When can a child bathe alone?

when can a child bathe by themselves? my daughter is 4 years old and wants to act like she is grown and wash her self without me in the bathroom…

81 Likes

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. When can a child bathe alone?

My son is 6 I make sure there’s non slip mats on the floor and near bye constantly checking could u sit outside door so she can still be watched?

Mine started at 5.5 / 6

I started all of mine from 3 years onwards.

5 Likes

I mean yeah you are basically training a new employee lol

When my son was 4 years old. I let him bathe and shower by himself. I just left the door open a crack and sat outside the door. He always made noise. I didn’t go in unless he called for me and needed my help. He is 7 now and showers on his own and I don’t have to help him.

2 Likes

My son is 5 n fully showers on his own I’ll check in on him sometimes to make sure he’s properly washing but he’s pretty independent in the bathroom

3 Likes

I allow my 5 year old to but I check on him literally constantly.

2 Likes

As long as she can clean herself properly… Give yourself a break and let her do it. I trained my daughter from birth to bathe herself and by two she knew how. I obviously didn’t leave her alone but I was working and in college so I got myself ready for bed while she bathed.

1 Like

Around 4 years old is when mine started

My daughter just turned 5 and she sits in the tub, I wash her hair (shampoo/conditioner) and then we switch it to the shower mode and I give her a washcloth and a bar of soap and she washes her body! I walked her through it when she first expressed being independent in the shower but I also made sure to talk to her about the importance of cleaning her private parts as well as underarms and bottom of her feet. She’s pretty good to go and we’ve covered bathroom safety. She knows not to hop and dance around in there. My daughter also showers with the door open and I’m usually walking in and out of the bathroom cleaning up her clothes, bringing her a towel, talking to her or whatever so I monitor her pretty closely and am near.

3 Likes

you can give her time alone now and just check on her every 5-10 minutes :woman_shrugging:t4:

Umm not until they can Stand fully and wash themselves without my help. My boys where close to 8 or 9

5 Likes

honestly this one is on you we can decide to give you opinions and you can consider them but if you do it what safety measures are you gonna put in place? and if you decide not to sit here down and try to explain it to her on why you don’t think that’s a good idea or even suggest maybe you sit in the bathroom and be fixated on social media or a book more than her

1 Like

Here I was 3 being left in bleach baths. :upside_down_face: if they are mimicking you they are showing you they are ready for independence. ITS NOT AGE, ITS MILESTONES

3 Likes

At 4 your kid should be able to be alone in the bath you may have to help with hair a private area but they can bathe alone

1 Like

depends on the child, use c.s.

1 Like

I had mine sing so I knew they weren’t drowning. I’d put shampoo and tell them to wash their body. Then come back to rinse it and out in conditioner. Then I’d let them play and come back to rinse them off and get them out.

5 Likes

My kids are 8 and 6 and I still check if they have soap in their hair or not

2 Likes

I always leave the bathroom door open and keep checking every few mins… from 4 years old I used to hide just out the bathroom door so they couldn’t see me… from about 6 years old I used to check on them every few mins… the door had to be left open…

I didn’t let my oldest bath alone until he was about 7 :grimacing: He knows how to swim as well. So I feel comfortable leaving him alone :woman_shrugging:t2: My children mostly shower though. Even my 2 month old showers.

2 Likes

I leave my 3 almost 4 year old alone. Water is only enough to cover her thighs when she’s sitting. It’s me and 2 other adults in the house so we walk by and check often enough. She also calls us to show up her toys and to ask for body wash and stuff like that.

3 Likes

My daughter is 5 she takes a shower by herself I stay close and leave the bathroom door open. And I be sure she gets her hair clean and rinsed well but other than that she does the rest on her own.

My son is almost 6 and has been bathing himself for the last years or so. I check on him periodically to make sure he’s okay, not making a mess, and that he rinsed his hair good.

Just go in every 5 or so minutes and remind her to wash herself
I still do my kids hair but they can mostly wash themselves by 5, starting to give her the opertinities to do it herself now will help that along
Celebrate, you’re one step closer to not having to do the bedtime routine every. Damn. Night.

Mine is 4- we wash hair and body, rinse and then he plays. My baby sings and talks the whole time while he plays lol

2 Likes

Mine are 2 and 4 and i leave the door open but their very vocal so I can hear their not drowning but again the water isn’t high, just enough for you’s to float and they know not to be stupid

1 Like

I didn’t until about 6-7
if I need to leave the bathroom for whatever reason my 12 or 8 year old will hang out in the bathroom with my younger two (6 & 2)
Rarely it happens but they will help them if they need it or yell for me.

