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seven2hold
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| Posted: April 24 2007 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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How do you keep these under control?
Sometimes my girls (even my 8 yo ds) use two towels per shower! Of course, they usually end up on the bedroom floor, despite the fact that we have two rows of four hooks each in their bathroom for all robes and towels.
I've got the 5 and under crowd under control. They have hooded towels on hooks in my br next to our large tub.
It's the big kids I need advice for.
Do you find it hard to convince some children that since they just showered they are clean and we can then conclude that the bath towel should be clean? I'm of the opinion you can use it three times before the next wash.
I'm thinking of buying each child his/her own bath towel (the fluffy Laura Ashley are on sale now at Kohl's). Should everyone get a different color? Maybe I'll applique' initials onto the towels.
How do you do it?
Speaking of towels...did you know that the refigerator lock only works when you use it? Off to mop up the OJ!
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Kathy
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Mother to DD(91), DD(93), DD(95), DS(98), DD(00), DS(01), DS(03), DD(05), and DS(07)
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juststartn
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| Posted: April 24 2007 at 12:24pm | IP Logged
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I'd go with either color coding (and get the same color of washcloths, too, and have each dc keep track of their own, maybe) the towels themselves, or do some sort of ID on them, as you suggested.
Are your older dc doing the laundry? If not, maybe making them do it a good bit of the time would bring home the point a bit, too, once you change the towels over to some sort of a system. If you are, maybe make it a "fine-worthy offense"? The fine being anything from monetary to temporary extra chores, since they are making more work for the one doing the laundry.
Just my off-the-cuff thoughts...
Rachel
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Rachel May
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I recently bought the kids bath towels from the Company Store when they did their sale($10 per towel). Each child has only 2 towels, and they each have their own color that I let them choose. We still use baby washcloths, and I try to keep only 2 in the kids' bath at any one time. We change everythng once a week. So far the system is working great.
Bill and I have our own colors, too, but I do like to have a body towel and a hair towel. Bill likes a wash cloth for the shower and one for the sink. I guess as you get older and do your own laundry, you can indulge your own preferences?
I also keep a few special towels with matching washcloths just for guests.
I hope you come up with the perfect solution!
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Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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Cathmomof8
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| Posted: May 07 2007 at 12:11pm | IP Logged
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Years ago we bought color coded towels and matching wash cloths for our kids - and I mean ONE for each child. seriously - just one towel for each child. It worked great. recently though I bought a second towel for the teen and pre teen boys. So when I see the green towel on the floor, I know which child to call. And the kids aren't allow to use any other towel - except in dire situations - say, Mom didn't get to that load and told you she would be doing it today and the damp towels are in pile. It really doesn't take long though for a child to realize that if you leave your towel on the floor it won't dry, or that leaving your towel on your bedroom instead of hanging it up in the bathroom can leave you cold and WET. ;)
One thing though, I hear if you live in a humid climate this just doesn't work. But our towels get used MANY times before they are washed.
Theresia - mom of 8 18yo-1yo
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Erin
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Our dc also have only two towels as suggested above. Each child has his/her own colour. We are very water conscious here in Australia (well if people aren't they should be) therefore towels only get washed once a week, if need be they can be put out on the line to air during the week. Now that we are on tank water we are very conservative an if the tank is low I may even stretch the washing out to two weeks 
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CAgirl4God
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| Posted: May 21 2007 at 9:29am | IP Logged
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right now, they just uses their towel and then hang it back up. if they can't reach the hook on the back of the door they hang it on the door knob.
when we move, I will be doing what my parents did for us 6 kids. hooks for everyone. and a monogramed towel
then my mom would gather them all up at once for washing and hang them right back up.
that seems to work pretty well.
when we got older and wanted a hair towel....well I am not sure, I don't remember.... but maybe having those hooks with two hooks to each one. that way both towels could be hung???
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teachingmyown
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Go with the color coding or monogram. Get them two each, one big, one smaller for hair. If they forget to hang them up, then they dry off with a dirty/soggy towel or drip dry! Pick a day to be towel washing day. They don't get their towels washed until that day.
