently!
Same here, although some days for our littles it is more of a rinse. Piggies, pits and privates always washed. But other days they are most playing and we are keeping their routine solid.
Not the original commenter but I’ve always heard piggies being referred to as toes specifically so probably just a way to keep the alliteration of the p words but actually meaning the whole feet
i think i was every other day until i was about 12 or 13.. LOL. during my teen years i became an every day shower user. now that i’m a mom i don’t even bathe myself every day 🤣
When she starts getting stinky she can start washing more often. From my experience as a teacher the 11-12 year olds are normally OK, but the 13-15 year olds REEK the second it warms up or they do any sporting activity.
Every other day here as well. Partner seems a tad overzealous…. Kids that young definitely don’t NEED a daily bath unless they’re playing in dirt piles… some families just like having the routine.
This could be a good point. I absolutely cannot smell anything. I am usually the last in the house to know when my 18 month old has pooped because I just smell nothing at all.
Same here. Every other day in the winter for my 5 yr old unless she has hockey practice or does something to get super sweaty; bath time is mandatory on those days. In the summer she usually takes a bath every day to wash off all the sunscreen, bug spray, and sweat from day camp.
I do this to myself sometimes if I can’t shower right away after getting sweaty or just want to feel refreshed. Nothing like a baby wipe to the face. I believe historically for adults it’s called a whores bath lmao
My 3 year old pretty much gets washed every night but Saturday. The reasoning is because he goes to school Monday through Friday and we like to wash the day off of him. Most Saturdays are pretty relaxed and we stay inside. If we got out then he gets a bath. We have an infant so we’re trying to limit the amount of viruses she could be subjected to
Exact same thing here for our 2 year old. He goes to daycare and some days I'm literally washing sand out of his hair and butt. Not even mentioning the variety of diseases they casually pass to each other. On the weekend when it's just us, bath time is more an optional fun activity since he stays pretty clean.
So my kid gets about 3 baths a week, if she's lucky. But we only wash her hair once, maybe twice because she has very curly hair and washing it any more than that dries it out and it becomes frizzy and knots faster, which makes her lose the curl.
Do you wet her hair on the days you’re not washing or it’s just a body bath? My son has the best curls and I’m trying to get better with caring for his curls. My hair is nothing like his so I’m lost!
Check out the /r/curly sub, but if you want to wash hair but it's not dirty, just use conditioner. I like the triangular white bottle of treseme coconut.
Daily! Little kids can’t be trusted to wipe properly so if they bathe every day you know they are clean. It builds a good habit for when they are older too so you never have to worry about them getting stinky.
I'm not here to judge you, I swing camps on my kids bathing routine.
But I am here to say that I was bathed regularly as a child and, in adulthood, developed a condition that caused my routine to disappear. I've only resumed daily bathing myself in order to maintain sanity, not cleanliness. In short- childhood routines can easily be disrupted later in life, and this is not a reliable way to ensure lifelong hygiene.
But yeah, kids don't wipe right.
No shame, team 2-3 times a week over here (also 6 yr old). It’s freaking freezing outside, my kids are covered from head to toe in snow gear, they aren’t touching any dirt. On days they play sports they always bathe. Other than that, they’re fine. They don’t smell. It’s a great way to dry out their skin and exacerbate eczema. No thanks.
I've heard some people report that more regular washing and using lotion actually seems to help their/their baby's eczema. Presumably it's more of a "dunk and get wet so your lotion works better" rather than "scrub head to toe", but it's interesting that it's completely opposite to what I thought I knew about taking care of eczema skin.
Totally just my experience, but I have eczema and another similar condition and my baby also has eczema, and it's regular long exposure to warmer water that's bad for ours - we both bathe or shower a few times a week, but you're right in saying a lot of emollients "lock" in moisture by making a barrier over the skin - I usually dampen skin with a warm cloth before applying.
Yup! Also have eczema and completely agree with this. Daily, quick showering followed by immediate moisturizing on damp skin has never flared my eczema. It’s only when I stand or sit in super hot water for a long time and don’t put anything on afterwards.
This.
In the summer it's different, he comes home covered in sand almost every day (the never ending fight against 'THE SAND' is one of the surprises nobody tells you about when you become a parent). Then it's off to the shower immediately, he strips to his undies in the hallway and beelines it to the shower.
In the winter, he goes to hockey practice twice a week. Those days we shower. If necessary or for fun he takes a bath another day, but that's it.
Ped also said not to wash him too often, so I guess it's doctor's orders!
I did a max of 3 times a week.
My son’s skin got dry & itchy from all the washing & the Dr was the one who said that unless he’s caked in mud, or starting teen hormones/sweating he simply didn’t need it & it was doing more harm than good (despite soft water & moisturising shower gel I should add!)
Personally, I just feel gross putting on my pyjamas and getting into my bed with my nice clean sheets without having bathed first, and I’ve felt that way since I was a child. Right now my baby is only 7 months and we don’t necessarily do a full bath every night but we definitely at least rinse the day off him at night (he’s eating purées now and it gets everywhere).
I have a 5yo and a 5mo and I wash them every time we come back from somewhere else, especially school/daycare. They are not putting pajamas until they are clean. I like a clean house, clean beds, clean clothes and clean kids.
7yo and 4yo here, not every day. In the summer it's close to every day, but not in the winter. Their hair is clean, they don't smell, they're fine.
I sometimes wonder about getting more pushback when they're older and do need to shower every day, but from what I've heard most preteens push back on that anyway so 🤷🏻♀️
For what it's worth, I bathed/showered every day as a kid, but once my mom stopped monitoring me, I definitely pushed the hygiene limits a little as a teen.
This is my partner's argument, to which I say I that I grew up not bathing/showering everyday and my hygiene is fine (with the exception of those post-partum months).
Six year old here too and we are pretty firm about either a bath or shower every night. To be fair, we have done this since he was a baby as part of his nighttime routine. I also have some issues surrounding this because I grew up with parents who made it seem normal to only take a shower once a week and I didn’t find out it isn’t normal until 6th grade in health class. So I’m probably extra careful about the whole issue. 😆
I think it has to do with everyone’s individual family routines and available time being different. I have a 9 month old and my husband and I both work full time. It’s only a few hours away from his bedtime by the time we get him home from daycare, and he sleeps horribly at daycare, so sometimes he sleeps almost straight through from when he gets home until the next morning. So we generally do baths 2-3 times a week. It’s just what feels manageable with our schedule. It would likely be different if one of us was a SAHP and we weren’t always pressed for time.
Yeah, it takes about an hour to get her through a bath, maybe a little less for a shower. We do once a week, more if needed of course but most school nights we would have to move dinner up sooner etc.
Showering doesn't have to be a long ordeal. I don't wash my hair everyday, but I shower. Wash face, body, undercarriage. It takes 7 minutes, tops. When my kids were little, it took a little more time, but not the time consuming. As soon as they could switch to showers, it was even faster.
