Teaching the Art of Wiping Butts

I don't really have any new advice from the comments you've already received....wet wipes, front to back, wipe til nothing appears on wipe.

However...I DO have a funny story to share. My 2nd didn't want to learn to wipe, I think she'd be happy if I did it forever. I drew the line (for the 2nd time) when she turned 6. No matter what, I'm done wiping. but one day she called me in there because the wet wipes container was empty. I filled it and she was in the middle of chitchatting to me so I leaned on the dryer and talked with her. Well.....when she was done wiping she stood up, grabbed her undies and instead of pulling them up to her waist she pulled them up to her chest! Then after a second pulled them back down to her knees. This all happened pretty fast and I'm sure I had a confused look on my face but before I could ask "what the heck are you doing?!" she said "this is how I check to see if I need to wipe more". It was all I could do to not burst out laughing!! The poor child checks for skid marks to know if she's wiped enough! Man, kids can be so funny!!

Front to back. Either on the seat or standing. I prefer on the seat because I'd rather not have any messy "crumbs" on the floor! Sorry about TMI here, but just want to share my experiences. : )

Another tip I would like to suggest is to teach him to roll up his sleeves (if it's long shirt season) past the elbow on the wiping hand! You'll probably have to do that for him initially, but it is definitely worth it to teach!

When my son was first learning, I dressed him in shirts that were on the smaller size (but still fit) because the back of the shirt can also be a problem if it is too long.

Hope this helps!

J. F.

for me, it depends on the individual child. Height & weight....& flexibility all factor into the equation! That determination is totally up to your judgment.....BUT I will say that I HATE it when there are "smear marks" left on the seat. YUCK, DOUBLE YUCK!!

OH, & let him use feminine wet wipes! Makes the job sooo much easier!

I taught my son the only way I know how, that is, the way I do it!
And I love cottonelle, the whole family uses it (#2's only) it makes a big difference :)

I second the use of wet wipes, also make certain with whatever method he uses to wipe that he always goes from front to back to help prevent possible infection. I realize this is not as common with boys and girls but it's still possible.

My son will get off the toilet to wipe his behind. We use regular tissue and my mother and I both taught and reinforce wiping front to back and not to use too much tissue. It seems to be working as he has not had any issues in that area.