Everything to Do for a Toddler Girl

My daughter is 2.5 also...

Best shampoo we've used so far: California Baby. My daughter's hair is straight and thick, so we don't need conditioner.
She is also not fond of hair washing, but that is pretty normal I hear.
We do not use soap, on her body (I do have her wash her hands with soap). I simply use the shampoo to wash the rest of her body as well. For girls only water to wash the privates. I have never found it necessary to "scrub" her excessively. I let a soak in a tub for a bit before we wash up and get out, to minimize her exposure to the soapy water (she has dry skin).

I usually throw her clothes in the wash every day, sometimes, if things look still really clean, I will let her wear then another time (usually when we have an inside day - otherwise her clothes just get too dirty).
If you laundry gets rough/stiff you might be using too much detergent. Give your clothes a run in lots of hot water (don't fill the machine with clothes all the way) without detergent. If you can see suds, you clothes have detergent built up on them. Wash in hot water until you see no more suds.

In the future use only 1/4 - 1/2 of the recommended amount of detergent and if you have a lightly soiled load, you can even do without. It is the mechanical agitation that removes most of the dirt, not the detergent.

Hope that helps!
Good luck.

2 moms found this helpful

My daughter is 2.5 years old also. I usually just use the normal Johnson & Johnson Soap/Shampoo in her hair and on her body. I have used regular (adult) shampoo and conditioner from time to time but every time it gets into her eyes, it stings whereas the other does not. I do not use conditioner - but her hair is fairly fine like mine.

I wash her clothes as long as they are dirty in some way. Rarely does she wear pants more than once, never does she wear a shirt more than 1x before getting washed. The only thing she'll use a few times before I wash it is her pajamas and towels.

I use soap on her when she gets a bath every other day. If she ends up in the bath 2x in a row, I do not worry so much about getting her 'clean' and just let her play, but make sure to squirt some soap in while the bath is running. We put the soap on with our hands and use the wash cloth (no soap) for her face. She uses a bath mit at my parents along with Aveeno there and likes it.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi,

I have a toddler girl and this is what we do:

We use only Shaklee personal care products on her because they are super safe, non-toxic, pure, and effecive. This goes the same for laundry products. Shaklee's Get Clean line is safe, non-toxic, very effective, super concentrated, and earth-friendly.

I give my daughter a bath every other day unless she's really dirty or sweaty. During the summertime I have to bathe her more. I only wash her hair every other day though. I use the Shaklee baby wash/shampoo on my daughter and my Shaklee conditioner on her hair. She cries when I wash her hair just because she doesn't like it. She's always worries the bubbles will get on her face. I just have to be creative to get her mind off of it. Wiping correctly during potty training years is something to be learned so sometimes I have my daugher just sit in the bath to clean her area if I see that she's red or irritated. I also use the Shaklee baby lotion on her body. My daughter had a problem with eczema and I have to make sure that I use only products that are toxin-free. Since Shaklee, we've never had another breakout.

I wash her clothing weekly with the Shaklee detergent, softner, and dryer sheets. I also use Nature Bright which is like Oxyclean, but 60% more effective and safe. We rarely stain anything thanks to Nature Bright. Like I said, Shaklee is so safe and gentle we never have any rough clothing or irritations to the products. It's really concentrated so you only need a little bit and it's so effective that you can even use a little less than instructed. If she's wearing her "around the house" play clothes for a few hours, I don't always wash those.

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions on Shaklee. You can check them out at www.greennutrition.info or register to win $200 in free products at www.freegreenproducts.info. I can also get you a price comparison sheet on the cleaning and laundry products if you'd like to see the money you'd save by switching.

My daughter is 18 months. We were using Aveeno baby hair/body wash, but then I got Johnson & Johnson because I had a coupon. It really dried her skin out. So now we are using California Baby shampoo/body wash, and just started using California Baby Calming bubble bath. The bubble bath has a lavender scent and I like it. I did like the Aveeno too. We gently wash her with a washcloth.

She gets a bath every day, but some days it's a quick one. It's part of our routine and she likes it. We wash hair every other day.

She usually wears one outfit all day, and we always wash whatever she's worn, even if it doesn't look dirty.

