How often should we bath our kids? The answer will surprise you.

When it comes to showering, we definitely love showering our kids in love. But bath time? That’s a little less fun.

While it feels like something we must do everyday, and some kids do love it, did you know that daily baths aren’t what dermatologists recommend?

Recently celebrity couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis revealed they are not part of the daily bath brigade with their kids. “I wasn’t that parent that bathed my newborns. Ever,” Kunis recently shared on Dax Shepard’s ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast.

“Here’s the thing, if you can see the dirt on them, clean them. Otherwise, there’s no point,” Kutcher added.

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A post shared by Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk)

How Often Should We Bath Our Kids?

So what do experts actually recommend? The American Academy of Dermatology recommends bathing children age 6-11 once or twice a week. Of course they recommend washing more often if they get dirty from playing outside. If they’re sweaty, have body odour, or even if they’re finished swimming, it’s time to jump in the bath.

If you’re having a day where you’re not bathing the kids, you should still quickly wash over their faces and genitals. Avoiding soap is a good idea too. “Try not to use soap, because soap can dry out your toddler’s skin. If needed, use a gentle non-soap cleanser. Use the cleanser at the end of the bath so your toddler doesn’t sit in it for too long,” the Raising Children site advises.

Once kids reach their teen years though, that’s a whole other story. Once kids hit puberty they should shower daily, and generally by that age they prefer to bathe daily anyway. Getting them out of the shower is usually the biggest issue!

Adults should follow the same rules for showering, with bathing daily recommended. Ashton Kutcher is all over that, revealing a little TMI in Dax Shepard’s podcast, “I wash my armpits and crotch daily and nothing else.”

How often do you bath your kids? Does this news surprise you?

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44 Comments

- - mom160289 said
  - 27 Jun 2022
    8:28 pm
Newborn every 2 days. When a bit ikder every night but not fussed if they miss one or 2 days

- - ~Loui~ said
  - 25 Nov 2021
    8:11 pm
My kids missed baths occasionally. If they were tired or didn’t want to and weren’t grubby. I did find it to e part of their routine, so tried to include it. at daily..

- - rovermum said
  - 10 Nov 2021
    9:49 am
Our son hated baths (since diagnosed with ASD). We now know it was a sensory issue so my hubby had to take on the role of bathing him. It changed over time and only if we was dirty enough or we needed to try and calm him down or get him to sleep.

- - Zmijka86 said
  - 10 Nov 2021
    8:05 am
My kids have a shower every day and a bath twice a week.

- - mom466425 said
  - 09 Nov 2021
    8:47 pm
My 2 year old either baths or showers every day and my 3 month old has a bath every 2nd day.
My son loves to get messy so I’m not going to leave him dirty.

- - Frankiielot said
  - 09 Nov 2021
    8:30 pm
What do they mean by bath though? As a shower, they’re not sitting in water for a long amount of time?
I shower my kids everyday. I think it’s a bit gross not to. Plus, I don’t want to teach them that kind of habit when they grow older that they only need to have a shower when they’re dirty – YUCK!!!
Also, they crawl around everywhere and touch everything, especially if they’re at childcare their exposed to all sorts of germs. I think I’ll stick to showering my kids everyday and making sure I moisturise afterwards.

- - Mumof3boyos said
  - 09 Nov 2021
    8:09 pm
Not enough perhaps? It’s actually really harsh on infant skin to wash them too often.

- - SAS185 said
  - 08 Nov 2021
    9:22 pm
Reading all of this plus the comments has truly amazed me. I just don’t understand how one doesn’t shower their kids every day. My 22month old showers or baths every morning with me, and even still some days she smells of sweat just from her afternoon nap. I also believe its good to get them into a routine young so its like a second nature to clean themselves. My 22 month old even brushes her own teeth every morning.

- - ashna9 said
  - 03 Sep 2021
    9:38 pm
Depends on the age and their activity level. From school age I think every day is appropriate.

- - snazzy007 said
  - 31 Aug 2021
    8:54 pm
I think kids can miss days of bathing as suggested

- - natct said
  - 28 Aug 2021
    8:42 am
My kids shower after their swimming lessons then again before school starts each week. My eldest is a teen and I try to get him to shower three times a week and wash his face each night but he gets out of it sometimes.

- - Zmijka86 said
  - 06 Aug 2021
    6:45 pm
My 3 and 5 yo has bath twice a week and quick shower everyday.

- - Petal53 said
  - 01 Aug 2021
    2:47 pm
I agree that babies don’t need to be bathed every day. From my experience with boys, once he goes to school he more often than not arrives home looking pretty grotty so a quick shower freshens him up.

- - kk77 said
  - 31 Jul 2021
    10:02 pm
My 5 and 7 year old shower daily. Especially in Summer. And Ashton Kutcher’s comment “I wash my armpits and crotch daily and nothing else.” – ewwwww.

- - mummabear said
  - 31 Jul 2021
    9:29 pm
I’m with them. I don’t have the time or the energy to bath my two every day. My son is 20 months and I bath him every second. My 6 month old is less, more like once a week
- mom468034 replied
  
  10 Nov 2021 , 9:14 am
  agree 100%!