So when do they stop taking baths?

[egoldber]

I realized today that its been over a month since Sarah had a bath! Lest you think my child reeks, let me assure you that she showers with me at least every other day. :)

But honestly, I don't miss giving her a bath. The bath was never a thing that I enjoyed. And as she got older and went to sleep at night earlier, fitting the bath in before bedtime got to be a problem. We eat dinner at 6 and she's usually in bed by 7:15. AND she has a ton of hair, so much that I actually have to BLOWDRY her hair before she could go to bed. And even then she would wake up with serious bedhead. The downside of the shower is that it now takes me three times as long to shower (not just twice as long) and I have to keep all her toiletries in my bathroom as well.

So I'm curious, when do kids generally stop getting baths and get a shower instead. And when do they start showering by themselves? (Oh, frabjous day!)

[brubeck]

Just to warn you, Amy started taking a liking to shwoering with me last Fall. I used to bathe her twice a week but I shower every day. Soon she was showering with me evcery day and actually it was getting to be a bit of a pain! But I just kept a bottle of J&J shampoo/soap in my shower and cleaned her too. Then suddenly she didn't want to shower with me anymore. I don't know why, but now the idea of a shower sends her into screams and she wants to bathe again. So it may be a temporary thing (as it was with my daughter).

Amy is 39 months now and there is still no way I would let her bathe/shower alone, although I'm comfy with turning my back on her for a few seconds while I get something in the bathroom (I'd NEVER do that with Andrew).Frankly I suspect I'll be bathing her at least until she gets old enough to ask for her privacy.

Now the real question is how long can I bathe my boy and girl together without doing irreparable harm? :)

[shishamo]

I was just discussing this topic with my mommyfriends and I was shocked to hear that a lot of 4 year olds takes showers, not baths.
My 4 year old hates shower, so it'll be a while for us.

I actually love giving them a bath since my kids mostly play in the bath and I get to relax for 45 minutes. I usually read a magazine or knit.

[lukkykatt]

My 4 yo is probably at 50% showers now. Since he is a boy though he only takes a shower when it is convenient for DH. He would probably like to shower more, but there is no way I am traumatizing either of us by having him shower with me, so I guess he'll remain at about 50% til he can do it by himself (I have no idea when that will be - he just started being willing to shower a few months ago).

[AngelaS]

At 6, Adrienne showers alone. (She made one too many comments about mommy's 'big bummy'....) I stick my hands in to wash her hair, but she does all the other scrubbing. :D

Gabrielle also loves to shower, but she only showers with me about once a week. I generally give the girls morning baths, since bedtime gets hectic here too. :D

[mamahill]

Fascinating. Ainsleigh showers with me on occasion, but my shower is "my time" in the morning, so I'd prefer her NOT to come in;). She's not even 2 yet, but I hope she continues to be in the bath for a while. My mom used to bathe three of us together (2 girls and a boy) on occasion. I'm 5 years older than my brother, and I don't think it lasted long (I think I began showering at 6 and my sister joined me when I was 7 and she was 4 - I still remember having great fun in the shower with her and drawing on the fogged doors), but oh the ring-around-the-tub after THOSE baths!