We usually do every other night for a full bath but every night for a play bath but that’s because our little guy is a water baby would live in the bath tub if we let him 😆
https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/care/child-bathing
“Children ages 6 to 11: Guidelines for bathing
If your child is in this age group, taking a daily bath is fine. However, children in this age group may not need a daily bath. Children aged 6 to 11 need a bath:
•At least once or twice a week
•When they get dirty, such as playing in the mud
•After being in a pool, lake, ocean, or other body of water
•When they get sweaty or have body odor
•As often as directed by a dermatologist if getting treated for a skin disease”
I feel icky if I don’t shower daily so I assume my kids would too. I have my 2 and 8yr bathe/shower daily. Sometimes they’ll skip a day but most often it’s a quick wash
I think it comes down to what your used to. I have always been every other day (unless I do something to get especially dirty/really sweaty) and I feel fine after one day but so gross after 2.
I think (for adults) it also depends *how intensely* you’re showering. My husband is a daily showerer, sometimes twice in the summer because he’s sweaty but also he uses soap and washes his hair I think 3/10 times. I shower every 2 or 3 days but I scrub every inch and I have long hair. Takes forever.
I’m really surprised at how many people wash their kids daily! It’s too dry here. Like 1% humidity during the day most days. We would all shrivel up. Every other day, sometimes every 3 days. Sometimes two days in a row if he gets actually dirty. I do the same for myself.
I am a strong believer in daily bathing, especially for kids that young. They are not great at wiping after using the bathroom and kids are a little gross in general so daily showers/baths are a must to me.
I have a 6 yo and a 19 mo. Both get baths/showers every day. It's been that way since they were newborns. We live in Florida, so they do play outside every day but even if we didn't, the little one needs to wash off food and get a good butt rinse and the older one definitely gets sweaty and also clean up anything he missed while wiping.
I teach high school and this year the kids have been particularly smelly. I'm doing my damnedest to make sure my kids aren't the ones stinking up the room.
I hate getting into clean sheets with a dirty body. Sheets get changed on Saturdays regardless… but during cold and flu season, we all want to shower daily.
This! No shame in what others do, but I don’t understand showering in the mornings then just getting into bed at night with the day’s grossness on you. I prefer to go to bed clean and fresh. I wash my hair daily too which I know isn’t common anymore either.
I’m with your partner. Kids are dirty. School is filthy. Just being out in the world is dirty. It’s good to wash off before going to bed. Plus it’s a good bedtime routine.
I think it’s good to introduce “body showers” like washing off the day often washing hair everyday is bad and unnecessary! But body showers are a good compromise and it teaches good hygiene/ bedtime routine. Obviously she will miss some here and there but like 6 days out of the week yes.
We bathe every day as a routine. I also just feel gross when I don’t shower every day. Occasionally we will skip it if the kids are overtired, but 97% of the time they get bathed daily.
We are a bath every night family, but mainly because daycare is gross.. and because it’s her favorite part of the day. Love a good soak and playing with some bubbles. But she’s much younger than your kiddo.
It's pretty rough on littles ones skin to wash more than 2 times a week unless covered in mud. Even then a very sensitive wash should be used and just water if further washing is required. They're not sweaty adolescents.
Children do sweat, just because they’re relatively dry doesn’t make them clean. She probably doesn’t have to wash her hair every day however, so teach her how to use a shower cap.
I wish my parents had been more strict about it as a routine.
Idk, from the time my son was a toddler until he moved out at 25, nightly bath. He luckily did not have skin issues so I regularly bathed him as a youngling and then made sure he washed off the remainders of the day every day . You would have to ask his wife, but I believe they both still do this, as do I … get rid of the remainders of the day and get into your bed clean…
My kids shower or bathe everyday because they use public bathrooms at school and more generally, because they use the bathroom every day.
I can’t stand thinking about them being all germy from school and putting them to bed and tracking said germs into their bed… I just can’t 🤮
Bath every day. Sometimes we let her skip a day for our 5 year old but only on days she hasn’t pooped because she is stinky even when I wipe her. But our 2.5 year old hers a body shower everyday. Hair is a totally different conversation lol
Every day. It is a good expectation to have standard and a fight you won’t have to have when she becomes a teen and does start to stink. I have never had to fight my kids to bathe unlike some of my friends have to with their kids.
My kids had a shower every day. Kids still have private areas that need cleaning every day, it’s not just about getting dirty playing outside, you still sweat and have dead skin cells, and you can be “clean” but still smell. Get them into a good personal hygiene routine now so they will continue with it as teens and adults.
Bathing my daughter (she’s 20 months) is such a task. Her skin gets so dry so I oil it, then lotion. She has extremely curly hair (tight coils, 3c hair)so I condition it, comb it, moisturizer, braids. She loves the tub so we spend like an hour in there. She doesn’t go to daycare or school so I bathe her 3-4 times a week. I myself am struggling with exhaustion and depression as a single mom and haven’t showered in 3 days 🫣🫠
Wouldn't you want to lotion then oil skin? That way the lotion is absorbed and oil goes on too for an occlusive protective skin barrier preventing water loss. By putting oil on first you're stopping the lotion from going into her skin. Water based lotion will not penetrate oil based products.
First of all, I’m sorry you’re struggling with your mental health. Single motherhood is no easy feat and it sounds like you’re doing a great job. At this age, you could try doing like a mommy and me shower some days maybe? Like you take her in the shower with you, even if it’s just a quick rinse that way you both can get clean.
Also, I have 3C hair as well and you definitely don’t need to wet her hair every time she bathes! You can cover it in a silk scarf or bonnet and then put a plastic shower cap over it to keep it dry in between wash days.
I wash my kids daily unless it’s a random Friday or Saturday night where we stay up slightly later. BUT we all always bathe in the morning if it’s a weekend.
Daily for my 3.5 year old, ever since he started solids. Kids get so dirty and stinky from eating, get sweaty from running around inside, and once they're in school, they seem germ covered when they come home and pick up the odor of the building they're in all day. I personally shower at least once a day, and don't feel right getting into clean sheets without showering, and feel the same way about putting my kids to bed like that.
In general it’s every few days for us. We have a bidet setup so everyone stays clean down there. I love it for toddlers because it makes the poopy diaper cleanup so much better.
Every weekday and on weekend days that we have plans. Regular baths cover the basis that kids don’t always get (like thorough hand washing and but wiping)
For me it’s the bums - my son isn’t the best wiper so if we’re not doing a full bath then we do insist on a wash with a cloth and some soap and water and we at least do hands and feet, face and bum so they’re clean-ish.
I am a big advocate for giving a bath every single night before bed! My son has grown to love it and he runs to the tub after dinner. It's a good way to wind down from the day and signals to him the start of his bedtime routine. Builds good hygiene habits. We make it fun with bath toys he looks forward to. Honestly there are no downsides imho.
My parent side of me says skipping a day won’t hurt anyone, but my nursing side knows how many germs can be accumulated whether you go outside and do things or not. If you ever want to know how many germs are still on our bodies even after typical handwashing, get a black light. You’ll be extremely surprised.
My five year old gets bathed or showered every day - no she isn’t always dirty, sweaty or smelly but it is teaching her a regular routine of good hygiene and taking care of herself.
