School Aged Children and Bathing Frequency

I bathe m daughter at least once or twice a week but certainly more when she needs it. In the winter staying inside its only 1 or 2 times a week, we wash her with the washcloth where needed in between. but in the summer with sunscreen and sweat and bug spray its everyday. I suspect that there a LOT more people who do not bathe their children as often but you are not going to hear about it here because they might feel embarrassed knowing they will be judged by all the germaphobes and clean freaks.

My answer is "at least once a week and as often as necessary." (My kids are 5 & 6.) We have a kiddie pool, and most of the time they want to swim in that every day (no chlorine so I'm not worried about that staying on their skin). If they get dirty or start to smell, then I'll give them a bath; if their heads/hair smell, I'll shampoo them. As you can tell, I'm pretty relaxed about it. ;-)

Anyone who says less than once a day EITHER doesn't have a kid that's as active as mine, or has a kid with skin problems.

I don't think there's a "should", I think it's a kid by kid basis.

Bathe them as often as you think they need it. Every kid and every family is different.

Daily please
They get dirty and grimy and stinky
Plus, it teaches them good hygiene habits for later in life.

:)

As needed is our home's motto.

in summer my daughter usually baths everyday (12 now - but from about 2 or so once she was playing outside getting dirty, sweaty, sunscreen...) other wise every 2-3 days. But she gets too dried out. Now that she's older, she may have to start everyday bathing. Clean underwear though everyday no matter what!

At least once a week. More, if needed. For little ones, every day may be too often and may dry their skin out.

In our family we shower or take a bath as needed. In the summer it's usually every day to wash of sunscreen and dirt from playing outside, in the winter or when we don't roam outside much it may be twice a week.
Not showering every day does not mean that we don't wash! You can get clean with a washcloth and some soap and water without a full blown shower every day!

I think this is a "to each their own" thing.

My son bathes/showers every day if he's been to school (or day care or day camp). It's part of his bed time routine and it helps relax him after a busy day.
The only time we'll occasionally skip a day is if we've been home the whole day and haven't been outside at all.
If he hasn't washed up his feet stink too much from his sneakers (I wash them every week) plus it's just good to get the sweat/dirt/germs off his skin.

We wash everyday that the children attend school. Mainly for the reason of germs. School age children often will sneeze, cough without properly washing hands or using sanitizer and keep with their current activity. You never really know what they have been exposed to. The other side is to teach them about cleanliness. If you want kids to grow into adults with certain skills then those skills should be practiced now but in a way that is appropriate for them.

My kids are 9 (boy) 5.5 (boy) and 4(girl), and they all get bathed daily. Kids or not their butts get stinky and kids don't always wipe perfectly, and they are dirty and sweaty from school. I still remember the stinky kids from elementary school, and i don't want my kids being those stinky kids!

So yeah, they get a bath or shower every night. My 9yr old has severe eczema and psoriasis, and he requires a shower daily to slough off the flaky skin to keep his skin healthy. My 5.5yr old is a typical boy, he gets dirty just looking out the window (lol) and my 4yr old daughter too.

I figure I take the luxury of cleaning my body daily, why are kids any different?

Until recently I thought EVERYBODY bathed their kids daily.

Mine is four and has never been sick and another friend bathes his kids every other day and they are ALWAYS sick. I'm sticking to my way!

It depends on the week, but generally my 8 year old showers every otehr night and my 5 year old bathes about 3 times a week. When they get dirty or go swiming then of course they have an "extra" shower or bath. Daily baths or showers really don't seem that nessesary at a young age though, their apocrine sweat glands are not active yet (that happens at puberty) so they don't get BO. And during the cold winter when the air gets really dry hot baths or showers can sap all the moisture out of their skin and give them dry, scaley skin. My kids freak out over the feel of lotion so whenever I apply it them they run and wipe it off with a towel so I use moisturizing body wash on them instead.

Oh, and I wouldn't worry too much about my girls not wanting to shower daily when they get older, does anyone remember the neuroses of teenagerhood? I often showered TWICE a day as a young teen worried about oily hair and potential BO! So teaching proper hygene is important, but teaching a little kid to bathe daily is really not nessesary.

