It's that time of year again, where moms and their children spend the 'witching hours' between the end of nap time and Daddy's home time outside.
We were at the park with several other moms whom I only know as so-and-so's mom (why do we do this, by the way? I can't remember that last time that I introduced myself before my children).
Small talk between me and mom-with-only-her-child's name-attached-to her-face starts:
"Oh, I love this weather, we can finally be outside."
I nod and agree.
"These are the kind of days that we can spend the entire day outside."
I nod and agree.
"The only thing I don't like is spending so much of their time outside means a bath every night."
I nod and agree.
Except on the inside I'm going - Are you crazy? I can't imagine giving my two children a bath every. single. night. I don't have the time, the patience or the even the desire to keep my children that clean.
Seriously, I've had this 'small talk' conversation at least three times already this Spring, leading me to believe that all mothers out there are giving their children nightly baths (causing me to pretend that I do the same, to spare my children the embarrassment of having such a lazy mother and I've already told you, I'm a horrible liar).
Please don't tell me I'm the only one that doesn't give their child a bath every single night when the sun sets later than 5 pm.
If I am, just nod and agree.
We were at the park with several other moms whom I only know as so-and-so's mom (why do we do this, by the way? I can't remember that last time that I introduced myself before my children).
Small talk between me and mom-with-only-her-child's name-attached-to her-face starts:
"Oh, I love this weather, we can finally be outside."
I nod and agree.
"These are the kind of days that we can spend the entire day outside."
I nod and agree.
"The only thing I don't like is spending so much of their time outside means a bath every night."
I nod and agree.
Except on the inside I'm going - Are you crazy? I can't imagine giving my two children a bath every. single. night. I don't have the time, the patience or the even the desire to keep my children that clean.
Seriously, I've had this 'small talk' conversation at least three times already this Spring, leading me to believe that all mothers out there are giving their children nightly baths (causing me to pretend that I do the same, to spare my children the embarrassment of having such a lazy mother and I've already told you, I'm a horrible liar).
Please don't tell me I'm the only one that doesn't give their child a bath every single night when the sun sets later than 5 pm.
If I am, just nod and agree.
17 comments:
We give a our daughter a bath every few days, depending how much enery we have. I haven't bathed the baby is a LONG time. I should probably do that today. :-)
Actually our doctor told us NOT to give the boys baths every nite unless they were really dirty from playing outside. If they were just dirty we are to wipe them down, but a bath only every 2-3 days. This is because 2 of the 3 have excema skin issues and prescriptions creams. Water and especially soap are agents that actually pull moisture from the skin!! Who knew :) I HATE bath nights and will do everything in my power to avoid them ie make a really big dinner so I can play the "You give the boys their bath while I clean the kitchen (hubby HATES kitchen duty)!!!
Graycen doesn't get a bath every single night. It's totally unnecessary. Unless she is filthy, I just don't have the energy to do it.
I am nodding and agreeing. If we aren't outside and sweaty, then we are not going to take a bath. We "bird bathe"--wash cloth to face, hands, feet, etc. You aren't the only one. :)
It's actually not good for their skin to get a bath everyday so you are the mom who knows what she's doing :)
We do the bath/shower every other night (I stopped baths really early) unless they have been swimming (my kids have blonde hair and if it's not washed, it gets green streaks!)
so i am the loser bc we do take a bath every night. i know, i know, she won't die without one. and it's better for her skin if we don't. but we love our routine. so we take the nightly bath.
i understand if you vote me off your blog...
We have eczema kids, too. We used to limit their baths to 1-2x a week! But the eczema wasn't getting better, and our current dr is of the "more baths the better" philosophy - as long as I lotion them up immediately.
That said, I still don't have the patience, energy or willingness to do daily baths. So now we are on a strict every-other-day bath schedule.
I've always been shocked at how many books on caring for babies/children talk about "nightly baths" as part of the bedtime routine. REALLY?
Hahaha. I don't even give myself a bath every day!
LOL... you're not alone here! Even if my boys have been playing in the park for hours and, as my 3 and a half year old did the other day - roll around IN the sand - Doesn't always mean they are getting a bath! They get a good 'shake-off' and I wash their hands and feet. Because sometimes they're just too tired (and so am I) so I don't want to miss that golden opportunity to put them to bed! ;)
I used to "try" (try meaning hardly make an attempt if I really didn't feel like it) to give him a bath when he was done outside. His little fingers and toes always had so much dirt in them. And I hated the thought of him sleeping on dirty sheets. But then I realized I could just use wipes or a wet washcloth to get most of that dirt off. About every other day here is good for a bath!
If its' any consolation to you, I'm not in the habit of giving my daughter nightly bath either but I do wash her before going to bed, does that count?
Avery, my two-month-old, gets a bath or at least a rinse-down in the shower with mom or dad EVERY SINGLE DAY. She doesn't do anything that would get her dirty. Bathtime isn't even part of our bedtime routine but she still gets one everyday. I can't skip a day with my own shower so I'm sure I will end up turning my daughter into a clean freak.
I am so glad to hear that we are not alone in our bathing frequency. We shoot for every other night. In the spring and summer, it is NEEDED more often, but that doesn't mean we actually do it more often. Just last night we tucked Frank into bed knowing full well that his blankets would be full of sand from his hair by morning.
You know what? I bet that other mom was lying. She was probably testing you to see if YOU bathe your kids daily. By smiling and nodding in response to her comment, you perpetuated the myth. She was freaking out when you nodded, thinking, "OH MY GOD! THIS MOM DOES IT TOO! I AM THE ONLY MOM WHO DOESN'T BATHE MY KIDS EVERY DAY!"
first things first... small talk is the death of me... i think it is the sole reason i can't deal at the park...
as for the bath... we're lucky if we hit every other day... it's not like you can't just wash their hands and face :) maybe their feet on a really bad day
No baths here, we are a "dirty" family ;)
I couldn't fathom doing it, I don't have time and I can barely get supper ready let alone figure out who is dirty and who is not. Lately we do bath the little one more often b/c she has taken to shoving sand down her diaper at the park, so on those days we either bath her or do the old "hold her up and spray her 'china'".
Hee hee :)
My neighbor (or her husband) gives her two year old a bath every night and I tell her she is nuts! She says her husband thinks the other kids at daycare are dirty...well, duh! Kera is lucky if I get her every three days! Poor thing's hair is always matted to her head! We have started implementing "the washing of the feet" before climbing into bed. It is sandal season you know!
I only bathe my little guys once a week in the winter and then as needed in the summer. The parts of them that get dirty-butts, hands, face-are constantly being cleaned. It's better for their skin to have fewer baths, anyway.
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