Bathing with Your Child

My 2.5yr old son will shower with me now and then, he doesn't know the different now but as soon as he does that'll be it. My daughter will still shower with me sometimes too, she likes to do my hair so I'll let her if we have time

I have really fond memories of being in the bubble bath with my mom at around 3-4 and it is something I do wiht my daughter. I think it is totally fine until they begin to become aware of the differences.

I bathe w/my youngest son which just turned 3 a few wks ago and I bathed w/m older son until he started asking questions. I don' think it's odd by all means. i think if you feel comfortable w/it and it feels natural it's okay.
I will continue to do so on occassion until i feel it's time to stop. I think it's good to have an open mind and theworld is not always black and white.

I hope this helps.
M.

I attended an Early Childhood PTA meeting several years ago where they had a Psychologist (or maybe she was a psychotherapist - I'm not sure which) that talked about children and "sexuality". I use that term loosely since children really aren't "sexual" until they are older, but anyway one of the parents asked this question and she said she thought bathing with the opposite gender parent was ok up until the child is about 5 or 6 years old. After that it gets weird not so much because of the mental effect on the child, but because that's when a child might mention it at school or someplace outside of home and with everyone's hangups about stuff like that, it could easily be misconstrued in a negative way. She didn't mention any time frame for same gender bathing that I recall, but I would guess that applied to both since again, it's more about how a comment about "bathing with" mommy or daddy would be perceived by others. I know I bathed with my mom when I was a child and my kids have bathed with me or my husband at times as well. I can't think of anyone I personally know who didn't bathe with their kids when they were younger. I definitely don't think it's odd at all. I think it's quite normal. For many people, moms especially, it's sometimes the only way they get to take a bath or shower during the day. It's that or strap your kid to the infant carrier or exersaucer, or wait until you get 10 or 15 minutes between feedings or naptime if you know what I mean, and of course, it's not like you have anything else that needs to get done during those times either. ;-)

i don't see anything "odd" about it... i have a 5yo son and a 2yo son, i have bathed with them both. we actually did a "family shower" the other day after we got in from swimming. that was a sheer convenience thing - my boys LOVE to take a bath with me or a shower with their daddy though, it's a special treat to them. we will have to stop soon with my oldest son, he asked me one time a few years ago what "i had", and i told him, he was satisfied and left it alone. the breast issue came about when i breastfed his little brother, so he breastfed his toy frog LOL! oh, the blackmail pics i have of that boy!!!!!! i say do it if you're comfortable, but don't if you're not. i actually know a mix of folks on this issue, but MOST i know have bathed with their kiddos.

I have bathed with our son since he was born and he is now 2. So has my husband on occasion. We just thought it was easier to do it all at one time. I have to say though that it is probably time to stop. He is getting curious about the different private parts. So I guess he will have to bath on his own now. My mom bathed with us and my sister bathed with her daughter. My MIL also bathed with both of her boys. I guess it's natural in our family but may be odd to others. To each their own.

I have bathed with my son when he was about 3 and being pregnant it was easier to get in the tub than to be out of the tub to get the child clean. My husband even joined in a couple of times and we all were there together. Later my son and daughter had baths together (I have pictures in baby books) until he was older.

Its all on how you were brought up as to how you handle your body and the child around. If you are comfortable with your body you should feel ashamed and your children will not think anything of it. I lived with my aunt in my teen years and she was comfortable with her body and would have underwear on (of the days of corsets and such) so you think nothing of it.

My children when younger (4 to 8) didn't think anything of mom in a tee shirt and shorts or such. They have no hangups on the body parts issue. Son and grandson shower together. Daughter has no children at present time.

You guys would fall off your chairs if you see the ads in Europe for showers or baths as they have the whole family in the pictures in the nude. So to each his own.

I bathed with my son, who is almost 5, until a couple of months ago. He started "noticing" the difference so I decided it was best to end it then. He still showers with his dad.

If you don't feel comfortable with it then don't do it, but there isn't anything wrong with it either as long as you aren't making the child feel uncomfortable (which won't happen for a long time).

I take my babies into the shower with me, it's easier on my back to wash them that way. I start putting them in the tub to wash when they can sit up. I don't usually get in the bath with them cause I feel awkward space wise in there with them. My boy and girl bathed together until they started asking questions about their differences and then we started teaching modesty and appropriate uses of our privates. I won't go naked around my five year old boy anymore, but he showers sometimes with his dad when they've both just gotten a mommy-special haircut. My three daughters will often come in the bathroom while I shower and talk to me and I'm fine with that and they all bathe together. It's all what you're comfortable with and the age and inquisitiveness of the child.

