Wiping at school | Imamother

chatouli

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 9:08 pm

In your experience, is it expected that a four year old boy know how to wipe himself after making a bowel movement in school? Or is this something you would think a Morah should still help with?

Thanks!

MaBelleVie

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 9:41 pm

Morah should be willing to, absolutely... Assuming the kid asks Wink

chatouli

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 9:42 pm

Anybody??? I really need to know. My DS is holding it bc he says his Morahs won't wipe him and I want some idea if I'm asking too much of them if I ask them to wipe him. Thanks for any input.

chatouli

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 9:44 pm

MaBelleVie wrote:

Morah should be willing to, absolutely... Assuming the kid asks Wink

Thanks! Yeah I'm not positive he has asked. He says they tell him to wipe himself but I'm not 100% sure that's accurate.

momX4

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 9:47 pm

Call the teacher and ask. It may be that your DS is to shy to ask for help. I know my kids had a bathroom in their classroom at this age. I dont remember details.

Another option. My kids learned how to wipe themselves with flush-able wipes. Maybe teach him at home and send a package to school.

chatouli

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 9:55 pm

Thanks momx4. I have a sense he's shy but it could be that they really don't want to do it. I will try to teach him with wipes. I feel bad for him that he doesn't feel comfortable.

momX4

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 10:03 pm

chatouli wrote:

Thanks momx4. I have a sense he's shy but it could be that they really don't want to do it. I will try to teach him with wipes. I feel bad for him that he doesn't feel comfortable.

I unfortunately had to have a conversation with my DC's second grade teacher. The teacher was shocked that my DC was having accidents at school and resolved the problem immediately. The teacher spoke to my DC and came up with better ways to communicate.

A conversation with the teacher is always worth it.

chatouli

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 10:08 pm

Communicating with his teachers has been at best aggravating and at worst fruitless and aggravating. That's why I'm trying to get a sense if I'm being reasonable before I ask anything at all of them. I really have to make sure it's worth it since everything is disagreeable to them and I don't want them to take it out on him. It's been a long year. BH it's almost over. I would just let it go but it can't be comfy for him to wait all day. On weekends I know his "schedule" and being out of his own home never bothers him. So I don't think it's that.

miracleshappen

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 10:14 pm

I was a kindergarten assistant a few years back at a girls school. I spent a good portion of my time taking kids to the bathroom. Around 3 months into the year, I was rather taken aback when one girl asked me to wipe her. She was the only one to ever ask out of a class of seventeen, so yes, I would say most kids know how to by then (boys could be different though)

chatouli

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 10:17 pm

He won't be in kindergarten for another year and a half... But probably girls do learn earlier too! No personal experience with them though Smile

Beyla

Wed, Apr 30 2014, 8:49 am

As a morah of kids aged 3-4, I used to wipe if asked but never proposed it myself.

STovah

Wed, Apr 30 2014, 8:54 am

My son's kindergarten Morah called after my son had an accident and said that they never go into the bathroom with the boys by policy. She suggested I buy packets of wet wipes to send along with him to school and to teach him to wipe himself.

chatouli

Wed, Apr 30 2014, 11:31 am

Thanks so much, everyone. I really appreciate your input. Maybe it's best if I just teach him with wipes. I'd rather not rock the boat with them. There's only a month and two weeks left.

I just feel bad it took me until April to find out what has been going on. I just assumed he made at school and only this week did he tell me he holds it bc his Morahs tell him he needs to wipe himself and he doesn't know how. embarrassed

5*Mom

Wed, Apr 30 2014, 11:41 am

Some children, even very small children, are just not comfortable being wiped by non-family or even non-Mommy Smile

. My 3-yr-old has recently started dressing herself but shortly before that, she stopped letting her sisters help her, saying, "I only let a parent dress me." If I am not available to wipe her, there is only one sister whom she will let fill in for me. I didn't create them but I recognize the importance of respecting the personal boundaries she has chosen to set for her body.

amother

Wed, Apr 30 2014, 10:51 pm

My sons school also has a no morah in the bathroom policy. It stinks for the 3-4 yr old nursery and kindergarten kid but these are the times we are living in. I also tried going with the flushable wipes but they mostly waited to takecare of business at home.

persephonefalls

Thu, May 01 2014, 2:24 am

As a follow up to this, how do you teach a 3 year old to wipe themselves properly? We've tried, but whenever we let my daughter wipe herself, she doesn't do a great job and gets rashes, so we keep wiping her. It does seem like a useful skill, though--any suggestions?

saw50st8

Thu, May 01 2014, 5:00 am

persephonefalls wrote:

I haven't taught my daughter yet, but I think boys are easier. If they don't wipe everything, its just gross. With a girl, infections can occur.

Always teach girls to wipe front to back and take a new piece of toilet paper each time.

5*Mom

Thu, May 01 2014, 6:17 am

Honestly, I don't even think a 3-yr-old's arms are long enough or their coordination fine enough to get to all the right places and avoid the wrong ones.