How to Wipe

Well you have a very independent young man. I would tell him how proud you are of his accomplishment but after he is finished wiping to call you so you can celebrate together. Then you can finish the job so he doesn't get a sore rear end. Give him a little prize after he lets you finish the job. Maybe keep some M & M's up high in the bathroom. This way he will wait for you to do the last wipe.

Try using the baby wipes for a while when ey get older they will now what it feels like to be clean and then you can weng them from the wipes to toilet paper.

We keep a box of disposible Can-Do's by the toilet. They can be found near the baby wipes at the grocery store or Target. I hope this helps.

i agree with everyone else - put an easily opened pot of baby wipes in the bathroom - you will have to show him how to wipe a few times, and there will be messes.
my son until he was 4 would take all of his clothes of to poo, then come running out and lie down on his back and ask is all the poo gone!, but he learned in the end to keep wiping until nothing comes on the paper or wipe.
3 is young, but if he is showing interest then he may be ready, get him to tell you (if poss!) b4 he goes so you can show him the right way to do it

It's probably different with girls than it is with boys, since girls always have to wipe, but I started teaching my little girl to wipe right away. I helped her finish cleaning up until just before kindergarten, but by then she was doing an ok job by herself.

If you want to start teaching him to wipe, I recommend those flushable wet wipes. They really help get everything clean with fewer swipes. Good luck!

I would strongly recommend the wet wipes like cottonelles as they are more efficient at cleaning up. Basically, you do this one the same as everything else he has leanred - practice, practice, practice and a lot of mistakes or nearly there but not quites along the way! Getting him to check the wipe is clean when he finishes might help, but reaslly it is an awareness thing and that takes time to develop. Lots of rewards and praise for his efforts so far though!
Cheers
D.

He is too young. Like teeth brushing, you can let him "do it" first and then tell him you have to "check and make sure" he is clean. They can get terrible diaper rash from not wiping properly which can lead to a host of other problems in addition to the mess! (I know, my four year old went through this same thing). Just let him think he is doing it, while you make sure he is doing it right. Those kiddoos or cottonelle wet wipes do help, so you may want to let him use those. Good luck!

One trick that helps is using the flushable wipes, the moistness helps them get it all clean, plus it doesn't hurt. Don't use more than 2 without flushing, tho.

My son is 4 and he wipes himself. He does good most days but he still has his moments. I find that, and this goes for my 5 year old daughter as well, using baby wipes helps wonders.

Wipes come in handy in the bathroom.

having had 4 boys myself, I KNOW! It's great he wants to be a big boy, but they still could use mom's help and no- 3 is not too young for potty training independence. Praise his efforts to go by himself, but offer to check to see if he "got it all". and if he doesn't then let him try again while you wait to monitor his progress. If the use of toilet paper becomes major, they have pop up wipes for toddlers that are great and seem to do a better job, my sister used them for her daughter.
Be sure to start now in training him to wash his hand after- another inspection of skills will be needed till success is achieved...enjoy him, mine are 26,24,21,19

My son was also potty trained at 2. He will be 4 in April and he has been wiping since 3. We used disposable wipes at first, but he didn't like them, so we switched to regular toilet paper. We use the cottenelle for kids which has little paws on it to show how much they should use. We also have a mommy check to make sure all is well! I think it's great that he is insisting to wipe. What a big boy he is!!!

Keep some wet wipes were he can get them. They are MUCH better then dry toilett paper when it comes to beginners learning to wipe themselves!

Best of luck.

Praise him for his efforts and tell him to let you know
when he needs to potty. It's practice that makes perfect and older children don't always clean up well either. He is young to be in the bathroom alone each time. Encourage him as you show him how to clean himself better. You can also demonstrate with a doll or stuffed animal. Handi-wipes are helpful. A Grandmother

Hi T.,
My son was probably the same age when potty trainning. He himself tried to wipe himself, so I know the mess. 3 is not to young. This is his way of growing up. I know it's hard and long, long but try to make it into a game, make up a song of how it should be done. Sounds goofy but kids respond better to the fun goofy stuff better than the actual demands we put on them. Try to be there when he wipes. Then praise him when he does good, if he does it with out you knowing, go back in there with him and show him. It's a long process and very timley but he will get the hang of it.Just make sure you have wet wipes instock it will help with what ever he doesn't get. It'll be ok, but just make sure the comode doesn't overflow....I've been there and done that too. Well, good luck. I hope this helps..
jo ann

My 5 year old is still trying to accomplish this one correctly. He may be a bit young for it. Since he wants to do it, I'd say let him try and then you finish the job. Atleast he'll get some practice and praise in the meantime.

Hello, T. my 3 year old daughter is doing the same thing. They seem to be trying to express there independents...lol. Well, what seems to have help me in this sitautation is using toddler wipes and acting excited for her when she tries to wipe. I told her you need to let mommy know when you go #2 so mommy can come cheer you on when you are ready to wipe. And she does she screams from the restroom and then of course i go cheer her on to wipe. And of course I get up to help her. Another thing that seems to help is if she wipes while she is still on the potty she does not make much of a mess. I hope this helps.