I think you should always shower/bathe with your kids until theyre at least 18. They’re never too old for you to do that with them.

6 Likes

She could bath on her own. Just make sure she washed good and got all the soap off before she gets out

My 8 year old can bath alone but my 5 and 3 year old I stay with them although they’d love for me to bugger off :sweat_smile:

1 Like

If she wants to shower, let her. Our kids are growing up faster and want their independence a lot earlier these days. For the first few times, I’d explain step by step what she should do. I’d first let her scrub and shampoo her hair herself, while watching that she’s doing it right with pointers. Give her some time to clean her body before coming back in (checking she washed all the shampoo out) and then let her know how much conditioner to use. My son started showering alone around 4/5. I just talked him through it the first few times. Get her a shower Bluetooth speaker. My son was easily spending a good 30 mins at first then I let him pick 3-5 songs he wanted to hear (depending on the length) and by the end of the 2nd song, I’d go check on him and remind him how much time he had left. If she wants the independence, give it to her.

4 Likes

My kids are 5&7 and I still go in and help them wash their hair. They scrub themselves but I help with getting soap out of their hair. But I also have girls with hair past their shoulders …

2 Likes

I used to holler at mine to holler back every few minutes if it got quiet.

2 Likes

Mine are 3&5 and we leave the bathroom door open for them. But they bathe alone. Plus they splash ALOT and I can hear them outside

All my kids were different ages. 8-9 for my eldest son. 6-7 for my daughter. And my youngest son is just about 5 and super independent. He showers with the bathroom door open so we can sing out and talk to each other

2 Likes

If she wants to bathe alone set a chair outside the bathroom to where she can’t see u and she thinks she is alone. Test her .

2 Likes

My children were 3-4 years old…

My boys are 5 and 6 and they bath themselves, I sit just outside the bathroom door until there ready to get out

Ask her if she’s going to move out soon?
:joy: help her with her hair, and then let her wash alone, don’t forget to make a big deal about all the milestones she hits, and be proud

I wouldn’t leave alone in a tub full of water at that age . Shower is fine

1 Like

My son leaves the bathroom door open he’s almost 10 now. He still misses stops but we’re working on it.

4 is probably fine, just leave the door open and have them sing the whole time so you know they’re okay. My kids sing songs like the alphabet, You are my sunshine, etc.

4 Likes

I have a 3 year old I do his hair and make sure everything gets a good scrub but other than that he’s by himself I stay where I can hear him and do what we call whistle checks. I yell whistle check and he responds with a Wooo hooo since he can’t actually whistle lol 

1 Like

Depending on how often she bathes i say you wash every other time.

1 Like

I sit in with my toddler(3) idk when I started to let my oldest two girls bathe alone. They kinda been doing showers for at least 5+ yrs (at my house. We only had stand up shower. divorced from their dad so on shared time.) They are 11 and 13. I use to stand in there when they were under 8 or so to help with hair… (They also sit with toddler if I ask or whatever) but I can see the bathroom from my bed room its like 10 steps away if she 2aanted to be alone or I gotta the baby (3 months old) or whatever. I can sit on my bed and see her.

1 Like

Let her do it if she says she can stay close by if she needs to ask you for help

I let my children take baths alone at that age, but I kept the bathroom door open and stayed nearby in a quiet area so I could hear them playing. Usually folded laundry lol. I would go and do a visual check every 5 minutes or so and if they weren’t talking I would call their name and ask if they are doing ok. My youngest is 6 and I still keep the door cracked and check on her and call out to see if she’s doing ok lol but not as often since she doesn’t really need me for much bath-wise now. She washes herself but I still wash her hair and when the older ones, when they were younger, wanted to “wash their own hair”, I would let them but then I would help them get the spots they missed. Now my older kids (9 & 13) have the doors closed and I don’t disturb them.

3 Likes

My girl hasn’t needed constant supervision in the shower since she was like 2 :laughing: the door stays open etc and I can hear her and I check on her but I don’t need to sit and not take my eyes off her while she showers lol

1 Like

My three year old showers alone aside from me washing and rinsing her hair. I turn on the water and get her started and put some soap in her hands and tell her to wash and then I leave. I usually yell “love you!” every couple minutes to make sure she’s still okay cause she always replies “love you!” right back and then whenever I’m ready for her to be done I go wash her hair and shut off the water. I don’t see why a four year old couldn’t at least do that much. If they’re capable of turning the water on themselves as well why not? Mine is too short for the water on our shower otherwise she’d do that part too.

