Toilet Paper Trouble

get him some of the flushable wet wipes and only allow him to have one when he goes in. Usually they help most people feel cleaner than they do with conventional TP. As far as rationing them, you may have to come up with a system. I tended to use a lot of TP as a kid.

Let him use kleenex from a box so the amount is "portioned".

Or have the wet wipes available, they clean better after a BM anyway.

I do this for my 2 yo who potty trained (herself!) way way too early for me.

Have you tried getting him to "fix" the toilet? If he is responsible for cleaning up his own mess, he may be more inclined to listen to you and not use so much toilet paper. He will probably make a mess the first time or two but if you stick to it and not cave and do it for him, he'll realize how unpleasant a job it is. Hope this helps!

Have you tried the moist wipes that are flushable. My 6 year old uses them and the seem to clean the area better and with less bulk.

A.

We had that problem with my 14 year old about the same age. He clogged the toilet at his moms house (but he didn't tell her and their down stairs neighbor had a leaky ceiling). She yelled at him and when he came down to us he was having major problems with wiping well enough. (GROSS!!) We finally told him that if the toilet clogged let us know right away, but we also told him that if he has to wipe more than twice to flush the toilet then continue wiping. I know this wastes water, but it did cut back on the plunging. The other thing that really helped was the cottonelle wipes. He would use 1-2 of them then use dry toilet paper. No more streaks left in the underwear.

I would try putting him in charge of plunging when it happens, with your supervision of course. Maybe if he has do be the one to do the dirty work he'll start considering how much to use.

.

teach him to plunge, that will make him accountable and he definitely will not want to deal with his own poop.

Oh I am a mom of a almost 3 year old but we have had many adults clog our toilets in the past. One suggestion is Scott brand tissue. It is thinner and really helps to stop the clogging. I know that doesn't help with teaching your son to not use so much but at least it could help with the plummer bills. Hee hee. Good luck.

I had the same problem with my daughter. What I did was take the toilet paper out of her bathroom and let her do without. It sounds gross, but after a week of treatment, she learned I meant what I said. I made it clear to her why I was taking the toilet paper away. She was about 8 at the time, and I grew weary of cleaning up the poop and stuff out of the floor. I hope this helps.

M.

Hi, I have two boys and both of them had huge man-sized poops at an early age (maybe around 6). It could be that the poops are actually too big for your toilet. We had our toilets examined and even though we were allowing the toilet bowl to fill with water (some people limit this to save on water, but its not a good idea if you want a powerful enough flush) our toilets are standard size and don't hold enough water to give a powerful flush. We have our boys flush while they are pooping and this helps keep the toilets from stopping up. They flush again after cleaning themselves and then one more time to keep the septic lines clear. Seems like alot of flushing, but it saves on the need to clear the toilet on a daily basis.
Hope this works for you. A. Burnette, Hillsborough, NC

We actually have had the same problem. I did correct it by making him tell me when he was going #2 and then I didn't watch him wipe but stood where I could see him tearing the toilet paper and instructed him a few times on how much to use and no more till he was clean. After few times having to be there with him he got it and we don't have as many toilet clogs now.

Hope this helps

Make him plunge it out. Give him like 15 minutes to try. Of course he is not going to be able to do it. So in 15 minutes, ask him if that was fun for him. He should reply with no then remind him it is not fun for you either to have to plunge his poop and tp out of the toilet and for now on everytime he poops he needs to do a courtousy flush, in the middle, at the end and after he wipes. Good luck!

Buy 1 ply tissue, see if that works. If he is a big boy, teach him to plunge after every time he poops.

Hello Sarah,

I had the same problem, my son who is now 14 never felt like he was getting clean, at time it was so bad that he would take a shower afterwards. I finally got him some wet wipes that were flushable, that has helped him a whole lot, actually he still uses them. You might want to try that.

S.

I think if it were me, I would remove ALL paper products from the bathroom ( TP, Kleenex, paper towels etc...). When he has to go, he can come to you for his "ration" of toilet tissue. This would not be to punish or embarass him, but to help him learn that he can clean up using way less than he thinks he needs. Or if you don't want him to have to come to you each time, leave only the amount that you think is appropriate folded on the bathroom counter. I have an almost 2 year old, and I agree, you do have to see enough poop in one day! LOL

This is so funny - in a 'what a coincidence' kind of way. My 9-yr-old son has started doing this too! He doesn't stop it up every time, but often enough that it's nerve-wracking.

I taught him how to use the plunger. It hasn't solved the problem, but at least he's gaining some valuable plumbing experience! ;)

Maybe you can tear the pieces and stack them neatly and each time he will have just enough it might be time consuming but I am sure you would rather tear the tissue instead of unclogging the toilet. I hope that this is helpful to you.

