Stupid question

[Violet]

Okay this isn't trivial or anything. I was just wondering at what age should you let your child wash his/her own hair?

My daughter is 8. She bathes herself, but I still wash her hair. I've let her do this herself but she never rinses all of the shampoo out.

I guess I'm just worried that she's too old for her mother to be washing her hair lol.

LOL...now that I've reread what I wrote I've realized that this really is a stupid question!! But I'm going to post it anyway

 

[AndOne]

Once our kids could bathe on their own - we made them wash their hair on their own. Of course they are both boys - so its easier for them I guess....

 

[Jenna]

Oh Violet, so long as she's comfortable with having you around when she's naked, it shouldn't matter. Me, I wish that I could still have my mom come in and wash my hair. Shoot, I have to pay extra and have it done at a hair salon. lol It feels so heavenly.

Things were handled in a very relaxed manner in our home, being that my dad was the only male. My mom washed our hair until we could finally manage to get all of the shampoo out, something that came easier when we had short hair. Shoot, my mom even sat on the toilet and taught me how to shave my legs. lol I wasn't bothered by it at all, just so long as I had privacy when I needed it. You could just have an agreement with her that if she would like to have you wash her hair, she could call for you? That way you know when she doesn't mind having you around. That aside, if she wants more privacy and still can't get her hair completely rinsed out, you could always bend her over the sink to rinse out her hair when she gets out of the bath. That's how my grandma washed my hair when I was little.

 

[Gerry_NY]

I think that a child should be able to wash their own hair as soon as they are old enough to safely bathe by themselves

 

[E-beth]

My son is two and if I let him do it himself, he probably wouldn't even use soap or else he would use a whole bottle on his little peach fuzz.

If your daughter wants to wash her own hair, tell her it's OK but that you wanna double check to make sure the soap is all out before she gets out. And buy her all sorts of sample hair products and have a girls night where you both try them out and do each others nails and stuff.

Just because she is starting to bathe herself doesn't mean the end of special mommy time.

 

[lucypevensie]

My daughter's 6, and I still usually wash her hair for her. Every once in a while I'll let her do it herself but usually there's some stuff left in her hair. When she can show me that she can do it and not leave suds then I'll let her do it by herself every time. We're both cool with that arrangement.

 

[Violet]

Thanks everyone!

Yea, I think maybe I just want to still feel needed lol. Let's see...she dresses herself, brushes her own hair (she doesn't want me to braid it or fix it up for her anymore), gets her own breakfast, she's growing very independent now and she really doesn't want me to help with anything lol. The only thing she allows me to help her with is washing her hair. whaaa! LOL Okay, I know I can't stop her from growing but I miss doing things for her, ya know? I really am proud of her independence....but it's just kinda sad!

See, I knew there was more to this than washing her hair!

 

[selune]

we have an attachment to the showerhead that puts an extension on so that kids can reach the water. This makes it much easier for them to rinse out the shampoo.

 

[BeanMak]

i made the mistake of assuming that my boys could wash their own hair when they were 8, and we ended up with head lice that summer

 

[Violet]

oooo, that's a good idea selune!


Yikes! My daughter had lice when she was 5. It was awful!! She had hair down to her waist...we ended up having to cut it to her shoulders. She contracted it from her classmate.

 

[bliz]

For the record... it is fairly easy to get head lice and is not a sign of a dirty home or dirty people. The little critters can jump from one head to another when heads are close together, they can stay in brushes or combs which girls often share but also on hats, head scarfs, in padded furniture where heads touch, etc. When our family was attacked I was mortified, but reading up on the subject, I learned how very common lice infestations are.

 

[E-beth]

I teach pre-kindergarten and whenever head lice comes into any classroom at school my head gets phantom itches for days. God bless the inventor of cholesterol hair conditioner!

 

[Manna]

I know this is off-topic, but I had to ask....E-beth -- cholesterol hair conditioner? I work with children on a daily basis and completly understand the "phantom itches!" I've read up on precautions but haven't heard of a cholesterol hair conditoner. I know I'm paranoid, but I would love any info on stopping these parasites from spreading around my classroom! =)

Anna

 

[NancyMomof2]

It wasn't a stupid question at all. I was wondering the same thing. I feel sometimes that I baby my first and expect my 2nd to behave like the first. I'm looking forward to all your advice.

Nancy, Mom of 2