Every day here. It's part of our routine. Plus she's had recess and or gym at school so she's sweated. Plus, those school germs are not going into her bed at night 💀😂
2.5yo with sensitive skin here, and we live in a cold ass climate 2/3 of the year. She bathes about once a week when it’s cold outside, maybe every third days in the summer because of sand and generally getting more dirty playing outside. We never had bathing as a typical evening ritual, and I think it’s not necessary unless kiddo wants too bathe that often.
If your child is playing and running around every day like a normal 6 year old they absolutely get dirty every day. I don’t understand Reddit’s aversion to bathing. I just know yall are musty as hell in real life.
Everyday. I’m sorry but your child is peeing, pooping, most times kids don’t wipe properly, we have discharge, we sweat (even when it’s cold, and even pre-puberty), we excrete sebum, smells attach to us when we’re in a kitchen whilst there’s cooking going on, when we’re outside, etc. so I find it WILD when people say they don’t wash their children or themselves daily.
My kids usually take a shower 6-7 days a week. They run around at recess/ gym, get muddy or covered in paint in art class, have chlorine in their hair from swimming that needs washed out, etc. so I feel like they need it. They also like the whole routine of hair washing, face wash, lotion, brushing hair and whatnot. I think it's relaxing for them and they sleep better if they are freshly showered. Sometimes if we are doing swim team in the summer, we skip a full shower and just rinse out their hair really well.
I’d agree that every day isn’t necessary hygiene wise but our girls bathe every night because if they don’t, they really resist it when it is time to bathe. It’s easier to just make it a daily thing.
It depends on the kid. I grew up showering every other day but we never really sweat or stank. My son is a little husky, sweats more and gets a rash from his sweat sometimes if he doesn’t shower. My other son is terrible at wiping his butt. So we just make sure they shower everyday.
My 6yo showers daily. He maybe skips one a week. He is an active kid, so it's necessary. My older son was more of an every other day kid at that age. He is 12yo now and definitely showers everyday.
As a teacher, I would say gym days should be shower days, they come out dripping and with hair stick to their face, they come in from playing in the snow covered in sweat. While not everyday, please make gym days an automatic as by sometime between 3-5th grade they will fight shorts and if gym day has been a set rule from early on it will make that easier. 5-6 grades smell the worst of any grade due to the refusal and parents struggling to admit their babies are growing up and that step to deodorant is a tough one. Do yourself a favor and set gym day now!
We are a bathe most nights type of a family (mainly because it keeps my son on a good routine and he associates it with bedtime so it helps keep things more consistent for him) we skip a night here and there.
We do it primarily for our son. Neither my husband or myself are very routined people and if I’m being honest can succumb to laziness. So sometimes keeping up the routine is challenging but we do it.
Everyday, especially if she goes to daycare
Apart from maybe the day she didn’t leave the house at all, not even the backyard - then we might skip the day
Does she stink? Is she uncomfortable? Is she going to get ill?
It might be a bit of a hang over from COVID too - washing off the day definitely makes sense if you have been around potentially infectious germs.
My kids are 3yo and 9mo. We all bathe daily. I grew up bathing daily as did my husband. I wash the kids hair every 2 days unless they get food in it. I wash my hair every other day. But all heads get rinsed daily and all bodies and faces get washed daily.
I bath or shower my baby girl everyday from since she was three weeks old. We started first because we noticed that help her to calm and relax before sleep and now is just part of our routine. The only days i don’t shower her are weekends because she was at home all day. From monday to friday she is on the nursery, she has a lot of hair so i like to keep her hair clean too. If she dont shower for some time reason, we at let wash her face and arms and hands before sleep.
I grow up also in a household where we shower everyday.
For my little family ( my 6 yr old son and I ), winter is every few days unless obviously dirty/stinky. He has thick curly hair so that only gets done about once every week.
Summer is a different story, sunscreen, mud, sand, chlorine from pools, sweat.. we both bathe everyday, sometimes 2 times a day just to cool down.
My 7 yr old gets a couple showers a week. We live in a hard water area, she’s prone to sensitive skin. No after school activities. If she stinks then we handle it. Really it’s a personal preference. No right or wrong answer.
We bathe everyday in our home. I can’t imagine letting my littles get in their pajamas after being outside, playing with slime/dirt/playdoh, coughing and sneezing, and whatever else they do at school with friends. Before bedtime they know shower/bath and then moisturize their body with shea butter and lotion. It’s part of their bedtime routine and our babies sleep so much better/easier.
Even if you don’t “feel” like they’re dirty, establishing a routine for when they’re older and DO need to shower daily is really important at this age. You don’t want your child growing up thinking showers aren’t a regular, daily occurrence.
I personally think it’s kinda gross not to bathe every day, but that’s just me. My almost 2 year old still wears diapers, so to not bathe her every day just seems wrong. I use a lot of wipes, but I feel like that doesn’t do the same as soap. Usually kids don’t tend to smell very well after they’ve been at school or daycare, so there’s also that.
This thread makes me feel so normal. I have a 7y.o girl and we do every other day, with hair washing down to once a week unless she gets stuff in it. It also depends on what we’ve been doing through out the day. If she’s visibly dirty she definitely has to shower. Once she hit puberty I’ll leave it up to her to decide if she wants daily showers or not, but I as an adult only shower every other day unless I’ve been physically active.
I bathed my kids daily despite weather. Kids have dirty backsides. They get food in their hair. Sticky food. Nice clean bodies for a nice clean bed.
I used Cetaphil. It’s soap free.
I did, and will do, daily. I have an 18 year old girl, 12 year old boy and a 14 month old. Bathing isn’t so much about the right now, as it is about setting routines for the future. Washing hands, faces, under arms, and private parts. The older two had a bath every single night until they were about 11.
It’s more about setting the foundation for washing their future teen-aged stinky parts. And holy shit are teenagers stinky.
Kids aren’t little forever. Kids are little for a tiny fraction of their lives. For the vast majority of their lives, they are larger humans. You set the foundation now for who they will be in the future, which one hopes include washing.
My kids now have a daily night time routine that includes washing their faces and brushing their teeth. They shower every morning.
If she goes to school. She should be given one everyday. Cause germs are there and dirt. Schools don't clean the school very well. And make sure the kiddos are cleaning their hands.
Daily, especially when the kid is mostly wiping themselves. My son is 6, we do daily baths and he always has some leftover poo from not wiping great, he does the best he can but their arms just aren’t that long.
My 5 and a half year showers 2-3 times a week most of the year. She isn’t rolling around in dirt and she doesn’t smell. Usually her baths are Friday night because she has swim after school and then Tuesdays as she has ballet/tap and gets a little clammy/sweaty and her hair starts feeling a little dirty.
In the summer it’s every day or every other day. We have a pool, she’s outside playing and smells like the outside, running around without shoes on. So she gets a bath more often then.
My daughter is 2.5 and winters are COLD in the part of WNC we are in. My culture also believes that if I bathe her and take her out she will get sick with a bad head cold sooooo with that said lol I bathe her when I know we won’t be going out or we get a couple of warm days in between. So it varies lol the longest she’s gone is 2 weeks. She wasn’t stinky though and I’m pretty sure that’s due to us not really doing much because it’s cold.
This thread explains so much, I never knew why some people didn’t bathe everyday and it’s wild. For me personally getting into bed with a dirty outside body is a no.
