My daughter is 4 and recently she has been complaining that her bum (area) is always wet. I help her wipe and she wipes over and over and she says she is still wet. I brought her to her primary care doctor and the doctor said everthing looks normal and her urine culture was negative. Any ideas what this could be? Last night she cried for 30 minutes becuase of this and this morning she complained about it again. This has been going on for over a month now.
Did you ever figure out what it was? My daughter is having the same problem now. We were thinking maybe a Parasite? I don't know. It has been going on for months now.
I have been there too! My now 5 y/o used to swear up and down that her bottom was wet. It wasn't. I would check and help her wipe etc., but nothing worked.
My mom actually solved the problem for us. She told my daughter that powder would keep her bottom nice and dry. Apparently she went so far as to explain that it was this really neat magic cure for wet bottoms and explained how it works to absorb the moisture so her bottom would stay dry.
We just started rubbing a little bit of cornstarch baby powder onto her bum after showers and after she used the bathroom. It worked like a charm. (just avoid talcum powders as it's bad for little ones' lungs)
Sometimes with kids it's easier to play along than to tell them their wrong!
Good luck,
S.
Maybe it's just a little sweat - it's a closed area that doesn't get a lot of air on it. I would take it easy on the excess wiping - it could be causing a little irritation. Also, be very careful about starting a habit with powder - your pediatrician will probably tell you that's a good way to start aggravating the area with yeast infections. Mine did. Try having her keep her underwear off while she washes her hands and tell her she's letting the area air-dry. It will also get her to wash her hands for the right amount of time. By the time she dries her hands, her bum will be dry. Be positive about it. You could try putting a square of toilet paper in her pants and then showing her that it is completely dry. Put a drop of water on the bathroom counter and show her what a square of toilet paper looks like when it touches even one drop of water - then compare it to the one in her pants. I wouldn't start with panti-liners either - it draws more attention to the problem and may actually cut down on the air circulation. If she's home and in bed, let her go without underwear to keep the area dry. Also make sure her undies aren't too tight - that may cause a lack of air circulation or some other discomfort. Good luck!
What is the consistency of her bowel movements? Are they loose, suggesting some sort of gi imbalance? Is she possibly experiencing a tingling sensation from bowel irritation and "wet" is the only way she knows how to describe it?
Could you try a very thin panti liner maybe? Seems strange using on a 4 year old but I was thinking it might help her feel dry. You could put in on before she puts on her underwear. Maybe she won't even notice it's there. What about some baby powder down there before she gets dressed. Maybe that would help. I have a daughter who will turn 4 in March. Sometimes she tells me it's sore down there and so I use desitin and that seems to help. Very rarely does she ever say this though.
Good Luck!
Is it actually wet when she wipes? Maybe whatever sensation she is feeling she is labeling as wet. Ask her is she would like to try some powder or butt cream with zinc oxide (not as slimy). Maybe just doing something like that for a few days will help. Maybe even try putting a piece of toilet paper between her "cheeks" (sorry to be so graphic!" ) for a little while so they don't rub together when she walks and to absorb any moisture.
This sounds like such a frustrating problem for her-and you! I really don't know what could be causing it. Those are the things i would try. Good luck.
Might be a bit of an OCD type of thing. Something that's not real that she's obsessing on. In this case I would tell her that X works - maybe the pad or powder idea, below - and have her use that until she gets over this phase. The key is to tell her that it definitely will work. (Kind of like putting band-aids on owies. You know how kids think band aids cure everything? I remember when my daughter was three, she had me put a band-aid over her ear for an earache. SO cute.)
If that doesn't work, try another doctor.
My 3 1/3 year old daughter complains of the same thing and she's using LOTS of toilet paper. I usually wipe her and then let her take some toilet paper to finish it off if she still says it's wet. I've found that (recently) if I leave her alone, she uses WAY too much. I'm not sure what is going on here....I figured there just might some residual wet spot that I missed and if it gets on her underwear, it obviously feels and stays wet for a bit of time. So, I've resorted to wiping first and then having her wipe the rest....I figure if she still feels wet, she should know where to wipe. This seems to be working for now.
Wish I could be of more help here.....I will certainly pay attention to the posts in case there is something more going on.