My son also likes to whipe himself and won't let anybody else so I found that using the wet whipes made for the toliet work so good - I like Scott brand but there is also Cottnell and Kando whipes are nice cause they have a pop-up lid so they pull apart easier. We also do a mommy check and he loves to wash his hands with foam soap when he is all done - sometimes we use too much paper and it seems he always has to go just as we have to be somewhere but that little extra time is so worth it cause I don't have to touch it anymore!! Good luck.

Ah, potty training. Well my is about to be three..on the 25th and he wipes himself frequently. I usually just clean up his booty after him. If he's interested in learning let him experiment, just watch him and when he thinks he's done wiping tell him to let you check and finish the job for him. Oh, and you're very lucky. I started potty training mine they day he turned two..and didn't get it done until about two months ago. Phew. Hope I'm of a little help.

You are right, their little arms don't quite reach around. We used wet wipes which made it easier for them to wipe. Also we told them to wipe until the towlette didn't have poo poo on it and if they needed help to let us know. This is a process that can take up until age five to get totally right. Hang in there.

Try buying the flushable wipes. This helped my son learn and still works in case he feels that he couldn't clean himself well enough.

If your son insists on wiping himself, I would agree and praise him for wanting to do it by himself.. but I would also tell him that when he is all done, he needs to call you so you can check to make sure he didn't miss anything... That way he can be independent, and you make sure he's clean. One of my problems I had with my sons was using too much toilet paper, so I showed them the "squares" on it, and told them to use 3 squares at a time.. so they wouldn't clog the commode. Good luck!!

I agree with Lori, and I have the same problem! My little man is also 3 and determined to wipe himself! Always going #2 and not telling me until I pick him up and smell something funny...

I have explained to him that he should be so very proud that he does so well going potty, but Mommy doesn't want his bottom to hurt. If he tells Mommy when he goes poo-poo, he can have a treat (usually peanut M&Ms, he loves those). It's save a lot of bottom-aches!

Hope this strategy works well for you, too!

Well the basic this is just to teach them to wipe but giving a 3 yr old a few sheets of tissue isnt going to get the job done. When my son was younger and yes did the wiping by him self i found it easier to let him use those flushable wipes you can by in the baby wipe area in any store. They work wonders and get them clean and are flushable so no worries uf using too much tissue they they cant get themselves clean by them selves. Try the wipes. You daughter may be a bit young but the concept and idea is there she will get it right.

I think its great that he already wants to learn to wipe. Thats a good sign of independence.
My little girl would get SO grossed out that she at the age 5 was still trying to get me to do it. She couldn't stand wiping her own poo.
Even if its a little messy let him go for it, even if you got to go back and clean it the right way...Good luck:)

My son was 3 when he wanted to start wiping himself. We would let him do it and then do a "mommy check" to make sure everything was good. He got the hang of it really quick. Since he is a boy we let him wipe back to front till he caught on.
P.S. He always had to check the paper to see if he "got it" and would ask for more paper until it he would see it was clean.

I have a 3 year old little girl who is very independant and wants to wipe by herself every time. Being a girl, I HAVE to check and make sure she is wiping correctly to be sure an infection doesn't occur (if you know what I mean). But she is one of those little girls who doesn't need help, because she is a big girl. You know what I mean? So I told her, mommy just wants to see what a big girl she is, so I have to watch her wipe. It works as far as getting me in the bathroom with her, and then I usually tell her how to wipe and where to go with the toilet paper, without sounding like I am taking charge. Then I tell her oh what a big girl she is, and "Its time for inspection" to make sure she did the good job I know she does. And I wipe real good. It works all the time. She actually gets excited and tells me inspect it, I am a big girl. Give this a try and see if it works for your little guy. But don't stress, they aren't supposed to know how to wipe good yet. It takes lots of practice. Using baby wipes to finish the job is a good idea still too. Good Luck mommy and Conrats on getting your little boy potty trained so early!!
~C.~ mommy to Colby 8, Carys 3 and Cadyn 2.

My son will be 6 in May. Up until recently he refused to wipe himself and would sit on the toilet as long as it took for us to give up and go wipe him. If he was at day care or (now) school he often came home with striped underwear (lovely).

I felt bad for him watching him trying to balance himself and reach all the way back there to try to find the "spot" to wipe.

A few months ago I happen to walk by the bathroom (he had left the door open) and saw him reaching between his legs to wipe back to front. I started to stop him at first, but then decided that since he is a little boy there is not as much worry of infections as there are with girls. So, I just leave him be to reach it the best he can now. He can learn the other direction when he gets older, his arms are longer, and his feet touch the floor. Then it won't be like a balancing act. I am just thankful that I am not having to wipe a 5 1/2 year old's booty.