I don't recall her saying she was just learning. I think she said she didn't do it very well.
As you can see from the attached articles it is a common problem.
http://www.drpaul.com/library/VAGINITIS.html
: Vaginal Discharge Common In Young Girls
DEAR DR. PAUL: My four year old daughter seems to have a lot of discharge. Even though she is bathed every day, but the end of the day her panties are messy, almost greenish tinged. I don't know if it is normal for this age, or should I be concerned?
PEDIATRICIAN DR. PAUL Answers: This is common problem in girls less than 8-9 years of age. Although it is impossible for me to make an exact diagnosis, I will describe the various possible causes of vaginal discharge known as "vulvovaginitis". The exact treatment will depend on the cause. The term vulvovaginitis refers to inflammation of the female external genital area. Inflammation can occur in any of the following ways:
Irritation
Irritation from bubble baths or the use of strongly scented soaps. Other products than can irritate the area include soaps, detergents or softeners used to wash the underwear. Wearing tight fitting nylon underwear can also result in irritation.
Another cause of vaginal irritation in young girls has to do with the way the anal area is wiped with toilet paper. We recommend that wiping be done from "front to back" rather than "back to front", as the latter way can spread fecal matter and bacteria to the genital area.
http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/4507.htm
Question:
My 9 yr. old daughter was diagnosed w/vaginitis (no fever, urinalysis clean). We followed the on-call dr's. advise; plenty of fluids, baking soda sits baths. She started to feel better w/in a week so we discontinued therapy. Soon after symptons returned. Her regular peditrician suggested to continue w/sits baths for 21 days. After that, if there was no improvement use Gynalotrimen (or similar). Well, my daughter is not feeling any relief, still feels the need to urinate frequently & is complaining of itching & some burning on urination. I'm still giving the sits baths but have now begun the Mycelex7. Could there be any other problems we are unaware of? (This problem has been going on for @ least 3 wks. She is frustrated w/being "sick" for such a long time)
Answer:
"Vaginitis" is a commonly diagnosed in children. Sometimes irritation of the vagina in children may be due to a true infection, either bacterial or yeast. More often it is just a nonspecific irritation due to a host of factors. Sometimes children may not be wiping from front-to-back. Wiping in the other direction brings bacteria to the vaginal area promoting infection. Some children may be chronically in damp but not wet underpants. If a child waits too long before urinating small amounts of urine may leak out and lead to irritation. In some girls, some urine may actually pool in the vagina and lead to dampness once the child arises. Vaginal irritation, especially if associated with urinary frequency or urgency may also be related to relative constipation. Even if a child is having a daily bowel movement, if he or she is not emptying completely, the stool that is left behind can lead to all these symptoms. Most parents are surprised (and skeptical) that subtle constipation can lead to urinary symptoms. Initially therapy usually involves sitting in warm water several times a day in conjunction with proper hygiene (wiping from front to back), wearing loose fitting underwear and making sure the genital areas are dry. It will help to place the child on a high fiber diet. If symptoms persist, then an anti-yeast cream may help. With a normal urine sample, urinary tract infections are not the cause of her symptoms. Once the present symptoms are controlled, further episodes can be prevented by proper hygiene and bladder/bowel habits.
http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=49&action=Display&articlenum=897
Nonspecific vulvovaginitis (where no causative organism or irritant can be identified) can be seen in all age groups, but it occurs most commonly in young girls before puberty. Once puberty begins, the vagina becomes more acidic, which tends to help prevent infections. Nonspecific vulvovaginitis can occur in girls with poor genital hygiene and is characterized by a foul-smelling, brownish-green discharge and irritation of the labia and vaginal opening. This condition is often associated with an overgrowth of a type of bacteria that is typically found in the stool. These bacteria are sometimes spread from the rectum to the vaginal area by wiping from back to front after using the bathroom.
http://jfjbr.tripod.com/truth/bynum.html
SAWYER: We asked him to specifically review all notes that might pertain. He agreed, citing the frenzy of uninformed speculation. Be warned, these are a doctor's clinical notes about a young patient.
September 1993 a call about vaginal redness, possibly associated with recent diarrhea.
April 1994 a visit about a problem perhaps related to the use of bubble bath, which can be an irritant.
October 1994 a routine physical. No problems noted, though some indication of occasional bedwetting. Dr Beuf says 20 percent to 25 percent of children that age wet the bed.
March 1995 abdominal pain and fever. Tests and exam showed no problem.
August 1996another routine physical with a vaginal exam. The doctor said everything checked out as normal. We asked what he made of this number of complaints?
Would that be unusual?
BEUF: For a child that age, certainly not. They don't wipe themselves very well after they urinate. And it's something which usually is curable by having them take plain water baths or learning to wipe better. But if you have 4yo kids, you know how hard that is. The amount of vaginitis which I saw on the child was totally consistent with little girls her age.