Bath or shower - how often ?

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My 5 year old grandson has always been a water baby; he loves swimming and has to be cajoled out of the bath etc. His 2 year old brother was the exact opposite and every night he used to be put into the bath screaming and whipped out as quickly as possible. When they stayed here a few months ago I decided to bathe the little one in the kitchen sink, hoping that he would feel safer in the smaller space. He was completely bemused at first and then began to splash, getting water on his face and in his eyes in the process, but loving it. Since then he's continued to share his usual nightly bath with his big brother without any problems at all. My daughter was sooo impressed.

I find that having a bath is a natural part of the bedtime routine for the DGC. Once grandad starts running the bath (it takes a while to fill) then they know it's "that time" little one goes first so he can have a little play with his various boats,submarines,fish,sharks and whales (in fact there's barely enough room for him). Then the two girls follow. I have to hide the bubble bath and body washes etc. from them, as their favourite activity is making a mixed up concoction they call "witches brew" that they slop all over themselves and pretend to disappear. Mind you they always come out smelling gorgeous. Both the girls have really long blonde hair which is a nightmare to get dried on a school night.

It's certainly a shame that you feel you have to hold back from hugging your grandchildren because they are 'grubby', specki. it's a shame for both them and you.
As a child, I had a bath on a Friday night. Face and hands were washed in the morning and at night, if I remember. When my own children were little they weren't bathed every night, either, because things were so tight money-wise we couldn't afford to have the immersion heater on that often!
They did survive, though. Can't remember them being smelly, though they were definitely quite grubby now and again!

As a child I, along with my sister and brothers, had both impetigo AND scabies. We had to have regular visits to the clinic where we were bathed and painted by lovely nurses/health visitors who also plied us with vitamins and orange juice. It was a highlight of my childhood.
And here I am - I lived to tell the tale and my personal hygiene is now exemplary. Hope that reassures you somewhat specki4eyes.

There were plenty of holes in the ground in the South of France still last year, particularly in the South, and in the seaside town public toilets. We even encountered one in an extremely modern motorway 'Aire', which was a bit of a surprise. The queue for it was non-existent, it seemed that no nationality wished to use it, not only the Brits but the French too! I was laughing about it with the French woman in front of me, she said that her father insisted on using them, it was what he had been brought up to, but that when tights and trousers became fashionable women started to complain more about having to use them.

Talking of grubby kids I have the opposite problem. GD1 is one of those annoying people who, no matter what state everyone else is in, has the knack of never getting sticky, grubby, muddy or messy. She is the only child I know who can eat several pancakes, complete with maple syrup, and not even have sticky fingers.

Having just read the latest posts, I'm starting to itch!

specki, if they're just a bit grubby sometimes I wouldn't worry!

If they do develop impetigo they'll have symptoms such as sores or blisters which your DIL won't be abe to ignore, but if they're well looked after generally I don't see why they should.

That's the one!! When I read my post again it seemed outrageous that people were allowed to smoke in a circus tent. Imagine all that inflammable material everywhere!!! Surely they don't use Gentian Violet anymore.

My mother used to scare me with talk of body mites that would thrive under your arms and down below if you didn't wash properly.

Just off the have a wash.

And shaved heads if it spread to the scalp, it must have been so painful with the sores

Gentian violet, Falconbird (the purple ointment)?

I remember impetigo when I was a child. Was it the one they treated with purple ointment?

I remember being at the circus and the boy behind me had his poor face covered in purple ointment. My mother lit a cigarette and blew it in his face to stop him getting too close to me.

What strange days - circa 1956.

I'm uneasy when I see grubby children who clearly need a bath/change of clothes and aren't routinely washed/bathed, but it's a very touchy situation if DIL has different standards, isn't it?
I'm not sure how you broach that one.......
DGS has recently refused to sit in the bath but he still gets washed allover, standing in the bath, every evening. Swimming pools are no excuse, even if the showers are used; you can catch a number of unpleasant things, verrucas for one, and changing rooms can be pretty grim IMO.
I remember someone's children getting Impetigo and it took ages to clear up, and they had to miss school too.
That's so sad that you can't give them a lovely hug or cuddle specki

I'd had a sore on my finger for weeks and finally went to the doctor. She said, 'Oh, that's impetigo', at which the ghost of my mother spoke through me: 'Dirty people,' I blurted out, 'get impetigo.' Then I realised what I had said and apologised on behalf of my mother. The doctor laughed and explained that impetigo was a staph aureus infection and gave me an antibiotic ointment which didn't work. I must have rubbed my eyes which became infected and I had to have a systemic antibiotic and wear dark glasses to work for a week.

I worry because I remember the fear, instilled in me by my mother, of impetigo
speci4eyes I remember my DM telling me that when she was in hospital and our aunt was looking after us, my aunt told my DB that he didn't need a bath because he had been to the swimming baths. When he tried to say that 'Mum always makes us have a bath when we've been swimming' auntie said no. Mum said that DB got impetigo.

Yes Falconbird you have guessed it! I can't say anything because of my DIL - I would be banned for life if I did!

I did call up to them "dont forget to brush your teeth!" last week when I was visiting at kiddies bedtime. Then I waited for the strop session, but she mustn't have heard me! And I had the pleasure of kissing nice minty mouths goodnight.

Its a problem for me because they are so grubby, I instinctively hold back from hugging them.

specki4eyes Not paranoid - just concerned. It's so difficult being a Gran or in my case a Nan.

If the subject seems appropriate you could mention the impetigo if you happen to be chatting about family illnesses etc.,

If it's a Dil tread warily (plenty of threads about this) I have one that I'm scared of saying anything to because it's usually cause for her to take offence in some way.

Sorry to slightly digress but i worry about the fact that two of my grandchildren dont have evening baths. They are just told to put their pjs on and then they get into bed. When I spent a week with them on holiday in Spain, I noticed that the only cleansing they had occurred in the swimming pool. I worry because I remember the fear, instilled in me by my mother, of impetigo. Am I being paranoid?

Incidentally, I cannot function without a daily shower and my hair is shampooed every other day.

Also you obviously have to sit in cooling water until it empties....... Not for me!

Are you familiar with the bath for disabled. The one that is walk in and you sit in and close the door, the water slowly creeps up. Oh the misery.
An elderly friend bought one, at great expense. She used it once, and said it was torture. Luckily she had a second bathroom with a shower.
That certainly turned me off buying one.

I think the 'Hole-in-the-ground' has all but disappeared here now. perhaps they live on in very rural bar/tabacs. They were supposed to be more hygienic than sharing a loo seat with God knows who, but for a girl, wearing either a skirt or trousers, they were a nightmare.My dear-departed sister almost fell in the hole, she was laughing so much when we encountered one in a really remote village when she came on her first visit to us.

As for wetrooms... they are very popular in gites/holiday cottages we've stayed in and I can understand that as they are much easier to keep clean, but I can't say I really like them. I prefer a shower cubicle.... nice and warm, non-slip and in the winter in a chilly bathroom they're a bit like a steam room. Only trouble is, opening the doors and letting the cold in. Hot air blowers(like a car wash)would be brilliant!

X-ed posts...

Interesting isn't it. I suppose if the smelly clothes were worn as a deliberate attempt at offending someone, then that someone might well feel offended. However, if the smelly clothes were just worn with no other intention than to keep warm, then I see no reason why someone might feel offended.

#sundaysemantics

Crossed posts! Glad you understood what I was on about, loopy Thought you would .