Babysitter giving bath

[David Ba.]

bloody hell! if you must have someone wash your 12 year old boy, i would say the 17 year old. but like another person said, he is probably going through puberty, he will be shy about all that as it is, than letting some girl washing him, jesus!
tell him to learn to wash properly himself or you will be taking all luxeries away from him.
if i had a kid of 12 i wouldnt let anyone else wash him/her!

Wow - what a topic. Some of the comments are interesting here. I haven't been bathed by a babysitter (although I've been seen nude a few times by the 21 y.o. girl we had when I was 12) but it sounds like various ethical issues would be raised if a teenage girl bathed a 12 y.o. boy so I think the boy's Mum would be the best bet to bathe him.
Now I think in certain circumstances it is okay for a boy of 12 to be bathed but only by his parents. While reading these posts I can relate to Nicholas' experiences as I have aspergers syndrome and had a slight mental handicap while growing up. I began puberty a bit later than other boys at around 13 - and Mum continued to bathe me twice a week until I was about 13. I think when Mum noticed I had a growth spurt and started to grow more pubic hair around my penis she suggested that I take over myself. But - like Nicholas I had no problems with Mum bathing me.
I think I would have felt uneasy about being bathed by our sitter but I would have been okay with her sitting in the bathroom while I had a bath at 12. This was probably because she'd seen me naked before and I knew her a long time as she was a friend of the family.

[njp]

First of all, I'm reminded of reading an article in the papers about the UKs youngest father - he was 11 or 12 and the girl was 14. That alone should suggest that this isn't the greatest idea. Secondly, the main reason for the sitter needing to bath him was that he wasn't washing his foreskin properly. Does this 14 year old girl have a lot of experience with foreskins then?

[Loopylinda]

There is absolutely no way that a young girl should be bathing a boy only two years younger than herself.

You need to get him properly trained in cleaning himself. There is no way she should be anywhere near him when he is naked. It's completely inappropriate for both of them and I can't believe any parent would even be considering it.

My son was able to wash his hair and clean himself at the age of 7 with minimal supervision. He's now a bit older and likes privacy in the bathroom. He'd die of embarrassment if our babysitter was bathing him.

[David Ba.]

There is absolutely no way that a young girl should be bathing a boy only two years younger than herself.

Hi there, I agree - it could lead to all sorts of problems and scenarios even if the boy was slightly 'challenged' in some way. The solution would be for Carolinamum to bathe her 12 y.o. son herself before the babysitter arrives. I have absolutely no problem with this at all - just like I was okay with Mum bathing me now and again until I was 13 due to my aspergers syndrome/slight mental handicap.

[Mac]

........ My 12 year old son immediately said that he didn't want the babysitter to give him a bath. ...... The babysitter I have is 15 years old, and is a very responsible young lady. There is also a 14 year old girl down the street, and a 17 year old two blocks away. ......

I can see where it might be embarrasing for the boy to have a girl give him a bath, especially if his friends found out about it. The girl, on the other hand, might find it fun to be giving him a bath. Teen girls often joke around with each other about those things and she might enjoy playing with him and telling her friends about it.

[Guest]

I have recently taken a 3rd shift job that requires me to put my son in the care of a babysitter. My 12 year old son immediately said that he didn't want the babysitter to give him a bath. I had been giving him his bath about two weeks earlier, but he wanted to take his own bath. After three or so days I noticed that he wasn't washing very well, so I threatened grounding him and taking away his t.v. if he didn't let the babysitter give him a bath. The babysitter I have is 15 years old, and is a very responsible young lady. There is also a 14 year old girl down the street, and a 17 year old two blocks away.

What do you think I should do, and which would be the best babysitter? What age range do you consider best for his modesty, he is 12.

u kno i am a babysitter my self i am 17 years of age but not once have i ever had to give a 12 year old a bath which i am sure there r reasons for ur kid but any ways if i were u i would go with the more reasponsable one and the one ur son feels more comfortable around that way he will feel alittle beter about the babysister giving him a bath but thats my opinion

[Guest]

If my babysitter had tried to give me a bath, I would have been delighted. Unfortunately, my parents would have flogged her.

[geest]

If my babysitter had tried to give me a bath, I would have been delighted. Unfortunately, my parents would have flogged her.

[geest]

If my babysitter had tried to give me a bath, I would have been delighted. Unfortunately, my parents would have flogged her.

[geest]

If my babysitter had tried to give me a bath, I would have been delighted. Unfortunately, my parents would have flogged her.

[Dawn F.]

I am 21 and have been babysitting since I was 15. I have bathed boys up to 11 with no problems of modesty.
When I was 16, I babysat a boy who was 11 and his sister of 8. The Mom said it was oK to bathe them together so I did. In fact I used to bathe with my older brother up to age 8 and he was 10.
I did the girl first, had her stand, washed her privates and got her out to dry. When I had the boy stand which he did with no problem I was a bit taken back by his penis. I had never seen a pointy one before. My brother and cousins were the only other boys I have seen naked and had a head on theirs. I just took the wash rag and wiped him like my Mom washed my brother but asked him if he could do it like Mom did and he did. It was new to me to see the skin covering it but when pulled back it looked similiar to my brothers. A few weeks later I had to wash a 6 year old with a foreskin and did it myself.
I just think at 12 the boy should be able to do it himself but maybe he just needs to be supervised so he doesn't cheat by skipping certain areas that need to be washed. His Mom taught him how I'm sure but he isn't doing it.
Until he can be trusted on his own someone has to check.

[Guest]

I agree in part and disagree in part.

[Guest]

Children from about the age of 5 years old should be capable of bathing themselves under supervision. It definitely should not be necessary for somebody to handle their genitals. Children over say 11years old should be able bathe on their own, but it is probably advisable to insist that the door is not locked, to ensure that do not play around too much or harm themselves.

[David Ba.]

I kinda agree with you Dawn. For a start you're 21 and mature and you obviously know what you're doing. The boy you bathed was 11 and it sounds like he hasn't started puberty yet.

[jerseyfisher]

Have you every had a chance to baby sit a boy who just got circumcised?
Did you ever assist in unwrapping the bandage and putting a new one?
Is so how did they react?