We should ask our babies consent to change their nappies from birth

[MrsGjee]

www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/im-going-change-your-nappy-12511101
Okay I'm probably what most MNers would consider a snowflake but this is about 10 steps over the line of ridiculous!
It's not even a question, this woman is being unreasonable.
Just thought I'd share so as others can experience the shock/disbelief I am rn!

So when my 2.5 year old says "no" to a nappy change, I should go along with that, and let him get a red, sore arse and willy because I don't have his "consent" to change his shitty nappy? Surely that's neglect?! No, sometimes parents have to do things children don't necessarily want, but which they need.

I'm not in shock or disbelief.

It's a pile of bollocks in a bollocks tabloid

Can't even muster up an eye roll if I'm honest.

I'm guessing she doesn't actually have any children and has never had to forcefully change the nappy of a wilful toddler who would much rather be playing and doesn't understand that the consequence of declining to consent to said nappy change would be raw and sore skin. As parents we have to make all kinds of choices on children's behalf before they can give informed consent and for their long term benefit, vaccinations etc.

Yes neglect a child’s basic needs. What s good idea...

Bonkers. The world has gone bonkers.

It's ridiculous. Obviously babies can't consent and toddlers will say no to everything once they learn the word. My dd had thrush when she was around 2, she would say no to having her bum cleaned and the cream put on cause she was sore but without me cleaning her etc she would have got worse. Sometimes you have to do stuff that your kids don't want.

That's a load of rubbish. Sometimes you have to do things your children don't like for their own good, like wrestling with them to give them 4 doses of antibiotics a day as well as Calpol/Nurofen to help them feel better.

May be I should have not put my DD in her car Seat when she didn't want to sit in it either

Even the Paper that Supported the Blackshirts would not carry such rubbish.

MASSIVE problem with this; if you ask for consent and they say no, you still HAVE to change the dirty nappy so all you're teaching at this point is that no doesn't mean no. We want our children to know that they can always say no in situations and be respected in that choice whereas this would completely screw up that understanding

That’s a batcrap idea

I remember going to a hippy baby massage class with pfb when she was a few weeks old
Lady running the class started with “first we ask our baby’s permission to touch them”
Didn’t go back

I'm a nurse and this is a big fat NON-STARTER for me. When they get older, you can ask, "Do you want to take your nappie off or do you want me to do it?" I have worked with older people with dementia. If someone needs a brief change, we do it. Sometimes people don't like that and will yell. But we explain to them that it needs to be done - we can't leave them lying in a pile of their own filth if they're not competent to make decisions.

Oh dear.

Surely nappy changing is like teeth clearing, it’s non negotiable!

My 20 month old most certainly does not give consent. She refuses consent at very single nappy change. "No nappy. No. No. No"

She would very much prefer to eat biscuits, while watching Bing in a dirty nappy. She would also like to play with knives and climb up the bookshelves.

She is also very happy to go nappy free and poo on the floor. Pooing on the floor is very funny (and so is mummy's face).

There is a reason we don't allow children to give informed consent. They would make terrible decisions.

Madness

Is this for real?! By that logic no baby old enough to roll and wiggle away should ever get a nappy change, no car seats or seat belts if the little darlings aren’t in the mood, no life saving medications or vaccines. Small kids don’t understand cause and effect; no nappy change = sore bottom or no car seat = risk of death is not something a 2 year old understands. And presumably no one actually agrees if their kids say no to this stuff? So it’s teaching them that no doesn’t mean no, and messing up their understanding of consent

Ds3 wouldn't have had a clean nappy or clothes for that matter for at least 3 months if I had to wait for his consent 😂

He hates being held still for a second and kicks and rolls and screams bloody murder every time.

She has to be childless and never had anything to do with babies.

I kind of did this, but not asking consent, more
"Just going to change your nappy". I dunno why. Think I read somewhere that communication from a young age helps with speech. Hope no one thought I was bonkers!
It sounds like she is suggesting that you ask a baby without speech capability, rather than a toddler/older baby, which does make it a bit baffling, as in order to keep up with the whole "consent matters" lesson, you have to keep up with it. So it would be very problematic once the kid is 2 or 3 and tries saying "no".
You can either neglect them, or ignore them and go ahead anyway. The latter teaches them that everything you've taught them in their life span so far is bollocks.
Not sure that works too well!

malvinandhobbes

My 18 month DD would LOVE to be allowed to stay in an empty bath, crapping all over it. She would LOVE to be allowed to wander about the house naked.

Funnily enough, erm, the answer is no! She gets those options when she gets quite a bit bigger.

To be fair if you read what she is putting across it's not asking for consent. It's about sexual consent and awareness being taught from a young age. It's not about parents asking for permission to change a nappy.

Chicken I also tell mine I'm changing his nappy. I pretty much keep up a running commentary all day about what we're doing which is good communication imo...but that's very different from some batshit notion of asking consent.

Like a pp said below, all this will do is reinforce to kids that their consent doesn't matter when they say no and you have to do it anyway.

Pengggwn

Pooing on the floor is a new game, one she discovered when I wearied of nappy restraint. Just mentioning it can throw her into the giggles. I chase her around with the potty, and it is all hilarious.

Consent! Ha! She can consent when she can clean the poo off the rugs.

Same, Hoppinggreen - except mine was NHS baby massage!