How Long Will You Have To Wipe Your Kiddo's Bum?!

One thing I know crosses every parent's mind.....HOW LONG AM I GOING TO BE WIPING BUMS?! As a mom of both a 5 and 7-year-old, I'm still doing my fair share, even though I haven't changed a diaper in 4 years!! But here are some tips to help encourage that final step of potty independence - wiping.

Tips to help your child learn to wipe on their own:

• The first tip is to keep your expectations low. Actually, many kids' little arms aren't even long enough to reach around for proper wiping technique until they are 3.5 or 4 years old. Girls typically master wiping faster because they wipe for both pee and poop, so they have more opportunities to practice.
• Have your little one practice in the bathtub. Spread some suds on their bottom and let them wipe with a washcloth. You can teach wiping from front to back, and the WFR: wipe, fold, repeat.
• You can also have them practice (specifically for pooping) by spreading peanut butter on a doll and having them wipe it off. Alternatively, you can use a washable marker with wet wipes!
• Speaking of wet wipes, using flushable wipes is generally recommended for ease of use and better hygiene. They clean better than toilet paper with less effort and less waste. That said, just because they are "flushable", they aren't the best thing for your plumbing, so don't flush more than one at a time, or even better, just throw them away instead.
• Lastly, once your child has started wiping on their own, you should still go behind them for a little while to ensure they're getting themselves clean. I still do random "quality checks" on both of my little stinkers!

Potty training is not always as easy as we hope it’s going to be, and that’s okay! That’s why I’m here!

Taking each stage of potty training one step at a time and remaining consistent and committed to the process will help you reach success quickly!

If you have hit a wall with your child’s potty training and you can’t seem to figure out how to move forward, believe it or not, it can help to simply talk to them!

But how do you REALLY talk to someone so young and get them to open up about what they are thinking and feeling? It all comes down to building trust and REALLY listening!

Remember, compliments equal deposits, and questions equal withdrawals. Be sure to make a “deposit” before you make a “withdrawal”!

7 Steps to opening a dialogue about potty training with your child:

Step 1: Take your kiddo somewhere that you can interact with them one on one.

Step 2: When beginning the conversations, engage them with something that interests them.

Step 3: Try to get them to identify their feelings and what they like.

Step 4: Wait for them to finish each answer without interrupting or offering an opinion.

Step 5: After you’ve established a good give and take in the conversation you can begin to lead in with questions related to potty training.

Step 6: Use phrases that spike curiosity and make them think. (Ex. “I wonder why you don’t like sitting on the potty sometimes?”)

Step 7: Put the ball in their court. (Ex. “So what do you think you should do next time?”)

This conversation can be simply exploratory to find out what your child is thinking and feeling about the process. Opening up communication can help make your kiddo feel more comfortable about the whole potty training process!Side note: this process works best for children ages 3 and up and can be used for anything your child happens to be struggling with, not just potty training!

For an affordable, easy-to-understand, step-by-step guide to potty train your kiddo, check out my online course, "10-Day Potty Training Challenge"!

Happy Potty Training!

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