When my daughter was a newborn she loved to splash around in her baby bathtub. As she grew into a toddler, her love for bath time also flourished. When she advanced to a preschooler, you could barely drag the kid out of her watery playground complete with funny foam and special crayons that allowed her inner graffiti artist to shine.
Then, she started first grade and bath time became a battle every.single. night.
First grade was my daughter’s first year of full-day school and bath time meant the end of precious playtime and the beginning of the dreaded bedtime routine which included putting her toys away, bathing, and brushing teeth.
The battle to get my child into the shower intensified as the year progressed. It got to the point where I would often sponge her by the sink and call it a day. While she didn’t reek or have visible dirt marks on her body, I still felt guilty about her going to school without a “real” bath.
At first I was extremely reluctant to admit that my child didn’t bathe every night, but then I found out that other kids in my daughter’s class were only forced to shower twice a week. Suddenly going a day without a full-on bath didn’t sound so bad.
Which begs the question: Is it necessary for kids to bathe every day?
Obviously, during the summer months when my daughter has been sweating up a storm in the hot sun, then I insist she shower before going to bed. However, during the winter months, on days she doesn’t leave the house, I don’t think twice about her missing a shower. Other times of the year I assess the shower situation on a case-by-case basis depending on what she did that day, how bad she smells and how slimy her hair looks.
Not for noting, but I can’t imagine a kid going three to four days between baths, even during the winter months.
Also, I don’t buy into the philosophy that going swimming in a chlorinated pool is akin to sanitizing one’s self in a shower.
What’s the longest your child has gone without bathing?
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