When we poop, the importance of wiping front to back might be clearer. That's what we teach kids. This is especially important for girls, so that no bacteria is brought from the gut into the vulva.
Boys and girls should both wipe from front to back. It's the most hygienic option and provides a more effective clean. But it's especially important that girls are aware they need to wipe from front to back. Poo contains bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections if it's wiped into the urethra.
Make sure your child is wiping from front to back, especially for girls. This avoids germs and bacteria going to the urethra (pee hole) and vagina.
If he is in school or pre-school he will probably already be doing lots of work on co-ordinating those fine and gross motor skills already, so if there are no developmental delays that could be impacting him, practice is all he needs. By the age of 5, most children should be capable of wiping effectively.
With that said, most schools require kids to be toilet trained and able to wipe their own bottom by the time they start kindergarten (which starts at age 4 here in Canada), so that's a good age to aim for.
Don't stress if you're still wiping your child's bottom when they're 6, 8, 10 or 12. But do them — and yourself — a favor and take the time to teach them how to do it themselves. We can guarantee it's one aspect of parenting you'll never miss.
Demonstrate the proper technique.
Show your child how to hold the wipe flat in their hand (not wadded into a ball). And then walk them through the process of wipe, fold, wipe, fold, wipe until they don't see anything on the wipe anymore. That's how they'll know they're finished and ready to flush.
Before you ever ask your child to start wiping, ask them to start helping you with gathering the toilet paper. Show them how much to pull. Show them how to fold it (or crumple it, if you're a crumpler). Do this on repeat.
Try to keep it light and make it fun. Make it a good part of her daily routine and praise her achievements. Talk positively and reassure her every time she uses the toilet paper correctly and wipes herself front to back. Watch when she does it and be supportive when she doesn't get it right.
The most important thing to remember about wiping after a bowel movement is to do so from front to back. This helps you to avoid urinary tract infections. Avoid scrubbing the sensitive area around your anus, too, because it can spread bacteria into the tiny tears in the skin.
You see, when you don't clean yourself down there after peeing, the urine droplets stuck in your pubes get transferred to your underwear. This gives rise to a foul odour. Moreover, it also gives birth to bacteria in your underwear, increasing the risk of urinary tract infections (UTI).
No. Even with a baby girl, you don't need to worry about wiping after they pee.
It may be that you're suffering from fecal incontinence, which can be a thing that's not at all a big deal or can indicate a serious problem. The doctor will be able to tell you what's going on with your rear end; the solution may be as simple as adding some anal kegels to your daily exercise routine.
Offer to help and guide them as they clean, but don't do everything for them, either. Explain the importance of cleaning up, and do so throughout the day instead of all at one time. Model the same habits yourself so they follow suit, and finally, purge or at least store old toys for easier clean up.
Children over 4 or 5 should be able to tidy up their playrooms and bedrooms every day. However, they may not do it perfectly…and that's okay! Ultimately it's consistency and doing their best work that matters vs. perfection.
To Sit or Stand During Wiping
Ultimately, this is a personal preference – with benefits to each method. For sitters, the main pro is cheeks stay spread, preventing any cheek-on-cheek smearing. That means easy cleaning access.
Common causes include: Chronic diarrhea Constipation Hemorrhoids Crohn's disease The skin of the anus can stick to the stool and make it difficult to clean the anorectal area after a bowel movement.
✓ Always wipe from front to back
This is by far the most important and undeniably true approach to wiping after peeing. Doing so avoids the risk of urinary tract infections caused by bringing in bacteria from the rear.
But many kids beyond the age of toilet teaching (generally older than 4 years) who soil their underwear have a condition known as encopresis (en-kah-PREE-sis). They have a problem with their bowels that dulls the normal urge to go to the bathroom. So they can't control the accidents that usually follow.
Encopresis (or soiling) is a disorder in which a child over the age of four repeatedly poops in places other than the toilet, like their clothes or the floor. Some children with encopresis have problems with normal pooping, like constipation. Some children are afraid or anxious about pooping, so they try to hold it.