Do your kids get themselves washed & into bed?

[unpaidcleaner]

How old before they get themselves sorted for bed? My dd does in theory (8 yo) but in practice needs herding, chasing up or she'd just get distracted & wander off upstairs & do something else! Once waited 20 mins downstairs for the sound of tap running in bathroom, came up to find her sitting on toilet engrossed in new book, had been reading for all that time! What do your do & how old are they?

7 yr old ds1 goes off and has a shower by himself - he likes them

ds2 (5) has the bath run for him then I leave him to it - although he likes me to accompany him and get his towel ready etc

I often go to the toilet myself and up engrossed, like your dd

Hmm, probably about the age your dd is now - the herding and reminding is all par for the course btw. ds2 is 10.5 and still needs to be reminded sometimes.

I found it helps if I am upstairs under the pretence of sorting stuff in the airing cupboard - seems to help them get a shifty on.

9yo ds runs bath for him and his sister or runs it for her and then has a shower for himself later. Dresses himself, cleans teeth, comes to me for a story when he's ready. Could you tell her that she has to be in bed by x time therefore if she messes around it erodes story/cuddling time? ?IO think it sounds sweet though her being so engrossed, I'd be quite happy about it I think!

Ds1 will go and do his own teeth and put pjs on - he's 5.5.

I dream of dd becoming engrossed in a book

rather than me barking at her about Biff and Kipper while she stares at the ceiling

but having thought about it longer.... dd1 is 6, she needs getting in and out of the bath and dressed etc as she is physically disabled

but she's the type of kid who gets distracted and faffs and doesn't come on anyway. whereas my mate's dd is very task-orientated and does things quick-sharp - I think it depends on the child, I know an equal amount of both

my dd1 gets distracyed and is away with the fairies most of the time...shes 7.ds1 is 8.they both go to bed quickly and quietly when told but thats cos they know if they wake ds and dd2 they will be sent to bed early the next night.
dd1 has a bath in the morning and getting her to get ready then is a different matter

mine are 10 and 8 and hopeless! They float about upsatirs in dreamy manner, have always lost either pj top or bottoms or both. Always have earache/tummyache etc etc. Find a very interesting broken bit of toy and spend the next hour trying to find the rest!

They are sent up at around 8.15 and still floating up and down and around 1 hour later.

Hopeless I tell you!

upandaway that sounds so familiar! its a bit of a dilemma though, coz i'd like to give dd a bit of independence & trust her to get herself sorted. But she'd just read/draw/write stories/ all night if left. I read to her in bed, not becoz she can't read stuff herself, but just becoz it's the only way i know for sure she's IN the bed!

Oh gosh you are a much nicer mummy than I then !!

I then have to go stomping upstairs fiercely and tell off whoever I catch on the landing with gruff voice (they're not in the least bit bothered by it and yank them back into bed while ignoring 'its her fault, she told me to' stories.

ds is just 5, and will run his own bath. He does still need help to get himself properly dry afterwards, and usually needs prompting to put his PJ's on (though that's possibly just that he prefers sleeping nude, as he often seems to discard his PJs during the night anyway) but can and will get them out of the drawer and put them on himself.