When did your DCs wipe their own bums... Effectively?

[CookieTramp]

DS1 is 5 and we still wipe his bum for him. He has quite toxic poos and has always got sore and red if even a scrap remains. My mum has been... Less than thorough on occasion and it's always sore within a couple of hours.

Is it vaguely normal that we still do this? How soon can they get the job done themselves, and done properly? I worry about poos at school and the poor teachers having to do it. He's in Reception and has only pooed at school once, but still !

Waiting for replies with you OP
My nearly 8 y o dd has same issue and prefers not to do it herself when at home . A visiting newly 4 y o boy was very competent, declined all help and left the bathroom cleaner that many an adult male I've encountered.

Dd, 5, has recently started doing her own but has now reverted because it got itchy very quickly.
I think I might try those froggie wipes, I think I may have used those for ds, maybe wipes make it easier to do a better job.

DD1 who is 5.5 wipes herself. We started it by getting her to wipe "her best" and then we checked. If she had done a complete job she got rewarded (sweet, tick on the reward chart, etc). If not, she didn't. We taught her to "wipe until clean" and she got it. It did take a few months to get 90% or so accuracy, and we have now faded it completely (no checking, no rewards).

My boys (7 & 5) have been doing it competently since the summer before each started reception.

The thing that worked for us was just telling them that they have to keep going until the paper comes out clean-3 squares at a time to avoid a huge waste!

They will both still try it on at hone though, if a passing gullible grandma will wipe their bum, and they take ages!

About age 4 I think - although DSs are now 16 & 13 so I can't say that I check!

I think my elder two were also a bit before Reception. DS only turned 4 a month before starting reception so was still a little haphazard.

DD1 was 4.6 when started reception and quite capable.

DD2 is 3.8 and will (if she feels like it) wipe after a wee, but after a couple of very messy tries we wipe for poos. She doesn't start reception until next year so we have plenty of time.

DC have wiped for themselves thoroughly since mid 4, I'd say.