How old should your child be to leave alone in the tub?

Bonnie - posted on 12/05/2010

Sherri, no all I was stating is that by that age children are going through puberty so I just found it strange to wait till that age to leave them alone; along with others reasons. It's okay though. I was slightly confused why it was being mentioned so just wanted clarification.

Sherri - posted on 12/05/2010

Bonnie it seemed as if you were saying that it is puberty is happening earlier now then years ago, hence my post back.

Julianne - posted on 12/05/2010

Obesity rates going up is just one reason people are developing at a younger age. Tons of factors and toxins are having an effect on our youth starting puberty at an earlier age. BPA for instance is an estrogenic substance that is found in numerous places. Baby bottles, canned foods bottled foods, plastic wrap and many others. Growth hormones injected into animals. Which even if an area has a ban in place the synthetic and natural hormones show up as the same substance in milk so its impossible to tell unless a through investigation goes into each farm to ensure that none is injected into any of the animals. No one has that kind of money so basically its taking the farmers word for it.

Katherine - posted on 12/05/2010

It's called precocious puberty/obesity.

Katherine - posted on 12/05/2010

Oh crap Jodi's right......:P

Charlie - posted on 12/05/2010

According to the Office of Biotechnology at Iowa State University, naturally occurring Bovine somatotropin ingested via a human's digestive system has no effect on the human. The digestive system breaks the BST down into amino acids and peptides, which remain inactive. Human growth hormone (or human somatotropin) has different amino acids than BST, which prevents BST from having any effect on humans.

Katherine - posted on 12/05/2010

Let's start another thread on this....

Julianne - posted on 12/05/2010

Actually ladies, bovine growth hormone is a naturally occurring hormone that is the only hormone in nature closest to human hormones. By eating cow and drinking milk from these animals, their natural hormone effects us. The synthetic hormone is where all the controversy is but people don't know that even without the synthetic, the natural occurring hormone effects the body as well.

Bonnie - posted on 12/05/2010

Sherri, I am a bit confused as to why you are talking about old and new trends. All I said is that by 9 or 10 some children are starting to hit puberty and that is why I find it strange that some would wait til their child is 10 to leave them alone in the bath. To me that could be uncomfortable for both sides.

Jodi - posted on 12/05/2010

Actually, in Australia, it is not permitted to have hormones in milk or meat, and there is still a trend towards puberty at a younger age, so it has nothing to do with the hormones. I have read research to suggest that the trend is actually the result of (1) better nutrition and (2) greater rate of obesity (so kids get bigger, younger, on average anyway).

Katherine - posted on 12/05/2010

I was talking about the rising trend.

Sherri - posted on 12/05/2010

Katherine growth hormone wasn't introduced to US milk and beef until 1985. I was 13 in 1985, I got my period when I was 10. It had absolutely nothing to do with when I got my period.

Katherine - posted on 12/05/2010

No it's not new. It's because of the hormones they put in milk. You can get hormone free milk now thank God. I was 14 when I got my period!

Chatty - posted on 12/05/2010

WOW! Sherri, I thought I was young at 11...

Sherri - posted on 12/05/2010

Well that is not necessarily a new trend Bonnie. I started my period at 10 yrs old in 5th grade and I am 38 yrs old.

Katherine - posted on 12/05/2010

LOL Shannen, BUSHLAND??? It's sounds so baaaaad. Maybe I just have a dirty mind :P

Bonnie - posted on 12/05/2010

Some are slowly starting to hit puberty by the age of 9 or 10. That just doesn't seem right.

Sherri - posted on 12/04/2010

Oh my I can not fathom 10 yrs old before they could shower without mommy watching. Really kind of weird almost creepy if you ask me.

Shannen - posted on 12/04/2010

@Bonnie, So does my 4 year old, we taught her which is hot and cold a couple of months ago she is so good with it! :)

Jodi - posted on 12/04/2010

So, Nelly, can I ask, why 10?

