Are our kids too clean? I ask because we bath our kids by default every day.

We’ve had a ‘bath, book, bed’ routine ever since the oldest was a baby, and we wash their hair every day too. But is it really necessary?

too clean

It was only when we went campervanning with the kids earlier in the year that it occurred to me perhaps we wash them a bit too much. Owing to the fact we were staying in a field they had just one shower during our week away, and interestingly the littlest one’s eczema all but cleared up.

There’s also a raft of evidence suggesting a bit of dirt is good for us too: boosting and strengthening immune systems and leaving us better able to fight off bugs. I have one friend who doesn’t bath her kids at all. She has three boys and says they simply make too much mess, so she showers them instead and treats their weekly swimming lesson as their ‘deep clean’.

I don’t remember having a bath every day when I was little either, and I’m pretty sure hair washing was a once-a-week thing too. So, are those of us who bath our kids every day doing them a disservice – and creating even more work for ourselves? I asked some fellow parenting bloggers about their bath time routines and it turns out my kids probably are too clean!

Are our kids too clean?

“Mine have a good wash every two to three days,” says Sarah at who blogs at Whimsical Mumblings. “I absolutely believe that children don’t need to wash properly every single day. Their skin is still so delicate, it can’t be good for them.”

“Mine have a shower once or twice a week,” says Laura who blogs at Savings 4 Savvy Mums. “They both have long hair but they just don’t need to be that clean at four and five. There’s plenty of time for daily showers when they are older!”

“Mine have a bath most days but I wash hair every other day. They have a daily bath mostly as they love it rather than getting them clean,” says Rebecca who blogs at Becster. “Bath was a one a week event when I was growing up though. Would get a scrub down in between especially after climbing trees and making dens!”

“My twins are 2.5. They have baths every other day and their hair gets washed once a week, unless they get food or something in it,” says Rebecca who blogs at Becca Blogs It Out. “Their hair is never greasy, so I don’t think it needs to be washed more often than that. If they have a bath every day, my little girl’s eczema really flares up.”

too clean

“I usually bath mine every other day but don’t always use soap as I think water can be enough, especially for my youngest who is 10 months,” says Emma who blogs at Emma Reed. “I wash my four-year-old’s hair each time as he is very active and gets quite sweaty on his head.”

“My little one has eczema so having a bath every day is out of the question for us,” says Karen who blogs at Our Irish Family. “It really dries her skin. We bathe her and wash her hair two times per week. Even if she didn’t have eczema, I think two times per week would work for us, unless she gets really dirty or has something in her hair.”

“I bath my son (20 months old) every night as it’s part of our evening routine, but I only wash his hair every three or four days,” says Maisie who blogs at Love, Maisie. “It doesn’t get dirty often and doesn’t get greasy so I see no need personally in washing it at each bath.”

“My two have a bath every day most days just with plain water and they wash their hair once or twice a week,” says Lianne who blogs at Anklebiters Adventures. “The bath really helps calm them down before bed and part of the routine, and they love bath time.”

What do you think? Are our kids too clean? How often do you bath yours? I’d be really interested to know!

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