When to move from baths to showers

Bath time is a sacred time for you and your little one! It’s a moment without distractions where you can chat, play, and get squeaky clean. So when they come up to you demanding it’s time for them to shower by themselves, you know it’s a moment of transition. Even if they don’t initiate it, changing from bath to shower can be a fun and quick way to get them clean before bed. As a parent, you’re always looking for efficiency, and a shower will get you in and out much quicker than a bath. 

Either way, you’ll know when your child is ready to take on the big task of washing themselves. Giving them this first step of independence is a big moment, but they’ll need some help to start. 

Every child is different

First off, there is truly no magic number for when your child should be showering by themselves. It all depends on when they feel confident and eager enough to be alone in the shower. This might come at the young age of 5 or it might not be until around 9 years old. You’ll know when they’re ready because they will most likely be requesting some alone time (shocking!) Don’t be alarmed, just make sure you have taught them the proper steps and depending on their age, maintain supervision to help give you some peace of mind. 

Put an anti-slip mat down!

To keep them as safe as possible, make sure to buy a mat for your shower. This will let you get a few other things done, and allow you to step back and let them do it themselves knowing they are safe.

Keep a close eye

Even though they will most likely be fine on their own, remain close to the bathroom. Sticking around the area with zero music or audio playing will keep you at ease as you can hear any problems. 

Show them the proper way to wash themselves

One of the biggest worries of leaving your kid alone is that they won’t properly wash themselves. There’s no way they can remember all of the steps at that age, right? The best way to ensure this is by demonstrating the lesson for them first. Show them small steps like, “mummy washes her hair with this much shampoo and then rinses it out with water” It’s unlikely they will remember every step at first but with practice, they’ll get better and cleaner.

Give them incentives and praise

Praising them when they get out the shower will help associate good behaviour with showering. If you find they need a little motivation to have a shower or to clean themselves properly once they’re in there you might think of a reward system to help give them an incentive to want to get clean.

Let them choose their own products

Allowing them to have some ownership over how they shower will make them feel more excited about doing it. Kids love to have some sort of decision making power and picking out their favourite shampoo will give them a little bit of that. Don’t worry about the weird scents they may pick out as long as they’re getting clean! 

Shower time can be a huge relief for you as you’ll finally start getting more done while they grow more self-sufficient. This change requires some assistance and teaching, but your little one should pick it up quickly. And don’t worry if they still prefer a bath, let them still have baths if they want them on days you have time or as a weekend treat.