DH just washed DD and DS with the same washcloth..UGH

[HIU8]

Ok, don't know if this bothers anyone. It bothers me. Esp. b/c DD has a cold. So, DH washed DD and then used her washcloth to wash DS. So anything on the cloth, snot, urine, poop is now all over DS. GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Made DS get another bath. DH didn't see anyting wrong with what he did (again--GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

[nrp]

Well, I actually don't bathe either DC with a washcloth much (rub a little CA baby wash on with my hand and figure splashing around in soapy-ish water is good enough), but when I do use one, I also only use one cloth for the both of them :bag

Honestly, I never really thought about it. If one DC had a cold, I might think twice, though.

[Andi98989]

If they were in the tub together, I wouldn't haven even thought twice about it. My sister and I shared all the time. Now, having a cold does make a difference - but then I would have bathed them separate, too.

[sariana]

I did this once in a hotel that was short a washcloth. DH had a fit! I had to call housekeeping to get another washcloth because he would not hear of...

I have to interrupt myself here. It was a towel, not a washcloth! He couldn't let them even share a towel!

I used to use each DC's washcloth twice, but then DS pointed out that he didn't want to use the cloth he had used on his bottom one day on his face the next day. Smart kid!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I see no problem if the washcloth was rinsed off between each kid.

Beth

[StantonHyde]

Meh, I use the same wash cloth and towel for a few days. A cold??? Cold are not transmitted via the SKIN--if DC is sneezing on the other DC then that's a problem, but skin, no problem.

As a society, we really, really need to rethink our germophobia. I really do agree with studies that show it leads to increased allergies etc. Now if the DCs had skin infections, that would be a different story!

[HIU8]

Um, I can't verify that..........I would assume probably not since it was DH who did it though.................

[HIU8]

DD has exzema. I just don't like the idea. I keep thinking that DH washed one kids rear and then the other kids face with the same part of the washcloth (DS is 5 and not always the best at wiping IYKWIM). Neither of my kids have allergies of any kind. I'm just not comfortable with it though. It's just another on a long list of things DH does to cut corners. There are legit placed he could cut that would benefit us. Not sure why he thinks that using one washcloth for both kids is better than say, cutting cable or turning off lights when not in a room. I think that is a big part of my issue with this as well.

[DrSally]

I guess it wouldn't totally gross me out, but I do try to avoid it. We were always taught to wash "top to bottom", so I do that for each, with a separate washcloth. Also, when DD has molluscum last summer, I was extremely careful about not using the same cloth for both kids (or having them in the bath at the same time for that matter), and using a new towel each time, and that carefulness has just continued. The latest thing is that DS has plantar's warts, which aren't as contagious as molluscum, but still a reason to be careful.

[sewarsh]

I use the same washcloth for their face and then i just use the soap and rub it into my hand to make suds and wash their bodies.

If one has a cold, i do use 2 washcloths for the face.

Otherwise though, i honestly think kids will transmit colds by sharing sippies, toys, etc. I swear its unevitable to keep one healthy when one is sick becuase by the time you try to keep them separated, its too late!

[hillview]

I usually use 2 but once a week or so somehow end up using the same one. It's no big deal here.
/hillary

[vonfirmath]

We not only used the same washcloth, growing up, for both my sister and I. But we used the same washcloth day after day until laundry day came.

And just a cold? Wouldn't phase me.

[alien_host]

Try to think of it as building immunity!

And I agree with DrSally's method, top to bottom.

[liz]

Sorry, I couldn't use the same washcloth. I guess it goes back to nursing school training. We were taught to wash head to toe, with the peri-anal area being last (cleanest to dirtiest, if you will). So, one washcloth per child.

[HIU8]

I'm still in this camp. I've been thinking about it all night. I am probably more weirded out by the whole thing b/c my mom is a nurse. Of course, I am ok with DD and DS in the tub together (most of the time).

