hopeytg Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 I just wanted to check with you knowledgeable people whether I am correct in advising parents that staff do not wipe the bottoms of toilet trained children. It is a policy we have always had but as parents are questioning me I have started to doubt myself. Some reassurance or contradiction if I am wrong would be gratefully received.
sunnyday Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Well.........if it's your policy....then it's your policy However, we do wipe bottoms for children who would not be quite capable of doing so themselves.......there is, in my humble opinion, a big step between being toilet trained and being able to manage all personal hygiene matters independently.... It will be interesting to see responses to this....
Cait Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 We do wipe bottoms. I think it would be neglectful of us not to, and incredibly uncomfortable for children - as well as unpleasantly smelly for other children too! What is your reason for not doing it?
Gezabel Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Absolutely we wipe bottoms for those who need a little help. I would feel as though I was failing in my duty of care if I didn't do so. A child in a setting all day who used the loo early morning and didn't quite manage the wiping could be quite sore at the end of the day - counldn't they?
Rea Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 I dont see a problem with wiping bottoms. Its part and parcel of the care we provide. If a childs newly trained we might keep an eye on them to see if they could manage and then offer help if we thought it was needed.
Panders Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Yes we too wipe little bottoms - I do ask the children if they need help, or as they get older they are definitely encouraged to have a go for themselves as I am sure in Reception they wouldn't get too much assistance.
Fredbear Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Yes we are definetly a wiping bottom pre-school, we work with 2.5 to 5 year olds, and certainly wouldn't expect them all to beable to do this, We have gloves for the staff to wear. This has always been one of my concerns with children starting school so young, and teachers not allowed to do this. Can i ask what age are the children you work with.
HoneyPancakes Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 My five year old still asks to have his bottom wiped. Suits me as I worry about wiping accidents, combined with poor hand washing, causing real hygiene problems. Honey
Devondaisy Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 When they are first toilet trained we usually get them to have a go themselves, then we "finish off" for them. As they get older we do encourage more independence if it hasn't happened already. Some are keen to do things for themselves, others less so. The aim is for them to be independent before they leave us for school really.
samwise38 Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 We wipe too! No different to changing nappies really, just another step along the way to being fully trained. We also incidentally try to teach how to bottom wipe. Makes for an interesting conversation!
Guest Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 We'd always encourage them to 'have a go' and then we would wipe too!!
mps09 Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 We have a personal care policy which cover this... Yes, we do wipe bottoms, but we get the children to do it first and them we 'check', with lots of praise! Many , many children tell me that they are not 'allowed' to do it at home.... and this worries me - yes it can be messy, yes there is the hygiene issue, but they do need the practice to do this... And our school (don't know if it is different for other school) do not wipe bottoms unless there is a recognised developmental reason why this is difficult. We also let parents know that this is the case and strongly advise them to support us and work together to ensure that all the children are fully capable and independent by the time they leave pre-school ready to start school. Quite oftten the children aren't flexible enough to wipe effectively! but they do need to understand that this is something that is there own responsibility....
finleysmaid Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 yes we wipe ...children are not in propotion at this age and their arm length is too short to effectively wipe...(get a child to put their hand over their head it reaches about half way and an adults reaches to their shoulder )
Cait Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 ah finleysmaid - thank you - I always thought I had an over-long body, now I know I have short arms! mine only just reaches earlobe!
finleysmaid Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 well thats ok cait (as long as you dont need me to wipe your bottom )
louby loo Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Well, I suppose it's relative to the age group you work with. We're pre-school age- so defo help wipe bots if necessary.
hopeytg Posted March 4, 2011 Author Posted March 4, 2011 Thank you for all your replies - looks like I will be changing our policy!! - It is one I inheritated and wrongly assumed it was common procedure. We will have some happy Mums & bottoms!!
sunnyday Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Thank you for all your replies - looks like I will be changing our policy!! - It is one I inheritated and wrongly assumed it was common procedure. We will have some happy Mums & bottoms!! Ah...that's nice!
Panders Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 I also think apart from their inflexibility, arm length etc. they wobble about on top of the loo, - we only have adult sized loos, and I would hate for one of them to fall in mid wipe! What always makes me giggle is the "presentation" modes of the rear end to be either wiped or checked!
louby loo Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 What always makes me giggle is the "presentation" modes of the rear end to be either wiped or checked! Yes.............. we had one that dropped his pants for 'checking' in the middle of circle time - and I mean 'middle'!!!!!! xx
Guest Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 We wipe, many times a day we hear the cry of 'I've done a poo' from the toilets and on go the gloves! We do have a personal care consent in the reg form and our toileting policy and guidance covers this too!
finleysmaid Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 We do have a personal care consent in the reg form this is interesting ...do lots of you have a consent form for this? always thought of it as part of the job but after recent nursery events in the press maybe this would be worth it?
Guest Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Hi all We too wipe bottoms! We also put it down on our Nappy Changing log sheet that we have helped to do this. Also if we have had to help pull up their knickers/pants as its a part of personal toileting. Think this is more for our protection than anything else.
Cait Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 We do, it says something along the lines of "I give my permission for CRB/Ofsted cleared staff to clean and/or change my child in the event of need"
Guest Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 I'm glad to hear that so many do help with this and haven't been scared off by protection issues. I would definitely want my child to be assisted rather than spend all day getting sore and uncomfortable. However I do think the encouraging independence thing is the most important point here. If you are wiping a child's bottom all the time right up until (and after) they go to school then you aren't really doing them any favours because no one is going to do this for them at school. A teacher who is on her own with a class of 30 children cannot trot off to the toilets to start doing this everytime a child comes along who can't do this independently. It's so important to develop these skills before children reach school age and with good handwashing being taught hygiene should not be an issue.
finleysmaid Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 although i know where you are coming from kariana if schools are going to take children earlier and earlier into school settings they need to adjust to the needs of the child not the child adjusting to the setting...if you have a child who is small for their age this task will be impossible for them even if they want to.
Guest Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 gatecrashing as a year R teacher but I hope you'll let me play. We have many children who arrive at school unable to wipe as culturally a sponge is used at home and we have paper in school. Our local nurseries have used wet-wipes as a half-way stage, though this is expensive so parents are asked to provide their own, and we also allow children to keep their wipes in their drawers in case of need, as long as they are 'sensible' with them, but not many take up the option. This is the subject of many a 'before starting school' home visit discussion, along with teaching boys to use a urinal please. Any tips on how to bridge the sponge/paper gap would be gratefully received as this still causes such distress at times. thank you Mary
Gezabel Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Maybe I have finally lost the plot I can't think of how parents can teach a 4yr old to use a urinal - the school I used to work in had this in the boys toilets, small ones obviously at child height but I can't think where they would be available in public. Now wondering if gents toilets have mini urinals but then again that would rule out any single mums. Not being critical just pondering really. Oh and finleysmaid I totally agree with you.
Fredbear Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Totally agree Finleysmaid and put more eloquently than my post 7.
Recommended Posts