Of course, then you have to hide all the extra towels so they don't go grab another towel when your not looking!
My little ones have monogrammed towels. The older ones have their own color. Now if I could get them to not pull all the towels out of the linen closet when trying to get their towel, and leaving them there for the dog to sleep on! 
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humanaevitae
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| Posted: May 21 2007 at 10:12pm | IP Logged
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In our house all towels stay in the bathroom. The kids use robes when they leave the bathroom to go get dressed. I was tired of finding towels not hung up and nobody knew whose they were! Now their robes immediately betray the guilty party!
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saintanneshs
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Oh, Kathy, this used to drive my mother crazy...four teenaged girls and wet towels lying all over the place!
Who knows if I'll encounter the same thing with my own teenagers one day, but here's what we're doing for now...
Each of our kids has his/her own "color" for lots of things (sippy cups, toothbrushes, school boxes, etc.) including bath towels. A new one gets pulled out each day for each child and after bathtime in the evening, the towels are gathered and thrown into the laundry.
I do towels every day because the pediatrician said that shared bath towels are one of the #1 ways cold and flu germs are spread throughout a family. I was hesitant to listen to her advice at first, having grown up in a home where bath towels were shared and washed once a week, but after an absolutely miserable winter last year (back-to-back colds and stomach viruses), I decided to give it a try. We've shared only one very mild cold since last year and no stomach virus since last spring.
Is it the new towel system? Who knows?? But I'm happy to keep the science experiment running.
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JennGM
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saintanneshs wrote:
I do towels every day because the pediatrician said that shared bath towels are one of the #1 ways cold and flu germs are spread throughout a family. |
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We never shared towels, each child had their own color. Did the doctor mean actual sharing, or that germs left on towels spread?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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saintanneshs
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JennGM wrote:
| We never shared towels, each child had their own color. Did the doctor mean actual sharing, or that germs left on towels spread? |
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Both...sharing was bad because if one child was sick, we'd be wiping our faces and hands (after washing) through someone else's cold germs. And even if we purposely used a different towel than the sick kid who just emerged from the bathroom, if the towel we used had been hanging on a rack near the towel with the germs, it would only be a matter of time before those germs were transferred to the other "clean" towels hanging beside it.
Like I said, I wasn't sold on the whole idea until last year...no colds or viruses has been proof enough for this skeptic!!
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Kristine
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stefoodie
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We have one bath towel for each member of the family -- design-coded -- plus 4-5 extra for when needed. And LOTS of washcloths and hand towels (we love Ikea's white ones -- cheap and color-coded!). Washcloths are not re-used but bath towels are, until they go to the wash -- once or twice a week. We do take precautions when someone has a cold/is developing a cold and make sure their towel/(s) is/are kept away from everyone else's.
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CAgirl4God
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Both...sharing was bad because if one child was sick, we'd be wiping our faces and hands (after washing) through someone else's cold germs. And even if we purposely used a different towel than the sick kid who just emerged from the bathroom, if the towel we used had been hanging on a rack near the towel with the germs, it would only be a matter of time before those germs were transferred to the other "clean" towels hanging beside it.
gosh, I never thought of this before. def. something to think about.....
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theresa-lynn
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seven2hold wrote:
| Speaking of towels...did you know that the refigerator lock only works when you use it? Off to mop up the OJ! |
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What a great idea!! I need to get one of those, (and use it). Last night my toddler took out the entire box of strawberries from the fridge and ate every last one.. and then proceeded to throw up in the middle of the night. sigh. 
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: May 25 2007 at 2:39pm | IP Logged
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We use color coding because its cheaper than monogramming.
Dh put up hooks inside the kids closets in their bedrooms. There isn't enough room in the bathroom for everyone to hang their own towel. Plus, its too easy to use someone else's if they are all in the same room. 
We did this years ago and it works great.
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Bath Towels
