Is a Bath Every Night for My Toddler Too Much?

I give my daughter a bath every other day. Also, I use DermalTherapy on all my children. It is even better than aquaphor. It is not greasy and doesn't leave a film. It is better than lotion because it is medicated for healing dry skin but has a pleasant scent. I didn't know it was medicated until the company expressly said that to me. It really is the best!

Hi, I have 3 boys under the age of 5 and expecting another. Although I love bath time, because it is relaxing for everyone, I had to cut back on doing it daily. I do it every other night and sometimes every 2 days. My kids also were developing dry patches. I was concerned because my husband has severe excema. They easily adjusted. I would suggest reading an extra story in place of the bath and still do a little lotion on the baby as they get into their pj's. I still give my 17 month old massages regardless of the bath. Hope this helps...

Our pediatrician and two dermatologists said to do bathes as needed. National Jewish said a bath every night for 10-15 minutes using Ivory or Dove soap at the very end. Twice a day if necessary. Turns out NJH was right. Our son has no skin problems now. We use Vanicream after the bath while his skin is wet. You have to ask for it at the pharmacy but it is OTC. It has cured his severe eczema. So, if doing a bath is working, according to NJH it's very good for the skin in this dry climate. If it works, keep doing it.

The TODAY Show had two segments on this very topic about 2-3 months ago. One segment dealt with bathing for adults the other was bathing for children. In both cases, the health & hygine specialist said bathing every day was not necessary. Of course it would be appropriate in cases where the individual gets particularly dirty, sweaty or has problem areas that need attention. But otherwise a bath/shower every 2-3 days is sufficient. If you do baths every day go with the good cleansers and shampoos like Mustela, Aveeno, California Baby etc.

In the winter, I'm finding that twice a week is plenty and my 2-year old is still really dry. Our routine is the same for bedtime, we just don't do the bath. We still put on PJs, brush teeth, read books and rock and sing for a few minutes before going in the crib.

In the summer, I tend to bathe every other night.

We do baths every few days, no real schedule, we just try to do them about 3 times a week. However, if baths are needed more often, because the kids are messy from dinner (my son LOVES smearing food in his hair, and does it every chance he gets) or from playing in the dirt, etc., we do them as needed. We lotion the kids up afterwards, too, which seems to help with the dry skin thing.

Hi A.!

I give my daughter a bath every other night. I have heard other moms say they give their kids a bath every night but only use soap every other night. That may help. I am not sure what to do about the routine on the off nights. No matter what my daughter does before bed, she is ready to go nite-nite at 8:00 pm. Maybe give her a massage before bed on the off nights. You can use the massage oil (lavender scent) from johnson and johnson and warm it a little. Use that to relax her. It works like a charm on my daughter. The bath is to relax them so anything that is a relaxation for her would be an alternative. Hope that helps! Good Luck!
J. S

just part of the bath is having one on one with your child. My doctor said not to use soap every time but to just rinse off the child. If it is working so far, why change. You could shorten the bath time and read a story after. Possibly your child would fall asleep freeing up some of the drawn out feeling.

I agree with Kimberly D. I bathed my children every night and used GOOD creams and lotions on them. They cost more, but work. I only used mild soaps, like Ivory or Dove, because all of the baby brand soaps and lotions are very drying....I'm sure that you all knew that. They smell fantastic, but are drying to baby's skin. And if there is a dry patch, they sting! Any label that lists alcohol, or a word similar to alchol, is a product that will dry out baby's skin! Also, the hotter the water, the more drying. So just warm is best. My children all loved their bedtime routines, especially the part where I rubbed them down with the lotions and creams. You can work in a short massage and they sleep so much better. The cuddle time after bath is wonderful too! Good luck to you and your sweet daughter!

I don't do every night in the winter for that very reason. It is very drying on their skin and hair. They just don't need it. In the summer my kids are outside a lot more and if they are dirty I do throw them in the tub nightly. My suggestion is you do a "wash up" routine on the nights you don't bath your daughter. I do every other night in the winter.

Both of my kids tend to get dry skin... For the time being we give them a bath every other night, once it gets warmer and we don't use our heater anymore we'll go back to everyday. And, depending on how messy of a eater yours is, I save the messy dinners (like spaghetti) for bath nights... Hope this helps

Bathing every night at this early of an age can cause dry skin. And even if they are small patches here and there they can be deceiving and really cause discomfort and pain to a small child. Our one year old has excema and I only bathe him a couple of times a week because even just bathing him in water and not using soap dries his skin out and it doesn't look bad but drives him crazy. Watch the dry patches she has closely a good cream to use on them is Baby Aquaphor. It is the only one that I have found that works for him and he was born with excema so I have tried them all. Baby massage is good for them and relaxing so is reading and rocking. Good luck : )

Maybe change the bedtime routine a bit and make reading a story the focus instead of the bath. Having family time at bedtime is a great ritual at the end of a busy day. Maybe she could have her bath a little earlier-like right after dinner. Then at bedtime, you could focus on a quick pick up of her room, a story and family prayer or whatever is a part of your family beliefs.
Every other day bathing for a child that age is often enough for a bath unless she has a really messy diaper that requires a bath.

Our bath times aren't necessarily scheduled. They always get a bath on Saturday night to be clean for church, and almost always on Wednesday nights. But in between, it's sort of a judgment call. If they've been out playing really hard in the dirt (I have two preschool boys), they'll get a bath. Or if one is feeling a bit cranky, a bath helps soothe them.
I'm pretty sure than a generation ago, kids got a bath on Saturday night and that was it. Washing up was a daily thing, up to the elbows and face and behind ears, but it wasn't a daily bath. Not until they hit puberty and start to get BO.

i have a 19 month old and i give her a bath every night it helps her go to bed better if she doesn't have her baths she is testsy til she gets one as for the dry spots do you use a good lotion after the bath for a sothing massage to calm her down it helps

No need to bathe every night....only when dirty.....does not hurt to bathe only once or twice a week...you can tell when the body needs cleaning..."spot clean" when necessary between baths. Chemicals in lotions and creams do absorb through the skin....not good for the little bodies....or the large ones for that matter.
Other relaxing activities before bed...reading, music or just "being"....G.