Wiping their own bums? - Page 2

[mamazee]

First, I think the word "should" is irrelevant. Different kids are able to do different things at different times, so I don't think there's any age where kids "should" be able to. But from talking to friends it seems like most kids regularly wipe themselves sometime around 5.5 to 6 years.

[lunar forest]

my 6.5 yo ds still needs a check, but does good most of the time. 4yo dd is hopeless still, but I imagine she'll be there earlier than ds.

We use cloth tp, though, so it's MUCH easier for them.

[Jannah6]

I really think it depends on the child, but I voted 4-5 yrs.

[Llyra]

My three year old can do a pretty good job, with either TP or a wet washcloth. But I don't think she's typical. I think a lot of kids still need help until a few years later, so I voted 4-5.

[orangefoot]

I don't think 'should' is relevant really as I'm sure it is something related to balance, length of arms, flexibility, gross motor and fine motor control. I'm not kidding! Bum wiping requires a very complex set of skills and not all children will be able to do them at the same age.

[Mpenny1001]

DD is 3.5 and certainly makes the effort, but her arms are too short yet to allow her to do a really great job.

[aris99]

My almost 7 yo probably does a good job...I don't really check but my son who is 4.5 has only recently toilet trained and I usually wipe for him. I agree that family cloth REALLY makes wiping easier for kids!

[Jasmyn's Mum]

[QUOTE=mamazee;11067273]First, I think the word "should" is irrelevant./QUOTE]

Mamazee, I get that. This is sorta settling a debate.

[MtBikeLover]

My 5yo can do it, but he doesn't like to do it so he calls for one of us.

[Ruthla]

It depends so much on the child.

DD1 didn't want or need help from the time she was 3. DS still needs help now at age 6.

[mija y mijo]

I can't remember specifically, but I know it was between 4-5 years old. DD was very capable of doing it herself, but she demanded that I check and make sure she was "clean."

[lisac77]

My DS potty trained about 7 months ago (at 4.5 years) and is now wiping pretty well by himself. I put 5-6 years because I think that is average.

[One_Girl]

Originally Posted by hottmama

I stopped wiping my oldest on his 4th bday, and I think he should have done it on his own sooner. My 2.5 yr. old still needs wiped by an adult but by 3, I'll start having him wipe then I'll check.

Same here. There have been a few times when she has not done a stellar job and I remind her that she needs to make sure to do a thorough job, and at first there were some streaks while she was getting the hang of it. If I had to do it again I would worry less about the streaks, because we have laundry soap and a washer, and more about building her confidence and self help skills.

[hubris]

My 5 y/o wipes independently (I think he's been doing this since he was almost 5) BUT recently he sometimes decides he doesn't need a wipe, and this resulted in some pretty nasty skid marks a week or two ago. EWWW!

[Kira's mom]

somewhere (on this site?) i read that a child should be able to wipe themselves properly when they can tie their own shoes...dd still likes me to help (just turned 5)

[mom_of_boys]

my 4 year old doesn't but then I never had him try, as I worry about not doing a good job or missing (he can't really reach to the back, do your guys wipe from between or reach around??)

[blue butterfly]

dd is 5 and she still needs my help on occasion.

[Tiffany_PartyOf5]

My 5 yr old used to do a good job and then he was afraid of it for some reason LOL.. so now when he wipes he just kind of pats it and then is done in his mind and we go through a million pairs of undies per week LOLOL... The past few weeks he has actually been pooping in his pants on purpose though.. trying to figure out why.. my guess is my dads death.. they were best friends and i think that his missing him has caused him to poop in his pants again..

[jorismom]

Originally Posted by orangefoot

I don't think 'should' is relevant really as I'm sure it is something related to balance, length of arms, flexibility, gross motor and fine motor control. I'm not kidding! Bum wiping requires a very complex set of skills and not all children will be able to do them at the same age.

Originally Posted by Kira's mom

somewhere (on this site?) i read that a child should be able to wipe themselves properly when they can tie their own shoes...dd still likes me to help (just turned 5)

:

DD will be 6 in a couple months and she needs help. It is not a matter of teaching her. She just does not have the coordination needed to do a good job. She can't tie her shoes yet, either. We are working on both.