Getting to the Potty on Time

My son is almost 7 and I finally trust him to do a good wipe job. He still uses wet wipes then paper (at home anyway).
Could you get her into a routine where she pees when she gets up, before every meal (when she washes her hands in the bathroom anyway), and before bath? That's kind of what I do with my son...but I still tell him to go before we leave the house, etc. Hopefully, you and I won't be reminding them to go before they get in the prom limo! LOL

YOu dont say how many times a day this is happening.. but my duaghter is 4 and she only goes potty 4 times a day, first thing in the morning, before nap, after nap, and then at bedtime.

Of course she can go other times but those 4 times I tell her (and make her if she is not cooperating) we usually make her go potty before we leave thehouse if we are going to be gone for a while.

So if you get her on a schedule... that might solve your problems.. and really at her age it shouldnt be more than every 3 hours.. unless she drinks a tremendous amount of water.

Yes, kids at about this age, wait until the last minute, and have accidents. They simply "think" they can wait... and are busy playing perhaps, but then they can't wait..and thus accidents.

Don't feel this is only your child. Tis' the age. Even my daughter's preschool and Kinder Teachers say this. It is a though, yes they are potty competent... but then they get at this phase where they "think" they can hold it forever and ... but simply can't. Then they have an accident.

About wiping themselves: yes, in school they can do it and have to. At home, they like to feel cleaner... thus M. helps wiping. But at 4 years old, I really don't think they have totally great coordination to wipe completely and well... and they often times still have skid marks on their undies. Yes, at home, I say in terms of my daughter... as she got older she can wipe better AND cleaner, with no remnants. But... until last year, when my daughter was 6 going on 7, is when SHE could wipe COMPLETELY cleanly. And... after commiserating with my friends, they have said the same thing about their kids and wiping.
At least for me, my daughter was real stoked when she could wipe cleanly and feel clean after. And, I often did help her, because I did not want her having an unclean bottom... which for girls is even more important because they can get UTI's. Or, I would have her wipe... then I would check her after, to make sure she did do it, cleanly.

Anway, I think at 4.5, they "can" wipe.. but it will not be perfect, nor perfectly absolutely clean. I don't think a 4 year old will wipe until the toilet paper is "clean." Which is how I teach my daughter about knowing "when" to wipe until....

All the best,
Susan

It sounds as though she wants more of your attention, and has found a sure fire way to get it. I would be tempted to use the reward system. Draw boxes on a sheet of paper and place on your refrigerator. Buy some stick on glitter stars. Each time she goes to the bathroom in the toilet instead of her pants, she gets to place a star in one of the boxes. When she has reached the appropriate number of stars for which you have determined, she gets to pick a game you both play together, a book you read together, coloring together, etc., you get the idea. I would say to let her clean herself up with no help from you; however, that would not solve the issue I believe is going on. Good luck, and God Bless, Tico&Taco

My daughter does this too... so I don't have an answer for you (sorry!).

What I did want to mention is that Cottonelle (SP??) has a wipe that is made to breakdown in the toilet so that you don't ruin your system (most wipes do not break down). They sell them in big packs for your house as well as nice travel size for your purse.

I haven't dealt with the first part yet but I've heard a lot of people say that if you have your child do most of the cleaning up of the mess themselves that helps them remember to go (they don't want to clean it up anymore than we do!).
For the second part, my son (4 1/2) still needs some help also since he tends to not get very clean. Sometimes though, he asks me to wipe him & it's just being lazy so I've told him that when he turns 5 then I can't do it anymore. Big boys have to do it themselves.I like the idea of the wet wipes another mom mentioned, it would probably make clean up a little easier. Hope all works out!

My son just turned 4 and has not been potty trained long (a few months) and I remind him to go about every 2 hours (he had occasionally made it 3 hrs or so). More often than not he says he doesn't have to go and argues (sometimes to the point of a tantrum) with me then pees when he finally gets to the bathroom. I wish I had a better method but so far I just force him to try several times a day because if I don't there are accidents.
When I was a kid my mom always insisted that everyone use the bathroom before leaving the house.