Wearing aprons while nappy changing

[radish]

I'm hoping all you wonderful people will be able to help.

What is the rule of thumb regarding staff wearing aprons while nappy changing?  Our policy says we wear them but we have a member of staff who cannot fit a standard apron.  Does anyone know where I can get extra large ones? 

Many thanks

 

[Foreveryoung]

We only wear at personal choice or if explosive  generally no aprons.

Did a staff meeting around reduction in plastic and generated a policy together, also included reduction in glove usage. 

[louby loo]

13 minutes ago, Foreveryoung said:

We only wear at personal choice or if explosive  generally no aprons.

Did a staff meeting around reduction in plastic and generated a policy together, also included reduction in glove usage. 

Same for us, especially with gloves. Our age range is 2 upwards if that makes a difference.

[trekker]

am curious ...

On ‎03‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 19:53, Foreveryoung said:

We only wear at personal choice or if explosive  generally no aprons.

Did a staff meeting around reduction in plastic and generated a policy together, also included reduction in glove usage. 

-  do you mean you're reducing glove usage at nappy time (the only time we wear them unless for first aid)….if so how are you going about reducing this?

[Foreveryoung]

2 hours ago, trekker said:

am curious ...

-  do you mean you're reducing glove usage at nappy time (the only time we wear them unless for first aid)….if so how are you going about reducing this?

Yes, we use one glove on a wet change if the staff want to but can use non up to them. Soiled nappy again one or two gloves, no aprons are worn unless staff member chooses to again explosive nappies or suspected diarrhoea.

We use gloves for first aid if it involves any bodily fluids such as sick/blood.

Any open/fresh wounds staff member uses glove to cover to prevent cross infection. 

[Stargrower]

We have just adopted this approach too, exactly the same as Foreveryoung.  We had a discussion at our last staff meeting about reducing plastic, particularly single use.  Using gloves is a personal preference though, and I have told staff I won't be watching to see who uses gloves and who doesn't, it's personal choice.

[louby loo]

Us to. We've  also adopted the 'bagged hand' approach to clearing wee on floors bodily fluids type incidents  - therefore just using a bag and no gloves. 

[finleysmaid]

On ‎05‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 10:23, Stargrower said:

.  Using gloves is a personal preference though, and I have told staff I won't be watching to see who uses gloves and who doesn't, it's personal choice.

dO  you mean gloves or aprons??? I don't really have an issue with aprons..depends on the child but I wouldn't be going near a bottom without at least one glove on! you never know what the blighters have got!!!!!

We have a washable apron for the kitchen duty now which was on request from the EHO!

[Stargrower]

Yes, I do mean gloves!  We have discussed it at length and I decided to leave it to staff to decide whether they need/want to wear glove(s).  Antibacterial soap and hot water do wonders too...  

I read about a nursery chain (can't remember which one) who had taken this approach and it got us thinking.

A nursery local to us doesn't use paper towels but has a big basket of flannels which children use once then put in another basket to be washed.   We did think about this but I wasn't convinced about the difference between using paper towels and all the washing that flannels would entail.  Also, we don't use a tumble dryer because they use so much energy, so would  have lots of clothes airers full of damp flannels!

[finleysmaid]

3.54. Providers must ensure that their premises, including overall floor space and outdoor spaces, are fit for purpose and suitable for the age of children cared for and the activities provided on the premises. Providers must comply with requirements of health and safety legislation (including fire safety and hygiene requirements).

I would just be careful that you are not in contravention of any policies /eho regulations/Public health or using PPE at work under your health and safety executive. If you've covered all of this and done a thorough risk assessment including informing your parents then go for it......although you might find it easier just to find some biodegradable gloves We recently had a child come back from Pakistan with Cholera ...didn't know for a week!!!!!!!!!

[Foreveryoung]

Here's the nursery that gave us the confidence to change. It refers to legislation too 

https://qanurserymagazine.co.uk/content/kids-allowed-cut-plastic-use

[Stargrower]

Yes, that's the article I read too Foreveryoung!  

[FSFRebecca]

This is all very interesting - we haven't considered this (yet!). As well as being significantly more environmentally friendly, the impact of the reduced cost cannot be underestimated 

[finleysmaid]

8 hours ago, Rebecca said:

This is all very interesting - we haven't considered this (yet!). As well as being significantly more environmentally friendly, the impact of the reduced cost cannot be underestimated 

until you're sued by an employee!!

I don't know that you would get many people not using gloves in hospitals or care homes for toileting. Just because a child is young does not mean they do not have any infections and if a member of staff gets anything in a cut on their hands they could get infected. The article is interesting but the owner of this nursery chain has no specific knowledge to my understanding...it is just her idea and may well be based on financial reasons!  We all have to make our own decisions but having had a child with cholera and others who travel to countries all over the world on a regular basis I don't think i'll be going glove free just yet.

[Stargrower]

I don't think anyone would dispute that children carry infection and I certainly wouldn't expect hospitals to go down this route.  I feel it is down to risk assessment as well as giving staff the personal choice.  We would expect staff with a cut to cover this with gloves when nappy changing, toileting and preparing food.  But I feel that washing with antibacterial soap and hot water does the job in most situations. 

[Cait]

On 07/11/2018 at 13:11, Stargrower said:

 

A nursery local to us doesn't use paper towels but has a big basket of flannels which children use once then put in another basket to be washed.   We did think about this but I wasn't convinced about the difference between using paper towels and all the washing that flannels would entail.  Also, we don't use a tumble dryer because they use so much energy, so would  have lots of clothes airers full of damp flannels!

My old preschool had flannels for hand drying and put to wash after use.   I saw it as halfway between a familiar towel from home and disposable paper towel they would use once they got to school.   I used an eco ball in the wash and did them on a hot wash, dryer balls if I needed to put them in the dryer, so no chemicals used, just energy.   I did like them, they were a nice mix of colours which helped with colour identification too.   I did try using a small hand towel for each child on a named peg in the washroom, and it was very good, but once we had more children than available hooks, we went to the flannels.