2 Likes

Once they’re old enough to do so.

My daughter was 6 now 7 before we left her alone

4 is fine, with my boys I allowed them to start showering/ bathing alone at roundabout 4 but i told them im sitting right here outside the bathroom door for in case they need help

4 is fine, with my boys I allowed them to start showering/ bathing alone at roundabout 4 but i told them im sitting right here outside the bathroom door for in case they need help

My daughter turns 6 in July, and I just recently started letting her bathe on her own … she could have sooner, but I did it just because it was easier at the time… I still have to go in and check her hair, it’s thick and curly so she doesn’t rinse very well, but she can bathe her body all on her own, and even gets herself out, dried off, and dressed! Sometimes, if I know she had like dirt or sticky stuff on her, I’ll go in and help out just to make sure, but a normal daily bath, nah, she got it. I run her water and turn it off when it’s full enough, I lay her towel and clothes out for her, remind her to wash good, and to call me when she’s ready for me to check her hair. It works for us. Then I go relax and wait. Once her hair’s washed, I leave the bathroom and she’ll either finish bathing if she didn’t already, or she’ll play for a minute or just get out. I leave that up to her. The same day she started bathing herself, she started to go lay down and go to sleep on her own, without me even telling her. :person_shrugging: they grow up quick, once it starts, but independence is necessary. And it’s a GOOD THING. It’s easier on you also :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: it honestly depends on your own comfort level and her ability to clean herself :person_shrugging:

My kids were bathing on their own from the age of 3. I would wash their hair and body then let them have a play in the water. I would get them to sing me songs while they were alone so I could hear them. My oldest would stop singing just to watch me run to the bathroom in a panic then would laugh

1 Like

Just more shallow than normal give them their favourite scrubber soap it up for them and let them go and wash hair before they hop out my 3 year old boy likes to wash himself he said he’s bigger :grin:

I would help with hair.

TW-child loss but solution-oriented
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A friend of mine has had a child pass from an epilepsy-related pool drowning. This child was a teenager and they were fully aware that accidents can happen. With that said, when she first started having seizures at six, they had her first near-drowning at eight. After that, in order for her to continue to bathe alone and maintain her autonomy but still be safe, they enacted a policy-she had to keep the door cracked, and sing while she bathed. Anything she wanted. But if she stopped singing, mama checked in on her. This proved to be a very workable solution!!

I encourage anyone with small children to use this. The child can be a big kid, and you don’t have to stay RIGHT outside the door-they generally sing PRETTY loudly! :sweat_smile: That way if mama needs to fold laundry or give baby sister a bottle while big sibling has a bath, with them singing away like a banshee, as long as you hear them, you are okay! :white_check_mark:

5 Likes

My 6 and 7 year olds takes showers on their own and dress themselves. Brush their hair. All of that.

1 Like

I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that. I didn’t let my kids bathe alone until they were 6 or so. It’s too easy for a kid to fall and drown. I paid close attention to how long they stayed in the tub. I washed hair first. They did a good job on their bodies, but a lousy job on hair and ears.

2 Likes

Mine is 5.5years old, starting to shower by herself

I let my daughter do her bath by herself, she’s 4. I always just check on her once in awhile when I don’t hear her playing.

1 Like

My 4 year old will but I check on her often

My daughter has been able to shower and bathe herself since around 3.5, but prefers I “watch” (play) with her :joy:. It’s more fun to play Barbie’s with mom in the tub than alone :purple_heart::joy:

2 Likes

My daughter started taking showers on her own around when she was 4, she will be 6 in the fall.

1 Like

By 4 they were doing most the of work without my help but it was closer to 6 that I allowed them to do it without me monitoring every step :sweat_smile:

2 Likes

Around 6 years old I started to let my child be alone for a few minutes at a time

4 Likes

My son is 6 (nearly 7) he’s allowed to shower on his own with door open and my daughter is 4 nearly 5 and I sit in there with her or just outside the door… she’s one of them kids you turn around for 2 seconds and she’s on the roof with a kettle screaming shark :joy: she’s a odd ball :thinking:

13 Likes

My son is 9 and I still make sure he is washing right and I make sure I’m not far from him when he does take a shower :shower: or bath

I would say yes to showers but not a bath alone unless you sit in there/ just because all it takes is a second for your child to swallow to much water when blowing bubbles or spitting water out of the mouth like a fish playing. You could be distracted cooking, cleaning up, getting clothes out anything. Better be safe than planning a funeral. That’s just the reality. Set time aside to do that bath tub bonding if a bath is what he or she wants.

