When can they shower all on their own?

Discussion in 'Childhood and Beyond (4+)' started by AimeeThomp, Jun 30, 2013.

  1. AimeeThomp

    AimeeThomp Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Since I have a 2 year old its easier for me to do one bath with all 3 kids. I've never had the girls turn the water on and off themselves in the tub, because I have a fear of them burning themselves I guess.

    They will take a shower together if I turn the shower on, but they aren't very good at getting all of the shampoo/conditioner out. And if I don't monitor them they have dumped out all the shampoo while in the shower together. So it's just as much for me if not more because I still have to sit in the bathroom but then I have to bathe the 2 year old separately because he won't shower.

    It would be great if they could start being responsible for their own hygiene! I feel like it's a never ending saga of me telling them it's time for baths and brushing teeth and then having to do it for them while they whine.

    When do they start doing it for themselves? I mean the whole thing, water, shower, hanging towels up after.
     
  2. Danibell

    Danibell Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Sean's 11, and I quite often still find his towel on the floor! LOL

    By the time he was 7 he could do it all himself though. Kaelyn is nearly 7, she can wash herself but can't do her hair yet. So we turn the water on, she washes herself and wets her hair (she has really really thick hair), one of us helps her to wash and condition her hair and rinse it out. I'm not sure when she'll actually be able to do it herself, her hair is the issue.
     
  3. akameme

    akameme Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Mine are 6.5 and can definitely shower, but the shampoo part needs supervision. They also can run their own bathes (although I often double check that they plug up the bath).
     
  4. Chillers

    Chillers Well-Known Member

    The girls are 6.5 now, and for probably the past 6 months or so, they've been showering pretty independently. Went from me helping with shampoo/conditioner, to sitting in the bathroom and doing a spot check on whether they've rinsed their hair enough to now, where they're pretty good about rinsing entirely. We do go through more shampoo/bodywash than we did when I was doling it out, but I figure it's a good trade off ;). Also every so often, I'll still scrub their heads just so I *know* that they've actually gotten clean.
     
  5. Leighann

    Leighann Well-Known Member

    I don't let mine turn the water on, but they can shower pretty independently once its on (they are a little over 6). Meara has shorter hair so she can rinse the shampoo out herself, but Ana's hair is long and thick and I have to help her get it all out.
     
  6. mommymauro

    mommymauro Well-Known Member

    my oldest was 7 when he did it ALL on his own (though he had buzzed hair)... but at 15 i still find his towel sometimes on his bathroom floor :rolleyes:

    The dudes have their own bathrooms and since they thought bath time together was party time i now do them separate... they can do all but their hair... they have long hair... long for a boy i mean... they bath and i turn on the shower head at the end to rinse them off... i stay close by... but they can turn the water on (they know to watch water temp closely before it gets too hot) plug the tub wash all body parts... i come in at the end and rinse them off... but i am close by in case things dont go that smooth
     
  7. threebecamefive

    threebecamefive Well-Known Member

    My kiddos started showering on their own around 5 (boys) or 6 ( my daughter). To make my life easy, I waited until all three were ready, since they're fairly close in age.

    I still have to help my daughter with the shampoo and conditioner though. Her hair isn't super long, just past her shoulders, but it is super thick. For some reason, she always misses rinsing out the chunks on both sides. I even have a mirror hanging in the shower for her to use; she either doesn't use it, or it doesn't help as much as I thought it would (guess I should ask her about that!). She hates that I still help with her hair though!

    As for the amount of soap/shampoo/conditioner they use . . . I buy the stuff that comes with the little pump. When I had the kind they would squeeze out, they would literally go through a huge bottle withibn one or two showers. I would get so frustrated!

    One of my boys is great about hanging up his towel, the other drapes his nicely (!) on the counter, but my daughters towel is almost always left in a heap on her bedroom floor.
     
  8. Utopia122

    Utopia122 Well-Known Member

    My girls prefer baths. They can take a shower, but like to "soak", so we do baths. I still start the water, but I taught them early to turn off the hot water first so they don't burn themselves. They have been turning off the water themselves since they were 5, I guess. Most of the time I still wash their hair, but if I am extremely tired (or lazy), I will make them wash and rinse their own hair. They have figured out that if they help each other they can get their hair rinsed fairly well. My girls are pretty methodical by nature (they get that from their dad), so I rarely have to rewash body parts or re-rinse their hair....plus I told them if they don't get all the shampoo out it will make their hair look nasty and greasy, so they are super paranoid about having soap left in their hair. We had some issues with them using too much shampoo or wasting it, but after threatening them with using their own money to buy more, they figured out how to conserve.
    My girls, in my opinion, are fairly mature for their age and VERY picky about their cleanliness, so we just don't have bath issues, however, my son at 15 still doesn't wash well, so it really just depends on the child. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have made my son retake showers because he just didn't clean up good enough. All of my fussing at him about his hygiene may be why the girls are so good at it.
     
  9. AmynTony

    AmynTony Well-Known Member

    my kids have been showering themselves for close to a year....the towels...well some days they get hung and some days they don't...
     
  10. sharongl

    sharongl Well-Known Member

    Mine started showering on their own, other than turning the water on by around age 4--we started with showers at swimming lessons where I was right there, and they took off on their own at home. Although they sometimes don't hang their towels, now all I do is tell them to shower, and they are good to go :)
     
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