Bath time.

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 Leaving a child alone in the bath is okay when? In my personal opinion never. Okay, so I don't mean older children (10+) I mean younger children who are not mentally mature enough to take responsilby for themselves in a bath full of water. Eva is five years old, and even though she is aware of the danger's of water I don't think she is ready to be left alone, for one I'm far too scared of something happening to her plus the fact she probably wouldn't bath herself opting for just playing instead. 

It's so easy to drown in the bath, it takes a matter of seconds, the time it takes to answer the front door, the time it takes to answer a phone, the time it takes to run out the room to get that towel you forgot. Yes, okay Eva can swim, but what does that matter in a bath? That skill is made void by the fact unless you are 2 inches tall or a fish, swimming in the bath is impossible. Of course I could kit her out in a rubber ring, arm bands and anyother buoyancy aid, but let's face it, that's a little bit over the top.

So when is the right age to leave a child alone in a bath tub? Many pediatrician's say that a child between 8-9 years is mature enough to be left alone, and I have to say I agree with this. Of course that's not to say all children are of the correct mental maturity, some may need a parent / carer in with them beyond this, but on the most part this seems reasonable. It's around that age that some (again not all) children begin puberty and I believe they should be given some privacy to bath in peace. I'm sure we already remember that awkward age and not wanting anyone looking at us naked while our bodies were changing.

So when do think a child is safe to bath alone?