At what age would you leave your second child to bath alone with your first child?

[~MummaBear~]

i leave my boys (6) and (4) alone in the bath and if dd is in the bath i stay but i am in and out the bathroom when the boys are in there and you can hear them through the whole house. I do leave DD (2) in the shower by herself/ with the boys but i dont leave her in the bath.

sounds kind of funny but i think if my kids were to drown they would actually have to get out of the bath and lay on the floor as there is always more water on the floor than whats left in the bath ROFL

[Arimeh]

I'm with Liz as well, I know my kids and they don't muck around in the bath water, they just sit there and play. Occasionally DS will tip water over DD1's head, but boy does she let us know it! The worst thing they do is tip water out of the bath.

[Lulu]

sounds kind of funny but i think if my kids were to drown they would actually have to get out of the bath and lay on the floor as there is always more water on the floor than whats left in the bath ROFL

Thats the actual reason I don't leave my two alone.....the MESS!

[megs]

I'm like you Arimeh, I leave the 2 older boys in the bath on their own. They make that much noise and mess that you know what they are up too. I stay in the bathroom whilst my youngest is in the bath as I don't trust them at all with him, and I too agree they would have enough thought due to their age to do something if he went under (well not quickly enough) but I then generally get DS3 out and take him to the get dressed whilst the older two then have fun. They don't have deep baths and they have done swimming lessons since they were little so I know they are familiar with water.

[Glamourcide]

DD2 just had her first birthday and DD1 is nearly 3, I often pop them in the bath and get back to the stove to tend to dinner while keeping both ears tuned for the bathroom. They both splash and sing really loud and carry on and DD1 always yells out if DD2 stands up or does something she knows is dangerous, I go running if I hear her yell, 'HAY-LEY!' in that stern tone of voice lol.
They're never left unattended for more than a few seconds at a time, I go and stick my head in to check on them or yell at DH to get off his bum and do some parenting while I cook.

[krisp]

My DS is 4 and my DD is 2.5 and they are supervised at all times. Things can happen so very quickly and they are just way too precious to take any risks with.

[ShootingStar]

I would leave DS by himself (almost 4) but if DD (almost 2) was in the bath, either DH and i have to be in there. I dont think i will leave her alone in there until shes old enough to know not to stand up and she can swim basically. Probably around 3 years-ish?

[lilima]

I can't leave my DD 15 months, as she tries to climb the side and has slipped.
If anything has to happen to her though, I know DS would yell out immediatly. They were playing on the verrandah this week and I was inside, (but can see them from our kitchen) and DD slipped between the trampoline. DS was HYSTERICAL - screaming for me that she was hurt and needed help. So I know he would let me know, but I would hate for something to happen if they were alone as it would distress DS as well.

[Just Me]

I wouldn't leave my kids alone in the bath - but it probably does depend on the kids and how comfortable the parents are. I am completely uncomfortable with the idea.

Drowing is a notorious silent killer. A couple of months ago I was in a wadding pool with DS sitting next to me. I had turned away from him to do something with DD1 and I turned back and he was on his back under the water and unable to get up again. It was a horrible horrible experience. I had no idea because it was completely silent. He flailing wasn't loud enough or urgent enough to grab my attention and it was only because I looked at him that I realised. He was 21 months at the time and I had no idea. It still makes me sick to think about it. I think he just went over on his back and he just couldn't get in a position to push himself above the water again partly because he was panicking. We were only in calf deep water.

The other issue with leaving kids alone in the bath is the hot tap. There are precautions that can be taken to ensure the hot tap doesn't burn but it is definitely an issue to consider because if the kids touch the tap and there are no precautions, it can give them bad burns pretty quickly.

Another thing I never considered until it happened to someone here is that showers have some hidden dangers. The mum left her 4yo and 2yo shower alone together and thought they would be safe because the water runs away. The 4yo threw the pile of dirty clothes into the shower and it blocked the plug hole causing it fill with water and the toddler almost drowned. I think she may have been alright in the end but the ambulance had to come and they took her to emergency.

I don't want to be an alarmist, but I think that it is best to know all the issues before making a decision and if you are aware of the dangers, precautions can be taken. I think most people get caught out with the things that they don't know about or think about. Hope that helps.