Poss a silly question- at what age do you let a child bath alone?

**shinyaholic** · 01-03-2008, 07:47pm

Sorry if this is a silly question

but Mr Shiny is upstairs with his son while he has a bath. SS wants to be left on his own but Mr Shiny is reluctant to leave him in case he hurts himself somehow.

SS is 8- would you leave him on his own?

*Betty Mae* · 01-03-2008, 07:50pm

OMG yes!!

I left mine alone, alone from when they were about six I think..... I do leave Fred alone and he is 4 but I'm always in and out of the bedrooms usually putting clothes away so i can keep an eye on him. None of them shut the door and I do keep shouting to them to check they are ok. I do go in at the end to do their hair for them apart from the eldest one.

Only had one incident which was when DS came back from scout camp (this was last year so he was 11) and he almost fell asleep in the bath as he was so tired but apart from that all still ok!

**One Sock** · 01-03-2008, 07:51pm

I would. He could always lurk in the corridor/upstairs somewhere if he is really worried.

shining star · 01-03-2008, 07:52pm

Dylan is 3 and I would leave the bathroom to get towels / put stuff away in his room etc. and he's totally fine. I generally do sit with him otherwise (sometimes reading a magazine

) but I think by the age of 8 he would definitely be ok on his own

**shinyaholic** · 01-03-2008, 07:55pm

Thanks everyone, I thought SS would be fine but didn't know if that was me being flippant!

I'll try and lure him downstairs with the offer of a dirty beer

**Rennie** · 01-03-2008, 07:56pm

Mine were left in the bath alone by aged 5 or 6 I think

He would be fine alone as long as he has no medical conditions.

*Betty Mae* · 01-03-2008, 07:57pm

I would say he would be starting to want his privacy at that age too not to mention wanting to have more responsibility in getting himself out and dried/dressed etc.

**Skerry Berry** · 01-03-2008, 08:00pm

I would definately leave an 8 year old alone

I have started to leave R in the bath now - she is four. But the bathroom is next door to the living room, and I can hear her very clearly (she never stops talking

) and pop in and out to check on her too.

**Hanie** · 01-03-2008, 08:00pm

Good god at 8 definately yes. I started leaving SD alone in the bath when she was around 5 or 6 and by the time she was 8 she was demanding the bathroom to herself anyway. I leave Kate alone in the bath sometimes now (she's nearly 5) but not ot often because she usually bathes with Hannah.

monkeynuts · 01-03-2008, 08:01pm

I potter putting things away while my 3 year old and 2 year old are in the bath but only owards the end of there bath and i let out some of the water first ...but i am only outside the bathroom door. and for a second while i get there PJ's out..x

Soreya · 01-03-2008, 08:10pm

I started leaving him around 4, as he was there for ages, I really got borred!
He wouldn't stop talking to his imaginary friends while in the bath so I would hear him but still checked on him regularly and wasn't too cool with it...I'd freak out if he shut up for 2 seconds.
it's now he's 6 that I leave him confidently and he washes himself .I just don't put much water...

**Angel** · 01-03-2008, 08:11pm

Definitely !

Alex is now 4.5 and I often leave him for short spells while I get towels or put some washing away etc. I think I have done for the last 6 months or so.

**Katiekipper** · 01-03-2008, 08:23pm

Eight?? Omg yes!!!! My Dd runs her own baths and showers and she's just turned 9, she'd rather I never came in the bathroom when she's there, but I have to come in to do the dreaded nit comb!!

Ds2 who is 7 has been running his own showers for a year and I've left them alone in the bath from age 2 but asked them to keep singing or talking so I can hear them! From age 4 I was happy to go downstairs and leave them.

For a child to drown in a bath they'd have to take a flying leap, hit the side of the bath hard enough to go unconscious and somehow manage to slip under the water, it's an almost impossible scenario for an 8 yr old!!!

**Cat** · 01-03-2008, 08:25pm

Ditto what everyone else has said. Obviously I never leave O alone, but with DS1 I pop in and out but we're always chatting to meach other.

I

at the idea that one day he wont want me in the bathroom. I love bathtime - its when we have some of our best chats.

**1980babe** · 01-03-2008, 08:26pm

my 8 yr old showers all by himself.

**Amanda36** · 01-03-2008, 08:26pm

Ds has been left in the bath since he was about 3yrs. living in a bungalow its easy to hear him and he's always singing anyway so can hear him. we go in to wash his hair that's it and he's nearly 6now. Would definately leave an 8yr old on there own.

**sugarpops** · 01-03-2008, 09:41pm

I think an 8 yr old would be ok as long as you check on him. I leave my eldest who's nearly 4 in the bath as she doesn't want to get out the same time when I take Aimee out the bath and she plays happily with her toys in there while I dry Aimee and get her hair dried but i keep calling out to see if she's ok and i make sure her water is toped up so that it won't be cold then I get her out after about 5-10mins.

**shinyaholic** · 01-03-2008, 10:02pm

Thanks everyone

I've had a chat with DH about it, but as his Ex is very reluctant to allow us access to his son he is so paranoid that SS might accidently hurt himself that he doesn't want to leave anything to chance.

Not ideal, but I guess I can't blame him

**Stephanie** · 01-03-2008, 10:41pm

I understand how your DH feels. Although I do agree with everyone else. I leave DD1 alone and she is nearly 6. I pop in and out and call out to her and make sure she is ok though.

**alex** · 01-03-2008, 10:57pm

I leave my dd1 7 and dd2 3 alone for brief periods while I go and fetch pj's etc but would not leave my dd2 and dd3 who is almost one alone for a minute

However if dd1 has a bath on her own I will leave her for a short while but I do keep shouting up to check she is ok