What age do you think it's OK to leave your child in the bath my themselves?

[Buddleja]

Was just pondering this at bath time!!

About 4? I would be nearby though to check on them regularly. About age 7 to leave them and go and do something else entirely.

Ds is 3.8 and once he has been scrubbed of mud, whoever is on bath duty tends to leave him for a play while lying on the bed next door from sheer exhaustion. Wouldn't stray far yet though.

DS1 was 6 and we've just let DS2 at 5 1/2.

It feels really weird though. They're alone in the bath but the door is open and we call out to them to make sure they answer regularly and pop our heads round the door if we're passing.

I used to potter about upstairs in and out of the bathroom from DD being about 3.5/4y.

DD is now 7y and I leave her to it. I run the bath and help her wash and condition her hair, and then she is on her own. She decides when to get out (within reason, lol!), she pulls the plug and gets dried. Has been like this for past year I guess.

I would say it depends on the DC. Mine is quite cautious and I would say I used to leave him at about 3.5 - wondering from the bathroom to the bedroom or putting washing away etc.
Now DS is nearly 5 I tend to clean him and leave him to play in the bath while I potter about upstairs always keeping an ear out for him and calling if I can't hear him. DS knows he is not allowed to stand up or reach for things.

Because we have 3 dc and shoved them all in the bath at the same time, the older ones have never really had the opportunity to wash alone. Eldest started showering on his own from time to time when he was about 8, but even now, at 9, will join in the communal bath if there's going to be some fun stuff like bubbles or cornflour. Youngest is 3, and I will wander in and out doing other things, but still take charge of the bath myself.

From the point of safety, I wouldn't leave a child alone in the bath until they are able to understand and reliably carry out instructions. In this case "keep your bottom on the bottom of the bath".

I think it is totally dependent on where you are and how long you are leaving them for.

from about 2.5 I would leave the bathroom to go and get something (and then come straight back) and then bit by bit we have got to the point of getting other things ready PJ's etc but still being upstairs and the bath tine supervised.
I think it will be a long time until I will be happy for my now 5 year old son to take himself upstairs run the bath and do it all with out interaction.

About the same here - popping in and out of bathroom from around 3.5/4; DD now 5.5 is left alone once washed but I call out every now and then and DS (7) is handed a bottle of shampoo and told get-on-with-it-and-don't-forget-to-dry-properly-before-you-put-pjs-on.

If they are together in the bath I do things in the room next door and keep a sharp ear open - games can escalate too quickly into splash contests with entire bottles of shampoo emptied out!!!!!!!

Phew!!

I was made to feel like an irresponsible mother today as someone was telling me that they were in a swimming pool today and there were two children there unsupervised who where around 5 and 7. Now fair enough i don't think I'd let my children of that age in a swimming pool BUT she then said 'I was shock I don't even let (insert daughters name) in the bath unsupervised' - her DD is 9!

I've left DSs in the bath whilst I do stuff upstairs since DS2 was around 2.5 once I can hear them all the time I'm happy.

DS1 wants his own bath now, without DS2 (fair enough I was waiting for that as he's 6) and I'd be happy for him to sort himself out - though I'd like the door to stay open!