S/o Little kids showering

amother

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 7:23 pm

On the other thread about bathing children quite a few posters said they train their little ones to take showers, and that their kids shower themselves from around age 3.
I can't imagine my three year old taking an independent shower.
Is this really so common?

amother

Almond

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 11:00 pm

After having no choice when we were in a hotel for a few days, my 2.5 year old started preferring showers.
At first it was supervised and he required help but eventually he was able to do it all by himself.
Bonus was that his older brother, who disliked showers suddenly started asking for them too (power of competition lol)
Now at 4 & 7 years old, they’re independently using the shower and theyre able to do so without any help.

amother

Marigold

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 11:02 pm

Still bathing my 5 year old. I can’t imagine her showering on her own. I finally convinced my 9 year old to take showers instead of baths because she was taking up too much precious time in our single bathroom

FranticFrummie

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 11:20 pm

Wow, I'm impressed that a 3 or 4yo can shower on their own!

How do you keep them from showering the entire bathroom and goofing around?

I'd worry that they wouldn't do a good enough job getting soap out of private places. Kids tend to rinse off too quickly.

I'd also be worried that they would slip and bonk their heads. Without an adult there to catch them and make sure they're doing a good job, I'd just be too nervous.

When I babysit the girls, 5 and 2, I hold the shower head. They do their own soaping up, I give them the shower head to rinse off, and then I do the final rinse to hit the spots that they missed. The whole time they are in the tub, I don't turn my back for a second, because there have been times where they've slipped and I've caught them.

(I don't trust them for two second not to shower the whole room! They would totally do it, even if they knew it would get them in trouble. Twisted Evil

)

amother

Blueberry

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 11:37 pm

How can a 3 year old properly scrub their body and hair? My 2 year old loves rubbing soap and shampoo on herself but I would never trust a child that age to actually clean themselves. Seems really unrealistic to be unsupervised.

busy mommy

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 3:38 am

I have my kids soap themselves and then call me to check,then they can rinse off. This way I know they are really getting clean. Occasionally I have to send a kid back into the shower when they didn't get all the soap out.
I have a nonslip bathtub floor and I don't find it to be an issue.
Regarding spraying up my whole bathroom, I don't have a handheld shower head but my bathroom gets soaked anyways but it got soaked by baths too.

imaima

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 3:41 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

)

I would also assume that the whole bathroom will be wet.

amother

Maize

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 3:42 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

My 9 year old only started taking showers last year, and my 5 year old has zero interest. (I asked her last night when she’s going to start taking showers, she told me never. I said even when you’re big like mama? She said yep….)

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 3:56 am

My 6 year old still needs help with her hair to make sure it's wet enough for shampoo and that it's all rinsed out. There's no way a 3 year old can tell that independently.

chanar

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 4:07 am

My 7 year old son just started showering alone.. I still have the door open and check on him to make sure he’s soaping well, but I wouldn’t trust a 3 or 4 year old to be doing that alone!!

amother

Lily

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 4:33 am

My kids prefer baths. Sometimes by 10 years will take a shower but most of the time they all want a bath. I have three bathtubs upstairs in my house so I just have three kids in the bath at once. I cannot imagine a younger kid taking a shower honestly.

amother

Gladiolus

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 4:35 am

amother [ Maize ] wrote:

I didn't start until I was 13. I thought if I took a shower I would definitely get water in my eyes.

amother

Maize

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 4:49 am

amother [ Gladiolus ] wrote:

I didn't start until I was 13. I thought if I took a shower I would definitely get water in my eyes.

He started off wearing goggles :-)

amother

Honeysuckle

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 4:52 am

I'm assuming that those that their kids shower by themselves at 3 years old, don't care if the hair & body are washed well. They're ok as long as the kid is somewhat showered.
My kids technically shower by themselves from around 6, but I turn on the water & do their hair.

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 5:10 am

amother [ Pink ] wrote:

I don't do baths after the newborn stage, I only do showers. But my kids don't shower alone till around 6 or 7 years old.

You put a 6 month old in the shower?

amother

Honeysuckle

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 5:30 am

amother [ Mistyrose ] wrote:

You put a 6 month old in the shower?

I've done that. I have a handheld shower head. When I'm in a rush, I shower my kids of all ages.

BrisketBoss

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 6:27 am

amother [ Pink ] wrote:

I don't do baths after the newborn stage, I only do showers. But my kids don't shower alone till around 6 or 7 years old.

I've showered with newborns. Holding them obviously. They stay happy and we both get clean so it's a win-win. Gotta watch out for the surprise latches. ;- )

Sewsew_mom

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 7:05 am

I think everyone has it covered. I train my kids young to shower because I hate sitting with them in the tub. I think 4 is the age I can leave them and they'll call me to make sure they are washed off.
There is a learning curve forsure and I've had to send them back to wash their hair better, or I'd wash it in the sink.
It's called being trained.
My bathroom sometimes gets wet but omg not as much as a bath! When they have a bath my whole bathroom is a bath!
No handheld shower head, that would be a lot of trouble.
Def have mistakes.. But when they are 5 they shower unassisted cleaning very well.
And yes.. I also shower babies. I find it easier. Takes 5 seconds.

nicole81

Wed, Dec 22 2021, 7:39 am

I have a stall shower; it's pretty much impossible to get the rest of the bathroom wet.

For the people wondering how a 3 year old can scrub themselves properly, I think you should give your kids more credit. Kids can definitely be taught at that age what to do. It's not like you to throw them in and they get it from day 1; you invest time by watching the them, giving feedback, modeling what they need to improve, etc. They also need to be taught safety rules. And you don't leave them alone in the bathroom.

As much as some people don't understand how such a young child can shower themselves, I can't for the life of me understand how incapable people think children are.