Babysitter question

[Anonymous]

I have an 7 year old son and a 5 year old son. We use a 16 year old babysitter who is very good. So far my boys have always been ready for bed when the baby sitter comes, so baths have never been an issue. However, in a few weeks my husband will be out of town and I will be away from home from noon until late at night. My boys will be with some friends on a farm after school, the baby sitter will take them from there to home after supper and put them to bed. I know that they will be playing and getting dirty, and probably need a bath. A friend said that boys of that age should not be seen naked except by their mother and doctor. I don't know if I agree or not. What do others think? I am mainly worried about the aspect of nudity with the opposite gender, but the baby sitter is very experienced, and my boys both really like her.

[Anonymous]

Can you practice them getting into and out of the tub by themselves?

Maybe have the sitter prepare the bath then the kids undress themselves in their rooms or the bathroom and wrap up in a robe or towel unless they are in the bathroom? She could stay within earshot in case there's a problem...

[Anonymous]

My kid, who still runs around the house naked all the time at 9, naturally gets very modest with babysitters. And I think most baby sitters would put the towels and PJs easily in reach of the kids, and then give them privacy. Listening for a call for assistance as needed. But I don't see an issue with the sitter seeing the kids naked as long as the kids are OK with it. And they may want help with PJs or something.

[Anonymous]

I think the kids can go without a bath one night. Period.

[Anonymous]

The babysitter should be preparing the bath and they take a bath together. They are fully capable of dressing themselves afterwards.

[Anonymous]

I'd just skip the bath that night.

[Anonymous]

Kids that age should be perfectly capable of taking a bath or shower without any help. If your boys have it mastered the skill yet, now sounds like a great time to start teaching them.

[Anonymous]

Can your seven-year-old shower by himself? As for the rest of it, I would first check with your sitter to see if she would be comfortable bathing your children before making any decisions. She may be uncomfortable for a variety of reasons, and it's not a good idea to put her in that situation if she is.

[Anonymous]

I'd have them do the bath themselves. If they don't "do it right" it will still be fine. Not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

My 5 year old son showers by himself, with assistance only for getting the water temperature right. Maybe this is a new skill OP should teach her sons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an 7 year old son and a 5 year old son. We use a 16 year old babysitter who is very good. So far my boys have always been ready for bed when the baby sitter comes, so baths have never been an issue. However, in a few weeks my husband will be out of town and I will be away from home from noon until late at night. My boys will be with some friends on a farm after school, the baby sitter will take them from there to home after supper and put them to bed. I know that they will be playing and getting dirty, and probably need a bath. A friend said that boys of that age should not be seen naked except by their mother and doctor. I don't know if I agree or not. What do others think? I am mainly worried about the aspect of nudity with the opposite gender, but the baby sitter is very experienced, and my boys both really like her.

I think this is ridiculous, honestly. If you don't trust your babysitter seeing your kids naked, you probably need to find another one. Or is it a modesty thing from your children's perspective?

Do your kids know how to turn on the shower and wash their hair? Have them do that - the water and soap from the shampoo will take care of everything else. She can lay out towels and PJs. They can dry themselves off and get dressed. Simple - no need to skip a bath/shower after going to a FARM.

[Anonymous]

As a babysitter in my teens, I frequently gave kids baths - including boys of the ages you describe. Yes, I know, times have changed.

I would probably have the babysitter guide a bath by running the water, laying out their pajamas, etc, then have the kids bathe themselves. They can skip shampoo if you're worried about them being able to rinse it all out (I know that would be an issue with my 5yo), just rinsing the hair with water should be fine. They can soap themselves off.

[Anonymous]

If your babysitter is a molester, she will molest them whether or not she bathes them. If she isn't, why are you worried?

This seems a red herring to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your babysitter is a molester, she will molest them whether or not she bathes them. If she isn't, why are you worried?

This seems a red herring to me.

For what?

[Anonymous]

I don't see any issue with a babysitter helping with baths. I've got a 7 y/o and 2 6 y/os whose 14 y/o cousin has given kids dinner, supervised showers and gotten them to bed multiple times. I can't trust the younger two to rinse the soap out of their hair reliably so we still supervise them (they just turned 6). The cousin is mature and unflappable so she's got the right demeanor but to think she shouldn't see the kids naked, to me, is ridiculous. If your kids are modest, that should be respected - but if they are fairly oblivious to energy behind nakedness like mine, I don't see the big deal.