Is this bath time situation acceptability?

[5footmama]

You live in a bungalow.
The bathroom is off the main hall.
Opposite the living room.

You have a just turned 6 year old and a 2yr5month old in the bath, playing and washing.

You are in the living room.

Both doors are open.

AIBU to think this is not acceptable?

Completely unacceptable - what on earth could be so extraordinarily important that it simply cannot wait, that you have no choice but to do in a different room at the exact time your little children are in the bath? I just don’t understand why anyone would take the risk - clearly, from this thread, there are people who do, but I cannot understand why they would.

No, and no again. Why can't you supervise in the bathroom where you're supposed to be?

Jesus Christ No !

“My point is that it totally IS possible to be in a separate room 2ft away from the bath.”

Only if there’s a wormhole between you and the bath. Or you live in the Tardis.

“Also why I don't worry about locking my front door or having a burglar alarm. I guess we are just different people with different ideas of what is acceptable and what isn't. It really isn't up to you to judge.”

Let’s be clear, I am not judging you, I am judging your parenting advice on a public forum about whether it is acceptable to leave a 2yr old unsupervised in the bath. The gambles you take with your child’s life is largely your business because it’s not illegal although strongly advised against by every authority on the matter. What I am judging is your reckless advice to an OP that this is a gamble that she should take with her child’s life.

Oh mate, talk about over-privileged.

My bathroom (bath and sink) was about 6ft x 4ft. I could stand in the doorway and touch the side of the bath (which was horizontal to the door). Immediately to my left was the door to the bedroom. So I could conceivably stand with my right foot in the bathroom and my left foot in the bedroom (and my nose against the wall!). Yes, I accept that when I said “approx 2 feet” away I was underestimating. It was two strides, maybe 3 feet from DDs position sitting in the bath, to my position at the ironing board.

It was a very small house. But even now in my much bigger house the bathroom is only 6ft square and there is a bedroom immediately next to it!

Yes Dr Who is over privileged. :)

Can’t imagine why anyone would put that responsibility onto a 6 year old?

Did you all have the hot water set correctly so they couldn’t burn themselves on that too?

If the 2 year old was lying down in the water why would a young child think they were drowning.

When DS was about 6 bath time was when he would talk about various things, if he was worried, what he liked about his day etc. Used to have all sorts of chats with him at bath time. Be sad if we missed that because folding laundry was more important.

Can’t imagine doing the ironing while leaving a 2 year old in the bath? If you had to rush in you would have to sort the iron out first which would delay you a few seconds, those seconds could be material. Can’t people die a few hours after being submerged in water, although they seem fine at the time?

What’s so important that you can’t spend the 20 minutes or so supervising them?

What’s so important that you can’t spend the 20 minutes or so supervising them?

Ironing!

@ineedaholidaynow
Can’t people die a few hours after being submerged in water, although they seem fine at the time?

Yeah, secondary drowning. That’s why all rescued potential drowning victims should go to hospital and be monitored even if they feel fine.

Dry drowning is a little different because it’s not necessary to have been submerged - water doesn’t even get as far as the lungs. Thankfully it’s extremely rare.

The problem with just popping out literally ten seconds to grab a towel is if any number of thinfs happen to you that mean you can't go back or are much longer. You could stumble at too of stairs, bang your head on something, sprain your ankle. I used to work in an A & E dept and these things happen to more people on a daily basis than you would imagine and especially when rushing around. Imagine coming round to hear silence from the bathroom or being at bottom of stairs with a broken hip unable to move listening to your kids or
toddler drowning. It just is not worth it. .

There's literally no point trying to reason with these people. They clearly just can't comprehend why it's dangerous. The chances of a child having an accident in the bath is so much more likely to happen to someone with this line of thinking, compared to a parent who supervises the whole time the child is in the bath.
On their heads be it.