Bonnie - posted on 12/04/2010

My 4 year old knows how to adjust the water and pull the plug.

Shannen - posted on 12/04/2010

Geeze at 10 i was roaming bushland from morning 'til dark. I'm talking blue mountains bush where we would go exploring. Probably places we never should have but we still did it.
I started washing my own hair ( so fully bathing myself doing the hot and cold water everything) when i was about 7.

Jodi - posted on 12/04/2010

Wow...10 years old....

Charlie - posted on 12/04/2010

10 years OLD HOLY CRAP !

Seriously that blows my mind , I was walking to the beach and surfing for up to 4 hours on my own by that age , I would then get home run my own shower or bath , wash myself , pull the plug and clothe myself .

Teresa - posted on 12/04/2010

Seriously?! Even for a second?! Must be nice to have enough free time to supervise bathing several kids every day for the past 17 years straight, huh? ;)

Nelly - posted on 12/04/2010

I only started leaving my kids alone in the tub when they turned 10 yrs old.

Chatty - posted on 12/03/2010

As a matter of fact, Roxanne is playing in the bath right now while I *gasps* type away....how ironic, right!? She's laughing and I'm guessing by the uncontrollable giggles that she's throwing or splashing water everywhere.

Maybe I should go check on her before someone reports me for neglect. ;)

Sherri - posted on 12/03/2010

As do I Dana

Chatty - posted on 12/03/2010

"leaving a 20 month old alone in the tub is neglect!"

I beg to differ!

Terri-lee - posted on 12/03/2010

definately not 20 months! My 15 month old is a climber and we have a deep spa so at 20 months there is no way I'd leave her alone! once I washed my hands in the basin, which was one meter from the tub, and she climbed, fell back and needed rescuing in the time it took me to stand up, take one step away from the tub and turn the bathroom tap on! far out you gotta be ON them at this age. leaving a 20 month old alone in the tub is neglect! A child that age can drown within 90 seconds in 3 inches of water!

*think...calming...thoughts.... do... not... keep talking...* lol

Jodi - posted on 12/03/2010

I am really sorry to hear about your step-sister, that's incredibly tragic. My condolences to you and your family for your loss



Your explanation makes more sense :) I can hear a shower or bath running from anywhere in my house. That's the way the pipes are. But I'd never ask them to leave the door open so I could hear everything that was going on.



Take care.

{{hugs}}

Doreen - posted on 12/03/2010

I suppose it depends on what you understand by what I said.... if you think you have to sit next to him - it isn't going to work. I am just suggesting that a person should always be aware of who is in the "water". Man I use to think it is only the little ones we had to stress about, but my step sister drowned about a month ago and she was a grown woman. I am not saying be in the bathroom with them, but always just be aware of the person that is in the bathroom - but with little ones much more so!

Jodi - posted on 12/03/2010

Tell THAT to my 13 year old.....sorry, but that's a little over the top, don't you think?

Doreen - posted on 12/03/2010

Children should never be left "out of ear" near water (bath or pool) even when they 10/11 even older - it is impossible for anybody to ALWAYS be there but I think when you take a quick min. you have to keep in mind you taking a big risk. I don't think anyone should be left alone in water period!

Liz - posted on 12/02/2010

My older kids actually don't bathe very often, they shower and they do it all by themselves now. I check on them here and there to make them hurry up so I can keep the assembly line going. They are 4, 5 and 7.

Lindsey - posted on 12/02/2010

As posted I only use the monitor when they take a bath together. If something were to happen to one of them the other one knows to call me and I'll come right up. Also as posted if one takes a bath without the other I stay in the room with them, so I can keep an eye on them.

Vicki - posted on 12/02/2010

but if it only takes a minute, how can you hearing them on the monitor protect them?

