Bath Time - Indianapolis, IN

All of my children were good to take baths by themselves at 4 to 5 years of age. My son who is 4 has been taking them by himself for about 5 months now and he will be 5 in March.

My son was 7 when he started taking showers. When he started with those I started teaching him how to wash himself and wash his hair. Once he mastered that I let him be alone. He was just to tall for a bath anymore. If you are worried about the water I would say to switch him to a shower, teach him how to do it, and let him have some privacy :)

K.

I agree with most of the others. Let him have some privacy, but leave the door open so that you can hear what is going on.

& Being overprotective is not a bad thing. You're just doing your job to protect your kids.

Hi-
My son is 5 years old and I let him take a bath or shower by himself. Although I leave the bathroom door open in case he needs something. If you are worried about a tub full of water then let him take a shower. THen there is no standing water to drown in. My son loves taking a shower. He still plays with the tub toys he just likes the water running on him like a sprinkler I guess. Well good luck I hope I have helped maybe a little. Never be to cautious around the water.

They're both ready for some privacy. With my 3 year old, I run the bath water and help him wash his hair and body, then I leve the bathroom. The bathroom door stays open and I keep within earshot, so I can listen to him splash and play around. When he's done, he gets the toys out of the tub, lets the water out and wraps the towel around himself, then he comes to me. With my 6 year old, I'm in there only run the water/start the shower and to give him the shapmoo and soap (otherwise he'd use the whole bottle!) Like with my youngest, I stay within hearing distance of the bathroom.

I realize that you're terrified of something happening, and that's a good thing. If it really bothers you, start in small increments. Start bathing them seperately, and leaving the bathroom for a couple minutes at a time, and slowly increase the time you leave. As long as you can hear them, they're all right. If things go silent for a second, call in there "Everything ok?" or even "You're not painting the walls green are you?" Just anything that will get them to respond to you.

My daughters are ages 7 and 5 and I allow them to take their baths together and without me in the room with them...I'm usualy right outside the door. I still check on them every few minutes to make sure things are ok. My son is 4 and he takes a bath with me in the room most of the time unless I'm answering the phone. I don't put enough water in the tub for him to be able to put his head under. he doesn't like his face to get wet so I don't have to worry about that.
If you soni s 7 I would say it's ok to let him take a bath alone or with his brother, just stay close to the bathroom and check on them ever few minutes. Let the 7 yr old know not to let his brother put his face in the water or to stand up in the bathtub. Also you could put a baby monitor in there so that you can hear them. They also have the ones with tv screens so that you can still see them too.

I am a very over protective mom also, my son is 3 months old. I don't think there is anything wrong with staying in the room during your son's bath. Does your son know how to swim and be safe in the water? I think that would determine what age I let him be alone.

ok well I totally understand your fears, because you are right it takes a couple of minutes for disaster to happen. I would not leave the pair alone. I would leave the seven year old alone, as long as there are no electric items in the bathroom plugged in. I always see people leaving a radio on in the bathroom, never leave anything plugged in. My son is seven as well, and I taught him how to wash his hair etc, and now he takes a bath alone. If the four year old wants to join the seven year old, I would still monitor bath time.

I have to agree with Lindsey. I have a 4 year old, and he loves to bathe by himself. Sometimes he asks me to come and 'clean' the bathroom, but I know he wants someone to talk to. I sit in my bedroom, and can see him in the bathtub. He enjoys the play time, but then asks to be washed.
I think you should ask your 7 year old what he wants. Does he want to have privacy, or does he see it as family time? I think that would be the deciding factor.
As far as being over-protective, in this day and age, we have to. We are a society of knowlegde now, and the more we know, the more we are scared of what we do known (vs the Unknown)

Happy Holidays.

I have 4 children and I let them bath by themselves since they were about 3-4 years old. Yes occassionally they would rough house and someone would hit the spigot but that was rare and they learned not to play so rough in the tub.

If you are nervous about them drowning then have them take showers until you feel comfortable with them in the tub. At 7 years old this child is in need of some privacy. You may even want to consider having the children take baths by themselves...if conserving water is an issue have the cleanest one bathe first then the dirtier one next...that's what I did.
Good Luck and God Bless...Have a Merry Christmas.

I honestly think it depends on how bright you think your kid(s) are. My girls (4 and 1) bathe alone while i do laundry and dishes right outside the door and such and are just fine. As long as you check in often and can hear them from where you are there is not a high chance at all anything will happen. The commercials on that (drowning while answering the phone etc.) are scare tactics and are not as common as they claim. As for the ages i think you should start doing seperate bath times soon...for privacy :) But being alone he should have done that long ago...i trust my 4 year old and one year old. If you have taught him what not to do in water and the safety precautions and are close by you are fine...really :) I know a lot may not agree but being over protective that much and not having privacy is not good. Hope you figure out what works best for you.

he needs his space i know i hated having my mom in the bath room with me it was an invasion if she insisted on comming in i would close the shower curtain... so maybe you could try that. or maybe have dad go in with him that was your not mixing genders which can be a big no no. esp letting them see you naked after age 3. anyway i think you know your child best ask if he would want dad in there or maybe clean the hallway while hes in there that way he feels like his privacy and you can keep an eye on him...

Has he been swimming in pools? How does he do? At age 7 I'd say they begin to become even more independent. I would start giving him more "privacy" and have your 4 yr. old bath separately. Be around while he baths... such as... if he baths upstairs, do things upstairs while he's in the bathroom. That way you can hear if he were to yell for you, fall in the tub/shower, etc. To help you adjust, just keep the door shut but cracked so you can peek in and he'll never know. Also, just go to the door and say... "Everything ok in there? Are you doing alright?" and that will give you peace of mind when he answers "Everything is fine!" Try not to worry so much. I taught this age (first grade) for several years and they really do start becoming more independent and responsible for themselves and it's a wonderful thing! :)

It depends on the child. Do you feel that he can go in, take a bath on his own and come out without messing around in the tub? Does he know that he's to sit in the tub until all the water is gone down the drain? My kids start bathing themselves by 5, but they know the drill...they sit in the tub before they fill it with water, they use a cup to rinse their hair and they don't stand up until all the water has drained...and above all...the tub is not a place to swim and play.

I disagree with a few of these mothers. Not about your 7 year old but about there younger ones. Especially taking baths together and leaving them. Scary. I think your 7 is old enough to take a bath or shower by himself and like someone said just stay nearby. I have a 4 and 2 year old that take baths together and while I might leave my 4 year old with the door open and me nearby never my 2 year old and NEVER together. They are to rough in the tub and one could slip on the other. I think although drowning incidents are sparce I would hate that you become the sparce one that it happens to. You could never forgive yourself. 7 yes, 4 yes w/ you nearby, younger absolutely NOT.It only take an Inch and a minute.

Hi, my name is D.. My son is now 8 and we've been letting him take a bath/shower by himself for about 3 years now. We would obviously start his water for him and let him test to make sure it was warm enough. Though we would check on him about every 2-3 minutes, because for privacy we'd shut the door. We would knock on the door and ask him if he was okay, poke our head in if neccessary. Now at the age of 8 we let him go on his own, of course me being mom and him my only child, I still try to help to much sometimes. Best wishes on your decision.