At what age did you start allowing your child to bath themselves with supervision and at what age did you allow them to bath themselves without supervision? My second son is now 5 and I was thinking of letting him start bathing himself with supervision. My oldest son is 10 and I honestly don't remember when I started allowing him to bath himself. Most likely it was around 5 years old because my boys are 5 years apart and I would have been busy caring for my second and allowing him to do more for himself.
my seven year old will take showers or baths and while i remind about shampooing, and generally dispense it, he is starting to shampoo(rub it in) and rinse on his own. I do say close by generally trying to do twenty things at once. but i can see that with in the next 2 years he will want more responsiblity and privacy. HTH
I honest to god have no idea.
It was a gradual process. I mean, he always "helped" but that's different.
At 8 I'll still occasionally wash his hair for him (8yo boy quote of the month "Soap's for Losers." <deep sigh>)... but it's definitely the rare event. When he hasn't used soap it's the "sniff test" and "march back in there, and use soap this time". Doing it for him is more that it just feels good to have someone else wash your hair/ scrub your back :)
Well that's the thing. I can't remember exactly either. But it was a gradual process, for BOTH issues you mention.
Got more and more comfortable walking away briefly, putting away clothes, straigtening this or that, getting ready for tomorrow. Still nothing I can't put down and walk back in and engage the kid in the tub, you know?
I want to say maybe 8 or 9? Still I couldn't trust them to wash properly, still can't (tehehe, 18, 16, 13).
Like when my daughter was 5 (youngest) I wouldn't go downstairs where I'd loose the sound of her.
Guess this doesn't help much, only that it's a question of your comfort level. If it makes you too nervous, don't do it. Mom's gut is ALWAYS right!
:)
My daughter, since about 6... can bathe by herself in a bath or shower.
BUT, I always, supervise or check on her. And I am near by.
Accidents, can happen.
Even adults, can slip and fall.
It takes only I believe, 1.18 inches of water, for a person to 'drown' face down. Something really scant.
Sure, a kid can wash themselves. By now.
But, really go per your child, their motor-skills and common sense, to gauge if/when you let him start, without supervision.
I am sure, you are nearby anyway.
Our daughter always has had really thick hair, so even though she could pretty much bathe herself once she was in first grade, I still helped her with her hair.. I guess till 3rd grade and then only every once in a while if she really needed help getting her hair washed and totally rinsed.
Until then I would let her try to bathe herself and send out reminders.. "Did you wash your neck? How about behind your ears? Are the areas between each toe clean?..Can you reach your back?" Then I would go in and do a quick scrub here and there to make sure it was all done..
She has never really cared for showers, but lots of kids love them.
I think it is a child by child case honestly.
With supervision until he gets a proper routine down and can wash his hair right. Ever see those kids that you know are bathed, but just need a good hair scrubbing?
2 with supervision as long as he DID wash everywhere. None yet old enough for unsupervised
My 4 almost 5 year old and my 7 year old both shower on their own. I usually help them once a week, just to get those forgotten places! It is really nice to put them in the shower and have a few minutes to finish making lunches or checking homework! I am sure the 5 y/o can handle it. Put him in with the older one for a while and let him help.
Sorry I can't be of help because I was thinking of asking this exact question :) Looking forward to the answers.
I remember when I was around 8 or 9, my dad used to put my little sister in the tub with me (she is 4 years younger than me) and I would help her with her bath (plus it was fun to play 'mermaid princess' in the water. lol). It helped cut down on overall bath time, because while we did play longer than we would on our own, the one long bath was quite a bit quicker than 2 short baths. With 6 kids using one bathroom, time was an issue. lol. That worked pretty well until we were too big to fit in the tub together (plus by then I wanted my own privacy in the tub)
I think every child is different and different for boys and girls too. Age 5 is a good age for supervision, 7 years old is a good age without supervision. I like the idea of the hypo-allergenic liquid soaps for them, they are easier to use and cover their skin better too.Checking in on them is not a bad idea either. When they know they will be checked on, they will sometimes do what they are supposed to. Good luck!
My son just turned 5 in February. I have been letting him bath himself since he was about 4 1/2, with my supervision. I think around age 5 is the best age.
