Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

bathtime snoopers

55 replies

motherofmonster · 27/10/2014 15:17

When did you stop your DC coming into the bathroom if you were in the shower/ bath?

so i don't drip feed , my ds is 5 and it is just me and him, usually after school/ work is bath time but am wondering what age should you stop your kids from strolling in and out?
Not only is he starting to ask questions but also it would be nice to have a soak without him walking in and announcing he needs a pooSmile . Ive started to try to not have baths until about 9pm when he is fast asleep, but then cant dry my hair with the hairdryer as it would wake him up.
At what age did you close the door so to speak?

OP posts:
skylark2 · 27/10/2014 15:20

I still don't - if I'm in the bath they are welcome to come in and clean their teeth. They're teens.

If they need the toilet they can use the one downstairs. If you only have one loo, I don't see how locking the door will help - he'll be banging on it shouting "mum I need a poooo!"

"then cant dry my hair with the hairdryer as it would wake him up."

Can't you take the hairdryer in another room and shut the door?

SaucyJackOLantern · 27/10/2014 15:22

My oldest is ten in March, and she still regularly comes in for a chat/poo/look in the mirror. it's the curse of only having one bog in the house.

WorraLiberty · 27/10/2014 15:26

My 3 kids have never strolled in or out when I've been in the bathroom

WorraLiberty · 27/10/2014 15:26

And I only have one toilet/bathroom.

Original poster
motherofmonster · 27/10/2014 15:27

Not really skylark2 my place is dolls house tiny.
Ive even tried washing my hair at his bath time ( jug over bath) drying it and then tying it up in a towel to soak in the bath ay 10pm...its like mission impossible

OP posts:
TakeMeUpTheNorthMountain · 27/10/2014 15:29

I live I a dolls house shed and I've never had this issue and he is neatly nine now. You ask do they need the loo before you go for your bath and advise them that thy need to respect your time if you want peace and quiet.

We were a family of 8 growing up and I've never seen a parent or sibling wee or wash.

Original poster
motherofmonster · 27/10/2014 15:31

Worra..how do you manage that, I'm beginning to think that ds's got some sort of tracker that tells him he needs the loo as soon as my bum hits the water

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 27/10/2014 15:32

Actually that's a point TakeMeUp

We were a family of 7 when I was growing up with one bathroom and I've never seen a sibling or one of my parents bathing/weeing/washing.

Quick shout out to everyone, "I'm having a bath, does anyone need the loo?"

If anyone changed their minds, they could wait 20 mins or so.

Bowlersarm · 27/10/2014 15:32

I never have shut the bathroom door. DSes are teens now. Only one will come in when I'm in the bath these days though.

Bslami · 27/10/2014 15:32

Have a long soak when he's asleep, then get up early to wash your hair?

I feel your pain. I love a long soak before bed but it's not so much the racket of the hair dryer as the fact that I just want to flop into bed rather than start faffing about with my hair that stops me washing my hair at the same time

LittleBairn · 27/10/2014 15:33

At that age it wouldn't bother me but I wouldn't be letting him poo when you are in the bath.

WorraLiberty · 27/10/2014 15:33

Oh X posted OP Grin

But it's the same answer really.

I'd ask my 3 if they needed the loo and if they said no and changed their minds, they'd have to wait.

Bunbaker · 27/10/2014 15:38

"I never have shut the bathroom door."

I always do. The three of us like to bath/shower/use the loo in private, and we respect each other's privacy and always have done. Besides, leaving the door open makes the rest of the house damp.

Fortunately we have three loos so being interrupted while bathing doesn't happen in our house.

WineWineWine · 27/10/2014 15:45

I think it should happen when it feels right for you.

I wanted to be able have a bath in peace or be able to sit on the toilet without being interrupted from my kids being about 5. Kids need to learn to wait. If they have a question, it can flippin' well wait until I am out of the bathroom, I refuse to have conversations through the door that are not a matter of life or death!
My bath is me time. I always checked that no-one needed the bathroom before I got in, but now a downstairs toilet has fixed that problem.
I wanted my kids to learn to respect my need for some privacy. I think it teaches consideration and patience

poolomoomon · 27/10/2014 15:48

As weird as it sounds one of my fondest and there are few fond ones childhood memories is sitting on the toilet (not necessarily doing anything, sometimes just sat on the seat) chatting to my mum while she bathed! I cherish those memories. I remember doing it when she was pregnant with my DB ( I was six) and we were discussing baby names.

My DS (4) has just started doing it. I make him do his wee before bed, get them all to bed and just as I climb in the bath he waltzes in announcing he needs a poo. I would insist he can't until I'm finished, should have gone before etc but I actually enjoy chatting to him in the same way I did to my mum and I hope he remembers it in the same fond way... Is that weird? I don't care really Grin

CinderellaRockefeller · 27/10/2014 16:56

At 5, is he just bored being left alone while you have a soak in the bath?

SoldeInvierno · 27/10/2014 17:17

mine is 11 and he still comes in for a chat, and vice versa. None of us cares.

slanleat · 27/10/2014 18:00

We too have only the one bathroom. None of mine would even now remember the time that they were allowed into the bathroom while we were bathing. I would have had no issue with it really- but it would have stopped by school age for sure.

I didn't set out to stop it for any prudish reasons - more that as a sahm I liked my bit of privacy and certainly the bath would have become very much a 'me time' situation!

Now we are all simply in the habit of a quick check if anyone needs the bathroom before we take it over for a while.

My son's girlfriend is from a home where they seldom seem to worry about even shutting the bathroom door - whereas we all lock it - so we have had moments of walking in to find her on the loo .... and are working on bringing her over to our ways!

wobblyweebles · 27/10/2014 18:24

My oldest is 13 and I haven't shut the bathroom door in 13 years...

RockinHippy · 27/10/2014 18:33

Open house here too & ours is 12

thursday · 27/10/2014 18:36

Not yet, 5 and 7. But I tell them to hop it of I, watching something inappropriate on Netflix Wink

Iseesheep · 27/10/2014 20:02

I have a 15 year old daughter and a 12 year old son who still wander in and out of the bathroom when I'm in the bath. It doesn't bother me. We have 3 loos but my youngest still feels the need to have a wee in the room I'm using, the pest!

Altinkum · 27/10/2014 20:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GhostsInSnow · 27/10/2014 20:33

DS is 22 and doesn't live at home, but it's not unheard of for him to have something really important that he needs to tell me now this minute when I'm in the bath.
Thank God for bubbly bubble bath is all I can say.

StrumpersPlunkett · 27/10/2014 20:38

we are a free range household here as well we have always bathed with the boys since they were born.
About once amonth DS2 and I still have a bath together he is 8. DS1 gets out of the shower each evening and I get in, DS2 is in the bath, I am in the shower DS1 is getting dry.. all very open.

HOWEVER I do get to have baths on my own if I want them, I just tell the boys to bugger off (in a kinder way than that). I am aware though that i have a partner to jump in and help the boys if they need it when I am in the bath.

Swipe left for the next trending thread