How to teach a 3 year old to use an appropriate amount of toilet paper?
We're potty-training our 3-year old, and we'd like for him to be learning how to wipe himself after he goes. However, if he is unsupervised he frequently uses an excessive amount of toilet paper. On a handful of occasions, it has been enough to clog the toilet and cause the toilet to overflow (he also likes flushing multiple times).
What can we try other than keeping the toilet paper out of reach or supervising every trip to the bathroom?
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Honestly, for me this has been something I see in this age range (really until closer to 5). I have a few kids past this age & have watched others & it takes some time to coordinate wiping and paper usage. I'd have to say I've just stuck to supervising. They don't want it to get onto their hand (and you don't either) so they can tend to overdo it. Also, if they have to wipe many times, they lack the ability to know they need to flush it now, and then wipe more, in order to avoid ever over filling with paper.
I do know there are flushable wipes you can use & those may result in less paper usage since a damp wipe often takes less attempts, but you should be aware those are not at all friendly to sewer systems & water treatment plants hate them. I know they say they are flushable, but apparently they do in fact cost these facilities a fair amount on removal (clogs their systems) and they pay to have it hauled elsewhere & dumped. So since I learned that in researching them, we haven't tried that way. I have told kids they are free to use the normal baby wipes if they then put it in the trash & I take the bathroom trash out daily (it also has diapers in it though here, so it may be a more feasible system in my case).
I'd recommend the Cottonelle Kids Toilet Paper rolls. They use paw prints and a dog to show when to tear. Fun and easy for kids to use.
I have no experience actually using this, but I remembered seeing it and immediately thought of it when I saw your question.
Cottonelle Kids Toilet Paper on Amazon
Edit: I realized it looks like this product is no longer for sale. Here is an alternative I found on Amazon.
Mom Invented Toilet Paper Saver
This is a clip you put on the roll to prevent your child from playing with it. Young children will still require assistance unclicking it to access the TP, but at least you don't have to put it away after each use (which means remembering it for the next time).
There are a couple of fun ways to do this that you could try:
Draw a line on the wall or use a piece of decorative tape.
Here's a funny example that's really nerdy:
The text reads "you shall not pass!"
Use it as counting practice.
Show your kid where to look for the tear lines and tell them to only use n sheets at a time. Three or four is probably a good number.
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