Do you sit by the bath when your dc has a bath or am I lazy?

[Iwouldntgotothatconcertforfree]

Dd, 5, having a bath, playing with her toys etc. I’m lay on the bed. It’s an en-suite bedroom and door is wide awake and I can see and hear her completely.
Is this lazy though?
After she’s played a bit, I’ll wash her hair, get her out, pjs, do her hair etc, but do you do more? Do you sit by the bath and play, am I being rubbish?

God no, baths twice a week max here. She can have a v quick shower if needed on other days. I’ve never done baths every night as part of our routine.

We lost our bath plug months ago so my 7yo just showers alone now and I obviously I still wash my 2yo but she hates the shower. I keep meaning to get a new plug but forget.

My aunt fell asleep in the bath and drowned. She was on strong painkillers though, so her sleep would have been deeper than usual.

@GrandTheftWalrus Your poor toddler. In the time it took you to post this, you could have bought one on eBay for less than £5.

I used to help with the hair washing then leave him to play while I did other jobs..... never did my sons any harm

I sit on the floor while my DDs play. Sometimes I join in and sometimes I scroll through instagram 😂

According to Mumsnet, you are a terrible parent if you take your eyes off your kids for one second and you shouldn't even want to do so. But you can leave them unattended in the bath when they get to nineteen and a half.

I often sit in the bathroom and read a book (glancing up often)

My DD who is 5 uses a baby bath as well.

It actually states from age baby to 4 but as she can still fit in it and can play I still use it.

Plus while it uses less water, due to her size and it's size it minimises the chances of her slipping.

She has slipped in this bath before but when much younger. So I've only been able to leave her alone in the bath from age 4. (She actually asked at 3 why I used to sit in the bathroom, then slipped.)

Btw one of my neighbours 8 year olds managed to fit in their baby bath. The kid must have been completely wedged in.

I always took the opportunity to clean the sink, mirror, shower screen, toilet if we had one in the bathroom at the time. So in the room with them and keeping an eye on them but getting stuff done.

i used to stay as it was a nice relaxing time-we chatted and i read to DS - and made sure he washed everything - up til quite old ( i think 11 ish?)- i miss it - he's 14 now so he really wouldn't appreciate it (although he could do with a good scrub!)

i don’t leave my 2 year old but I do leave my 5 year old to go downstairs briefly (to see my 2 year old) I keep an eye on him but don’t think he needs constant supervision, he can swim if nothing else.

My 5 year old chats constantly, if he goes quiet I call to him and go and check.

I don’t know how people get stuff done. I solo parent and I just can’t have eyes on both my DC every moment and do the jobs.

Slightly different situation, but when we had our grandchildren to stay overnight I, or my DH, always sat with them until they were about 7, and after that I asked them whether they would like company or not. Nearly always they wanted company even though they had toys and bubbles. This time was valuable to them as it meant they had undivided attention. We had some very interesting conversations, some about school or hobbies, others about religion or death. The topic was always brought up by the child not me - and I endeavoured as much as I could to ensure my part of the conversation would fit in with what their parents would have approved of.

With two children and busy lives I think this undisturbed, relaxing, one to one time is important and bath time is a good opportunity.

Isn’t all time with grandparents undivided attention? I’d be wondering what mine are doing with their grandparents if the only time they got undivided attention was in the bath

@BigBadBarri no - not all time with grandparents is undivided attention! More than one grandchild means your time is automatically divided. And grandparents have to do most of the things parents have to do as well. We have to cook, clear up, tidy up, play with both/all the children. And all the usual detritus of life.
Do you seriously think that grandparents should not do ANYTHING else when their grandchildren are with them? What would they eat? How would they eat? When would the laundry get done, the shopping get done, the toys get put away? And that is just for one child. With more than one how on earth are the grandparents expected to give each child their undivided attention let alone do anything else?

Don’t you talk to them when you do any of those things? I chat to my children like you talk to your grandchildren in the bath - over dinner, in the car, when doing chores, cuddled up on the sofa etc etc. I basically involve them in most things and have ongoing conversation with them

I don’t think the bath is the only place this 121 conversation can or does happen

If you’re chatting with them and cooking, they’re not getting your undivided attention, are they? They’re getting attention but it’s by definition not ‘undivided’ because you’re also doing something else.

What? My parents provide childcare, it's like a home from home, complete with various other grandchildren with other demands on my parents. Of course they don't give each child undivided attention!

@BigBadBarri Of course I chat to them, all the time. My point is that this is not UNDIVIDED attention. A time when they are free, if they want to, to talk about anything they want to, without anyone else overhearing and when I'm not distracted by doing other things and can think properly about my response. I don't lie, or brush over things, and some things require a more considered response. Questions about religion, for instance. I believe, my grandchildren's parents think it is all mumbo jumbo - and harmful mumbo jumbo at that - so I have to be careful to say well I believe this, other people believe that, some people don't believe at all and that's OK. I think that everyone should be able to believe what they want. But if they ask specific questions I tell them what I think is true, or what the church teaches, while still making it clear that just because it is what I believe doesn't make it wrong to believe something else or, indeed, not to believe at all.
For me, anyway, this means that I need to listen carefully to the question being asked, and to consider my response equally carefully. Not possible when wrangling more than one child whilst cooking a meal. And my grandchildren love that time is only for them, not to be shared, even when we are just discussing whether the yellow cup has a monkey on it or a giraffe. If you only have one child to deal with it is easier to carve out one to one time before bedtime. Not possible with more than one.