It really depends on the time of year (more often in summer than in winter), activity level of the kid (do they play sports? did they spend the day running around outside getting dirty and muddy?), skin conditions of the kid, etc. My oldest and youngest have really dry, sensitive skin so on days where they've not done too much physically, they don't shower. On days where they have karate and swimming, they absolutely DO shower, no exceptions. So for them, 3 times a week. My middle child is completely different. She sweats and gets body odor from walking up the stairs. I don't know why this is, I really don't. Her skin is much "oilier", for lack of a better word. She also swims 3 times a week, but even on the days she doesn't, she prefers to shower. So almost everyday, for her. I have a friend whose boys shower every single day, whether they need to or not (although now that they're pre-teens and active in sports, they probably need to). There's no real rule to this...I would say bathe as frequently as needed.

We live in CO, so little one's skin can get dry fast. We bathe our 3 and 4 year old every 2-3 days (more if they get "dirty). Likely every other day in the summer...

Every other day unless sweat, dirt and grime dictate sooner! And clean underwear on the skipped bath days no matter what!

In general my kids bathe or shower every day... it's been part of their night routine since they were babies. Now at (almost) 6) and 7 if they skip a bath or shower on the weekend, it's no big deal. IMO once or twice a week is NOT enough. Talk about funktified... (or not enough activity).

My daughter, almost 5, gets very dry skin if she bathes every other day, even with using lotions, so she takes a bath 2 times a week. Once the weather is super nice, outside every day, might take a bath more often. If she was in the sand box all day and it is not a bath day I take a wet washcloth and wipe her down well. If she is really dirty & sweaty it is a bath.

Our kids bathe everyday. The bath became part of the night time wind down ritual. If you're concerned about dry skin in the winter, lotion them after drying off. I have eczema so I'm always putting on lotion. Overall, bathing everyday is a good habit, like brushing your teeth twice a day. Teaching hygiene is part of our job as parents. I like having the kids bath at night for another great reason. They go to bed clean which keeps the bed sheets cleaner longer!

My kids are the real life 'Pig Pen' from Charlie Brown (Peanuts)... they shower every other day, which falls on the nights my 7 year old has soccer practice. If they're particularly gross after a great day of playing, they bathe. If they've been sprayed down with bugspray, they bathe. It depends of what they've been getting into, but generally every other day.

My dd is bathed 3 times a week, more if she has been extra busy or playing outside, but she only gets her hair washed once a week. Her hairdresser always compliments her on how thick and healthy it is and she actually knew that I only washed it once a week just by looking at it.

Every other day, or every day, depending on season and activity level. We skip days here in the winter because bathing too often can lead to uncomfortably dry skin, but on days when my daughter has sparring class in karate - she needs a bath! Summer means pretty much every day, or at least a quick shower if we've been to a swimming pool.

This was a great question....I've often wondered what others do.
When smaller it was every day (up until 1st grade). It was routine. Until he was 11 my son would skip a day and we would occassionally allow the pool to be an excuse to not shower (I know some will consider this wrong). Now though, he chooses to shower every day. My girls are 9. If they are dirty, they bathe. If not, it may be a day or two. We change underwear every day and sometimes I will have them take a "sponge bath" to clean their private areas. This works for us!

EVERYday.
For school age kids.

They can get... staph infections. And there are lot of germs on them, from school/surfaces etc.

Put it this way: a co-worker of my Mom, was in the hospital for ONE entire month...due to a Staph infection that entered his body, from small cut.
He was at one point, in the ICU. Too.

The bacteria/virus exists....on skin/surfaces etc.
And some people will get affected by it.

As a child, I had a Staph infection. From a small 1/4" cut. I was gravely ill. My Dad, examined me and knew it was from my cut. I could not even stand up. He had to carry me to the car, to the Doctor, who then totally cleaned out my infection. On the surface, my cut did NOT look infected. But below the surface, the Doctor said it was almost at my bone.
I had to have antibiotics etc., and was almost in the hospital.