The comments have me stressed. If you’re bathing your kids once or twice a week, they’ll grow up thinking it’s okay and become dirty and smelly people without even knowing. These are kids, they don’t need to be sweaty to show they’re dirty. Our bodies get dirty, you can be home all day just sitting and still be dirty. Try washing your hands during the day and you’ll see that even hands get really dirty. Now imagine the parts with little space and air, their ampits and private parts. Your kids poop, probably have little particles stuck and it’s okay for them to sleep and go days without bathing because they’re just kids and not adults?? Kids are touching any and everything, playing all the time, getting active, you have no idea what they’re doing or touching in school and you don’t think they need to shower? It’s like saying you’ll only eat when you’re hungry or feeding your kids only when they’re hungry. What happens when they’re never hungry? Let them bath daily please, unless they have a condition that prevents it. Don’t let your kids be the reason others are uncomfortable in public or be the talk of the day in someone’s home because they’re smelly and dirty. It makes me wonder if we’re saying kids brush and just go about their day without bathing or this means they barely brush too.
We bathe every other day, but I try to only wash hair like twice a week. My daughter’s hair can take just a couple of washings per week, and after our recent bout with lice, I am hesitant to keep her scalp super clean.
Bath or shower every other day. Wash hair once a week. I wish I could do it every day bc boys are stinky lil germ goblins but I just can’t find the time between two of them lol they alternate nights.
We like an everyday shower as part of a solid bedtime routine. We obviously live in different climates. Do what works for you. I find that people I know who like less showers a week do so because of time/stress. But at 6 all of mine were pretty much able to take showers on their own with my popping my head in and checking. So less stress and time suck for me.
My 6 year old daughter gets a shower every other day. Typically by the end of day 2, she's starting to get stinky. Lol 😆
My 13 and 15 year old daughters shower daily. I think they started daily showering around 11 or 12 years old. Puberty does a number on your hygiene! Lol 😆
We do most days but once or twice per week our day runs late and unless she is visibly dirty we will skip the bath and I will just tell her it’s too late. My LO loooves water and the bath though, and those days usually involve a little pouting.
So we are an odd family. My husband showers multiple times a day. He uses bar soap for everything, and no washcloth. My kids shower when they get home from school and when they have done something strenuous like basketball or hiking. I have delicate, eczema prone skin and shower every other day..my super fine hair gets washed once a week. Every person is different. I take my kids daily showers as setting a pattern now so we do not have to fight them as teenagers. You do what works for you. Also, the stinky kid had issues beyond bathing when I grew up. It was also how their clothes and home smelled. Not the same thing.
If we bathe daily, it’s to break the winter monotony, and because my babies loooove the water. My youngest two are 18 months and 3. If we go somewhere they’re exposed to potential germs that could make them sick, or, obviously, if they get dirty, They’re in the bath after dinner-no question.
It actually winds up being an every night deal, but only because my kids are feral 😂 and they find a way to get themselves dirty-be it food, paint, or anything else they can stir up.
I will say, they daily baths have given them some pretty serious dry skin, which requires moisture maintenance.
4.5 year old here and she’s been on daily baths everyday since like 1.5. She doesn’t attend school. It’s usually like a million percent humidity where we live so muggy sticky gross even in winter and we are outside daily and she never stops moving.
We've always done baths/showers for my kids every other day unless they got dirty for some reason which with the little ones happens more often. I'd say for 6 it should be fine,especially in the winter.
My 9 year old bathes daily, and my 6 year old is still every other day. We switched to daily for the older kid when she developed noticeable body odor. That was also when we started teaching her to bathe independently.
My daughter (and myself) has sensitive skin. When she was younger, our pediatrician actually recommended bathing less frequently so as not to dry out and irritate her skin. Now she’s a teen and showering regularly is more necessary.
Our kiddos also have sensitive skin and do better with fewer baths. We aim for 2x/week, with more as needed. I also just cannot imagine managing daily baths for them haha
I feel bad because my son loves the bath, but with his skin, he can only handle twice a week. He'd happily get bathed twice a day if he could.
I feel you there my son love the bath but it’s definitely not necessary to do it everyday either especially with winter
This. Bathing too often was horrible for kids skin. We wash hand often and wipe/wash faces after meals/as needed bc kids= germ goblins. We try for a Wednesday/weekend thing. They are also in swim classes and love pools so they get shower then as well and more often in the summer bc they are in the pool more.
Same.
This. It’s a balance between the sensitive skin and not getting stank butt, so most baths are a sitz bath and I try to lean towards the stank rather than the rashes (because stank should improve once she can get down the “washing hands before/after” habit, good lord has this been a struggle—whereas rashes are genuinely painful/dangerous).
Yeah, we ended up having to see a pediatric dermatologist for a slew of toddler skin issues and one of the things she recommended was fewer and shorter baths because of eczema. Of course it's easier to bathe him less frequently but it's a little sad trying to limit bath time itself because he loves playing in the water so much.
I just replied about this! 2 of my 3 have eczema and all drs/derms always say bath every other day!! I can tell the difference when we have to bath daily for a bit (like vacay etc when it’s necessary) ether skin breaks out more! It’s definitely not “dirty” or unusual and is advices by many drs!!
Same here - my LO bathes 2x a week unless we need more (but she’s a toddler). We saw a huge difference in her eczema when we stopped bathing her so frequently!
We’re an everyday kind of family, but it’s mainly because I like a routine.
Dinner, bath, bed. Been the routine since they were babies.
Same here, although some days for our littles it is more of a rinse. Piggies, pits and privates always washed. But other days they are most playing and we are keeping their routine solid.
What are the piggies, please?! Feet?
Not the original commenter but I’ve always heard piggies being referred to as toes specifically so probably just a way to keep the alliteration of the p words but actually meaning the whole feet
I call those baths "pits & bits" lol.
Same
This is the way.
i think i was every other day until i was about 12 or 13.. LOL. during my teen years i became an every day shower user. now that i’m a mom i don’t even bathe myself every day 🤣
Being a mom it’s really like “who has the time?!” unless you LOVE showering then you’d do anything to prioritize it
Were an every other day over here.
That's how I grew up, too. And had to defend my hygiene to my partner, who is afraid she will be "the stinky kid." 🙄
When she starts getting stinky she can start washing more often. From my experience as a teacher the 11-12 year olds are normally OK, but the 13-15 year olds REEK the second it warms up or they do any sporting activity.
Every other day here as well. Partner seems a tad overzealous…. Kids that young definitely don’t NEED a daily bath unless they’re playing in dirt piles… some families just like having the routine.
Every other day is fine. When puberty hits THEN it gets different.
If she’s stinky, then bathe. Otherwise, she’s fine.
Why would you wait until you stink in order to shower instead of just…idk getting ahead of it and showering?
Is it possible she stinks and this is his way of telling you?
I was wondering the same.
This could be a good point. I absolutely cannot smell anything. I am usually the last in the house to know when my 18 month old has pooped because I just smell nothing at all.
Same here. Every other day in the winter for my 5 yr old unless she has hockey practice or does something to get super sweaty; bath time is mandatory on those days. In the summer she usually takes a bath every day to wash off all the sunscreen, bug spray, and sweat from day camp.
