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?

A two year old is too young to be left unsupervised in the bath.

As long as you can hear them both talking/singing it's fine. It's not unsupervised.

To be clear, you cannot see the children from the living room. Only hear them.

Absolutely not. I’d never leave my 5 year old alone in the bath let alone a 2 year old. Anyone can drown in just a few inches of water. Ridiculous anyone even trying to justify its okay.

YANBU but who are you trying to dig on here? lemme guess: SIL?

Ok @AmelieTaylor how long do you "wait" for the silence?

Assuming you notice immediately?

What if you are, for example, slightly distracted because you're on your phone?

As long as you can hear them both talking/singing it's fine. It's not unsupervised

Of course it is. I can't believe how many people think it's ok for a two year old to be in the bath unsupervised. A six year old sibling is not adequate supervision.

Unbelievably stupid

Can’t believe posters are seriously leaving their under 5 children unsupervised by an adult in the bath! OP, YANBU. It’s completely unacceptable.

“A MUM, whose daughter drowned as she was getting a towel, has issued a warning to parents and called on the government to assist emergency services.

Pauline Boyle sat by her daughter Emmerson as she played in the bath, but after about 10 minutes, she took her out and grabbed a nearby towel.

“No, not that towel, Mum, That’s Josh’s towel,” three-year-old Emmerson said.

Pauline quickly dashed downstairs to get a pink towel and when she couldn’t find one, she picked up a blue one instead.

She was gone a matter of minutes, but it was enough time for disaster to strike, she returned to find her daughter face down in the bath tub.

It takes just two minutes for a child to lose consciousness under water,
according to Royal Life Saving Society national medical adviser John Pearn. “The heart then usually stops within five to 10 minutes,” he said. On average, four toddlers die every year from bathtub drownings and about 47 are hospitalised.

Professor Pearn said bathtub dangers were not to be underestimated and children should never be left alone or under the care of other children.

In many cases, a child’s heart could be started again with CPR within 10 minutes, but no matter how hard people tried, Emmerson wasn’t that lucky.“
www.thesun.co.uk/archives/news/247331/the-two-minutes-that-can-lead-to-tragedy-toddler-drowns-in-the-bath-as-mum-gets-a-towel/

People don't leave a six year old in the bath?
What age do you leave them? If anything can happen at any age, do you insist on someone else being in the room when you're in the bath?

@Brefugee .... my mother.

I would leave my 2.5 year old for max 15-20 secs whilst grabbing a towel from his bedroom, whilst also talking with him.

This scenario is a 6 year old AND a 2 year old.

I do it with my 6 and 3.5 year old, sure I popped out of the bathroom when they were 5 and 2.5 as well occasionally

I wouldn't because when I was a child I was regularly left to mind my siblings in the bath and it was really stressful.

It's not fair on the older child.

OP, clearly you are not really asking so why frame it that way?

Just have your rant about whichever specific person has done this and be done with it.

Not acceptable.
Something happens and you are asked what happened?
You didn't see.
"Oh, I could hear them" will not be an acceptable answer.

Unacceptable with the little one, ok for the 6 year old.

@CJsGoldfish

... Err, this is AIBU. I think it's unreasonable...I'm asking others I'd they feel the same ... It is allowed ....

I wouldn’t leave the bathroom, no

I was a bit confused with the voting so voted YABU meaning the person leaving them is unreasonable

Solve the problem by not letting her bath them FULL STOP!

My DM never did bath time as there was no need and if she was baby sitting a night without bath time wouldn't do them any harm.

Have you said anything to her?

Time
“No one is suggesting leaving a baby though. A two and a half year old is not a baby in terms of development.”

What I quoted from the NHS page said babies AND young children.
2yr old is a young child.

Any parent who thinks this is ok is fooling themselves. Why on earth would you risk it?
I once taught a boy who was having a bath with his sister, similar ages to the OP. His mum was in the bedroom next door getting pjs ready etc. He'd snuck a lighter in the bathroom and lit a candle mum had on the side. Although mum swore she was only a minute, it was long enough for the candle to be knocked over and set fire to the towels on the floor.
Don't take the risk.

No chance, if something happened to the 2yr old how could you ever be sure the 6yr old understood it wasn't their fault?
Pointless and irresponsible risk, if you don't want to supervise don't bath them.

I began phasing out of the bathroom for a minute or so to get something but always in earshot and gradually increased the time. I can't remember at what point that was though. It wouldn't have been to sit and watch TV with distracting sounds, and I'd go in and check at any change in sound either quieter or louder.

By 2.5 mine had 2 years of lessons so while that is no guarentee of safety, it reduces the liklihood of panic in the event of a slip which is a little help in reducing the risks.

The problem with whatiffery arguements is that they mean no one should ever bathe alone in case they have a fit and drown to cite on example upthread.

There is not an absolute right or wrong other than by 7+ children often seek more privacy and a baby/ younger toddler is at a much higher risk of slipping and drowning even in shallow water and a huge grey area in between of individual circumstances.

I don’t have a problem with this