[wellyes]

I don't deliberately do it but it would nor phase me. It's like the age-old question "does soap get dirty"?

[TwinFoxes]

We use two wash cloths for the girls, mainly because I try to give them some individual things, since almost everything they've had since birth is shared. I can see why your DH wouldn't think it's a big deal though.

[Corie]

This wouldn't bother me but I don't freak out with germs.

[WolfpackMom]

Meh, I use the same wash cloth and towel for a few days. A cold??? Cold are not transmitted via the SKIN--if DC is sneezing on the other DC then that's a problem, but skin, no problem.

As a society, we really, really need to rethink our germophobia. I really do agree with studies that show it leads to increased allergies etc. Now if the DCs had skin infections, that would be a different story!

:yeahthat: Exactly...OT but I have a friend who is sick ALL THE TIME, she also is a huge germophobe as is her mother, I definitely think her immune system hasnt been built up to resist common things so she gets a sinus infection or cold or something over any little thing.

[srhs]

DF was using the same washcloth to wipe down all the kids after playdate lunch recently. I was totally grossed out but the guest, so I didn't know what to do.

Siblings? It might bug me, but I don't want to be stuck doing baths, so I'd try to bite my tongue. In the case of a cold and wiping noses/faces, ya, I'd probably say something but keep it cheery.

[boolady]

What does this mean about what we call "scrubbies" in my house...those poofy loofah things? Perhaps I should have thought of this before, but I don't really "wash" them in any way...I use mine, rinse it out thoroughly and hang it back up to dry. DD asks to use it sometimes and I let her. I never thought of any of this as skeevy, but is it?

I really try hard not to be a germaphobe, but have I moved so far away that I'm a breeder?

[Radosti]

So, as a microbiologist, I see nothing wrong with that. Although, neither I, nor DH like using washcloths. They ick me out all around and they are annoying. Before coming to the US, I have never heard of anyone using a towel to soap up with. So, in our household, we put soap directly on hands, lather up and scrub the kids that way. They do share the same bath water though and nothing wrong with that. And the boys are in each other's faces all the time anyway, so I am not too worried about sharing stuff like that between them.

We also have 3 dogs and 3 cats in the house. And we are a pretty healthy household, besides the minor sniffles and other daycare junk the kids bring home.

[maestramommy]

So, as a microbiologist, I see nothing wrong with that. Although, neither I, nor DH like using washcloths. They ick me out all around and they are annoying. Before coming to the US, I have never heard of anyone using a towel to soap up with. So, in our household, we put soap directly on hands, lather up and scrub the kids that way. They do share the same bath water though and nothing wrong with that. And the boys are in each other's faces all the time anyway, so I am not too worried about sharing stuff like that between them.

We also have 3 dogs and 3 cats in the house. And we are a pretty healthy household, besides the minor sniffles and other daycare junk the kids bring home.

Hey, that's how we grew up too! I *think* the only reason we used a washcloth on our kids was because we got them as baby gifts, and they were a little handy for the sponge bath before the stump fell off. Then it just continued from there. Personally I think washcloths are a PITA, and take up more soap than necessary. I normally just skip it, but then Dh asks, "did you scrub them down?" :p Okay dear, even though they did almost nothing today, didn't even leave the house;)

To the OP, I would think that having the kids in the same bathtub already assumes some level of bacterial equilibrium. So I wouldn't worry about the washcloth. Remember that news video about the disgusting bath toys, and what they found inside the ones that squirt? Ecoli etc was found because surprise! It's on their kids' butts, and ends up in the bathwater. So even if you use separate washcloths, I doubt it's going to make a difference.

[Naranjadia]

And the boys are in each other's faces all the time anyway, so I am not too worried about sharing stuff like that between them.


That is my thinking is well. Unless we were to quarantine them from each other, they get plenty of exposure just horsing around all day.

I use 1 washcloth, DH uses 2. But the kids still bath together, too.