Ok - I know this one may make every mom laugh.... but it's beginning to frustrate me to no end. My 9yo constantly cloggs his bathroom toilet by using too much toilet paper. I'm pretty consistant with reminding him to flush after wiping and then rewipe if he feels like he's dirty down there. I've also went to the extent of putting the cleansing wipes (wet wipes) in there for him to get a good clean swipe and KNOW that the job is well done. Again this morning he comes to me and says "there's something wrong with the toilet." He has always had a problem with being accountable (we're working on that, that's a whole different post) and so I replied "do you mean that you put too much toilet paper in after going #2?" and he said 'yes, maybe'. So - here we are back at plunging, and staring at man size poops. Yes, he's a kid, but I don't particularly want to look at my 9yo's poop!!! I have a 2yo in diapers, and so it's fair to say I see enough poop everyday. Any suggestions on how to break him of this habit? I've even tried Cottenale for kids, with the puppy feet that show you when you have enough toilet paper for one wipe. Please give me suggestions!
** He does already plunge the clogged toilet himself.
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
.
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.
Sandra
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
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! ;)
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.
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.
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.
Amy
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!
- 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.
- 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!
- 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 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.
Madeline
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!
Summer
PS: mom to 4 great kids 16, 13, 9 and soon to be two step daughter and maybe one more soon!
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!
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 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!
Buy 1 ply tissue, see if that works. If he is a big boy, teach him to plunge after every time he poops.
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. Lynda
teach him to plunge, that will make him accountable and he definitely will not want to deal with his own poop.