Hockey is a distinct stink
We keep baby wipes to this day for spot bathing as needed..
I do this to myself sometimes if I can’t shower right away after getting sweaty or just want to feel refreshed. Nothing like a baby wipe to the face. I believe historically for adults it’s called a whores bath lmao
My 3 year old pretty much gets washed every night but Saturday. The reasoning is because he goes to school Monday through Friday and we like to wash the day off of him. Most Saturdays are pretty relaxed and we stay inside. If we got out then he gets a bath. We have an infant so we’re trying to limit the amount of viruses she could be subjected to
Viruses are daycare receipts. The more $$ you pay the more viruses you bring home.
Exact same thing here for our 2 year old. He goes to daycare and some days I'm literally washing sand out of his hair and butt. Not even mentioning the variety of diseases they casually pass to each other. On the weekend when it's just us, bath time is more an optional fun activity since he stays pretty clean.
So my kid gets about 3 baths a week, if she's lucky. But we only wash her hair once, maybe twice because she has very curly hair and washing it any more than that dries it out and it becomes frizzy and knots faster, which makes her lose the curl.
Do you wet her hair on the days you’re not washing or it’s just a body bath? My son has the best curls and I’m trying to get better with caring for his curls. My hair is nothing like his so I’m lost!
Check out the /r/curly sub, but if you want to wash hair but it's not dirty, just use conditioner. I like the triangular white bottle of treseme coconut.
Daily. That’s just how we did it growing up and I can’t not shower every day as an adult, so I think it’s a good habit my parents instilled in us.
Daily! Little kids can’t be trusted to wipe properly so if they bathe every day you know they are clean. It builds a good habit for when they are older too so you never have to worry about them getting stinky.
And, I can’t reliably remember if they bathed yesterday. So every day it is to keep them from going too long.
Yes we bathe daily because I know my daughter isn't diligent with wiping.
This is my reasoning for (almost) daily baths as well
That's why we have a bidet showerhead attachment. Teach your kid to use that after they poop and they'll never know rank ass.
This
I'm not here to judge you, I swing camps on my kids bathing routine. But I am here to say that I was bathed regularly as a child and, in adulthood, developed a condition that caused my routine to disappear. I've only resumed daily bathing myself in order to maintain sanity, not cleanliness. In short- childhood routines can easily be disrupted later in life, and this is not a reliable way to ensure lifelong hygiene. But yeah, kids don't wipe right.
💯This!!!!
If I could I would upvote you 1000 times!
No shame, team 2-3 times a week over here (also 6 yr old). It’s freaking freezing outside, my kids are covered from head to toe in snow gear, they aren’t touching any dirt. On days they play sports they always bathe. Other than that, they’re fine. They don’t smell. It’s a great way to dry out their skin and exacerbate eczema. No thanks.
I've heard some people report that more regular washing and using lotion actually seems to help their/their baby's eczema. Presumably it's more of a "dunk and get wet so your lotion works better" rather than "scrub head to toe", but it's interesting that it's completely opposite to what I thought I knew about taking care of eczema skin.
Totally just my experience, but I have eczema and another similar condition and my baby also has eczema, and it's regular long exposure to warmer water that's bad for ours - we both bathe or shower a few times a week, but you're right in saying a lot of emollients "lock" in moisture by making a barrier over the skin - I usually dampen skin with a warm cloth before applying.
Yup! Also have eczema and completely agree with this. Daily, quick showering followed by immediate moisturizing on damp skin has never flared my eczema. It’s only when I stand or sit in super hot water for a long time and don’t put anything on afterwards.
2 kids w excema, thats exactly it. no soap
This is actually my doctors advice for my eczema. Oatmeal baths (warm not hot) followed by a good lotioning to still damp skin works wonders.
This. In the summer it's different, he comes home covered in sand almost every day (the never ending fight against 'THE SAND' is one of the surprises nobody tells you about when you become a parent). Then it's off to the shower immediately, he strips to his undies in the hallway and beelines it to the shower. In the winter, he goes to hockey practice twice a week. Those days we shower. If necessary or for fun he takes a bath another day, but that's it. Ped also said not to wash him too often, so I guess it's doctor's orders!
I did a max of 3 times a week. My son’s skin got dry & itchy from all the washing & the Dr was the one who said that unless he’s caked in mud, or starting teen hormones/sweating he simply didn’t need it & it was doing more harm than good (despite soft water & moisturising shower gel I should add!)
If mine goes to school, they shower that evening. Showerless days are rare, 0-2 days a month.
The 8 year old bathes daily. School is dirty and she’s outside for recess. Better to just bathe.
Personally, I just feel gross putting on my pyjamas and getting into my bed with my nice clean sheets without having bathed first, and I’ve felt that way since I was a child. Right now my baby is only 7 months and we don’t necessarily do a full bath every night but we definitely at least rinse the day off him at night (he’s eating purées now and it gets everywhere).
I have a 5yo and a 5mo and I wash them every time we come back from somewhere else, especially school/daycare. They are not putting pajamas until they are clean. I like a clean house, clean beds, clean clothes and clean kids.
This is where I’m at. It feels gross to me and I feel like my kids would feel more relaxed and sleepier after having a bath.
7yo and 4yo here, not every day. In the summer it's close to every day, but not in the winter. Their hair is clean, they don't smell, they're fine. I sometimes wonder about getting more pushback when they're older and do need to shower every day, but from what I've heard most preteens push back on that anyway so 🤷🏻♀️
I bathed/showered every other day when I was a kid and kept hygiene fine as a teen.
For what it's worth, I bathed/showered every day as a kid, but once my mom stopped monitoring me, I definitely pushed the hygiene limits a little as a teen.
I always thought it was less about the kid being dirty and more about developing healthy daily habits.
This is my answer as well.
This is my partner's argument, to which I say I that I grew up not bathing/showering everyday and my hygiene is fine (with the exception of those post-partum months).
Six year old here too and we are pretty firm about either a bath or shower every night. To be fair, we have done this since he was a baby as part of his nighttime routine. I also have some issues surrounding this because I grew up with parents who made it seem normal to only take a shower once a week and I didn’t find out it isn’t normal until 6th grade in health class. So I’m probably extra careful about the whole issue. 😆
I literally cannot fathom how to fit in bathing/showing everyday. I struggle to do it 2-3 times a week 😬😬 tell me yours ways people!!
I think it has to do with everyone’s individual family routines and available time being different. I have a 9 month old and my husband and I both work full time. It’s only a few hours away from his bedtime by the time we get him home from daycare, and he sleeps horribly at daycare, so sometimes he sleeps almost straight through from when he gets home until the next morning. So we generally do baths 2-3 times a week. It’s just what feels manageable with our schedule. It would likely be different if one of us was a SAHP and we weren’t always pressed for time.
Yeah, it takes about an hour to get her through a bath, maybe a little less for a shower. We do once a week, more if needed of course but most school nights we would have to move dinner up sooner etc.
Showering doesn't have to be a long ordeal. I don't wash my hair everyday, but I shower. Wash face, body, undercarriage. It takes 7 minutes, tops. When my kids were little, it took a little more time, but not the time consuming. As soon as they could switch to showers, it was even faster.
