bathing a child

[butter1]

At the moment I am currently living with my friend and her 5 yr old son until my property I'm buying is finished.  My friend is a single month and herself and the father to the boy share him everyother week.  One week he stays with her, the next with the Father.  The thing is, I've noticed that she will only bath in once in that week she has him.  Is this normal?  I don't have children myself but I would have thought that you would bath a child once a night - not once a week?

[kick3m0n]

Our wee guy is 18mnths old (so probably can't get into half as muchmes as a 5 year old....yet!) but we bath him every night.  The only times we've skipped a bath are if he's been really unwell.

[butter1]

thank you... don't know whether I should mention anything to my friend... its not really my place to say.

[separation]

I don't think bathing a child every night is a must but once a week is not enough.

[morg_monster]

Does he smell? I imagine he does after a week, but if not there's no need to bathe him as often as every day. Seriously, unless he smells then I wouldn't rock the boat and say anything to mum. Kids don't have BO and as long as their toilet hygeine is ok then it isn't a problem to go a few days without a wash, though it is lovely when they smell all bubble bath-y. My god you should have seen my mum trying to get my brother into the bath when he was little. She was lucky if she got him in once a week. In the summer she'd just spray him with the hose if she could catch him or just take him swimming..!

[diddy]

When I was a child we bathed once a week as it was too expensice to have the imersion heate on more often!. As long as she is washing him at other times and he doesn't smell or look dirty then I really think it isn't something you should get involved in.

[Philtaz]

As a child I had a bath once a week(Sundays, prior to starting the school week!) which seemed to be the norm.  A shower was unheard of, they basically didn't exist in most households.

Does your friend have a shower?  As diddy says putting the immersion heater on just to bathe a child seems a bit of a waste.  Provided the child washes each day there shouldn't be a problem.

For the record my children are showered every night but every household has different circumstances.

[Dark Angel]

When I was a child I believe we were put in the bathtub everyday. To me it sounds unusual to just bath only once a week. But I suppose it you have a good wash in the sink morning and evening everyday it wouldn't be too bad.

[blueeyedlass]

maybe u should stop criticising the way your friend is bringing up her child and just be thankful that shes putting a roof over your head !!!!.

[Doll]

I would tell your friend that you think the child needs to bath more. you could offer to bath him some nights if he isn't shy. you could also say that after running about in school all day you think he needs to bath more. Just be honest, she might thank you for it. This isn't fair on the child.

[butter1]

Excuse me blueeyedlass, if you read my answer properly you will notice that I'm not critcising my friend at all on how she is bringing up her child!  How is asking a question about how many times you should bath a child critcising?  I am simply asking a question that's all.  I am not a mum myself so I don't know, I was just wondering.  So I do not appreciate comments like that.  In fact, I think my friend is a great mother, seeing as she is single and doing it all alone.  So don't pass judgement until you know the facts please!

To everyone else, thank you for you sensible comments.

[RevShirls]

I live in Sweden now and I  am very aware that although people wash regularly and are very clean, people here bath and shower much less frequently because they believe that overbathing/showering takes away a lot of the natural body oils. When I had my baby we were told not to bath her every day for the same reason - a daily top and tail wash and a bath once a week. Obviously that increases to bathin/washing more as children get older and can crawl or walk and get grubbier. There are really different views on this. It is really washing and keeping good body hygiene that is important.

[FP]

I think Rev Shirls point about overwashing is very good. Too much bathing can certainly strip our skin of its natural oils and protection.  We then have to apply artificial moisturisers, etc.

I must admit I shower every day, but back in the 'olden' days  we bathed once a week and washed with a flannel each morning and evening.  I particularly remember my mum scrubbing my knees clean every night!   I don't recall people being any more smelly.  There does seem to be an obsession about bathing, showering and applying all sorts of lotions and potions these days and I am taken in by all the advertising as much as anyone else.

[butter1]

My friends son doesn't look like a dirty child, he doesn't seem to smell - i just can't remember how many times I was bathed when I was younger.  I vagily remember it being about 3 or 4 times a week.  I just wondered how many times other people bath their child.  Just curious.  I know she hasn't got much money so may be it's to do with costing.  But thanks everyone for answering my question.

[Bangkok]

RevShirls does make a good point - how many people shower and then lather on expensive cream to replace the natural oils, merely because the adverts say so?  I live in a hot climate so shower daily, but I don't use anti-persperant and I don't get smelly (according to those who I'd like to thing would tell the truth).

As a kid, baths in the summer (running around getting sweaty) were much more common than the winter (sitting indoors watching the rain)