What age to start bathing solo

[Purly]

What age to start bathing solo

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Not really something that has come up with my daughters yet, but we have family friends whose children are a 9 yo girl and 6 yo boy that still bathe together.

Is this an age many children are still in the bath together?

[Temple]

Re: What age to start bathing solo

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If the kids are happy with it, then yep

I would imagine that the 9 year old will want some privacy soonish, but as long as she is comfy i dont see the problem.

[ENR]

Re: What age to start bathing solo

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I know I got myself off to the shower when I was about 7 but I didn't mind having baths with other people up until the age of 10.

I know the only reason I started to shower by myself was because my mum relised it would be a lot to get me in the bath which she was doing every day.

I know some kids who still get bathed together and they are 10 and 9. The only problem is it is apparently too much for the mother that she only puts them in the bath once a week or sometimes every 2 weeks. They don't know how to wash their own hair so they are pretty much reliant on her or other people.

I don't see a problem if the children are comfotable doing so and they understand they don't have to and can bath alone if they wish to.

[milkymumma]

Re: What age to start bathing solo

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I bathed with two younger brothers until I was 8yo, when the youngest came along. After that, J-3 and S-6 bathed together, and I looked after newborn G in the bath until I moved out at 12 yo.

We all helped bathe each other every night; single mum didn’t really have time to wash four kids a day. It worked fine for our household.

[Susan]

Re: What age to start bathing solo

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My eldest is 8 and he prefers to shower himself. He has been doing this for some time now. He really prides himself on his independence so made the decision for himself early. TBH I can't imagine bathing him myself anymore.

[monique]

Re: What age to start bathing solo

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i can remember being 8 or 9 and having a bath with friends son we were old enough to notice that blonde hair looks darker when its wet...

[gregandpam]

Re: What age to start bathing solo

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hi

what`s your thoughts? My kids are 11 and 8 and they still like washing together. should i let them or separate to make them get used to it sooner rather than later. My wife thinks we should just let them decide but i am for the separation

[Astra2]

Re: What age to start bathing solo

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I am sure it won't be long before the 11 year old decides they would like a little more privacy. I would just let them decide (although I haven't been in your situation and I can understand your concerns). There will be plenty of time for them to get used to it when they are ready.

[Kesh]

Re: What age to start bathing solo

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As astra said, I'm not in your situation but I'm just let them decide for themselves. My sister (5 years younger) and my brother (7 years younger) and I still bathed together until I was about 12. Not all the time, but on occasions. I feel as if the children are comfortable then there is no need to separate them in my opinion.

[emd]

Re: What age to start bathing solo

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I think if boys and girls are starting to hit puberty, they should bath separately so as not to have any awkward situations with their siblings. Sometimes puberty hits kids before they've emotionally prepared themselves, so it's quite OK for parents to guide their choices if that's the situation they're dealing with.

I also think that for children way too young for puberty, they'll decide for themselves when they're not comfortable with it anymore. Just make sure that the kids have plenty of opportunity to let the parents know if they feel uncomfortable - they may not feel OK about saying "I don't want to bath with my sister/brother" in front of the other kids.

We bath our boy and our girls separately, because my two year old boy was climbing on his sisters in the bath, and ignoring them when they asked him to stop. I was mainly worried about drowning, but it also seemed important to reinforce to the kids that they have the right to say no when it comes to other people interacting with them physically, and that they need to respect others when they say no. The same rules apply when they're playing outside or whatever.