NWMR: kids hygiene

potbellypig · December 2014

Just curious, and don't think I'm gross and weird, but how often do you brush LO's teeth/give them a bath/dress them in clean clothes?

I often forget to brush their teeth, and bathe them every 2 days/wash their hair maybe 1-2 times a week unless they're really gross. If their outfits are mostly clean, they wear them 2 days in a row (DD is 3 and DS is 10 months).

Is this normal or out of line (translation, do I need to step it up)?

vvvvvfee · December 2014

DS is 2- we brush his teeth 2x a day. he generally gets a bath every other day. we wash his hair maybe 1-2x a week because he hates it. new clothes and pajamas every day. he eats breakfast in his PJs so they always get dirty, and i would never reuse clothes he's been at DC in all day b/c it's such a germ factory there.

MickeyM04 · December 2014

I literally have OCD, so both kids get a bath every night before bed. DS's teeth get brushed twice a day. Only exception is when he has a sitter at bedtime (maybe once every other month), and I won't make the sitter deal with brushing teeth. I know that we are the exception and wouldn't side eye anyone who did tooth brushing less, or who did not bathe every other day. I do think it's kind of odd to dress your kid in the same clothes two days in a row. I mean would you wear the same outfit two days in a row? If you would then I guess this would be pretty normal. Don't get me wrong, I don't wash everything every time I wear it (jeans usually get 2-3 wears, work clothes usually get 2-3 wears before I send them to the dry cleaners), but I would never wear the same outfit, say, all weekend. Similarly, I would never do that for the kids either. The one exception would possibly be if someone is home sick, and even then I would likely change them out of their germy clothes so they aren't sitting in their own sick 2 days in a row.

DiveFrog · December 2014

Baths - 2-3 times a week. I always wash DD's hair since she gets it wet if she's in the bathtub, and it is easier to brush out if it has been washed.

Teeth - We do this every night before bed, and we also wash hands and face if we didn't do a bath. DD happens to like brushing her teeth. So, she will often ask to do it 2-3 times a day.

Clothes: DD generally wears an undershirt, or when younger a onesie. That is only worn a single day. We also change her socks daily as her feet sweat horribly like DH's. If her pants and shirt are clean I will often put them back in her closet/drawer and have her wear them a second, or even third time before washing. However, this is a rare occasion as she generally gets her clothes dirty from food, floors, diaper/potty accidents or outdoors. PJ's I am fine with wearing for a few nights in a row as long as clean.

Leap08 · December 2014

My kids are older - 5 and 3. They shower or bathe almost every day.There are nights that a bath/shower doesn't happen and that's fine. We usually wash their hair every other day. We brush teeth every night and most mornings. They wear clean/fresh clothes every day because they usually need clean clothes every day. Jeans might be the exception. My 5 year old re-wears PJs a few times. My 3 year old normally manages to end up with breakfast on her PJs so she usually only wears them once.

I think you do what works best for your family and I'm sure your kids are clean enough.

emberlee3 · December 2014

Bath almost every night, not always with hair washing.

Their clothes always seems to get dirty. PJs are usually good for a few nights.

Teeth brushing twice a day. We used to get push back from the kids. Then a dentist visited DS's preschool and told the kids to brush for the amount of time it takes to sing the alphabet twice. As long as I am willing to sing, they cooperate.

sdlaura · December 2014

We bathe the kids every night (ages 2 and 10 months) because they love the bath and it's a great activity to do when they start to get fussy at night but aren't quite ready for bed. I only wash DD's hair every other night.

They do get clean clothes everyday. I'll admit that I think it's a little odd that you don't do clean clothes everyday. I mean, you still have to take the time to dress them, and does it really save that much laundry time?

The one area I need to work on (and it sounds like I'm not alone) is DD's teeth. We probably only brush them on average like 3x a week. I try to justify slacking on it because she doesn't drink juice or eat raisins or whatever. Now that we're rewarding her with some treats for potty training I'm trying to be better. DS only has 2 teeth so I'm not too concerned about that.

Virgo17 · December 2014

Bath every night complete with hair washing.

Teeth brushing every night...need to get better about doing this in the morning too.

New clothes and jammies each day. My younger two are at home unless they have an outing planned, so there are days they wear their jammies all day and then get clean ones on after bathtime.

The only thing I find odd in your routine is wearing clothes for multiple days. My kids get dirt/food/juice on their clothes. I can't imagine kids clothing being clean enough to wear for a second day.

jlaOK · December 2014

Baths - every night if they go outside. every other night if they play in the gym or it's the weekend. we wash their hair every bath because DS has short hair and it's no big deal and DD has curly hair that's a pain to comb through unwashed.

Teeth - DS - twice a day but we get maybe 30-60 seconds of brushing in. DD mostly twice a day and it's a few swipes of the toothbrush that we can get to as she screams and fights us.

Of course I'm sitting here with unshaved legs, hair that wasn't washed this morning, and jeans that have already been worn once. :-S

Mustardseed2007 · December 2014

We bathe DS (3) every other day usually. We used to do it every day when he was a bit younger b/c he came home so gross - snotty, dirty. But he doesn't seem to get as dirty now that he's older and better at cleaning himself up during the day. We also switched to the every other day thing b/c he was getting dry skin.

