Obviously bidets are great for adults and older youth, but what about young children?

Can small children use a bidet? If a child is capable of using a normal toilet seat there is no reason why they wouldn’t be able to use a bidet toilet seat. Most modern bidet toilet seats offer adjustable nozzles which makes it possible to easily clean small children’s posteriors.

While it is possible for small children to use a bidet, there are some things you should be aware of when washing a child’s bum with a bidet.

Turn Down the Pressure

The first thing you need to do when washing your child’s bum with a bidet is to turn the pressure way down. Don’t expose your child to a full strength water jet from your bidet. This would be way too much pressure and would not be a pleasant experience.

Many of the new bidet seats have a child mode button built right into the remote. Start with this setting and see how your child likes it. Once they are comfortable with the low pressure, you can always slowly bump it up if your child’s rump isn’t getting cleaned well enough at the lower pressure. The first few times on the bidet, you’re just trying to get your child to get used to water being sprayed at their backside. It’s not so much about getting them perfectly clean.

Location, Location, Location

Just like in real estate, when you put a kid on the bidet, location is critical. Be warned that a child’s rear is much farther forward on a toilet seat than an adults. You’re going to have to adjust the nozzle way forward when washing your little tike’s “under world”. On most units this isn’t very hard; just a few clicks of a button.

And from my experience, the worst thing that can happen is you’ll get some water spraying up their back. Not the end of the world, but the kid doesn’t usually like it. It’s kind of a shock to them and it makes them nervous to sit on it the next time.

Keep Their Knees Together

While it’s probably a good idea to let their knees spread apart while they are working on a bowel movement, once you get to the wash cycle they should put their knees together. Let’s face it, a child’s rump is typically a pretty small target. And I just advised you above to move the nozzle forward quite a ways to avoid spraying water up their back.

It’s not crazy to think that you might move it too far forward and have water shooting through their legs. The easiest way to prevent this is simply to keep their legs closed when the wash cycle starts. After the first or second wash cycle, you’ll get a feel for where the nozzle needs to be placed for a good washing.

You Hold the Remote

If your bidet comes with a remote, make sure you are the one holding it. We had the unfortunate experience of letting our child hold the remote and they ended up dropping it in the toilet.

Luckily the company we had bought our bidet from quickly replace the remote for us for free. But it was a few days that we couldn’t use the bidet until the new remote arrived. And given how much I love my bidet, those couple of days felt like a dirty eternity! If you have a hard time saying “NO” to your kid, then just give them a fake remote if they insist on holding it.

If At First You Don’t Succeed…

Don’t be shocked if your child doesn’t love the bidet experience the first time you expose them to it. It’s not something they have ever experienced before and its kind of a tender area. Don’t over react if they don’t love it. Give it some time and eventually it will just become part of the routine.

Our son, who is about 3 years old, wasn’t wild about the bidet the first time it started spraying on him. But we made him stay on it and by the time the wash cycle was over he was laughing because he said it “tickled”. Ever since then it hasn’t been a problem getting him washed by the bidet.

If You’re Potty Training

My advice would be to not worry about the bidet during potty training. Get your child potty trained really well before starting to attempt washing them with the bidet. If for some reason your child doesn’t like the bidet, you really don’t want them associating the bidet with going to the bathroom on the toilet.

When Is a Bidet Most Helpful for Kids

There are a few situations where a bidet is actually very helpful for children. The first such situation is when your child sits on the toilet for extended periods of time. Our 3 year old tends to take a lot of time in the bathroom. He’s gotten to the point where we just let him climb up on the toilet and do his thing.

Then when he’s done he yells for someone to come and wipe him. Often time he’s been on the throne long enough that his poop has started drying to his skin. This requires a lot of wiping to get off and this quickly irritates his skin. By washing him with the bidet first, all we have to do is pat his little bum dry. Much easier on us and on him.

Another time where a bidet is preferable for kids is when they have a hemorrhoid. This may sound ridiculous, but it’s not uncommon for kids to get hemorrhoids. Wiping over these things is very painful and it makes getting their bum clean kind of difficult. Once again the bidet is a lifesaver in these situations.

Basically, anytime your child has irritated skin around their bottom, a bidet is going to be very helpful. It helps to reduce the discomfort from these irritated areas as well as helping them to heal by not rubbing over them and making them worse. Patting wet skin dry is much less abrasive than wiping dry skin with dry toilet paper.

The Bottom Line

Bidet toilet seats are a good option for children who are already potty trained. Be aware of the pressure coming out of the nozzle and of the position of the nozzle. Give your child time to get comfortable with the bidet. It’s a new experience for them and it’s a sensitive area. But with time most children should learn to really like the bidet.