When Should My Child Bathe On His Own? – Being Parents

Bath time is a daily part of life that should be gradually delegated to children as they grow older. Of course, when they are very young, the responsibility for children’s hygiene falls on the parents. Over time, they wonder: when should my child bathe on his own?

When should children wash on their own?

When children are babies, bath time is one of the most anticipated by parents. As they grow older, it is important for each parent to foster the independence of the child until they are able to bathe on their own.

The truth is that there is no specific age by which to determine when children should bathe on their own. Every child is different and the degree of maturity that develops is also different.

At what age should you start to encourage bathing in children?

The stage between three and four years of age is when parents can begin teaching the use of the washcloth. It is good to take this opportunity to teach children the first notions of anatomy, by naming the parts of the body where they lather the soap under the supervision of adults.

It is important that the initiative comes from the children. As parents, you should take out the toys that children play with when bathing. In this way, the game will now be precisely the act of bathing. To wash their hair and the final details, they need parental supervision for a few more years.

Completely alone bath time comes a few years later. Between the ages of seven and eight, most children can bathe completely on their own.

In the case of some children, it may be that, still at this age, the elders must help them so that the washing is adequate. However, after 10 years, all children already have the option of bathing on their own.

The importance of bath time

Bath time involves more problems than just grooming. It is important that parents not only teach children to bathe, but also to be responsible. That is to say, take care of cleaning the space after washing and place the soiled laundry in the corresponding place.

Many adults complain about the disaster left by children after a bath or shower. Therefore, it is important to instill in them from an early age and teach them to put everything in its place and put everything in order.

In addition, it is essential to teach children to use water responsibly, an essential but scarce resource these days. That they learn to take care of their occupations and not to waste them, it is an added value which will be very useful to them throughout their life.

Safety in the bathroom

Safety in the bathroom is a very important aspect that worries the majority of parents when children start to wash. Here are some tips to keep in mind when children bathe on their own:

• Leave the bathroom door ajar so they can call you if they need anything. In addition, it is recommended that parents check if everything is fine every three or four minutes.

• Placing a mat outside the bathroom also provides security : it can prevent slipping or falling when exiting the shower. Moreover, for the safety and peace of the parents, you can also suggest that the children call them after they are done to get them out of the tub without any risk.

Baby bathtub water toys aren’t just for floating around and entertaining the little ones; their contribution to fine motor skills is very important.

Another very useful element in the tub is the bars – they allow children to hold the arm while soaping and washing.
It is essential to prevent any type of burn : the first thing to do is to regulate the temperature so that it is adequate. In addition, all dangerous objects should be kept out of reach, such as hair dryers, razors, knives and scissors.

As can be seen, the bathing time in children does not depend on a matter of age, but on what the parents instill. Ultimately, the developmental maturity of toddlers will or will not convince them to let them bathe alone.