When did you start letting your LO(s) stay in the tub?

[HeartofCheese]

You can mark as many answers as you have kids. Also, please expand on how you decided your LO was okay alone in the tub.

[HeartofCheese]

I’m on the verge of letting my 5yo DS alone in the tub, but he’s a bit of a late bloomer in a lot of ways. My almost-4 DD would not be left alone yet bc she’s tiny. Neither has had swim lessons yet. I feel like I was taking baths on my own around 5 though. Anyone have any thoughts?

[twinmomma]

Around 4, but our bathroom is off the kitchen so we usually leave them in there with the door open while cleaning up from dinner.

[sdlaura]

I sometimes leave them to go in the other room next door, where I can still hear them, since probably 2/3? I'll fold some laundry or straighten up sometimes. Our bathtub is not large - I might feel differently if it was a giant soaker tub.

[waverly]

6 for DS. He is clumsy. And by 6 I mean he was independent totally, turn water in, gets in and out, gets his own towel, washes his own hair kind of. I do wash his hair now for him because it is a dandruff shampoo that would hurt his eyes.

DD is 5 and I have started leaving her for a minute or two to grab something. But I still help with everything else, and I can hear her in there. And it's not for long.

I remember being by myself in the tub but I can't remember what age it started.

[2chatter]

DS showers at 5. Boys are soooo much easier!

The girls I stayed close. I still check on the oldest and she turns 14 in two months. She has fallen asleep and that freaks me out. Middle likes bubble baths with her shower speaker and for me to chat with her. She’s 10. I check on her every few minutes because she has fallen asleep too.

[xctsclrx]

What do you mean by alone? I start DS's bath and leave him to play. Door is open and I can hear him. I check on him if things get quiet. He can soap is own hair now, but I rinse. If he is in the shower (no tub) I turn the water on soap him up and leave him to play. About 10 minutes. Door is open and I can hear him. He turned 3 in November and I've been doing this for at least three months. As soon as he could be trusted not to stand up. Water is also only hip level.

SS1 was six when DH and I started dating. He was completely independent and SS2 needed help with his hair. He was 4. So somewhere in between.

[erinshelley21]

DS is 4 and when bath night falls on nights DH is at work or I'm out doing something, we leave DS in the tub while we get DD put in pjs and ready for bed. He has strict I instructions to not lay down and to turn the water off when it is over his belly button.

He's also getting to be a little mischevious and I've caught him jumping up to sitting when he hears me coming.

[akafred]

LOnhad a Jack and Jill bath as a baby/toddler, so I sat with her but might run to the bedroom to grab PJs or a towel or something (sometimes there would be a pile of clothes and towels to put away). I never left for more than5 seconds until around 3-4, then only if I could hear her and I might tidy up in the bedroom. Around age 4 I wasn't worried about drowning, but she was prone to make a mess.

[k3am]

Leaving the kids alone in the tub? Early-ish. Maybe a year. I can hear everything going on in the tub from any room in the house and I'm always in and out while they're in there. I'm never more than a second or two away and our baths are never very full because I feel like we're always on drought rationing.

Washing? DS is obviously too young. DD at almost 5 is close. We usually have her wash and then we follow it up. An unattended bath is a dream, but I'm sure I'll miss it once it's over.

[mommyatty]

DD at 5 1/2 can do everything but her hair. She gets mad because DH washes her, except for her private bits. She can do it all herself, but DH just cannot accept she’s growing up. (He still put her shoes on for her until I had an absolute fit about 2 months ago.) DS at 3 1/2 has no clue he’s even being washed because he’s too busy playing.

At 2 and 4 I would leave them alone together in the tub for a few minutes. I’ve never left either alone by themselves for more than a couple of minutes because they both stand up. Together, they will tattle on each other. But alone? Totally standing up as soon as the adult leaves the room.

[2chatter]

k3am - I miss baths not at all. Like, less than zero percent. I celebrate the shower and dread the occasional bath request. (Santa is a moron - he brought all the kids bubble bath, WTF?)

[waverly]

I wish so much that my kids liked to shower.

[covergirl82]

Around age 5, but DH or I would typically be close by and/or check on them every couple minutes.

I am hoping my kids will turn the corner and start taking showers at some point, but for some reason, they both still prefer baths. Now that they can pretty much take a bath by themselves (although I still wash DD's hair because it's so thick), it's not so bad.

[CrazyLucky]

About 5. We're always nearby, though. Both DS and DD wash themselves, but DD needs help with her hair.

[samanthamkm]

I know I left my daughter in the tub much earlier than my son. She was always talking so if it got quiet I was checking on her. My son is quiet so at 3 I leave for only a minute or so. He could wash most of his front, but he is “too scared” most of the time. My daughter is 7 and she showers by herself minus her hair. She’s been doing it since 6 probably.

[sweetptater]

I chose 4, but around 3 I'd let them take baths by themselves while I was just outside the door putting laundry away in their rooms or picking up the playroom. As long as I could hear them I didn't have a problem leaving them. They're both really comfortable in the water though.