I have a 17 month old who takes baths w/me all the time. It started out w/my fear of her slipping and going under. She was too large for her baby bath and we have a huge garden tub in the master where she takes her baths. So I just got in w/her and we still take baths together!....she hears the word bath and runs to the stairs, and if I don't take her she freaks out! lol It's totally harmless....we have a blast w/her ducks and bubbles, and all that! She does try to poke at my upper body, but she's just curious! I don't know when I'll discontinue mommy/baby bath....maybe when she gets a little bit older, for now I don't see anything odd about it...

I think it more strange to be worried about bathing or being undressed when your children are very young than not. I personally will stop by the time my son is old enough to start preschool, for the same reason as previously mentioned: OTHER people may think it scary or weird and embarass him if he were to mention it. Until then, I occassionally bathe with him when I'm tired, he's sick or not feeling well, stuff like that. I'll fix a big bubble bath on those days and get all the little rubber duckies and a little pitcher to pour water over his head. We splash and "jabber" and sing songs and play with the toys, but it's also a time to yeah, just bond. My husband will take him into the shower when time is short and it's hard to spend time together b/c of his work schedule. I've watched them because it's so funny---he'll hold our son up and let him lean into the water at his own pace, depending on how "brave" he feels. They sing and just act silly. There's nothing embarassing or unnatural about it. I remember that my parents were quite uptight and that made me feel ashamed for no reason. I think the best way to explain my new way of thinking is this: we went to a museum and a nephew giggled and asked why a statue was "naked". My husband shrugged and said "God made people's bodies didn't he? And what God makes is wonderful". The end.
However, there is being socially acceptable so we'll stop as our son approaches an age where he's old enough to "know" that we're nude. But it's about teaching your children to be comfortable in their skin and knowing how to carry themselves, as well as just spending quality time together--no tv, no agenda, no chores.

Our son will be 5 in 2 weeks and our daughter is 14 months. Both dh and I occasionally take both showers and baths with the kids. Both kids take a bath together almost every night. Both dh and I are seen in the nude by the kids often when we are changing or whatever. My son knows that girls and boys bodies are different and that grown up bodies are different from kid bodies. It has never really been an issue. If any of us start to become uncomfortable, then we will respect that. I'm sure our son would still run around outside naked if we would let him. However, in the last year we have started to teach him that public nudity at his age, in our society isn't appropriate.

I think it is completely natural to be nude and nothing to be emabarressed of.

I bathed with my son for a few months and then realized he was fine on his own. He's now 2 and 1/2, and if we travel to visit family we usually leave after work meaning it's very late when we get there. We go ahead and bathe before leaving and to save time, my son and I bathe together only on those occasions. However, last week he pointed to my breasts asking "can I touch those?" When I said no, he said "Can I touch that one?" LOL I had to try so hard not to laugh, but that tells me we no longer will do that.

I have never done this with either of my children, and I don't know of anyone who has. I'm not exactly sure the reason you would, is it for bonding purposes or is it because it's easier to be in the tub while bathing him?

I think if your child is an infant its ok but my opinion is that our body should be private and I do think its innappropriate for a 6 year old to bathe with a parent. I actually think its disrespectful, children dont look like adults naked therefore it is different. I think some children are SO open minded that they learn things too young and in the end its not a good thing. Just my opinion. I dont think we should teach our children to be ashamed of their bodies after all there's nothing unnatural about it, but I also dont think we should be so liberal and walk around naked around them, like I have heard from some parents. Lets just say I wouldnt let my children visit that home.

Out of town...in a hurry...late for work...child is under age 5--only in extreme circumstances!

I think it depends on you, your child and your feelings. We are very open minded around here at my home and my 13 yr old girl thinks nothing of jumping in my shower and getting ready while I am in the same room and I do the same.

However, I was raised with a very closed minded mom who thought if I saw her naked it would send me to hell or something. GEES.... She was overboard. STILL IS....

To some, I might be overboard in the other direction but if you hide yourself, or in any way present the situation as unnatural, you are sending the closed minded messages.

WITH ALL THAT SAID.........If I had a son, I would be much less open with bathing, etc and at this age now (daughter 13) I would not be in a room naked with my son.
TF

I think it's totally natural and is a great bonding experience. My girls love it when I join them and I see nothing odd about it. They are 6, 4 and 1. Of course now, there is no room for me when the three of them are in there together!

My son is 6 and my daughter is 4.5. I just took a shower with my daughter the other day, she thinks it's fun. I don't bathe with my son anymore, but he wouldn't think anything of it if I did. He walks in my bedroom when I'm changing all the time, no big deal. Nudity is not sex. Because my kids are close in age they always took baths together so they've always known they have different parts, we didn't treat it like a big deal and it wasn't one. My son did start asking for privacy from his sister so now he showers by himself or with my husband on occasion. I grew up seeing my Mom nude all the time and it didn't warp me or turn me into a sex-crazed perv. We even 'gasp' went skinny dipping often when I was a teenager. If you don't make it a big deal it won't be one.