My daughter has a ton of hair and I've been using Suave for kids. It's tear free and comes in different scents. It's work really good for her. You could also use the spray detangler. Comes in a very light apple scent. And they are not very expensive. I only wash her hair every other day, so her scalp does not dry out. Body soap I usually use the baby brand body wash. I've heard not to use bubbles to much with little girls, they tend to get infections. Once in awhile but not all the time. It also gets in their hair and drys out their scalp. I wash her with a wash cloth, but you could use a mitt, just start from the face down. For laundry I always wash her cloths even if she has only worn it for a couple of hours. Kids get things on them all the time. I wash her cloths by themselves. Gentle, cold water and not a lot of detergent. I do use softener, but all depends if your daughter is allergic to it.

I highly recomment the California Baby line of products. They sell it at Target. Although it is more expensive than the suave, aveeno and the other products recommended, it does not have all the toxic chemicals that the other's have. If you go online and do some research on the other products you will see how bad they are for your child. I didn't know as much as I do know with my daughter, she is 28 months. I also have 2 boys, 11 and 12. My daughter also cries when I was her hair, she hates to get water on her face. I have her clean her body with soap, she doesn't like me to do it.

Good luck!

After reading the other responses, I'm feeling even more crunchy-granola than I thought I was!

My girls (2.5 and 4.5) take a bath most days because they like to play in the water and it is part of our typical bedtime routine. I never wash them with soap. Being in the water seems to be adequate and that way they don't get dry skin from bathing everyday. I wipe their faces with a wash cloth and let them do the rest themselves. Every so often I check between their toes, under their arms, and their girl parts to make sure that they have been doing an adequate job.

I use Burt's Bee's baby shampoo on the younger one since it is tear-free and doesn't have the parabens, etc. in it. I have liked California Baby in the past too. I sometimes use conditioner, but that means having to rinse a second time, which can sometimes be challenging with a two-year old. A spray detangler is handy if not using condition results in tangles.

Laundry is already a huge chore already, so anything that has just been worn around the house and didn't get food on it can get a second wearing (undies excluded). PJ's get two nights use. Try using vinegar in your fabric softner dispenser. It helps rinse the soap residue out of the clothes and serves as a fabric softner. The bonus is that it is CHEAP and no chemicals.

N.-

I'll try to answer as best as possible from the standpoint of having a 3.5 year old son and a 2 year old daughter (with a very full head of hair).

Shampoo: we still use baby wash/shampoo.
Around 2.5 our son became really freaked out with rinsing his hair. Giving him a washcloth to put over his eyes seemed to help take the fear away to a certain extent. It only lasted a few months, and he's great now. I like the scent of Target's Up&Up brand, so that's what we currently use.

Laundry: anything they wear, we wash. I feel like I do laundry ALL the time. Some people argue that fabric softener isn't great, but I personally choose to use it for most loads.

Soap: you'll see a lot of advice from dermatologists not to use soap daily on infants (in particular). Our daughter has had eczema for about a year. Both she and her brother play hard and get sweaty - plus with it being nice outside now, they're playing at day care, getting messy at school. We bathe the kids just about daily. We use Vanicream (over the counter moisturizer recommended by our Dermatologist for our daughter's eczema) immediately after the bath, and it seems to do a good job of helping prevent dry skin.
We use a $1 loofa sponge from Walmart to bathe them.

Good luck!

Hi N.,

My son's hair was fine and had curls at the ends, and was on the longish side. I washed with J&J baby shampoo, the one that has "tangle-aide" and if there were really bad knots, I would rub a little J&J baby lotion in. Took the tangle right out.

I would wash his clothes when they were dirty. He was a crazy active little guy. You'll know when it's time. And as far as fabric softness, I use the Tide total care, gets out tough stains, keeps the fabric looking new, keeps everything SOFT and it smells nice. We all have sensitive skin and we've never had a problem with it. And for REAL tough stains, I pretreat with SHOUT!

The Johnson's & Johnsons is SO gentle, I think you're ok to use that daily. Like I said, we all, my son included, have sensitive skin and he never reacted to the cleansers in the J&J. Look for one of those little soft baby wash cloths.

Good luck!! :)
W.

As far as bathing goes, every night before bed, we give her a quick wipe with a wet washcloth, at the very least on her face, neck, hands, and feet. She usually takes a bath every other day. Sometimes she'll ask for one every day - in which case we just let her play in the water, no need for soap every single day. It can dry the skin out.