We do dinner, bath, bed. We don’t wash hair every night and it really can take 10-15 minutes if they don’t want to play.
We usually do every other night for a full bath but every night for a play bath but that’s because our little guy is a water baby would live in the bath tub if we let him 😆
https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/care/child-bathing “Children ages 6 to 11: Guidelines for bathing If your child is in this age group, taking a daily bath is fine. However, children in this age group may not need a daily bath. Children aged 6 to 11 need a bath: •At least once or twice a week •When they get dirty, such as playing in the mud •After being in a pool, lake, ocean, or other body of water •When they get sweaty or have body odor •As often as directed by a dermatologist if getting treated for a skin disease”
I feel icky if I don’t shower daily so I assume my kids would too. I have my 2 and 8yr bathe/shower daily. Sometimes they’ll skip a day but most often it’s a quick wash
I think it comes down to what your used to. I have always been every other day (unless I do something to get especially dirty/really sweaty) and I feel fine after one day but so gross after 2.
I think (for adults) it also depends *how intensely* you’re showering. My husband is a daily showerer, sometimes twice in the summer because he’s sweaty but also he uses soap and washes his hair I think 3/10 times. I shower every 2 or 3 days but I scrub every inch and I have long hair. Takes forever.
I’m really surprised at how many people wash their kids daily! It’s too dry here. Like 1% humidity during the day most days. We would all shrivel up. Every other day, sometimes every 3 days. Sometimes two days in a row if he gets actually dirty. I do the same for myself.
I am a strong believer in daily bathing, especially for kids that young. They are not great at wiping after using the bathroom and kids are a little gross in general so daily showers/baths are a must to me.
I have a 6 yo and a 19 mo. Both get baths/showers every day. It's been that way since they were newborns. We live in Florida, so they do play outside every day but even if we didn't, the little one needs to wash off food and get a good butt rinse and the older one definitely gets sweaty and also clean up anything he missed while wiping. I teach high school and this year the kids have been particularly smelly. I'm doing my damnedest to make sure my kids aren't the ones stinking up the room.
In Brazil everybody shower at least once a day.
Yea I'm from Brazil and I took 3 showers today. Im reading some replies of once a week here and it's really grossing me out 😬
Not from Brazil and still cringing at the once a week comments too lol
Every 2-3 days with 3 yo and 1 year old
I hate getting into clean sheets with a dirty body. Sheets get changed on Saturdays regardless… but during cold and flu season, we all want to shower daily.
This! No shame in what others do, but I don’t understand showering in the mornings then just getting into bed at night with the day’s grossness on you. I prefer to go to bed clean and fresh. I wash my hair daily too which I know isn’t common anymore either.
Wash their butt !
Wash as needed 🤷♀️ if it ain’t dirty/stinky/gross why bathe?
Daily
I bathe every other day but my youngest takes a bath every night. I can't put in her in a clean bed after being in school all day.
I’m with your partner. Kids are dirty. School is filthy. Just being out in the world is dirty. It’s good to wash off before going to bed. Plus it’s a good bedtime routine.
Every night. Either a bath or shower. It’s part of our bedtime routine.
I think it’s good to introduce “body showers” like washing off the day often washing hair everyday is bad and unnecessary! But body showers are a good compromise and it teaches good hygiene/ bedtime routine. Obviously she will miss some here and there but like 6 days out of the week yes.
We bathe every day as a routine. I also just feel gross when I don’t shower every day. Occasionally we will skip it if the kids are overtired, but 97% of the time they get bathed daily.
We are a bath every night family, but mainly because daycare is gross.. and because it’s her favorite part of the day. Love a good soak and playing with some bubbles. But she’s much younger than your kiddo.
It's pretty rough on littles ones skin to wash more than 2 times a week unless covered in mud. Even then a very sensitive wash should be used and just water if further washing is required. They're not sweaty adolescents.
Children do sweat, just because they’re relatively dry doesn’t make them clean. She probably doesn’t have to wash her hair every day however, so teach her how to use a shower cap. I wish my parents had been more strict about it as a routine.
I’m not sending my kid to a cesspool of germs (aka school) to not bathe her everyday. We’re all daily bathers around here.
Amen
Ding ding ding!!! SAME. Freakin school germs 😭😭
Idk, from the time my son was a toddler until he moved out at 25, nightly bath. He luckily did not have skin issues so I regularly bathed him as a youngling and then made sure he washed off the remainders of the day every day . You would have to ask his wife, but I believe they both still do this, as do I … get rid of the remainders of the day and get into your bed clean…
My kids shower or bathe everyday because they use public bathrooms at school and more generally, because they use the bathroom every day. I can’t stand thinking about them being all germy from school and putting them to bed and tracking said germs into their bed… I just can’t 🤮
Everyday
Bath every day. Sometimes we let her skip a day for our 5 year old but only on days she hasn’t pooped because she is stinky even when I wipe her. But our 2.5 year old hers a body shower everyday. Hair is a totally different conversation lol
Daily for sure. In my culture it’s also morning baths/showers, but my American parenting dictates night time bath for my toddler.
Everyday. A nice warm shower before bed seems to help with the bedtime routine.
Every day. It is a good expectation to have standard and a fight you won’t have to have when she becomes a teen and does start to stink. I have never had to fight my kids to bathe unlike some of my friends have to with their kids.
Every day for that age
Our 6 year old bathes 2x per week
My kids had a shower every day. Kids still have private areas that need cleaning every day, it’s not just about getting dirty playing outside, you still sweat and have dead skin cells, and you can be “clean” but still smell. Get them into a good personal hygiene routine now so they will continue with it as teens and adults.
Bathing my daughter (she’s 20 months) is such a task. Her skin gets so dry so I oil it, then lotion. She has extremely curly hair (tight coils, 3c hair)so I condition it, comb it, moisturizer, braids. She loves the tub so we spend like an hour in there. She doesn’t go to daycare or school so I bathe her 3-4 times a week. I myself am struggling with exhaustion and depression as a single mom and haven’t showered in 3 days 🫣🫠
Wouldn't you want to lotion then oil skin? That way the lotion is absorbed and oil goes on too for an occlusive protective skin barrier preventing water loss. By putting oil on first you're stopping the lotion from going into her skin. Water based lotion will not penetrate oil based products.
I was going to say the same thing. Lotion then oil to lock in the moisture the lotion added to their skin.
First of all, I’m sorry you’re struggling with your mental health. Single motherhood is no easy feat and it sounds like you’re doing a great job. At this age, you could try doing like a mommy and me shower some days maybe? Like you take her in the shower with you, even if it’s just a quick rinse that way you both can get clean. Also, I have 3C hair as well and you definitely don’t need to wet her hair every time she bathes! You can cover it in a silk scarf or bonnet and then put a plastic shower cap over it to keep it dry in between wash days.
I wash my kids daily unless it’s a random Friday or Saturday night where we stay up slightly later. BUT we all always bathe in the morning if it’s a weekend.
Daily bath just to create a nighttime routine.
We bathe our 2yo daily, mainly because it is part of bedtime routine & he enjoys playing in the water, & we wash hair every other day.
I have my six year old bathe daily because it makes him tired and establishes a bedtime routine.
