TV host Dylan Dreyer revealed an "efficient" parenting hack that raised eyebrows online. Instead of sacrificing her nighttime routine for her hectic mom life, Dylan said she showers in front of her three sons to save time.
Since her eldest child is seven, many people deemed her approach extremely inappropriate.
"It's funny because I'm also a very efficient mum, so when I have to shower at night, if I can get all three in the shower with me so I can get everybody bathed at once, we're good to go!" the 42-year-old meteorologist told the DailyMail.
Highlights
- TV host Dylan Dreyer said she showers with her sons to save time.
- Similarly, Bradley Cooper recently revealed that he used to bathe with his father when he was a child.
- Expert suggests bathing with children can be educational until age 5.
"It's getting a little weird now that my oldest is seven, so he doesn't do the shower thing anymore; he'll be in the bath while I take a shower."
Image credits: Axelle/Getty
"But you know, I put the towel on pretty quickly; I don't linger.
"The other two have no idea what's going on, so they don't care. They'll run around naked all day long, I think they're just so proud of their bodies and their parts, they love it!"
Dylan married NBC News producer and cameraman Brian Fichera in 2012. The couple share seven-year-old Calvin, four-year-old Oliver, and two-year-old Russell.
The host's remarks come after she was asked to weigh in on Bradley Cooper's recent revelation that he used to shower with his father when he was a child.
"It's getting a little weird now that my oldest is seven," Dylan admitted
Image credits: Dylan Dreyer
During an episode of Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, the host admitted his family was "naked all the time," to which Bradley replied, "Me too."
"And by the way, I was like that," the "Maestro" star said. "Not with my mom but with my dad. My dad was always nude. I always took showers with him."
"And you're quite comfortable nude?" the host asked.
The 49-year-old actor could relate to this situation, explaining how the line separating his personal space from his daughter's is blurred at home.
"My bedroom, the bathtub, toilet, and bed are all in the same room. It's 24/7, dude.
"There are no doors… The stairs go up, and it's all one floor.
"We talk where I'm on the toilet, she's in the bathtub; that's sort of the go-to."
According to Psychologist Wendy Lane, children will start to express an interest in washing alone between the ages of 3 and 5
Image credits: Dylan Dreyer
Wendy Lane, a pediatric psychologist at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital, explained that bathing with your children can be acceptable—and even educational— until they reach the age of five.
"It can be a way to learn accurate names for body parts, explain the physical difference between genders, explain that bodies change while growing up, and teach children about personal boundaries," the expert told Today.
"Bathing with children should always stop if the child asks to stop," she added.
"Letting children know that their bodies are their own is important."
According to Lane, children will express an interest in washing alone when they develop increased modesty between the ages of 3 and 5.
Dylan's "efficient" parenting hack sparked mixed reactions
