How do we get our 6 year old to wipe his butt??

Question

Ok so our 6 year old will not wipe his butt and if he does he doesnt get it enough. He is my stepson and he says he wipes at his mommy's but she gets him every other weekend and i dont believe he does it. But we need help we have taught him how plenty of times and its just not sinking in i guess!!!

Answer 1

Wet wipes in the bathroom.   Just make sure that he throws them in the trash can or you could have some plumbing problems.  

It's kind of crude, but it worked with my 5 year old.      I think that he was just in too big of a hurry to wipe fully.     I told him that I wanted for him to take his time and use good hygiene.   I told him that if he did not wipe good after going p**p, the p**p would get on his underwear and other people would be able to smell it and the other kids would not want to play with him because he smelled like p**p.       I also told him that he would end up with a rash on his butt that would hurt and if it got infected (by continuing to not wipe), he end up having to go to the doctor.

Answer 2

Praise him (unless you already do) when he wipes his rear anyhow he may not get it all.  It will build his confidence and he will wipe himself even better.  This is common, don't feel too bad about it.  It sounds like you people are trying to teach him right.  If you praise him and don't fuss when he wipes but leaves some you can't really do anything else.

Answer 3

I would have him use wet wipes, and explain to him that he is old enough to do this on his own. If he still doesn't get it, you might have to wipe for him. He will not like having someone else wipe him, and you can motivate him by saying, "if you don't want us to help you wipe, you must learn how to do it correctly." Good luck- I have the same problem with my 5 year old girl...

Answer 4

Jamie has the right idea.  Flushable wet wipes would be a good tool.

Just continue to make him do it.  Have him wipe and then finish up.  He will get the hang of it if not things will change when he goes to school and has to.  Also getting clean will come with time older kids sometimes don't even get the job done.  I think kids in general get in a hurry and don't always get it real clean.  Just encourage him and it will happen.  Be patient.

Answer 5

Put baby diapers in there. I also agree with Jamie E!

Answer 6

buy the flushable wet wipes. They get them cleaner and are easier for kids to use.

I buy them and my kids love them (so do I) and I leave them on the back of the toilet in the pop up container they come in.

Answer 7

My 5 year old son runs around with skid marks all in he underpants.  I tell him over and over to wipe good but I have refused to do the job for him.  It's a dirty job and they've gotta learn to do it.  Be patient with him, he'll get it.  I'm making my kid "attempt" to clean his under pants by hand in the sink now.  He don't like it so he will soon be wiping pretty good I bet.

Answer 8

All 6 year old boys do this. It just takes practice and patience. Make sure he is sitting correctly on the seat. One of my sons used to sit with his butt in the seat and his legs together, which would push his cheeks together and make a mess. I taught him to sit with his legs apart on the seat and it was a lot less to wipe. He was slightly still afraid of going then so he was clenching and pressing himself in the wrong position. Lots of praise, love and inspections after he's done will correct this. A box of wipes like someone else mentioned here is also a good idea to keep handy in the bathroom for a while.

Answer 9

Either put baby wipes in the bathroom to help him get it all, or let him stew in it and then he will realize he has to do a good job of wiping.

Answer 10

tell him about germs and that it is a must do thing

Answer 11

Put baby wipes in the bathroom......i still make my 9 yo use them because she doesn't always get it all either.

Answer 12

tell him he has to keep wiping till the paper comes out clean!  tell him he can get sick and its just really gross and smelly.  talk to his mother to and see if its an issue you can all work on together