[Sara]

Hi Everyone,

Our 3-year-old is completely trained, though we of course have to clean him up after each potty. Just today I was thinking to myself when he would possibly be able to do all the cleaning himself... When shall we start letting him do it himself, or help us do it? And how? Apparently he can't reach his behind in the sitting position. Do we let him stand up and do it? Sorry this is so graphic, but I think we need help from experienced parents please...

Thank you so much.

[loupou]

Start having him do it as best he can. Either w/ you watching (if he's scared to be alone) or with you outside, ready to be callled in as necessary.

Frankly, I think standing would not be too useful, because the cheeks wouldn't separate easily. How about suggesting he hop off the toilet and squat on the floor for the clean-up, unless he is confident enough to bend over a bit while still seated on the toilet.

When my kids started, they sometimes left "skid marks". Don't worry about it too much. Teaching them to dampen a small bit of tissue paper for final "touch up" can help.

You might also want to give him a description of how much paper to use. At one point I had to tell my eldest "no more than 10 squares at a time!" because I swear the child seemed to be pulling off a 1/4 of a roll each time ;)

Good luck!