If you have kids who are starting to get to the age where they can and should be bathing themselves, it now falls to you to properly teach them. While they have been getting baths for years, actually knowing what to do to get themselves clean can be hard for them to grasp. So to help ensure that you’re able to successfully pass along this responsibility to them, here are three tips for teaching your kids to bathe themselves.
Start From The Top And Move Down
When bathing themselves, it’s usually easiest and safest for kids to do this in the shower rather than the bath. Even with an overflow plate and a knowledge of how to swim, taking a bath alone for younger kids can still be dangerous. And when taking a shower, your kids can move out of the stream of water to make sure they’ve cleaned every part of their body effectively.
To teach them how to do this, reiterate to them that they should start from the top of their body and work their way down. Ideally, washing their hair should come first. Then, they should use soap to wash their face, neck and shoulders, arms, back and belly, private areas, legs, and feet. By washing in this order, your kids will be sure not to forget any part and get everything washed and rinsed as they should be.
Rinse Until The Bubbles Are All Gone
One of the biggest issues parents have when getting their kids to bathe themselves is making sure that everything gets rinsed off as it should.
One thing you can do to help make sure this happens is to teach your kids to rinse themselves until all of the bubbles are gone from their hair or body. They can check this either by making sure there are no new bubbles on or washing off of their bodies. You could also consider getting a mirror for the shower so they can see if they’ve missed rinsing a spot on their bodies.
Slowly Teach Them The Entire Bathing Process
Ideally, your child should get to the point where they can do the entire bathing process from start to finish without you having to be there to help them. But to get to this point, you’ll have to slowly teach them this entire process and help them feel responsible for everything.
To start, teach them how to safely get the shower on and to the right temperature. Then, teach them how to remove their clothes and put them in their dirty clothes. Next, remind them to close the shower door or curtain so that no water gets out. They should then wash quickly, starting with their hair and moving onto their body. After rinsing off, they should be able to get their own towel, dry off, and hang their wet towel back up. And finally, they should be able to get themselves dressed again after showering. While it can take a while for them to be able to do all of this on their own, it’s worth the time and patience it takes to teach each step.
If you’re ready to start teaching your young child to bathe themselves, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do this effectively.