5 Likes

My almost 3yr old is huuge on privacy and I almost feel like I’m disrespecting her when I don’t allow her that privacy, so when she feels the need to bath alone I make her sing, leave the door open and pop in every minute or so

7 Likes

Around 3. Mines 3.5 & I just close the curtain and hangout on the toilet, check in to see what she’s done in there and remind her if she’s forgotten a step.

I don’t let kids bathe alone, but showering is fine. Just make sure they can, or teach them to wash properly

3 Likes

I NEVER left them alone until I saw they could manage alone about 7 or 8…

But I also didn’t stop up the water either I let it run and bathe them that way so it was less likely to drown till old enough to have it stopped up for bath water to play with…

1 Like

Tell her to sing when in Bath so you can always hear her

I’ll let my nearly 5 year old bath herself but my bathroom is off the back bedroom so I can sit on the bed and still watch her but she’s doing it herself

1 Like

Isn’t it lovely the first time you can let them bath or shower alone…I still listen out but he wanted to be in there by himself…he was 5 I think :thinking:

I let my 4.5 year old bathe alone woth the door open… but im less than 10 feet away and he talks NON STOP so i can hear him playing

2 Likes

My 5 year old takes showers only by himself but I always stay and wash him first then let him play… no baths alone yet and I honestly don’t know when I’d feel comfortable with him bathing alone but luckily my son only likes showers anyways

1 Like

3 years old my.youngest daughter was good to be alone and my son who was 1 .6 years started taking showers with us standing out side the shower. I’d advice u to never go to far though and always ask if everything is okay cause slips falls and bad stuff can and will happen

1 Like

I would say it depends on childs size/mentality. My kids bathed on their own then but they are big/tall boys too there wasnt much risk as they were so big

1 Like

My son, 4yo next months, he’s extremely independent, so I’ll be in the kitchen, I can see the bath from there and I’ll talk to him.

My 5 year old takes baths alone on days I don’t wash her hair. I only fill the tub to her belly and she knows the rule of no head under water, I taught her how to correctly wash herself & she knows to call me in when she washes so I can make sure she did good and then she gets to continue playing for another 5 or so :slightly_smiling_face:

About 4 is when I start giving them a little privacy let them wash themselves I still help with hair tho

1 Like

Let her do it then go back and do it again. Or say. Let mommy watch this time so I can make sure you get all the hard spots. Or say. Sometimes mommy needs help with her back so let me help you

1 Like

My son is 3 and he does it all on his own bath and shower

My daughter almost 5 i sit in there i do go back and forth to the kitchen sometimes and i do keep door open (my bathroom is right beside the kitchen!! And i let her wash herself cuz she does need to learn how to do it on her own. i do make sure she doing it and get all the she need to be clean

2 Likes

I don’t have a bath I have a shower and my 4 years old showers herself I check on her every 3-4 minutes and leave the door open but she washes her own hair and body

My 3 year old showers on his own. I’ll stay long enough to actually bathe him but he’s very independent and likes his privacy now that he’s potty trained. He will call for me to come back to the bathroom to help him out, dry off, lotion up and get dressed for bed. We make it a game since I have a newborn and bath time is one of my older son’s and my bonding times away from baby.

If your bathtub also has a shower curtain you can close the curtain and sit on the floor a few times and see how it goes. I personally only leave my kid alone in the bathroom for short periods if it is for a shower (not a bath). They are 4.5 and 2.5, but neither are good swimmers yet and that freaks me out :grimacing:.

1 Like

My daughter is 6 years old she showers on own and I go back to check on her.

My 6 and 5 years old shower themselves. Unless I have to wash their hair.

1 Like

My 5.5 year old son showers alone. I do a check to make sure he actually used soap though :rofl:

I used to sit outside the bathroom with the door cracked open at this stage. It would afford them their privacy but give me the ability to hear clearly and be there immediately if anything went wrong. Maintain verbal communication.

1 Like

My 4.5 year old does but I just help with washing her hair bc it’s long and she can’t quite get it herself yet, but she’s been bathing by herself and washing her body for a year or so

My five year old likes help but she enjoys having her head scratched while shampooing and conditioning and we play with tub crayons and stuff together. She can wash her body but her hair is long and thick so she needs someone to do it for now until she gets more thorough

1 Like

My 5yo son can shower alone. My 8yo daughter still asks for help with her hair only. But her hair is also down to her butt and she wants to make sure it’s washed right.

sit there & allow her to do it herself

1 Like