Time To Wipe!

“I’m done in the bathroom!”  I can still hear those words echoing through my house as my kids finished going potty.  There were so many things they could do successfully.  By four years old they could already both kick a ball high up in the air, count from one to twenty, build an elaborate castle out of blocks, draw a picture of Grandma, but neither of them could wipe their own bottoms!  I struggled with this task because I wanted to make sure they are clean so I come in every time they call me and I happily wiped them.  But when I was doing this I was working against their self-reliance skills.  They were smart enough to stop whatever it was they were playing with because they felt the urge to “go potty.”  They would run to the bathroom, take off their own pants and successfully get everything into the toilet but taking that last step was quite a challenge for both my girls at this age.  Since they would be starting school soon and that they won’t be able to call their preschool teachers to help them in the bathroom.  I had to start giving them tips for a proper wiping experience.

Learning how to wipe takes practice and refined strength in motor development.  At first I suggest that you do the first wipe, as that will remove the majority of the leftovers.  Then have your child do the second wipe.  Teach him how to take so much toilet paper (best to count the squares before pulling and cutting) and show him how to wrap it around his hand.  Hand over hand, let him feel the motion of wiping and have him try to repeat it.  If he is having a hard time wiping while sitting on the potty have him step off the potty and squat down to reach his bottom.  This may be easier for him to do.  Teach him to throw the used pieces of toilet paper in the toilet, put down the toilet seat cover and then flush every time.  By shutting the toilet lid he is keeping the germs contained inside the bowl as they wash away.   Finally remind him that it is important to thoroughly wash his hands after he uses the potty.

Your child may struggle a bit until he gets the wiping down triumphantly.  But that’s ok because if he doesn’t wipe well he may see marks in his underwear or he may become itchy.  If this does happen it opens up another area of communication.  By taking a nice warm bath his bottom will get better and he can try harder next time!  Practice makes perfect when it comes to good hygiene.  Have faith!  He can do it!