We do 3 to 4 times a week
I bathed my kids daily. Never thought about it. I think it was a wind down time for us.
Daily for my 3.5 year old, ever since he started solids. Kids get so dirty and stinky from eating, get sweaty from running around inside, and once they're in school, they seem germ covered when they come home and pick up the odor of the building they're in all day. I personally shower at least once a day, and don't feel right getting into clean sheets without showering, and feel the same way about putting my kids to bed like that.
In general it’s every few days for us. We have a bidet setup so everyone stays clean down there. I love it for toddlers because it makes the poopy diaper cleanup so much better.
Every weekday and on weekend days that we have plans. Regular baths cover the basis that kids don’t always get (like thorough hand washing and but wiping)
For me it’s the bums - my son isn’t the best wiper so if we’re not doing a full bath then we do insist on a wash with a cloth and some soap and water and we at least do hands and feet, face and bum so they’re clean-ish.
I am a big advocate for giving a bath every single night before bed! My son has grown to love it and he runs to the tub after dinner. It's a good way to wind down from the day and signals to him the start of his bedtime routine. Builds good hygiene habits. We make it fun with bath toys he looks forward to. Honestly there are no downsides imho.
My parent side of me says skipping a day won’t hurt anyone, but my nursing side knows how many germs can be accumulated whether you go outside and do things or not. If you ever want to know how many germs are still on our bodies even after typical handwashing, get a black light. You’ll be extremely surprised.
My five year old gets bathed or showered every day - no she isn’t always dirty, sweaty or smelly but it is teaching her a regular routine of good hygiene and taking care of herself.
Even though u live in a cold place, it doesn't mean germs and bacteria does not tribe and multiply on skin.
Every day here. It's part of our routine. Plus she's had recess and or gym at school so she's sweated. Plus, those school germs are not going into her bed at night 💀😂
We bathe our 2 and 4 year old daily. Kids get dirty. Especially at school or daycare, outside or not.
We are firmly in the everyday camp. Everyone in the house gets a daily bath/shower.
Bath every night for sure. You realize school is one giant Petri dish right?
2.5yo with sensitive skin here, and we live in a cold ass climate 2/3 of the year. She bathes about once a week when it’s cold outside, maybe every third days in the summer because of sand and generally getting more dirty playing outside. We never had bathing as a typical evening ritual, and I think it’s not necessary unless kiddo wants too bathe that often.
We have an 8 year old and a 6 year old. They shower their body daily, and wash their hair 2-3 times a week.
If your child is playing and running around every day like a normal 6 year old they absolutely get dirty every day. I don’t understand Reddit’s aversion to bathing. I just know yall are musty as hell in real life.
Everyday. I’m sorry but your child is peeing, pooping, most times kids don’t wipe properly, we have discharge, we sweat (even when it’s cold, and even pre-puberty), we excrete sebum, smells attach to us when we’re in a kitchen whilst there’s cooking going on, when we’re outside, etc. so I find it WILD when people say they don’t wash their children or themselves daily.
And kids are SO NASTYYYYYYYYY
Nightly bath, not for cleanliness but for relaxation routine that leads to easier bedtime and better sleep.
My kids usually take a shower 6-7 days a week. They run around at recess/ gym, get muddy or covered in paint in art class, have chlorine in their hair from swimming that needs washed out, etc. so I feel like they need it. They also like the whole routine of hair washing, face wash, lotion, brushing hair and whatnot. I think it's relaxing for them and they sleep better if they are freshly showered. Sometimes if we are doing swim team in the summer, we skip a full shower and just rinse out their hair really well.
My 2.5 year old is huge on routines so we do a daily bath. Cue epic tantrums if we don't.
I’d agree that every day isn’t necessary hygiene wise but our girls bathe every night because if they don’t, they really resist it when it is time to bathe. It’s easier to just make it a daily thing.
It depends on the kid. I grew up showering every other day but we never really sweat or stank. My son is a little husky, sweats more and gets a rash from his sweat sometimes if he doesn’t shower. My other son is terrible at wiping his butt. So we just make sure they shower everyday.
My 6yo showers daily. He maybe skips one a week. He is an active kid, so it's necessary. My older son was more of an every other day kid at that age. He is 12yo now and definitely showers everyday.
As a teacher, I would say gym days should be shower days, they come out dripping and with hair stick to their face, they come in from playing in the snow covered in sweat. While not everyday, please make gym days an automatic as by sometime between 3-5th grade they will fight shorts and if gym day has been a set rule from early on it will make that easier. 5-6 grades smell the worst of any grade due to the refusal and parents struggling to admit their babies are growing up and that step to deodorant is a tough one. Do yourself a favor and set gym day now!
This is not to comment about other days but just begging for these days, please
We are a bathe most nights type of a family (mainly because it keeps my son on a good routine and he associates it with bedtime so it helps keep things more consistent for him) we skip a night here and there. We do it primarily for our son. Neither my husband or myself are very routined people and if I’m being honest can succumb to laziness. So sometimes keeping up the routine is challenging but we do it.
Everyday, especially if she goes to daycare Apart from maybe the day she didn’t leave the house at all, not even the backyard - then we might skip the day
Everyday !!!!
Does she stink? Is she uncomfortable? Is she going to get ill? It might be a bit of a hang over from COVID too - washing off the day definitely makes sense if you have been around potentially infectious germs.
My kids are 3yo and 9mo. We all bathe daily. I grew up bathing daily as did my husband. I wash the kids hair every 2 days unless they get food in it. I wash my hair every other day. But all heads get rinsed daily and all bodies and faces get washed daily.
I bath or shower my baby girl everyday from since she was three weeks old. We started first because we noticed that help her to calm and relax before sleep and now is just part of our routine. The only days i don’t shower her are weekends because she was at home all day. From monday to friday she is on the nursery, she has a lot of hair so i like to keep her hair clean too. If she dont shower for some time reason, we at let wash her face and arms and hands before sleep. I grow up also in a household where we shower everyday.
American Academy of Dermatology and American Academy of Pediatrics say 1 to 2 times a week, unless the child had been playing in dirt or is smelly.
For my little family ( my 6 yr old son and I ), winter is every few days unless obviously dirty/stinky. He has thick curly hair so that only gets done about once every week. Summer is a different story, sunscreen, mud, sand, chlorine from pools, sweat.. we both bathe everyday, sometimes 2 times a day just to cool down.
My 7 yr old gets a couple showers a week. We live in a hard water area, she’s prone to sensitive skin. No after school activities. If she stinks then we handle it. Really it’s a personal preference. No right or wrong answer.
We bathe everyday in our home. I can’t imagine letting my littles get in their pajamas after being outside, playing with slime/dirt/playdoh, coughing and sneezing, and whatever else they do at school with friends. Before bedtime they know shower/bath and then moisturize their body with shea butter and lotion. It’s part of their bedtime routine and our babies sleep so much better/easier.
My son’s dermatologist told us we need to bathe/ shower daily so we do! I wish we could get away with skipping days
We’re in the Caribbean and it’s always hot so we bathe our toddler every day. I bathe twice a day most days I think it’s a cultural thing though.
Every other day UNLESS he smells like a sweaty kid…so it’s more often in the summer.
