How do I get my three year old to wipe her butt on her own ?

Yes she will get it, and don’t worry about preschool. My son was in diapers until age four. The teachers were wiping his butt a lot.

Just keep working with her. Don’t make too big a deal about it. Just keep it up. It’ll happen.

I would think, because she’s only 3, give her some time. Maybe you can make up some kind of game on ‘how to clean a butt’ (or whatever she calls it). Don’t worry, she will catch on. And teachers are very understanding.

Also, sorry about your Dad.

Aww this takes me back a few years. She’ll get the hang of it in time, no worries.

Make it part of the potty routine – you go in, take your pants off, you sit, you poop, you wipe, you wash hands. You do not skip any steps and you don’t go on to the next one until you do the previous one. Period. And stay consistent.

“But she does not wipe her butt that good and sometimes needs help” indicates that at least she’s trying. That’s more than can be said about some kids her age (and even older)! Like pretty much everyone else has said, don’t worry yet. Practice makes perfect! Chances are, she’ll get it.

@AmWiser Thanks My dad had cancer . It went fast.Atleast he is in no pain. I do feel alittle guilty not getting my daughter trained starting at two years old though. She just brought me a soccer ball of toilet paper and said I need help to wipe my butt. LOL She uses oodles of toilet paper. @Simone_De_Beauvoir We do it all. I give her a book and I give her some privacy. hee hee ( at her request) .. When she is done she yells for me. She tries herself and good lord! there goes the roll. I hope it happens soon. I am happy . No diapers. Can’t wait for the wiping her butt to stop. Any suggestions are welcome and grateful.

Make it as fun as reasonable and make it a game. You wipe her butt and show her the results and ask her if she can wipe off any more…she will try and if she is sucessful, clap and go yeah and tell her what a big girl she is. If you check and there is more work to be done…show here and again ask her to see if she can get any more until it is all clean. As long as she sees the purpose and is rewarded for a good job she will be more than eager to show her mom what a big girl she is becoming!!

Have you tried giving her some of those flushable moist wipes made for kids? I forget what they’re called, but you can probably find them in either the toilet paper aisle or the diaper aisle at the grocery store. It might be easier for her to handle than a wad of toilet paper.

I also had my kids try wiping while still sitting on the potty. Teach her to reach around and wipe from the rear, so she doesn’t get into the bad habit of wiping back to front (which can lead to UTI). Be patient. Three is still quite young. My youngest refused to wipe his own butt until he was almost five. He was seriously grossed out by the idea and would actually gag if I made him try it. Luckily he never pooped at preschool.

A completely worthless answer to your question, but a potentially funny anecdote…

A male friend was in the process of being potty trained. Wiping his bottom seemed to be a stumbling block, and his parents continued to coach him on it. One night, the parents had some friends over for dinner. Their son went to the bathroom and seemed to have managed to handle the situation all by himself. In all of his glory, and complete nakedness, he ran out to the dining room, trailing a train of toilet paper attached to his behind, did a spread-eagle and said, “Ta-Da!”

She will get it, she is still pretty new to the whole potty game. The moist wipes helped us over the hump but honestly, if she is making an attempt and doing pretty well most of the time it sounds pretty age appropriate. She will be fine by pre-school and even if she isn’t it shouldn’t be a problem. FYI, my kids always flat out refused to move their bowels at school (still do) so it wasn’t an issue at all.

P.S. This might sound horrifying, but I know moms who helped their children with “housekeeping” until they were heading off to kindergarten.

Sounds like she trying…don’t make her feel like she’s “failing” because she doesn’t have it quite right. She’ll get all anal about small stuff. So what if she isn’t perfectly clean. She, and her clothes, wash…..... Oh crap. I didn’t just say ”....get anal about stuff!“t! Crap! I didn’t just say crap either, did I??? NOT INTENDED!!!

I haven’t even thought of this. My son is three, and would totally have tons of poop on his butt if I didn’t wipe him. I can’t handle knowing that.

Much patience and perseverance.

@Pied_Pfeffer Oh! Lord.. Now that’s funny! Thanks…

@Dutchess_III LOL

@casheroo I’m not saying don’t wipe for him or her. That would be gross! I’m saying yes, clean them, but don’t make a big deal out of them doing it for themselves, but not getting it “right.”

Take heart .. at least she is a girl. Boys don’t seem to care and the fact that they gave it a shot seems to be sufficient even when they are much older than your daughter.