Kids transitioning from bath to shower

[MNFootballMommy]

My DD3 has been taking showers for months now and has no desire to return to baths. (We started in preparation for a cruise) She quickly figured out that a shower took less time than a bath, thus giving her more time to play.

She is responsible for washing herself, minus her back and her hair. I help with those, of course.

 

[mjkacmom]

Color me confused! Why are you pushing the shower issue with a 7 yo. Let him continue to take a bath, but not with the younger siblings. All my children continued to take baths until they were well into their teens and then they made the decision to make the transition on their own. Maybe he'll never make the transition. My dad is 80 and still prefers to take a bath over a shower. It's just a matter of personal preference.

Well, in my case, having to get 5 children showered is hard enough as it is - I can't imagine how long it would take if they all took baths! Dd12 was running a bath for herself the other night - I told her if she wanted a bath, then to please get to the end of the line! We only have 1 bath/shower here.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

I don't think DS will ever go from taking a bath to taking a shower, actually. He's my little waterbaby--he LOVES being in the water, whether it's in the bathtub or the swimming pool. While he does enjoy the sensation of the water falling on him from the showerhead, he still prefers to 'swim' in the bathtub as well. I have a hard time dragging him out of there even when the water is stone cold because he LOVES being in the water so much.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I don't know how it happened but earlier this year DS10 asked if he could start showering...but he wanted to use the shower in my master bathroom, the kind without the bathtub. He liked to plug up the holes and get a little water in the shower, which was fine as long as he was getting clean. But at some point (I guess I didn't think he could get that much water going in there ) he flooded it and it ran into my closet. So now he and DS8 are allowed to use my shower, but no plugging up the drain. They won't go back to a bath..

 

[pooh4evr]

well my older ones shower themselves (7 and 5) I turn on the water they adjust it to what they like, wash their bodies, DD5 I wash hair, DD7 wahes her own but I check it - we had a friend stay with us when I was a kid who was 11 or so at the time and her mom never showed her how to rinse her hair all the way and she always had (until my mom got a hold of her) a thick coating of un rinsed shampoo/conditioner on her scalp- i am determined not to let thet happen
FWIW my 22 month old takes a shower every once in a while when presseed for time

 

[LisaNJ25]

My DD3 has been taking showers for months now and has no desire to return to baths. (We started in preparation for a cruise) She quickly figured out that a shower took less time than a bath, thus giving her more time to play.

She is responsible for washing herself, minus her back and her hair. I help with those, of course.

Same with my toddlers.. They average 1 bath a week and the rest of the time showers. Its just much easier. I am going to miss it when they re to old to jump in there together.

 

[dismom2005]

Thanks for all of the replies - I am relieved to see that it's not that unusual that my 7 yo boy does not quite have the shower mastered yet. For us (well for me really) it's just so much easier to do a 2 minute shower than a 30 minute bath.

 

[golfgal]

How slippery is the shower floor? Maybe that is part of it too. Put down one of those rubber bath mats with the suction cups and see if that helps.

 

[Wishing on a star]

My son is 10, and he still bathes in the tub!!!
Heck, even I enjoy a soak in our jacuzzi tub every now and then!

And, believe me, soaking in a tub of hot water is probably getting him (and all unmentionable parts!! ) a lot cleaner than standing under a shower spray.

I guess I don't see what the big deal is???

Now, if you want to start to teach/encourage privacy, that is great, but I guess I don't see how shower-vs-bath has anything to do with that...

 

[DISshopkeeper]

I learned to start early, about age 2 or so. Even my 5 year olds (the babies) take showers on their own, and haven't taken regular baths in years. I LOVE the fact that I can tell all of my kids "go take a shower" after so many years of baths!

I hear ya! I felt like I was released from a jail sentence when I got both kids to the "Go take a shower" stage! WooHoo!

 

[Planogirl]

I still don't take showers unless forced. I've always preferred baths.

Our 15 year old does both, it just depends on the situation.

He'll get it. He's still pretty young.

 

[skuttle]

My DS started showering this summer, right before his 5th birthday. We went to the beach for a night and the hotel only had a walk-in shower. Ever since then, he's wanted to shower at home. I haven't been in the bathroom with him since probably the beginning of the year. He does it all himself. The first few times we had to remind him to rinse his hair better because we could see some of the shampoo in there. The only thing I don't like about the shower is that his little fingers and toes don't soak as much so sometimes the dirt doesn't come out from his nails as well as it did in the tub! If I keep the nails really short, not a problem, though.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I always took my kids in the shower with me when they were babies so they were always use to the shower and dropped baths to just showers once they started school.

We did this when they were babies, too. Actually, DS8 used to take baths until DS4 came along. When DS4 was old enough to sit up in the bath, we started bathing them together, but the younger one was (and still is) just too wet and wild in the bath!

So we switched to showers to minimize the mess! The boys would take turns going in with Daddy.

DDs 8 & 9 take showers most of the time. When they first started I helped them set the temperature and turn on the shower spray. I also helped them wash and rinse their hair.

We do this, too. Ds8 is pretty good about washing his body, and getting better washing and rinsing his hair, he's almost ready to go totally solo. Ds4 still needs help with everything.

 

[disney1990]

Another bath person here. I loves baths. My DH takes showers when rushed, otherwise it's a bath.

 

[clh2]

My DH grew up in a house with only a bath. No showerhead was installed until most of his sibs were in college. No permanent damage done!

 

[staley7580]

My 6yo takes showers by himself... But I still turn it on for him. After that, he is on his own. My 3yo..... she is still into flooding the bathroom.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

My kids take showers (separately), I do help them w/ their hair though. We have what we call a "hair washing hat". Its a cheap (usually a freebee) soft plastic visor. I put that on their heads, wash and rinse their hair. Put the body wash on their puffers thingys and I'm out of there.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

While DS7 & DD6 can and have taken showers their preference is still baths. The only "rule" I made was when your done taking a bath we turn on the shower for a "rinse cycle" I figure they're clean from the bath but any icky water is rinsed free at the end. DS's idea of a shower sometimes is to turn on the shower and sit in the bottom of the tub playing with his toys while the water is raining on him

 

[justhat]

I learned to start early, about age 2 or so. Even my 5 year olds (the babies) take showers on their own, and haven't taken regular baths in years. I LOVE the fact that I can tell all of my kids "go take a shower" after so many years of baths!

I second this advice, though clearly not for the OP as her son is 7yo. We did it by force, not choice, in that we moved when my 1st child was 2yo to a house that only has showers, no bathtubs. We got an inflatable tub that we stuck in the shower, sat it under one of the showerheads, and made her use that to rinse and stuff.

Now at 4.5yo she is capable of bathing herself in the shower (though she will still sit in that inflatable baby tub to play before she washes), but I do turn the water on/off for her as her movements are nowhere near fine enough to get the water exact. I got an example of that tonight after swim class when she went from really hot water to freezing while trying to adjust it.

My son is 2yo and wants no part of the inflatable baby bathtub, only the shower.

I think it's just what you get used to. Unless he's not able to clean himself in the bathtub, why bother switching?