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This discussion came up in a recent conversation among young parents, and I thought I would check to see what people thought. We were discussing a father bringing his daughters (both under 5) into the shower with him to bathe them. The questions discussed were:
He wears a bathing suit while they're in the shower with him - good idea or not?
At what age would it no longer be appropriate for him to bring them into the shower to bathe them, and does that age adjust based on whether or not he is clothed?
It seems like an odd way to bathe two kids. My boys are 3 and 8 months, and they can both be bathed together in a bath with me sitting on the side of the tub. Why squeeze an adult and two girls in a shower? 'Under 5' is a big age range - are we talking 18 months or 4.5? 18 months, sure, 4.5, I don't see how that would be necessary.
My husband bathed both our babies in the shower since they time that they held their heads up independently until they walked. Those baby bath tub things are a pain in the butt.
It maybe puritanical, but I think about age 2-2.5 would be the upper limit of acceptable to me with or without clothes. The same would apply to the mother with a daughter or a son. Once my daughter could talk, that was the end of shared showers (and I am a mother). Never did shared showers with son. He had an older sister so it was easier to stick both of them in the tub together. They stopped bathing together when the older one was about 5-6 or so. Showers alone was one of the few times I could have quiet when they were little ones.
Part of what makes it weird, in my opinion, is that the father is "dressed" and the little girls are not. I could see all jumping into the shower after some serious mud play or something like that, if they all had swimsuits on and it was an exception.
there is little to no stigma to parts to parts at that age and everyone is simply washing
I haven't showered with my kids and probably wouldn't have any desire to do it ... however, my wife has had them in there with her .... sometimes it's easier if they all need a quick rinse to get everyone done at once without the play that bath time encourages
Honestly, I tend to like bath time .... I give my kids (almost 4 and almost 2.5) a quick wash and then they play in the tub, typically with much less commotion than when they have a much larger space with a lot more toys.... I can sit next to the tub, keep and eye on them and clear my head a little bit
My husband occasionally gets in the bath with my toddler - because she thinks is fun. If he does, he puts on a bathing suit because he finds it more comfortable.
my daughter sees us naked, and I don't try to hide it from her. I don't want my daughter to think of the naked body is something shameful. As she gets older I will continue to remind her though that it is something we keep for private and not in public.
I don't see a problem with a father who has swim trunks on getting in the shower with the girls. I'm sure it is much easier for him to ensure their hair is washed properly if nothing else. At 5 years old children can bath themselves but not exactly like they should be bathed.
It could also be they do not have a tub so there is no "bath time" it is "shower time". Is he raising the girls without their Mother? What is the entire situation? Does he have a choice? Is there someone to watch them while he is in the shower himself? Too much information is left out to really be able to make a well informed decision regarding this issue.
If the kids are diaper age, chances are that the dad changes diapers too, so why would it be okay for him to see those parts during a diaper change but not okay for him to see them in the shower? We don't think there's anything inappropriate about a mother changing her son or giving him a bath, so why should we think there's a problem with a dad bathing his daughters? If we want dads to help out equally around the house and share the parenting chores, we need to trust them as much as we (as moms) expect to be trusted.
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(and I am a mother). Never did shared showers with son. He had an older sister so it was easier to stick both of them in the tub together. They stopped bathing together when the older one was about 5-6 or so. Showers alone was one of the few times I could have quiet when they were little ones. 