Lindsey - posted on 12/02/2010

My daughters are 7 and 6 years old and I leave them alone, but with the monitor on, so I can hear them. I feel they are safe because they have eachother, but if one happens to take a bath without the other I stay in the room with them. All it takes is one second and one inch of water for something terrible to happen.

Ellen - posted on 12/01/2010

I think my ds was 4 when I first started leaving him, but I would check often. I don't think I left him in alone, till he was 5. By then he was already filling the tub up himself, and sometimes would even be in the tub before I even got there.

Hannah - posted on 11/30/2010

I always give my son (3 in January) and my daughter (16 months) a bath together. I clean my daughter first and get her out. We have a Jack and Jill bathroom that adjoins their bedrooms. I will take her and get her lotioned and dressed while my son plays in the water. I am still very close to them. I don't leave them unattended together though, my daughter is still too young and I don't trust that my son won't find it funny to hold her under water . However, when my step sons are there (10 and 8) they like to take a bath with all three boys and I don't bother them at all. I trust them to make sure that my son is safe. I feel pretty comfy with my son but he just started doing this thing where he likes to lay on his back in the water and not say anything (I think it's because he can't hear anything) and his head nearly underwater. It freaks me out a little.



***edited for typos***

Patricia - posted on 11/30/2010

Uuugggg!!! I cannot imagine doing that!!!
I totally agree!!! THumbs DOWN on that Mom!!!

Sarah - posted on 11/30/2010

oh wow 20 months old? no way! 7 or 8 my son is only 12 months old and freaks out when i sit on the toilet and he's in the bath (our toilet is right next to the shower with plate glass so i can easily see and grab him if need be) i never take my eyes off him but he still insists on getting out which is a good thing really

Jess - posted on 11/30/2010

Ava is only 15 months old, so I've never just left her alone. Sometimes I forget her towel and have to grab one from the linen cupboard which is right there by the bathroom door, practically in the same room and I can see her the entire time.

She is old enough to sit on her own without needing my help, so I let her play, sometimes I take a wee while she is in the tub, but the toliet and the bath are next to each other, I mean right next to each other. What can I say, the sound of running water gets me every time !

Tah - posted on 11/28/2010

well you will be be glad to know my 13 year old takes his baths alone...lol....My son will be 4 on dec 29th, he uses the bathtub in our bedroom and i will leave the door open and fold clothes, or clean the room, get his clothes out the drawers(he has his own room, closet etc and still has 2 drawers in here..lol) and i listen and talk to him often, probably around 7 or so i will feel comfortable leaving him all together. i still walk by my daughter's bathroom in the hallway when it's her bath time and knock on the door to hear her say "yes mommy, i'm almost done"..she is 9..lol...

Chani - posted on 11/28/2010

I'm happy to leave my 3 year old in the tub so long as i am in earshot with the door open and i'm close to the bathroom. I like to keep the tub shallow aswell, it's about the splashing fun for him, my 18 month old i will not though, my 7 year old i am very comfortable leaving him alone to have a bath. I guess it depends on the maturity level of the child and what they are capable of. 8 years old is nuts, but each to their own.

Sherri - posted on 11/28/2010

Ya I don't worry my 4 yr old washes himself gets himself in and out and I only go in to turn the water on and off. He even dries himself off and gets his own jammies on. I literally go in turn the water on, put soap on the loafa and go back to what ever I was doing he tells me when it is time to shut the water off and I go in and shut the water off he plays until he is done. Puts his toys back in the bucket, drains the tub, gets out gets his towel, dries off and then gets his jammies on.

Stifler's - posted on 11/27/2010

ha. i was saying we can't watch them 24/7, things will happen no matter what.

Katherine - posted on 11/27/2010

Whew!

Chatty - posted on 11/27/2010

No, Katherine -- it didn't come out wrong. I was just joking. No worries, seriously!

Katherine - posted on 11/27/2010

NO!!!! I just meant that you don't need to keep explaining yourself to certain people. Ooh did that come out wrong??? I'm so sorry!!!