Around 4-5 is when I started letting them take baths while I was elsewhere in the house. At 4 I still listened every couple of minutes, now they're fine.

[mustardseed2007]

When I say they are in alone, I mean they're playing and we walk away. We still are actively involved in the bathing for both of them. We probably should change procedures for the oldest, huh?

[dizzycooks]

My 3 all bathe together by choice. I probably started leaving the youngest in there around 18 mo? However I am putting away laundry and constantly in and out. I can always here all of them.

[2chatter]

waverly, our maid put the tub plug on the shelf on DH’s side of the closet (I assume she had it in her hand and set it down and forgot to pick it up). So began showers in our house. DS stood under the water and fake cried the first week. But then he adjusted. Your maid could always lose the plug....

[ECB]

I want to say it was around 5. DS has a chair in his room that has a direct view of the bathroom. That's what I initially did, to transition. I'd go sit there and read and just keep an eye on him from afar. As he seemed comfortable being alone, I'd start to go to other parts of the house. But our house also isn't that big- I can pretty much hear him in the tub from anywhere- maybe expect for my bedroom/bathroom! (other side of the house).

[callmekd]

DD1 (4.5) will be in the tub while I get the babies ready for bed. I leave the door open and I can hear her as the bathroom is next door to their room.

[sandandsea]

Jan 16, 2018 22:32:55 GMT -5 k3am said:

Leaving the kids alone in the tub? Early-ish. Maybe a year. I can hear everything going on in the tub from any room in the house and I'm always in and out while they're in there. I'm never more than a second or two away and our baths are never very full because I feel like we're always on drought rationing.

Washing? DS is obviously too young. DD at almost 5 is close. We usually have her wash and then we follow it up. An unattended bath is a dream, but I'm sure I'll miss it once it's over.

This. Both of my kids have been in swim lessons since 9’months and are good in the water. Bath time is play time for them and I leave doors open and run in and out. I’m never out for more than one minute at a time and they bathe together so the 6 year old knows to help and yell if the 18 month old needs help. I usually sit on the bathroom floor and answer email or play on here during bath. I still wash them.

[leap]

I think between 2-3 I started to let them play in the tub with the door open while I was in a nearby room. I was always just a few steps away and would be in and out of the bathroom. I remember letting DD1 play in the tub while I got DD2 ready for bed when she was a baby (she is 2 years older). For the past 2 years or so they've primarily taken showers. When DD2 started taking showers I would still help her shampoo her hair and wash her body. She's 6 and has been doing everything on her own for about 6 months now.

[justcheckingin73]

I voted 5 but realistically that was me multitasking upstairs while they are/were in the tub. I tend to think through every possible scenario that could happen so I don’t think I felt really comfortable leaving them alone upstairs while I’m downstairs until 7. 

Fortunately for me (insert eye roll) DS doesn’t like to be left alone so I’m typically on the iPad or watching TV while he bathes/showers. 

[k3am]

Somewhat related.. My mom recently told me a story about my older sisters bathing together...  It culminated with "And when I came back from buying a newspaper, J was standing on the toilet laughing and K was braced and terrified on the far wall of the tub trying to get away from the poop J left in there."

She didn't give specific age ranges, but J is 3 years older than K, and I'm highly doubting she was 8 and pooping in the tub.

[mustardseed2007]

Jan 17, 2018 10:52:02 GMT -5 k3am said:

Somewhat related.. My mom recently told me a story about my older sisters bathing together...  It culminated with "And when I came back from buying a newspaper, J was standing on the toilet laughing and K was braced and terrified on the far wall of the tub trying to get away from the poop J left in there."

She didn't give specific age ranges, but J is 3 years older than K, and I'm highly doubting she was 8 and pooping in the tub.

Dude. How did any of us survive.

[HeartofCheese]

Jan 17, 2018 10:57:57 GMT -5 mustardseed2007 said:

Jan 17, 2018 10:52:02 GMT -5 k3am said:

Somewhat related.. My mom recently told me a story about my older sisters bathing together...  It culminated with "And when I came back from buying a newspaper, J was standing on the toilet laughing and K was braced and terrified on the far wall of the tub trying to get away from the poop J left in there."

She didn't give specific age ranges, but J is 3 years older than K, and I'm highly doubting she was 8 and pooping in the tub.

Dude. How did any of us survive.

QFT. I try to remind myself amidst the barrage of FB posts about how research has proven that 99% of everything everyone does will damage or kill kids.

[186momx]

DD hates baths has since she was a baby. It is always showers. I swear I was showering with her as a 6 month old. She has done the whole shower thing without any help starting around 4.5 before that she needed help with washing/rinsing her long hair. Before that her and I showered together to conserve time/water/energy.

I will say DD has started taking lots of shower baths. She plugs the tub and then lets the shower fill the tub after she has washed. I swear that kid will take hour long showers if the water still ran hot.

[vasc]

Would stay within a one-room radius starting around 2.5. She’s not overly active in the tub, though...kinda lounges like a divorcee sipping wine....so I wasn’t ever worried about slips or spills.