[ATXMOM]

How do you get a four year old to figure out how to wipe himself good enough?? I have a new foster boy who doesn't do a good job and their is poop in his underwear which makes him stink, and of course another kid has told him he stinks. I asked him if he knows how to do it and he said he does, so I went in the bathroom and asked him to show me how he does it. Sure enough he did it right, but not very well. How do you teach a 4 year old to do this?? I have never had a foster kid this age before. I have only had babies. Any suggestions from people with prior experience?

[jbee]

are you using the flushable wipes? just be careful he dosen't use the whole pack or it will clog the toilet.
i told dd5 to just wipe till the wipe looks clean, to use two or three, then flush, then do it again if not clean.
sometimes if they are little their arms are short and can't reach well. maybe have him bend way over and try.
helps at home but no wipes in public...make sure you poo at home, lol

[mommytoEli]

at target i actually saw a small pack of flushable wipes that you could totally throw in your purse to take out and about. now you can poo anywhere. lol and they will.....it is almost like my 4 year old would rather poo when we are out and about!

[AuntT]

I have to help my 4 year old because he doesn't do it well enough either.

My 11 year old boy still has this problem. Maybe it is a boy thing.

[ATXMOM]

Yes, I told him to wipe with toilet paper until it looks clean and then use a flushable wipe last to really clean it. The problem now seams to be that he fills the toilet up with tp trying to get it to clean, but just can't seam to clean it effectivly with a reasonable amount of tp. I'll try the bend way over thing and see if he can get it better that way. Plus he was getting his fingers in it. Oh, I hope we can figure this out!! Poor little guy!

[eyejustam]

My grandson is almost 4 and we wipe for him. He can not reach his bottom well enough to do this. We also use the flushable wipes to get him clean. I have had many foster children and day care children and I did the same for them. It comes with maturity.

[ATXMOM]

Originally Posted by AuntT

I have to help my 4 year old because he doesn't do it well enough either.

My 11 year old boy still has this problem. Maybe it is a boy thing.

I have a three year old son and I have to wipe him myself because he dosen't do a good enough job. I was not sure if you can wipe a foster child the same way I wipe my son. I menchined it to the SW and she said he is old enough to do it himself. I think it is a maturity thing too. Should I insist to her that I do this for him? It really is a problem.

[AuntT]

Talk to the pediatrician and get a recommendation from the DR.
The sw would be less likely to argue the advice of a doctor. Our Pedi is the one who told me to help my 4 year old still.

She said he hasn't grasped the concept of clean yet

[ATXMOM]

Oh that is a good idea. Thanks, I'll do that.

[cabbagepatchkid]

I still wipe bums of 4 yr old same as I help them with others aspects of their hygiene...brushing teeth, washing face and hands, shampooing hair, etc. They just don't have the dexterity to do it properly themselves yet but as the others have said, it comes with maturity.

[vegaschristina]

Until my DD was able to get herself clean, I'd do the you do it and I'll check to make sure you got it all thing. I'm sure we'll do it when my FS gets there too.

[karla-k]

my 4 year old son gets pretty clean about 75% of the time, but there are days when it is not so great. I 2nd the wipes and having a pedi tell you to do it then the SW can't argue as much.

Our DD took a long time to get it, she is 9 and just this last year we could really trust her to get herself clean. She has fine motor delays and just didn't have the dexterity or hand strength to do the job well.

Karla

[LibbyHawkins]

Seriously, has the sw got any kids? Unless you have dealt with a 4 y/o you would never know that they needed help, but they do. Especially boys!

They often answer questions with an "educated guess" . . .take it for what it is worth and do what you feel needs to be done.

[wannafostersoon]

I had to laugh when I read this post...must be a boy thing...I still have to help DH. LOL! Seriously, soooo many skid marks in his underwear and it makes me absolutely loopy. I told him I wasn't buying him anymore tighty whities and I meant it. As for my 4 year old son, he does a good job most of the time. He's going through this phase where he doesn't like anyone to see him undressed so wiping for him is out of the question, so we've taken to buying the wet wipes and hoping for the best. So far so good. Hope you figure out something soon sweetie.

[aclee]

Originally Posted by wannafostersoon

I had to laugh when I read this post...must be a boy thing...I still have to help DH. LOL! Seriously, soooo many skid marks in his underwear and it makes me absolutely loopy. I told him I wasn't buying him anymore tighty whities and I meant it. As for my 4 year old son, he does a good job most of the time. He's going through this phase where he doesn't like anyone to see him undressed so wiping for him is out of the question, so we've taken to buying the wet wipes and hoping for the best. So far so good. Hope you figure out something soon sweetie.

cracking me up...I think they don't care cause they don't do the laundry!!