It is important to bathe.
Kids get Lice too.
Or other things/infections.

My Daughter's Teacher, just a few weeks ago, fell down on campus. SHE got a small scrape. Just a scrape. It was not even a major cut. No blood dripping or anything. Just a scrape. A few days later, her leg swelled up, it was infected. She had to go to the ER, had to walk on crutches, and be put on Antibiotics. She could not walk, either.

So, it is important to get CLEAN. And bathe.
Every darn day.

Also: the Norovirus... can exit on surfaces, for WEEKS. And infect people. And still be contagious.

ok EWWWWWWWWWWWW once or twice a week?!?!?!? gross her kids must stink! every other day or like you said if they are super stinky :P

i think every other day is good. unless like you said a really dirty day. mom of 7, R.

I've bathed my children every day since birth. I like to feel clean and so I image that they would too.

my kids get showers every day. They are 6 and 3. It's just so hot here and they get so sweaty and stinky from playing so hard, they need one everyday. During the winter, I usually give them one every other day. They are not hot and sweaty and washing them everyday gives them very dry skin, even with lotion

With my six year old, she typically bathes/showers once a day. In the summer when we are swimming a lot and there is no school, we let her skip a day here and there. My 2 1/2 year old gets bathed usually once a day as well, but we don't wash his hair every day. He still gets cradle cap if it's washed too often.

We bathe the kids every other day and sometimes every second if we have not gone anywhere, sweat, or have been just too busy. I think you know when your kids are dirty and they need a bath, with a little girl I think you should bathe them for sure every other day just b/c they can get itchy, infected, smelly, etc I think everyday is too much unless it is in summer and they get dirty and sweaty. Their skin dries out quickly and does not need to be bathed daily.

Everday!!! Especially on hot days....maybe just maybe I give breaks on Friday just bc its a bumming around night but other then that every single day...

My girls stay home with me, but they still bathe daily. I don't always wash hair, but they always get washed. It's just part of our routine, and they both (age 2.5 and 2 months) LOVE their bath!

I just wanted to make a little side note about someone that said something about lice. Lice actually prefer clean hair, the best way to keep lice away is hair spray, gel, or other hair product. Once a child gets lice regular shampoo won't do anything to get rid of them. So that really has nothing to do with showering daily.

My kids are teens now so we can't get them out of the shower. But when they were grade school it differed based on the time of year. When it's hot they bathed every day - even if it's a quick one. In the dead of winter when they're not doing a lot of phsycial activity it's less frequent - twice a week was the absolute minimum but more frequent depending on what elses was going on. The rule has always been a shower at night if there was any physcial activity in the day (gym, sports, etc.)

Wow - after reading all the respnses I was kind of surprised at all the people who bathe their kids every single day for germ reasons! If you wash your hands (in our house that means up to your elbows) and face every day and privates as needed you can easily skip a day or two in the dead of winter. This past winter when the snow was stacked up to my earlobes on either side of the driveway and we had already become tired to sledding & snowboarding we barely moved for weeks at a time. Other than basketball practice, games & youth group my kids didn't sweat for days at a time (we keep our heat set VERY low).
My pediatrician told me many years ago that we bathe our kids way more than needed and dry their skin out way too much. Of course, Summer is a whole different thing. ;o)

on days that we don't go anywhere or my son doesn't go outside to play we will sometimes skip a bath but if we were real busy, and especially if he was out playing and got dirty he takes a bath

My DD gets a bath every day or two, depending on what she did that day. I think my stepkids bathed at least 3 times a week when they were in elementary school. For DD part of it is her hair - which has to be conditioned and combed or it's a MESS.

Boys (especially once they are able to run & play outside) -- every day! They run & play & sweat too much not to have a bath every day.

Everyday for all of my kids. If we have been inside all day we will skip that day. My school age son had one cold the entire school year. That's proof enough for me that bathing every day keeps colds away. Plus our son and one of the twins has seasonal allergies and it helps keep there symptoms from getting out if control.