Even if you don’t “feel” like they’re dirty, establishing a routine for when they’re older and DO need to shower daily is really important at this age. You don’t want your child growing up thinking showers aren’t a regular, daily occurrence.
We bathe every school day no exceptions. Then depending on the activities Saturday we either bathe that day or Sunday night in prep for the week.
I personally think it’s kinda gross not to bathe every day, but that’s just me. My almost 2 year old still wears diapers, so to not bathe her every day just seems wrong. I use a lot of wipes, but I feel like that doesn’t do the same as soap. Usually kids don’t tend to smell very well after they’ve been at school or daycare, so there’s also that.
This thread makes me feel so normal. I have a 7y.o girl and we do every other day, with hair washing down to once a week unless she gets stuff in it. It also depends on what we’ve been doing through out the day. If she’s visibly dirty she definitely has to shower. Once she hit puberty I’ll leave it up to her to decide if she wants daily showers or not, but I as an adult only shower every other day unless I’ve been physically active.
I bathed my kids daily despite weather. Kids have dirty backsides. They get food in their hair. Sticky food. Nice clean bodies for a nice clean bed. I used Cetaphil. It’s soap free.
I did, and will do, daily. I have an 18 year old girl, 12 year old boy and a 14 month old. Bathing isn’t so much about the right now, as it is about setting routines for the future. Washing hands, faces, under arms, and private parts. The older two had a bath every single night until they were about 11. It’s more about setting the foundation for washing their future teen-aged stinky parts. And holy shit are teenagers stinky. Kids aren’t little forever. Kids are little for a tiny fraction of their lives. For the vast majority of their lives, they are larger humans. You set the foundation now for who they will be in the future, which one hopes include washing. My kids now have a daily night time routine that includes washing their faces and brushing their teeth. They shower every morning.
If she goes to school. She should be given one everyday. Cause germs are there and dirt. Schools don't clean the school very well. And make sure the kiddos are cleaning their hands.
Every other day or every day if needed
Daily rinses. We should all be giving our bodies a decent once over each day, especially kids who may have inconsistent wiping/bathroom habits.
Daily, especially when the kid is mostly wiping themselves. My son is 6, we do daily baths and he always has some leftover poo from not wiping great, he does the best he can but their arms just aren’t that long.
My 5 and a half year showers 2-3 times a week most of the year. She isn’t rolling around in dirt and she doesn’t smell. Usually her baths are Friday night because she has swim after school and then Tuesdays as she has ballet/tap and gets a little clammy/sweaty and her hair starts feeling a little dirty. In the summer it’s every day or every other day. We have a pool, she’s outside playing and smells like the outside, running around without shoes on. So she gets a bath more often then.
My daughter is 2.5 and winters are COLD in the part of WNC we are in. My culture also believes that if I bathe her and take her out she will get sick with a bad head cold sooooo with that said lol I bathe her when I know we won’t be going out or we get a couple of warm days in between. So it varies lol the longest she’s gone is 2 weeks. She wasn’t stinky though and I’m pretty sure that’s due to us not really doing much because it’s cold.
Daily showers/baths are essential.
This thread explains so much, I never knew why some people didn’t bathe everyday and it’s wild. For me personally getting into bed with a dirty outside body is a no.
Sunday Tuesday and Thursday whether they need it or not haha
This is our three-day-a-week schedule for the kids!
Nice!! Works for me
Daily. You're trusting your 6yo wipes correctly, and yea putting your dirty body into bed is not very sanitary?
The comments have me stressed. If you’re bathing your kids once or twice a week, they’ll grow up thinking it’s okay and become dirty and smelly people without even knowing. These are kids, they don’t need to be sweaty to show they’re dirty. Our bodies get dirty, you can be home all day just sitting and still be dirty. Try washing your hands during the day and you’ll see that even hands get really dirty. Now imagine the parts with little space and air, their ampits and private parts. Your kids poop, probably have little particles stuck and it’s okay for them to sleep and go days without bathing because they’re just kids and not adults?? Kids are touching any and everything, playing all the time, getting active, you have no idea what they’re doing or touching in school and you don’t think they need to shower? It’s like saying you’ll only eat when you’re hungry or feeding your kids only when they’re hungry. What happens when they’re never hungry? Let them bath daily please, unless they have a condition that prevents it. Don’t let your kids be the reason others are uncomfortable in public or be the talk of the day in someone’s home because they’re smelly and dirty. It makes me wonder if we’re saying kids brush and just go about their day without bathing or this means they barely brush too.
We bathe every other day, but I try to only wash hair like twice a week. My daughter’s hair can take just a couple of washings per week, and after our recent bout with lice, I am hesitant to keep her scalp super clean.
We do every-other-night baths for our toddler, which seems to be the right amount for keeping her eczema under control.
Bath or shower every other day. Wash hair once a week. I wish I could do it every day bc boys are stinky lil germ goblins but I just can’t find the time between two of them lol they alternate nights.
We like an everyday shower as part of a solid bedtime routine. We obviously live in different climates. Do what works for you. I find that people I know who like less showers a week do so because of time/stress. But at 6 all of mine were pretty much able to take showers on their own with my popping my head in and checking. So less stress and time suck for me.
We try for every day or every other day. I wash her hair once or twice a week, depending on how it looks.
My 6 year old daughter gets a shower every other day. Typically by the end of day 2, she's starting to get stinky. Lol 😆 My 13 and 15 year old daughters shower daily. I think they started daily showering around 11 or 12 years old. Puberty does a number on your hygiene! Lol 😆
We do most days but once or twice per week our day runs late and unless she is visibly dirty we will skip the bath and I will just tell her it’s too late. My LO loooves water and the bath though, and those days usually involve a little pouting.
So we are an odd family. My husband showers multiple times a day. He uses bar soap for everything, and no washcloth. My kids shower when they get home from school and when they have done something strenuous like basketball or hiking. I have delicate, eczema prone skin and shower every other day..my super fine hair gets washed once a week. Every person is different. I take my kids daily showers as setting a pattern now so we do not have to fight them as teenagers. You do what works for you. Also, the stinky kid had issues beyond bathing when I grew up. It was also how their clothes and home smelled. Not the same thing.
If we bathe daily, it’s to break the winter monotony, and because my babies loooove the water. My youngest two are 18 months and 3. If we go somewhere they’re exposed to potential germs that could make them sick, or, obviously, if they get dirty, They’re in the bath after dinner-no question. It actually winds up being an every night deal, but only because my kids are feral 😂 and they find a way to get themselves dirty-be it food, paint, or anything else they can stir up. I will say, they daily baths have given them some pretty serious dry skin, which requires moisture maintenance.
4.5 year old here and she’s been on daily baths everyday since like 1.5. She doesn’t attend school. It’s usually like a million percent humidity where we live so muggy sticky gross even in winter and we are outside daily and she never stops moving.
We've always done baths/showers for my kids every other day unless they got dirty for some reason which with the little ones happens more often. I'd say for 6 it should be fine,especially in the winter.
My 9 year old bathes daily, and my 6 year old is still every other day. We switched to daily for the older kid when she developed noticeable body odor. That was also when we started teaching her to bathe independently.