at what age should dads stop bathing their daughters?

Question

my girls are 8 and two and their father still bathes them and I have gotten heat from parents about it because he helps my 8 year old get dresses and washes her privates and washes he hair or whatever he has to do.. I see no problem with it but what age should it stop?

well she wets the bed sometimes and we wash her to help in the middle of the night she is beginning to bathe herself but it is like once aweek

Answer 1

She is only 8 and he is her father so I see no problem with it. Obviously she is old enough to do some herself but at 8 kids may still need help with washing their hair or other bits properly and if she doesn't mind her father doing it and he isn't uncomfortable then go for it! You know what annoys me? Mothers who wash their sons are innocent but when a father washes his little girl it is wrong or suspicious. He is the girls father, they are related! When your daughter hits puberty she will probably no longer want her father to bath her but for now it's fine. It's good he cares about his kids so much, there are some dead beat dads who couldn't care less. Also what if a father is single but has a 8 year old daughter? Is he not allowed to help her bathe even though there are no women around to help her?

Ignore the other parents who bring you down for it just go with the flow. You will know when your daughter no longer feels comfortable with her father washing her. She may tell you and him straight out or she may not say anything for fear of offending her daddy but you'll know, mums just know these things.

Answer 2

Not after your child is about 4 or 5. When I was little my dad would help me because my mom was really busy cooking or cleaning, but 8 years old is way too old. I had no one helping be after i was 5. By the time i was 7 I was taking showers not baths. And the 8 year old should be able 2 dress herself by now. I see no problem with the 2 year old, but she shoulds start to become somewhat independent by dressing herself. then just help her if her clothes don't match. That way she can start to develop a sense of style.

Answer 3

I would say I would stop it now. I know it's harmless to you and I as we know what is exactly going on. And I say stop for 3 reasons. One being that if someone found out that her father still bathes and washes her privates, etc. they will look at it as he is a grown man and should not be doing this. Helping her dress is not so bad. Reason 2, my daughter just turned 7 and has already starting asking questions about the human body and what things are and what they are for. She has a little brother so she knows what both boy and girl parts are. Anyways, your daughter knows that boys and girls use separate bathrooms so why should a male be allowed in the bathroom at bath time? Reason 3, your daughter may start asking questions to do with a females body, how it works, etc. do you think your husband can answer these accurately? And I agree with some previous answers of having your daughter wash herself. Mine actually takes a shower by herself. I hope this helped a little.

Answer 4

Well, my friend's dad bathed with her until she was around three. Eight is a little too old and she definitely knows then the difference between a girl and a boy. She's also old enough to bathe herself. When I was even younger than eight, I knew not to stand up in the bathtub, so I would be put in the bath and told to yell when I'm done. Do my business on my own. There is no reason for him to bathe her. She's not a baby.

As for the age I think it should stop... When it becomes uncomfortable for your child and/or you. I wouldn't want my dad to see me naked at that age, much less bathe and take showers with me.

Answer 5

We had 3 girls and there father quit helping washing them when they were age 4. He would help them wash there hair if he had to. But after age 5 he never went into the bath room with them, just bang on the door to say hurry up.

Answer 6

showering and dressing is fine.. i dont think you need to be touching any privates though..

Answer 7

If your daughter is 8 she really should be able to wash and dress herself. One of the first things I taught my daughter is that NO ONE is allowed to touch your privates, not even me. So as soon as she was old enough (around 4) she was washing and drying herself in that area.

I would not feel comfortable washing an 8 years olds privates and I am a woman.

Answer 8

Pistachio is right. Just because he is a father, it doesn t mean that he cannot do the same as a mother. I would say that he can wash her, including her privates, until she is comfortable with it. That doesn t mean to stop at puberty! My daughter started to develop early. She was budding and had pubic and armpit hair at age 8, but at age 12 my husband still bathed her from time to time. If you think about it, a preteen shouldn t shave her pubic and armpit hair at that age, but they can smell really bad and get bullied about it. Therefore, a parent needs to step up and be a parent before anything else!

Answer 9

My youngest is 9 and I still help her with her hair!

I stopped bathing their body parts at around 4 or 5 when they were old enough to handle it themselves. I still supervised the bath process but felt they should be handling their washing on their own at that point. Their dad felt the same way.

Answer 10

I would say bathing is natural and very bonding between a parent and child. Nudity is also very natural. So why all the conservative phobia? Kids need to feel loved and connected with. Get over it already. I’m a father who showered with his son until he was about ten and my daughter as long as it’s comfortable. Family is family period. There are no set hardline stanch rules here. It’s just life.