I think daily baths are great but if you want to bathe less frequently, then every other day is ok. I wouldn't go past that though. Kids sweat and get dirty playing outside etc. I don't think 1x or 2x a week is enough-IMO

M

My girls are 4 and 22 months. During the winter they get a bath every other day, unless we aren't home on bath night for some reason or another. The most I let them go is 3 days. In the summer they get bathed every night. Usually we just do a quick shower for both of them.

My kids get one every other day only if they haven't been swimming or running around and get all hot and sweaty. When it's as hot as it is in MD right now and we play inside, we may take a break from it.

My 4 boys shower every day, with very few exceptions. They're boys- they get dirty and they stink if they don't bathe every day!

Right now I have an almost-3 year old, and a 9 month old. I am a stay-at-home Mom so we give them baths about 3 times a week. If we go out anywhere they get baths that night. Who knows what they may have come into contact with?? As they become more active - such as the 3 year old playing outside more now - they will get baths more often. If she plays outside at all - even on a winter day - she gets a bath. He will too when he is older. I really think at the 4 or 5 year mark they should be getting a bath everyday. We lather them up with Calendula creme to keep their skin nice and moisturized. If my kids ever went to daycare or public school they would get a bath every day hands down.

From the smell coming from the schoolage kids at my work today they are NOT bathing enough ! Lol I have my daughter shower whenever she gets sticky sweaty which has been almost everday for aleast the last 3 weeks with the heat here...ugh, but she smells pleasant ! And I hope it teaches her to have good hygiene in the future. I had a mother come in today who smelled worse than her child....yuck!

Well, I'd like to thank you all for making me feel a lot better about our routine! It is my policy for the children to shower everyday, but lately I've been slipping due to workloads and time constraints ( and my own bone-weariness!). At the moment my lot shower around 5 times a week, but in my heart of hearts I'd prefer it everyday. I've never come across the dry skin thing so that's not a problem for us.

My daughter takes a shower every day ............. every other day at the least. She is 8 and she stinks after a day of playing!! LOL just last night she skipped a shower but I made her wash her face and armpits (lol)

Well my teens shower every morning, sometimes twice daily if they get stinky. When they were younger, I would probably let them go every other day if it was winter and they didn't sweat. But once or twice a week, ewww I'm sorry but that is not often enough. Kids need to be taught hygiene.

Oh, EVERY day. I wash their hair as needed (usually every other or every third day), but they have to wash their bodies daily no matter what. My 8 year old wears deodorant as well, because she gets stinky at PE class and ballet if she doesn't.

Time doesn't always allow it, but my 5 YO almost insists on a shower every night.

I bathed my daughter every morning before school so she could be wide awake for class. Sometimes she got a bath in the evening also if she played outside.

I think people tend to over-bathe babies--probably EOD is fine for a baby. But my 8 yo son gets a bath/shower everyday and hair washed EOD unless he is sweaty, had a baseball game, etc and then every day. NOW if he's inside, slightly sick, out late on a weekend night, we might skip a day...

My son who is almost 6 bathes about every 3 days. Unless it's a nasty dirty smelly kind of day. :)
My son who is almost 9 bathes every other morning. During soccer season it's probably every day since there seems to be a bit more sweat going on. Also, if it's a nasty dirty smelly day it may be more also. :)
My daughter who is 5 months old (almost!)...when she has a blow out diaper (ranging from every other day to every 8 days!), or when I notice that she is a bit "funky" :)
L.

I would say every day for school aged kids. I know I sure did grewing up.I was a tomboy and got dirty all the time :o)

Every day when its hot, or there is outdoor activity. Every other day otherwise.

I have 2 girls

My kids bathed every night.
All nice and clean before getting into bed.
It relaxed them.
They slept better.
The only thing worse than a stinky kid getting into bed is a super stinky one getting out in the morning.

Just my opinion.

We wash every day and have been known to wash twice a day if it is really hot outside. I can't imagine only bathing twice a week.

I'm with you, every other day or daily! : )