Hygiene

Here is something I wrote about 25 years ago probably....still needs to be said today.

Give yourself a break, Mom!
The idea that a baby or a young child HAS TO HAVE a bath every day is nonsense! In the summertime, maybe, but in my opinion this is just another ruse calculated to sell more baby shampoo and make our days even more hectic than they already are. Believe me, when they get to a certain age, you won't be able to pry them out of the bathroom!
Use your own common sense. If they're actually dirty. Then give them a bath! None of my kids ever died from dirty ankles or necks!

Now to today....if your children are parked in front of the TV or the Wii after they do their homework, then there is even less of a chance that they need a bath. Strenuous sports activity, now that is another matter....
Newborns can be given a sponge bath, with special attention given to the creases in their skin that can harbor lint and dirt.
Children need some dirt in their lives, how else are they going to build up immunity to anything? When I was a kid, I loved playing with mud....there is just something about mixing water and dirt, thick or thin mixtures, mud pies or mud soup, that could occupy my attention for hours! I do see such activity at the beach today with fine sand and sea water, of course, but not so much back at home....I don't know if putting a water hose at the bottom of the slide and letting a mud hole to slide into develop counts or not!

We may believe that our water supply is endless, but it isn't.....conserving water is just one of the many "green" activities that we should be practicing.