Bathing your baby is either fun or challenging depending on his mood but time will come when he needs to learn to do it by himself. It’s important to teach children to bathe independently so that they gain self-confidence and an increased sense of responsibility. Self-bathing is an important learning session for kids about body safety, hygiene, and appropriate and inappropriate touching.
When To Start
At the ages of three to five, children should start participating in bathing whether it’s just pouring water on their chest or rubbing their soapy hands together. Your child will become more independent as they grow up.
You can also introduce self-bathing through play. Let your child have their toys with them and have them bathe the toys as you would your child. “Show them how to do it and coach them through the steps. Give verbal cues like ‘Now we will scrub our arms, later the legs.’ This increases the familiarity of the actions and the corresponding sequence of steps.
Steps To Self-Bathing:
1. Gather Bathing Items
Prepare the shampoo, soap, and towel so that it would be accessible for the child. You can also give your child their own basket of toiletries.
2. Remove Clothes
You can even make this one a play time (i.e. “Shoot the shorts into the basket!”)
3. Step Into The Bathing Area
Teach him to be cautious with the threshold (the area that separates bathing are from the rest of the bathroom)
4. Wet Self
Teach your child to turn on the faucet. If you are using water hater, instruct your child to do it for them. They need to check the temperature as well before pouring it to his body or stepping on the shower. If using a dipper, tell the child to not completely fix it up so he can lift it by himself. Bathing time is not play time so he should be reminded that the water should be directed to himself. Teach him as well to turn off the water when not in use.
5. Apply Shampoo On Hair And Lather
Make sure you teach your child how much shampoo he needs to use. You can use useful clues like “It’s a little bit only, like this” or to tell him it’s the size of a coin.” If he cannot efficiently grasp and squeeze the correct amount, you can transfer the shampoo to a pump dispenser. Just put a rubber band around the base of the pump so it does not pump out too much shampoo. Specify a time frame to lather the shampoo and tell him to stay away from the eyes so it won’t sting.
6. Put Soap On Body And Scrub
Teach your child a top-down approach so your child doesn’t miss a body part. Remind him to wash behind the ears. Again, specify how long he should spend in a body part.
7. Rinse
Again, do not fill the cup completely. Remind him to make sure all bubbles should be gone.
8. Dry Self With Towel
Like soaping the body, your child can go top-down in patting himself dry. The towel should not be too tight or too large so he wouldn’t have any problem moving around.
You can initially guide your child in performing the motion. After which, talk the child through the steps. Give immediate child-friendly feedback and also acknowledge that your child did a good job.
You can opt to step back and supervise your child in the bathing area. Provide assistance during the harder parts and eventually check on your child when he says he’s done bathing.
Safety Reminders
According to experts, you can leave your child alone in the bathroom as long as he can bathe himself safely and efficiently (scrubs, lather and dry himself and even finish on time). An adult should be within hearing distance so he can easily call out for assistance.
Make sure your bathroom is safe for kids. Tiles have non-slip mats and that toiletries are within reach so he does not need to tiptoe or use a stool. For heater controls, adults should be responsible for it until the child gets older and he’d be able to gauge the temperature correctly.
Self-bathing should be a fun learning experience. It’s a gradual process, so don’t expect your child to do it perfectly right away; rather, focus on teaching them how to do it safely and well. Before you know it, he’ll be bathing on his own.
