how old till I can leave children in the bath whilst I am in ear shot?

[powerhouse]

DH and I disagree on this. DC's are 4.5 and 7 and bath seperately.

I would at that age, as long as I wasn't too far away.

i leave my two (2.11 and 6) in bath together for up to a minute at a time. I leave my 6 year old for much longer if he is by himself. my younger one is fine but does have a tendency to try and do arabesques on the rim of the bath so would not leave her for very long!

I'd challenge anyone to find a recorded incident of a healthy 4.5 or 7 year-old drowning in a few inches of bath whater when the parent was within ear-shot. Most children make lots of noise and splashing when bathing so, if you're listening and it goes quiet, you go in to see why. Which one of you thinks it's unsafe?

At 4,5 and 7, they are well old enough, so long as you are nearby.

my 7 year old spends hours in the bath -it's her favourite place!

she runs it and gets in, I go and wash her hair, she gets out when she wants and gets herself dry

she has been doing this since she was 5 with no issues (she has been having swimming lessons since she was 4 but I'm not sure this makes any difference)

at 4.5 they should be old enough to be left and certainly at 7

I think my 4 yo is well able to take a bath by himself without drowning however my main worry is the hot tap scalding him (it is a very very hot hot tap).

He is under strict instructions not to turn it on but you never know what the little sods young children are going to do.

I guess if the 7 yr old is in the bath as well you could sit them at the tap end, 7 yr olds probably aren't stupid enough to boil themselves.

I would at that age.

DS is 5 and I read his little sisters bedtime story while he's in the bath, I can still hear him chatting and splashing though.

I would - my DD is 4.5 too and I potter about within earshot putting clothes away and stuff like that. She talks ALL the time so I'm pretty sure if it went quiet I'd be in like a shot! I wouldn't go downstairs though, or answer the door/phone and leave her in there.

thanks everyone. It is my husband who thinks I should be in the bathroom (for the four yr old really). I wondered whether I was being too blase about safety. we are opposites in that regard.

Yes, I agree. DD2 is 4.5 and I do jobs upstairs etc while she's in the bath these days. DD1 is nearly 9 and is often in the bath while we are downstairs eating dinner.

Tell him he's being a worrywart. Cotton-woolling doesn't do the children any good either. What happens if they want to do something genuinely risky?

combine can you turn down the temp via the boiler?

DD is nearly 4 and she's been left in the bath for short periods for most of this year, also under strict instruction not to touch the hot tap.

Agree with Cogito.
The only reason I can think of for being in the bathroom with a 4 year old would be to make sure they got washed properly.

I leave my 6 year old in the bath, and have for about a year, I am always with in earshot and check every few of minutes, I don't even go downstairs, I tend to be tidying the bedroom, or mumsnetting, playing on the computer in the room opposite the bathroom with all the doors wide open. Don't thik being able to swim is relavent as it would be some sort of accident like a bang to the head or a fall which would cause drowning, you can't swim in a few inches of water.

cogito - dh was the cotton wool kid and the kids would get the same except that he isnt very hands on so things mostly get done my way. i do potter in the bedrooms when dd is in the bath (unless dh is home)

iggly didn't know you could do that will have a look thanks!

I have left DS who is 3 while I get a towel, or a cup to wash his hair. The bathroom leads directly off the kitchen and I get him to sing to me while I'm in there. I wouldn't go further than one room away or for longer than a few seconds though.

" he isnt very hands on "

That's probably a good thing. I did wonder, if it bothers him so much, whether he was proposing that he sits vigil in the bathroom ... or whether he's just using it as a way to criticise you. Sounds like the latter.