When to Shower by Themselves?

Updated on July 24, 2011
S.B. asks from Kansas City, MO
12 answers

My 4 year old girl loves showers and I was wondering when other people's kids started showering by themselves. We didn't have a shower at our house until I was in high school, so I'm not sure what the norm is. She showers with me right now, but I'm afraid she's rapidly approaching a time when we won't be able to do that anymore (her age + size of shower). Any ideas?

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C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

My boys have been showering by themselves since they were 4 and 5...I DO put a timer in there otherwise - they'd play in there until it got cold!!!

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A.L.

answers from Charleston on

My daughter started at age 5, but I had to help her with the shampoo and conditioner for a couple of years until she learned how to rinse well enough. She's 8 now, and can do it all by herself. I have to time her or otherwise she'd be in there for an hour. :)

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

My niece was 5 when she started but her parents still helped her with her hair. A close friend of ours has a 4 y/o and she showers by herself, also gets a little help with her hair. My daughter, who will be 4 in September, really has no desire to shower by herself yet, so she still plays in the tub with her little brother. I think if your daughter is ready, then go for it!

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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

My granddaughter is 10 and when she comes to visit she showers by herself. She would have been able to do it at a younger age but the plumbing fixtures were difficult until recently (when they were replaced).

I think a child can shower by himself when he (or she, of course) can manage the fixtures and the cleaning supplies by himself - and will keep an ear out for the timer so he'll know when his part of the hot water supply is used up.

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R.K.

answers from Boston on

My 4 year old does. I shampoo him and I do a quick wash before he gets out incase he missed any where.

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K.J.

answers from Chicago on

My 4.5 yr old son just started requesting to take showers by himself (I'd been giving him baths with his younger brother for the past year and a half.) Most of the time I put him in a shower stall with no tub, remove all the razors and adult shampoo, and keep the bathroom door open. If he is in the tub/shower combo I stay close by in case I hear him starting to fill the tub so I can go in and open the drain. He LOVES it, and I no longer have to referee bath time with his little brother.

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V.S.

answers from Harrisburg on

My oldest, 8, just started showering by himself-last week.

He really wasn't interested in it until he went to his cousins and learned that he showers alone.

I figured it would more of, wait until he is able to fully wash himself without being reminded what to wash and such.

My 3yo and 1yo are still bathed together in the tub.

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S.P.

answers from New York on

My daughter is just starting to shower. She's almost 3, and she is in the shower by herself, but I sit right outside, set up the water, help with the shampoo and washing etc. She's pretty careful and I monitor how she moves around, but I feel like it's safe.

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M.A.

answers from St. Louis on

My son is 5 and he loves to shower by himself. He has been doing it since he was 3. I always stay in my bedroom while he is in there and I help him with the shampoo and make sure all soap is washed off. I make sure he has a washcloth and some body wash He feels like he is doing it all by himself but I know that I am just a few steps away and that he is totally safe. Hope this helps!! :-)

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C.K.

answers from San Antonio on

When my son was 4 years old I let him shower alone sort of. I stayed in the bathroom, but let him go in the shower alone. A few months after he started showering alone I stopped staying in the bathroom and just had him leave the door open. He showered with the door open until he was 7 or 8 I think. No one ever went in there, and he shut the door after stepping out of the shower. I just wanted the door open so I could hear if he slipped, especially when stepping out, or if he needed anything.

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

My daughter is 4 and when we go to our family's lake house, there is only a shower. My daughter is fairly independent and loves to shower on her own. We have a pump bottle of "baby wash" type soap for the kids, which she uses. We also have a hand shower, which I use to rinse her off. I can stand outside the shower and get all the soap off that she's missed. I would recommend a tub mat to avoid any slips.

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M.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My daughter started showering alone when she was 5yrs old. I was confident that she could bathe herself, so I figured she would do alright in the shower. I did have to help her the first several times because she has really long hair and I wanted to make sure she could get all the shampoo out. It did not take long for her to be self sufficient.

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