Would u leave a 4 yo old in the bath for a few minutes? - Page 2

[alyrie]

My daughter is 3.5 and I will leave her for a few minutes at a time. She never stops singing/talking so you can hear her all over the house, so I know she's just fine :-) 

[lonegirl]

I start the bath by washing ds's hair.  Then he is free to play in the tub.  I am usually in the bedroom right next door.  All doors are open.  He sings, talks and splashes the whole time.  If he is quiet even a moment I will ask him how the bath is.  I am within only 4 big steps of being there.

[Soapmom]

Yes, I leave my 4 yr old for short periods of time. Or sometimes she will be in the tub, while I take a quick shower in the seperate shower. As long as I can still hear her.

[rightkindofme]

My daughter is not quite 3 and I leave her for a minute or two.  She talks from when she wakes up until she passes out so I am always very aware of what is happening.

[Neera]

Thanks for the repsonses.

We live in a small apt. so I do hear her all the time. But, I just remembered my other concern was that she tends to stand up a lot and I am afraid she'll slip. She is instructed to always be in the mat area only. Also, I would let the water run because the filled water cools down really quickly and that means I can't steal those few minutes to do what I wanted to as I am going back to refill the water.

[insidevoice]

My nearly 3 yo loves his baths. I have recently started leaving the bathroom door open and walking out for a moment here and there once the getting clean part of the bath is done.  I am about 15 feet away but not always in direct line of sight.  I can always hear him though, and if he is quiet for a moment I will ask how the bath is going. 

My youngest will not be at that point at the same age.  he just won't.  He's a daredevil and would be climbing the wall of the shower just to see what happened. I suspect i may still be hands-on supervising his baths until he goes to college. (Well, maybe not QUITE that long.)

[rightkindofme]

Ah.  With that added information I might not yet.  I don't worry about the water getting cold.  Hot water is a very very recent luxury in the ways we use it. :)
 

Originally Posted by Neera 

Thanks for the repsonses.

We live in a small apt. so I do hear her all the time. But, I just remembered my other concern was that she tends to stand up a lot and I am afraid she'll slip. She is instructed to always be in the mat area only. Also, I would let the water run because the filled water cools down really quickly and that means I can't steal those few minutes to do what I wanted to as I am going back to refill the water.

[MJB]

Yes. Definitely. My middle child turned 5 in December and has been taking hour long baths by himself since we moved here last June. When my boys were 5 and 2 I would sit in the hallway and fold laundry or read while they took a bath. 

[tarajean56]

I leave my almost 3yo and 4yo in the tub together.  I'm usually just in their room tidying up or putting laundry away, so I'm only a few feet away.  Plus they talk non-stop - so I can always hear that they are ok. 

[425lisamarie]

bathtime = my laundry time.  Plus my kids are so loud it's a non concern.  I definitely did the same thing at 4

[samstress]

absolutely!  i do it all the time (with water in the tub, not running).  i'm always within earshot.  while in the tub, dd is usually playing and having fun (i.e. making lots of noise).  if i don't hear her i go check or call her name to see if she's ok, but she's usually always making noise.

[Magali]

Yes I would, and have done it for quite some time. 

[MomtoDandJ]

Yes, I leave my 4yo in the tub alone in that situation. I leave the bathroom door open so I can hear him and I make sure there is only a few inches of water. I tell him that he can play (normally while I make dinner) so long as he sings or talks to me. That way I can hear his voice the entire time he's in there "alone" -- and if I stop hearing him, I peek in to make sure he's okay and to remind him to keep singing. With so little water in the tub (and I'm within earshot to hear if he fell) I think it's fine. Hope this helps!

[jilson41]

Yes.  When my kids have been at the age when I've been unsure about leaving them alone in the tub, I just tell them to sing loudly.  They have always been happy to comply.

[Eaglevoice]

My kids are 3 1/2 and 5 1/2  and I watch them while they wash their hair to make sure they get all the shampoo out, but after that they are free to play while I do what needs to be done around the house. My rule of thumb is I fill the water level up to belly button level, I feel comfortable with them in that amount of water unsupervised. 

[Redheaded_Momma]

Yep! Do it all the time. I actually let him play until he's ready to be done then we wash up.

[mamanicki]

Definitely. My 4 year old will play for hours in the tub if I let her. I, too, start with the parent-assisted parts and then let her play. I stay close and if it gets quiet (which sometimes it does when she's mixing concoctions or writing with tub paint), I'll check in. I would NOT run the tub because the noise, alone, would drown out too much sound to make me comfortable.  And I wouldn't worry about the water getting cold. Kids swim in pools and lakes for hours that are far colder than your home bath would get!

[SeekingJoy]

DD (3.5) and DS (5.5) both bathe independently. DD needs some help getting the water temperature right, but is fine to shower alone, get out by herself, dry herself and start getting dressed. She doesn't always do all these things independently, but she can and often does. 

[les_oiseau]

My son played by himself when he was 3. He's big for his age, so I really didn't worry about the water overtaking him. Plus I didn't go any father than the next room.

[ShadowMoon]

Originally Posted by Redheaded_Momma 

Yep! Do it all the time. I actually let him play until he's ready to be done then we wash up.

This is what I do too. We live in a small apartment so I can always hear him playing in the tub.