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Original poster

Do kids need a bath or will a shower do?

51 replies

LadyLoz · 22/09/2014 07:10

Hi everyone. I'm new here.

DH and I are looking to buy our first family home but the one we've got our eyes on needs a lot of work, including ripping out and replacing the bathroom. We don't have children yet but I want to design the bathroom with them in mind.

What I would like to know is: do we need a bath at all? We never take baths, only showers, and we'd really prefer just to put in a shower cubicle instead of a shower over a bath. But would this make bathing babies and toddlers really difficult and how could be get round that?

OP posts:

PastaBow · 22/09/2014 07:16

Well you can have just a shower and fill a baby bath whilst they are tiny but both my children love playing together in the bath.

IMO I think it would be a shame to have the space to put a bath in but not include one.

wellthisiscrap · 22/09/2014 07:18

I lived with a baby & a shower for nearly three years. Filling up a plastic baby bath (or plastic tub) did fine and when DD was stable on her feet a shower was fine. When she was a little baby cotton wool and warm water was great and we just progressed up with her in my arms & so on. I got a lot of stick from older relatives who thought she NEEDED a bath but really, as long as you can make it work & your baby is clean, it doesn't matter.

ABlandAndDeadlyCourtesy · 22/09/2014 07:18

I think a bath is better for very young children AND you will limit your resale value without one.

FamiliesShareGerms · 22/09/2014 07:18

Tiny ones and from 8 ish upwards, no problem with just a shower, it's the years in between where it's so so much easier with a bath. It's not just the washing either - it's much more fun playing in the bath with squirty and pouring toys than just standing under the water

JassyRadlett · 22/09/2014 07:19

I wouldn't. I don't think kids can play in the shower as they do in the bath - we love bathtime as a really special play and chat time (it's where DS has learned his letters and numbers, we talk about his day, we play with bubbles etc).

Plus, if your kid develops a phobia of the shower (mine now loathes it) you can manage things more gently because you have options.

pickledparsnip · 22/09/2014 07:19

My son loves having a bath. I'd be quite happy to hose him down in the garden!

NancyCracker · 22/09/2014 07:22

Resale value would be lowered without a bath. As you wouldn't have a bathroom. You'd be selling a house without a bathroom...it would a shower room.

jaynebxl · 22/09/2014 07:27

Mine only have baths at the grandparents as our bath takes ages to fill. They're 6 and 8 and have been havong showers for at least 3 years now.
When we have been on holiday without a bath nd the children were little we used one of those huge plastic trugs. Carried toys and stuff in it in the car then once at the destination tipped them out and put it in the bottom of the shower as a bath.

HamAndPlaques · 22/09/2014 09:55

IMO you need a bath for baby-preschool, if not beyond.

Friends recently bought a flat with a huge double shower but no bath. They've since had a baby and subsequently replaced the shower with a bath instead. No bath at all would seriously put me off a house, especially if the shower was recently fitted and therefore no justification to replace.

Sunnyshores · 22/09/2014 09:59

A bath is much easier for the actual cleaning of children I think. Less water sploshed around the floor and saves on back ache. But much more than that my children absolutely loved bath time, splashing around, squirty toys, soap crayons, rubber ducks.... Now they're older they like to sit and relax in the bath with music on (wish I had the time!)

HamAndPlaques · 22/09/2014 10:04

Another thought - our bath was a lifesaver for me in the months after childbirth when dealing with stitches etc.

TheLeftovermonster · 22/09/2014 18:46

Walk-in shower so you can have a plastic baby bath in there. A bath is fun to play in, but apart from that you can manage with a shower perfectly well. Showers are more hygienic anyway.
Properly watertight bathroom is a must, with spills in mind.

Pinkje · 22/09/2014 19:10

With a bath it is easier for older (lazier) children, and adults actually, to get clean without too much effort. I find a good squirt of bubble bath and the grot just sort of falls off.

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 22/09/2014 19:18

Not having a bath would put me off a house. I don't have baths but the children do.

Happydutchmummy · 22/09/2014 19:25

We have a bathroom with a bath and upstairs we have a massive shower cubicle. DD (4) has just switched from baths to having showers (not sure if its a novelty thing which will wear off as since she started school she believes she's a big girl now). Ds (10 months) will happily sit in the shower cubicle with me while I shower and get washed at the same time but he screams in the bath. So it is perfectly possible to live without a bath, just make sure you have a massive shower cubicle

Kickassandlollipops · 22/09/2014 19:54

My bath was a life saver post birth , red hot water and lavender oil was fantastic pain relief ! Dc loves a dip too !

OddFodd · 22/09/2014 19:59

I'd put in a bath for resale and for the kids. It's a really good way of winding them down when they're a bit older too.

I've never used the bath in my house but DS only takes a shower when we've been to the beach

WhispersOfWickedness · 22/09/2014 20:00

I have Norwegian friends and baths are relatively rare there. They tend to have a large baby bath until age 4-5ish and then move onto giving the dc showers, seems to work very well there!
We have a bath, but now the dc are 3 and 4, I tend to give them showers as they are a lot quicker. DH still likes to give them a bath occasionally though

PossumPoo · 22/09/2014 20:08

We have only just put in a bath and DD is 3.5. It will be fine without one but if I had the chance to put it in as you do then I definitely would.

Original poster

LadyLoz · 22/09/2014 22:31

Thanks for all of your advice - I can tell this is going to take a bit more consideration. I'm swayed by the fun bath time aspect but also interested to hear just how early DC can start to shower. I remember sharing a bath with my brother, but also screaming the house down when having my hair washed!

OP posts:

TheLeftovermonster · 22/09/2014 23:07

DD2, just turned 5, now prefers showers to baths. They can shower from a very young age, as long as they are stable on their feet and happy to go in the shower without you (unless you want to share it with them, of course).

AliMonkey · 22/09/2014 23:25

DD aged 9 likes the occasional shower. DS aged 7 never does - can just about be persuaded to have a quick rinse under one at the swimming pool, but no way will he let me wash his hair in there (or do it himself). They have had a bath probably 360 days a year, usually together, since they were tiny, and it's a lovely time for them to have a bit of fun and for us to chat (and sometimes practice times tables and spelling!) Also good winding down time before bed whereas I feel showers actually make them more awake rather than sleepy. I will really miss it when they want showers and privacy all the time.

So yes, you could do without a bath but IMO would really miss out if you had DC but no bath.

ChineseFireball · 23/09/2014 02:25

I don't think there is any way of predicting whether any children you might have will be happy to have a shower rather than a bath, any more than you can predict whether they will have all their teeth by 18 months, or will be a good sleeper. Also, while I rarely have a bath under normal circumstances, when I'm pregnant I practically live in there!
If you don't have a bath you can't have a bath, but if you do have one with a shower over you can still have a shower. It will also negatively affect resale, as others have said, if you don't have one at all.

PiratePanda · 23/09/2014 07:54

You don't HAVE to have a bath - most cultures think they are disgusting.

However, it is considered normal culturally in the UK to have a bathtub, especially for children. It will seriously affect resale of your house if you don't have one at all - I would not consider buying a house without one.

In addition, my DS aged 4 HATES showers. He's terrified of them. Plenty of children hate water on their heads and in their eyes so if you don't have a bathtub you will still need a big plastic children's bath for years.

MoreSnowPlease · 23/09/2014 08:07

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at poster's request

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