How Often Should Kids Shower? That is the hot topic among parents right now. And planning a reasonable bathing schedule can help parents maintain sanity at home!
How Often Should Kids Bathe?
Awhile back there was a really interesting conversation with Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard about how often they bathe their kids. Their answer was that they bathe only when they are dirty or smell. Let the parental debate begin!
While many parents agreed that bathing their kids only when dirty was a necessity, others believed every day was the only way to go.
So, how often should kids bathe? Are you bathing your kids too much? Or not enough?
Well, according to a Pediatrician Dr. Pierrette Mimi Poinsett, a baby doesn’t need to be bathed daily— three times a week will suffice.
In fact, over bathing your baby can cause their skin to be irritated and dry.
Frequency of Bathing for Kids by Age
- Per the Cleveland Health Clinic, toddlers and little kids only need a soak in the tub or shower two to three times per week.
- Older kids ages 6 to 11 should hit the bath two to three times per week at a minimum.
- Tweens and teens should shower daily and wash their face twice a day. They also should shower any time they are stinky, sweaty or dirty.
Of course, if your kids are fighting you to shower, it’s probably okay that they don’t for that day. But if your kids have been playing in the mud or is a teen that is in sports, they probably need to shower regardless if they did the day before or not.
Bathing Schedule Chart
This handy chart will help remind you how often your child should bathe. Feel free to save it and keep it handy!
More Parenting Advice from Kids Activities Blog
- Now that you know how often your kids should shower or bathe, you might be wondering When Should My Child Shower Alone? And don’t worry, we’ve got you covered there too!
- Does your kid cry when getting their hair washed? We have solutions!
- See what how you sit says about you!
I think it depends on circumstances but my 2 year old won’t settle for bed if she goes get a bath first
Every kiddo is different, that’s for sure!
What is the scientific basis for the advisory chart shown above?
My 2 kids are bathed on a per child basis. My 5 year old is in pre k and they play outside or he would be sweaty from winter clothes. My 1 year old is a blowout master. As a parent I feel I just have a sense( sometimes a few)as to when they need to be washed. Also with hair care after they stopped using baby wash and foam shampoo they’ve only used conditioner on hair. No shampoo and it’s been amazing. 1 less step for me, no dry scalp. No split ends. It’s actually magic!
Yes! I think it depends per child!
So based on one pediatrician’s recommendation. This article would be worth a read if it was evidence based or scientific but it’s only the opinion of one person. You could ask 1,000 pediatricians and there would be wildly differing opinions. Prefer evidence based, especially when it comes to our children.
Ok I agree with this article but I do have a question how often is it recommended to wash their hair? My 2 yo broke her leg and could only give her sponge baths for 6 weeks, in that time I never washed her hair and you couldn’t tell! So it got me thinking is it necessary? I do rinse with water but just wondered do we really need to shampoo & condition it?
I think it depends on the child, and their age. Once they are a teen (or are heading in that direction), they will need to wash their hair more often. Dry shampoo also helps! I hope your little one has recovered!
My 5 Yr old twins get bathed twice a week and just washes the rest of the time. Over washing causes hair especially to over produce oils my twins hair is always soooo soft never greasy.
Kids need their private parts washed daily, no matter what their age. Isn’t it just easier to stick them in the tub or shower and do the full job? My 3 kids were bathed daily.
Actually Holly, if you knew anything about biology and the human body, you would know too much washing destroys our body’s natural microbiome. This makes us more susceptible to illness and infection.
Kids should be cleaned up after meals, getting dirty, or sweaty activities. However, they really do not need to wash their entire bodies everyday until puberty starts kicking in. Besides, think about it, prior to running water, families (yes, even the adults) washed their whole bodies approximately once a week.
I haven’t seen anything so stupid in my life – kids need to be washed every day etc.
Thank you for your feedback!