"UNSUPERVISED BATHS?"

"I have a 31/2-year-old very active little boy. My question is how old should he be before we let him bath without us in the restroom with him. He likes his bath, and it takes about 5 minutes to wash him, and 45 minutes for him to get tired of playing in the water. I only run about 3 - 4 inches of water in the tub. I still don't leave him alone even to run and answer the phone. When can we let him play by himself?"

There is a general consideration that 6 years old is a safe age to let a child play in bath by himself � but this doesn�t mean he shouldn�t be �unsupervised�. Freak accidents can happen at any age � even to adults. You should still be listening for any sounds that would indicate a problem � like a loud �thud!� Also, the absence of any splashing noises should cause you to look in on him. When one of my kids is playing in the tub, about every minute we call in to the room, �are you okay?� When they answer, �Yes!� we know things are fine for now.