Time to Learn to Bathe Herself??

Updated on January 23, 2012
K.H. asks from Wausau, WI
12 answers

My six year old daughter seems old enough to me to start bathing herself. I was wondering how to get started and how to go about it....I'm a little nervous about her doing her hair since she still likes a washcloth over her face when rinsing her hair out. So can I please get some advice on how to go about her bathing herself?

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T.B.

answers from Eau Claire on

I'd just have her wash her body and you do her hair for awhile. I'd probably let her "help" wash her hair so she gets used to doing it.

5 moms found this helpful

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S.C.

answers from Des Moines on

Get her started with you supervising, then with you in the next room-- gradually work your way up to independence. And for a while you might have to do a "Let me know when you're done so I can rinse your hair good" thing, which would also give you the opportunity to make sure she cleans up after herself (wipes up splashes, puts away bath t oys, hangs her towel, whatever)

You KNOW you love hearing "Mom, I'm DONE!" coming from the bathroom!

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D.K.

answers from Boston on

My oldest is 8 and I still help her with rinsing her hair. Sometimes I take a shower WITH her, so that I can help her shampoo & rinse, but she can still try to do it on her own first. (I've never figured out how to help my kids in the shower without getting soaked too!) I don't really want her adjusting the water temp on her own yet.... it's too unpredictable in our house.... maybe I'm overcautious though bc one of my other kids got burned as a baby.

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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

Yes, let her start bathing herself. Have her start with doing her face herself, then her arms and tummy, and then the rest of her (check that she's soaped the spots that are hard to see). Congratulate her on doing what big girls do. She can call you when it's time for her hair. Every time you wash it now, say what you're doing and why. Let her know that, when she wants to try doing that herself, she certainly may. My granddaughters pour water out on their hair from a huge convenience-store cup after they've shampooed it, and they use the "squeaky clean" test to make sure the shampoo is out.

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L.A.

answers from Austin on

I suggest letting her try to bathe by herself.. and then you come in and help her with her hair.. Our daughter always had lots of thick curly hair , so for a while till her hands got big enough, I would help with the hair.. especially the rinsing.

I would call from the other room, "did you wash your neck? Behind your ears? Your underarms, between your toes?"

I would go in and wash her back and kind of an all over very quick soapy wipe off all over.

I also let her try a shower. Same thing.. I was close by to remind her about certain parts.

I taught her about the amount of shampoo, she needed for HER hair.

We talked about the difference between a clean feeling and and not feeling clean.

It did not take long for her to catch on and insist on "Privacy" hee, hee.
I still helped her with her hair for a few years.. She just has always had so much darn hair.

Also she began to notice the kids,,, that had dirty necks and dirty areas behind their ears.. This reinforced that she needed to be very thorough about washing.

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C.M.

answers from Cincinnati on

My almost 5 yo does showers on his own most of the time. We just get the shower ready, adjusting water temp and all that. After playing around for a bit, he washes himself. Sometimes we have to prompt him, telling him it is time to wash. Every once in a while, we watch to make sure he is washing everything.

How did we go about it? We took small steps. As a toddler, we started teaching him how to wash himself. Then, as he got better at that, we taught him how to wash his hair. At first baths/showers were supervised, but then we started leaving him alone for longer periods, until eventually he was doing it all on his own.

1 mom found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

My daughter is 6 and I have wondered the same thing. Right now I give both my kids a shower at the same time because it's faster and easier for me. But my daughter is starting to get older and I know I can't do that for much longer. There have been a few times when I have let her take a shower by herself. I will just wash her hair first and then let her wash the rest of her alone. Then she will call for me when she is done

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M.M.

answers from Detroit on

You could try having her take a shower... the soap will rinse out of her hair easier and she could still hold the washcloth over her face. Also -- in the bath, she could lay back and submerge her hair in the water to get the soap out.

I didn't think my son (3 years old) could soap/rinse himself until one day he demanded to do it himself. Apparently my husband taught him and I had no idea!

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M.D.

answers from Burlington on

Help her with her hair. My children had the most trouble with that. Our hairdresser informed me that one of them wasn't washing all of the shampoo out of his hair. The other had the habit of not using any shampoo.

Instruct her on how to do it. How to turn the water on and off. How to wash herself - start from the top, work toward the bottom. How to dry off. How to moisturize.

Six is young, so it will take time to get the knack of it. Supervision and a helping hand is needed until she becomes proficient.

: )

1 mom found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

You can keep doing her hair for her if she needs it. Just let her do the rest of her body. Maybe make a game. You call out a part and she washes it. My SD had very long hair as a child and I think someone washed her hair til she was 7 or 8. We also always set the water temp til we were sure the kid could set it on his/her own and wouldn't mess with it. We practiced with the sink first and then the tub.

J.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

my 5 year old is the same way with the eyes, but I've noticed with showering shes better. I let her do everywhere and play and then I do her hair. I used to site and watch her and make sure she was bathing right. Now shes good, but also at that age they don't need to be scrubbed so much that its a big deal if they forget to scrub their toes one day

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Teach her how to use a hand held shower hose so she can start learning to lean her head back. She is well over the age this should be an issue.

She may not be able to do her own hair if it's long, I still help the 8 yr. old due to her hair being thick and waist length.

Other that a good washing of hair our girl goes in and showers herself all the time. I just tell her to not get shampoo or soap in her hair.

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