DD (9 months) is bathed less often - maybe 1-2x per week. She doesn't seem to get as dirty, even now that she's on solids....I actually feel bad admitting this. I think we need to step up her bathes b/c we did bathe DS more than that when he was her age.

We do clean clothes every day for DS for sure. He gets new pajamas once per week unless it gets dirty from breakfast or a night time accident, or sometimes he'll go into his dresser and pull out a new pajama set before the week is over just b/c he wants to.

DD's outfits are a bit more ambiguous, but my line in the sand is that she never wears the same outfit at DC 2 days in a row.

All of her "back up" outfits at DC (that they have to change her into if she has an explosion) are sleep n plays or onesies. Sometimes DD does comes home in a back up outfit and she sleeps in that. Also, sometimes we change her into a new onesie or sleep in play to go to bed, and then she goes to school in that same outfit. But again, the DC workers and other parents see a different outfit each day at the start of the day - it just might be her "pajamas".

Teeth brushing happens when we remember, I will say it's a few times per week, but usually only 1x each day.

chloebeth930 · December 2014

Bathe every other day (wash hair at each bath time). New clothes and PJs everyday. Sometimes I even put on different PJs for nap and bedtime. I attempt to brush her teeth in the morning and at night, but we often forget in the morning.

ErinO21 · December 2014

LO is just now a year old, but he gets a bath at least every other night. Sometimes every night if he's in a fussy mood. The kid loves water.

Teeth, we brush with just water about once a week. We really need to improve on that.

Clothes, he gets a new outfit every day. He is a very messy eater. I'll put jeans back in his dresser a couple times though. He only has 2 pair that really fit and I don't like to be without jeans.

PJ's, he wears those a couple nights. I usually get out new pjs on bath nights. I don't want to put dirty pjs on a clean body.

mlee116 · December 2014

DS is almost 3. He usually has a bath every other night, except for summer when he's been wearing bug spray/sunscreen, then he gets one every night. I usually wash his hair at every bath, but occasionally I'll just rinse it.

He wears a new outfit everyday. Very rarely I can get two uses out of a pair of jeans. He usually wears pj's two nights unless he has an accident.

We brush teeth every night.

ridesbuttons · December 2014

Teeth before bed and in the morning.

Bath/shower a couple of times a week, less if it is summer (they live in the lake) or if they are in swimming lessons (shower at the pool).

Hair wash once a week or less.

Clothes are worn as long as they are clean. PJs too.

rubber_chicken · December 2014

DD is 2.5 - she gets a bath every 2-3 days, and we cowash and detangle her curls. We've found that every other day is the best frequency for managing her eczema.

DD brushes her teeth twice a day. Sometimes its not effective brushing, sometimes she'll just suck the brush, or chew on it, but I figure we're creating a foundation of good habits. To be honest, my parents only made us brush our teeth once a day, and I still find it hard to remember to brush them before going to bed.

ETA: she gets new clothes and PJs every day. But I have a bit of a shopping problem so we still only do laundry once a week. When I was in kindergarden, my mother sent me to school in the same "school outfit" every day for a week (which was what her mother did for her, back in the 50s in a developing country) until I came home off the bus crying at how the kids were making fun of me. I actually still remember that...so I am probably more sensitive than most to this subject.

traveltheworld · December 2014

We brush DS's (2.5 years old) every night. We try to brush in the mornings too but can't get to it most weekday mornings. In the summer we bathe him every night because he is dirty from playing in the sand/mud, but in the winter we only bathe him twice a week. He also goes swimming twice a week and gets a shower there.

We change him into a new outfit every other day unless the clothes are dirty.

RachelandEduardo · December 2014

DD is 19 months she gets a bath every day. She isn't always dirty but its part of her bed time routine and so we always put her in tub for at least a few minutes. We don't always wash her hair (she hates it) but her I usually get it damp enough to put a leave in conditioner in it (only way for her tight curls to not tangle). She gets clean p.j.s every night with a fresh onsie underneath and a new outfit every day. Its rare for me to take something off of her and have it be clean enough to put back in the dresser and the few times when it does appear to be ok I still put it in the dirty laundry bag.

Like most of you, we need to get better about brushing teeth. We usually do night time but sometimes forget but haven't started doing mornings yet (she has been a late bloomer when it comes to teeth so she is just getting enough to make it worthwhile)

litzo27 · December 2014

Teeth brushed every morning without fail. I try to do nights as well but forget more often than not. And DH thinks brushing twice a day is excessive

Bath or shower every night but not always with soap. Hair washed 1 a week (they have short buzz cuts though). New underwear, socks and shirts every day. Jeans are ok until they are dirty - usually several days. Pajamas are worn for 2-3 nights.

Helenahhandbasket · December 2014

We change clothes and pajamas everyday.

I did baths every other day from maybe a few months old to recently, when we switched to every day. I feel like she gets really messy and she had long hair that starts to smell if I don't at least rinse it every day.

