4 YO Saying She's Still Wet After Wiping Herself

Best thing is to talk to your doctor, and get a referral.

What is the worst thing that could happen? Yes, if it is PANDA, you will have struggles ahead as you learn to deal with it.

However, knowing WHAT it is, and having the tools to deal with the diagnosis is MUCH better than not knowing, and not knowing how to handle her issues.

Or, it could just be sensory issues....

Either way, you need to start with your pediatrician, and get a referral to a psychologist or behavioral pediatrician.

Sounds like she has some sensory issues.
You start by talking to your pediatrician, getting a referral to a pediatric psychologist and getting her evaluated.
Not knowing is more scary than what ever the diagnosis turns out to be.
You need the tools to help you learn how to handle her.

i do agree with the rest of them take her to the doctor it might help

It sounds to me as if she *could* have Sensory Processing Disorder. Those aren't quirks, but signs and symptoms of having sensory issues. They could be easily remedied by buying her clothing that doesn't have tags or buttons; turning her socks so the seams are on the outside or buying "seamless" socks; softer, more comfortable shoes or making sure that she can be part of the process in choosing her own shoes; no zippers or ruffles on her clothing, no high collars, buy cotton and nothing tight-fitting, no tights, nothing that could cause irritation, etc.

Sensory Processing Disorder is often paired up with another diagnosis or other diagnoses, though, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD or other neurological disorder. Neither has to be severe or serious, just enough to "be on the radar."

Please remember that even if she doesn't have neurological stuff going on like SPD, ASD, ADD/ADHD, OCD, etc. she's still young enough to be in the "still toilet training" phase ok?

With the toilet paper, you want one that's soft but also absorbent. If that means spending a little bit more money than the tissue-thin stuff you can see through then spend it. We had issues even with the Angel Soft but my two girls that have sensory issues love the Charmin soft one. Just don't do Charmin soft and strong because it will clog your toilets like nothing else even with typical use.

Show her that she only needs a few sheets, and teach her to make sure that she pees completely before wiping or she'll have some leakage and think she's still wet... because she will be. Then teach her to dab and not rub in the front, middle, and back to absorb the pee. Dabbing will help with the sensory aspect as well as keep her from feeling raw and still wet.

EDIT: My street cred = three daughters including two that have sensory processing disorder... one having Autism and one having ADHD

Hi E.,

You're describing my daughter! We went through a lot of research and a lot of misery (public bathroom experience as well) and realized that a lot of these disorders are autoimmune. When we detoxed the house and her body, her symptoms went away. They come back here and there when she exposes herself to toxicities that I didn't allow in the house. She's 18 now and knows more than me (lol) so she uses toxic cosmetics and soaps and deodorants when she's gets an independent streak and shops....when she feels these tendencies coming back on she realizes I've got her back and everything can be under control. Its hard for an 18 year old to realize that everything in stores is synthetically based and harmful...why would everyone buy it if it was so bad? This behavior is more common that it used to be just because we have chemical companies controlling all of our markets.

All that said, when I realized what I had to do it was really simple and inexpensive and better for the rest of the family as well. My lifelong allergies also went away as well and my husbands migraines became almost nonexistent. I'm glad I went this route first and didn't pigeon hole her for the rest of her life...

Hope this helps!
M.

Sometimes the excessive wiping causes so much irritation, it feels wet. But since she has other issues including buttons, tags, etc. and she can't seem to get past it, it does sound more like sensory problems. For some kids, it's food and texture problems, so they can't/won't eat certain foods, and it's centralized in the mouth. For others, it occurs in other areas of the body. I have a number of friends whose kids have had reactions like that to other triggers - for one, the excessive rages were connected with 60 different food sensitivities (not just because he didn't like them, but because he actually reacted). They were told there was nothing they could do for food allergies, and the rages were just part of his make-up. They did massive food-elimination diets, with no results.

This child got life-changing results from nutritional supplementation - and it was over 20 years ago. Now it's all enhanced and the results can come much more quickly - he took about 4 weeks with the rages and several months with the food sensitivities, but all the allergies are gone and never came back. Another colleague of mine has a son who had sensory processing issues and depression as a result (not so much the rages), but he also got quick results. If you would consider that maybe there's a chemical imbalance that's causing this, you could try a simple over-the-counter remedy to see if it does the trick. There are no side effects and no warning labels, and there's a patent so safety is proven. If you don't get results, you can always pursue the very involved route of behavioral psychology and so on. I'm not anti-psychology at all and have had therapy myself, and we had one of the kids in therapy for a while. But since then we've learned a lot about other ways to start which have added health benefits anyway, so if it takes care of it, how much easier is that!

kids do strange things sometimes.. many things they try for a while.. and then move on.. but if this wet bottom thing has been going on for a while and it is not getting better.. by all means see a psychologist.. if it is interfering with her life and your life and clogging up plumbing.. get help.

a professional can help you.. but it might not be quick.. might take a while..