As far as laundry, I suppose it depends on how long she wore the item and what she did in it. If we are just hanging out around the house, I wouldn't wash it.

Hi,
I use Young Living kids Shampoo. It doesn't sting, ideal pH designed specifically for childrens' scalp and hair. Free of harsh detergents and soaps that can dry, irritate, and damage skin and hair.

And really important to me.. NONE of their shampoos or soaps have Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate -- they are irritants.. and carcinogenic!!

They also have a great Lavender conditioner, that I dilute and use as a rinse after shampooing for my son's hair. It's thick and wavy. And I use the same on my long thick hair, it leaves is very managable. And since it works very well even diluted I save a ton of $$ as a bottle lasts SO long.

I will wash his hair every two-three days. Though some times he wants to dunk when he's in the tub.

I hope that helps.
email if you want more info : ____@____.com

All the best.

heres what i do with my daughter-

bath time- we use our shampoo and conditioner on her (panteen)
i use aveeno body wash on her because she has eczema and it keeps it calm. i bathe my daughter every other day unless shes super dirty. i use a small loofa to gently scrub all her body however i use a wash rag between her legs to clean that area. maybe try one of those hair washing pails that has a soft part that goes on the forehead to prevent water from getting in the face. you can get them from walmart. i wash my daughters clothes in tide clear and free no matter how long she wears them because as soon as she strips down she puts her clothes in her dirty clothes basket.

I use Suave shampoo/conditioner combo because my daughters hair gets knotty now. Why is she crying? Is she getting soap in her eyes?

I wash my daughters clothes daily. If it's something she wore inside for a few hours and didn't get anything on it...I'll let her wear it again. But typically she keeps the same outfit on all day unless she really messes it up.

I still use the Johnson & Johnson body wash on my daughter. I use it too, so my skin doesn't dry out. We use a regular washcloth to clean her.

my daughter just turned 3.

she gets a bath almost everyday. I wash her hair, use conditioner and I use dove soap. But, since I know she'll get another bath the next day i dont care if I miss a spot. also i give her the wash cloth to wash her body. So, I know plenty is missed. i only make sure she's scrubbed it it has been a muddy day.

I wash everything that gets worn outside-because I know there is some dirt on it some where. any thing taht involved a craft---if she comes in from outside, gets out of dirty clothes, puts on new clothes watches a TV show and then takes a bath-no, those clothes go back in the drawer. I use costco's clean and clear detergent and a little downey, a double rinse and drier sheets. i dont a problem w/ crunchy clothes. Plus-my daughter will almost never wear anything but "soft clothes" (knits).

My son is 7 now but I still use Aveeno Shampoo and Body wash. Sometimes I use Huggies Shampoo and Body wash. After each bath I rub him down with Aveeno lotion or bath oil since he has very dry skin. I bought one kids shampoo with conditioner to use once in awhile. I try not to use anything with strong chemicals or perfumes in it. Since he was about 2 we have been doing a bath every other day unless he's really dirty for some reason. Sometimes he doesn't need a full bath but I'll take a washcloth with some Dove soap and give him a "sponge bath" just to freshen him up.

Most of the time I get only one use out of his clothes because he's always running and jumping and spilling something but if I can get 2 or 3 uses out of something I definitely welcome it.

Hope this helps.

Use a gentle no tears shampoo. You don't have to wash everyday unless dirty... otherwise, like with my daughter's fine hair, it can get dry and split ends and tangled. Also a kids conditioner.
I use Suave (for kids) too... the shampoo/conditioner combo. Its not expensive and i like it.

Laundry... you do not have to wash her clothes after wearing for just a couple of hours. Only wash if it is dirty/soiled. Unless you don't mind doing lots of laundry and increasing your water bill.

Using "soap" can dry their skin, and in kids who have sensitive skin. You can use liquid soaps/body washes, or bar soap like Dove or Aveeno etc.
NO you don't have to SCRUB the skin nor rub it with a bath mitt. Just a wash cloth or even just your hands. Or it can dry the skin out too much. And don't wash her privates roughly or rigorously... it can irritate the area. Just wash there gently or even with just your hands.
"Cetaphil" is also a non-soap hypoallergenic gentle option too... for washing and they have a body lotion. It is recommended by many Dermatologists. For sensitive skin. You can find it at most drug stores.

all the best,
Susan