A question about wiping in the bathroom

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
A question about wiping in the bathroom
6
Mon, 02-27-2006 - 3:47pm

Do your children have a hard time wiping themselves after using the bathroom? I'm still wiping my 7.5yo ds bottom 'cus he just makes a horrific mess if he wipes himself. He doesn't have great coordination to begin with, plus he doesn't really notice how badly he smears stuff everywhere (hands, clothes, wall, toilet paper, toilet seat -- blech). He doesn't seem to grasp the mechanics of HOW to wipe properly or the consequences of what happens if he doesn't wipe properly. He does tend to have fairly messy bm, so that doesn't help the process. Ds WANTS to be allowed to do it himself, but I've forbidden him for now (we periodically go through training periods 'til I get too frustrated and forbid him again). Ds is my 3rd child, so I've successfully taught two other children before, but this one just isn't "getting it." (11yo dd doesn't like to wipe herself and doesn't care if she's wet/dirty/smelly, but that's a different issue. At least she knows how.) Is this a feature of the disorder, or is this just him?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Mon, 02-27-2006 - 4:31pm
Try flushable babywipes.. Like the Kandoos from pampers or the moist Charmin wipes. Or just leave the babywipes, line your garbage pail and use those instead of toilet paper. My kids are always leaving skid marks. My oldest used to never wipe well. I used to just throw the underwear out and he hated that I wiped him so he learned real quick. It takes a while to get coordinated.
rina
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-19-2005
Mon, 02-27-2006 - 6:08pm

Ditto on the flushable wet wipes. We use cottonelle. My son is younger and is no where near able to wipe himself. Not even close. He is almost 4 and actually just learned to pull his pants up and down, although he has been potty-trained for a few months now (knock on wood, I'm afraid I'll wake up and find it's been a dream!).

I do think it is a problem related to ASD--motor planning, being tactilly over or under-sensitive, that kind of thing. Plus for so many of our kids potty training, and bm's in particular, are so hard and it takes them longer to learn.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2001
Mon, 02-27-2006 - 6:44pm

Ditto once again on the flushable wipes.

 


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Avatar for littleroses
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Mon, 02-27-2006 - 7:28pm
My daughter is 8 and recently has started taking care of her own wiping, within the last month. No more hearing, "Mooooommmm! I'm all done!!" And seeing the smile on my dh's face as he is absolved from the doodie duty- as I call it. And also...ditto on the wipes. So far, it seems pretty typical, I guess!
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2004
Mon, 02-27-2006 - 7:37pm

Nathan does ok with this. But he still insists that I "check" him....just to make sure!! LOL He doesn't like to be dirty! He wouldn't wipe for a long time because he was afraid of getting his hands dirty. But I kept telling him that he had to learn. So, he stuck it out and kept trying to work on it. He just started feeling comfortable going at school this year too.

He still washes his hands the minute he gets home from school too!! "The kids are dirty!" LOL

michelle

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Tue, 02-28-2006 - 12:57am
Thanks for the feedback from all of you. It's nice to know the problem is at least partly related to the disorder. Another question, though. We do have the flushable wipes. My rule has always been to use the paper first, then use the wipes to finish up. Do you let your kids use the wipes for all of it? If so, do they just have to flush frequently, so they don't jam the toilet? Last year we got a new toilet with a larger trap, so it can handle more than 1-2 wipes, but I'm not sure it could handle as many as ds would need if all he used was flushable wipes (he never has smooth, easy bm to clean up).