Edit- we brush 2x a day.

sugarbear0524 · December 2014

My son is 3. He has a fresh set of clothes on every day. He wears a uniform to school, and I often change him out of his uniform when he gets home so he won't stain it. He comes home from school relatively clean. They don't even have real grass on his playground...it's this grass-looking artificial surface that never gets dirty or muddy!

He gets a bath every other day unless he has been playing outside or gets dirty somehow. He brushes his teeth with help twice a day.

PJs are changed every other day.

I will also put a clean shirt on him if he gets anything on his shirt and we are going anywhere out of the house. I can't stand for him to have a stained shirt on in public. I will also wash his face before going anywhere.

SunAndRain · December 2014

bath 5 times per week, wash hair each time. Maybe I'll cut her hair washing back to 3 times per week.

brush teeth twice per day every day. I never thought skipping this was an option.

She gets new clothes and PJ each day. But after reading this I think I'll let her wear her PJs twice before washing. They are always clean...until she spills her breakfast on them. If I can solve that then it'll save money on PJs!

shannm · December 2014

Baths are about six times a week.
New clothes and PJ every day.
Tooth rushing at least once a day.

Kids are six and two.

ss+el · December 2014

I've always done new clothes daily. I try to do pajamas for two nights. In the summer, bath, shower, or good wipedown pretty much every night. During the school year, bath Sunday night and I try to get to him at least two other nights when he's in short pants & sleeves. Now that he's in pants & long sleeves, most nights during the week get just a wipedown.

ccam · December 2014

We do a bath every night in the summer and pretty much every other night in the winter. DS goes to daycare 3 days a week and we always bathe him on those days. Hair is washed with every bath.

Teeth are brushed twice a day although sometimes we forget about brushing at night especially on non-bath nights.

New clothes and pj's daily.

shakinros · December 2014

We do baths about 3x per week. Wash hair twice a week. Brush teeth every morning. Nighttime brushing is dependent on who puts her to bed: I remember to brush her teeth at night about 50% of time, DH remembers 0% of the time.

We do new clothes every day, new pjs maybe once a week? She only sleeps in them so I don't see how they can possibly get dirty. She gets dressed before we go downstairs for breakfast. Not potty training yet so I can imagine we'd need to change more frequently then!

bumpuser10331514 · December 2014

We were doing every other day when DS was younger, but our doctor said it was drying him out. Now we do every two days or as needed. At the three day mark, I think my kids start to feel yucky so I try not to let it go that far.

I usually put a 24-hour limit on PJs - which means that they can spend 2-3 nights in them (if they stay food-free), unless they end up wearing them for a significant time during the day (which happens when they are sick or my DH is responsible for changing them).

Clothes are layered. Bottom layers get worn once. Anything covered with food gets tossed in the laundry.

kristennd · December 2014

He's three and a half.

Bath just once a week.

Teeth are brushed twice a day. DH is big on tooth-brushing.

He gets a new outfit every morning but sometimes the shirt or pants from the day before goes back into the closet instead of into the laundry. If it's clean. PJs usually last 3-4 days. He's usually dressed before going downstairs.

groovygrl · December 2014

Bath every other day, teeth after bfast and before bed (I'm not judging anyone on that one b/c it is a PITA but I see this as having real consequences if you are too low key on dental care vs giving a bath or changing clothes and I want to prevent having to do any dental procedures as long as humanly possible.), I should have them wear the same PJs for several days but just get lazy & change them. New clothes daily. DS's clothes tend to be messed up after a day at school, DD's not so much but just easier to throw in laundry.

djm31012 · December 2014

New clothes every day. Yesterday we did nothing all day due to weather, so I threw his sweat pants in the wash, but not his t shirt. His sweatshirt went in because he got tomato sauce on it.

Bath every other day unless there is extreme circumstances (the summer usually more because we go to the beach alot, etc). I usually wash their hair in every bath but sometimes I skip , depending what they did that day. I like to wash it on daycare days.

Brush DS's teeth every morning and night. (hes 22mos)

I would say the brushing teeth is the biggest thing and the only one i would side eye. Your 3 year old should absolutely be practicing good dental care and at this stage you are the example of that. You should be encouraging it, it should be part of their routine. The 10 month old, eh, in my opinion brush them with the washcloth in the tub and thats sufficient.

2-Step · December 2014

We brush 2x everyday consistently but baths are 3x a week with hair washing, which we probably need to step up now that they are getting older but I often find it hard to squueze them in during the school week, usually it's tues/thurs/sun so they are clean at school

boys are just always stinky!

They reuse jeans and sometimes pjs but most of the other clothes are too dirty to rewear.

CarrieB. · December 2014

My kids are 3 and 1. They both have sensitive skin and the 3 year old have very curly hair, so baths with hair washing only 2-3 times a week. New clothes every day or more often due to getting messy. My 3 year old sometimes just randomly changes her clothes too which is a little annoying. New pjs every other day usually. I try to have the 3 year old brush her teeth 2x a day, but it's hard to always remember. We'll start w the 1 year old soon.

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