Sarah,
Don't feel bad! I think it's safe to say that we've all had that problem with our kids. It may be helpful, if not a little embarrassing, to stay with him the next time he needs to go. Let him know ahead of time that you're worried about this problem and want to help him fix it. Sit on the tub or bring in a chair to lower yourself to his level. When it's time, ask him to show you how much he usually uses. Then take it from him and cut the appropriate amount. Sometimes kids just need a visual. If he needs more, ask him to cut the right amount. It may take a few tries, but you can do it! Remember to praise him for his efforts. Soon you'll forget what a plunger looks like. Good luck!

i would tear the toilet paper and give it to him before he goes in. if he needs more have him call you. also make sure he knows how to wipe i know that sounds funny but i mean if hes wiping to hard or not hard enough or just smearing it... well you get the picture. he may just be moving the poo around instead of wiping it off... good luck

Ok lol, try giving him what u think if enough and say this is all u get? Sorry I raised 4 oldest was 14 when last was born. Maybe if u say u can get him adult diapers if he cant use toilet paper better? He will learn, could be he sees how u clean the baby so he wants to be that way to. Good luck!

I think all Moms have had this problem! It seems like it is hard for kids to understand how much TP they really need.
I sectioned out about 6 squares of TP and placed them in an empty wipes container. This helped teach me DD how much she needed.
Another idea - maybe have him come to you for TP before he uses the bathroom, or have him call you when he is done.

Good luck!

I work in a hospital, where some of the patients have this problem. The solution we have come to is to keep the toilet paper outside the bathroom and dispense it to them prior to each use. Or to have it outside so that when the person gets his/her paper, another person can see how much is taken. This isn't pretty, but it works for us. Maybe if you do this awhile, you'll get your son trained right and won't have to continue it.

Hi Sarah!

You are not alone. My son is 12 and we still have a problem. (The doctor said this problem is more frequent in boys.) How often does your son go? You think they're old enough not to ask, but you need to. My son was only going once a week - I know mind-boggeling - but obviously, this wasn't healthy. This also causes their poop to be huge. It may not be the paper clogging the toilet, but the poop itself. Also with the new water-saving toilets, this just adds to the problem. He may be "holding it" until he just can't anymore - something that large has got to hurt. Try to add more fruit/fiber to his diet. Also, send him to the bathroom every two-three days to try and go. You may have to re-train his system. Good luck. L.

Sarah,
Im awful, this is my first post ever and its not even a helpful one! ACK! I have a 9 yr old son and I have the same problem. So I'm hopeing someone can help you and in turn help me too :)
Just wanted you to know you're not alone. Hope someone has good advice. I've tried flushing after he goes poop before he wipes, then flushing again,, then wiping more if need be and also using the wet wipes like baby wipes etc for big kids. And i dont know how they do it but the poops are quite big!.. Like i said.. sorry im no help..Good luck! I hope someone can help us both!
S.
PS: mom to 4 great kids 16, 13, 9 and soon to be two step daughter and maybe one more soon!

1. Make him unclog the toilet himself. By 9 yo, that is a task he should be able to do himself. If he cannot do it himself, give him the very minimal help needed to acomplish the job.
2. sit down and problem solve with him:
Get his thoughts on why he has to use that much paper.
Is he having diarrhea or constipation? Maybe he needs a diet change.
Is he just afraid he might have missed something & is overwiping just in case? In which case installing a full length mirror on the inside of the bathroom door will help him see just where he needs to wipe.
Maybe he is fearful of getting any poop on his hands and wraps his entire hand with paper before wiping. The mirror will help with this too. Or wearing an exam glove to do the job... but if he does this, make sure he knows the gloves go in the trash, not the toilet!
3. make him responsible by withholding some of his allowance money, or giving him extra chores for theextra expense and inconvenience his habit is causing.

I didn't laugh because I feel your pain! My son is almost 6, and I can't count the times we've already had to unclog the toilet! My solution was to tie a piece of string to the toilet paper holder so he could measure EXACTLY how long the toilet paper should be (he loves to measure stuff)and he could only use that much 3 times and then he had to flush. If he had to use more to be clean, he could only do it 3 times before flushing again. I recently told him to do it 3 times, flush and then use ONE flushable kids wipe to make sure he was clean. I haven't had to unclog the toilet since!
(You could also try having your son clean and scrub the toilet and around it the next time he clogs it up, telling him he will have to do that EVERY time he clogs it up!) Good Luck!

Tell him how many squares he can use and he is to count them. If he has to wipe twice, that is fine, then go to the wet wipe to clean it good. If he does not listen and clogs it anyway, tell him that next time you are going to call a plumber and take the money out of his bank/allowance, etc Tell him that it is not good for the sewer system and if he cannot respect that, he will have to pay to have it professionally fixed b/c soon, it may really back up and you won't be able to just plunge it. The wet wipes, Kan Dos work really well. Or, say to him, "does mommy need to wipe you like I do your baby brother? or can you be a big boy and do this right?"

Good luck! W.