To think nursery should be able to remove all poo from nappy?

[ExasperatedByNursery]

My toddler has been going to nursery since they were a baby and over the last few months an issue has developed where they are regularly (about 90% of the time) coming home with bits of poo in the creases and sometimes in the nappy itself. By bits of poo I mean noticeable specks. I’ve raised this repeatedly with management who assured me that they would get it sorted by speaking to staff and ensuring everyone was properly trained. It’s happened again this week and on raising it this time, management has basically responded that while they’ll continue to keep an eye on it, there is nothing more they can do, and have implied that our next step might be to remove our child from the nursery. I’m pretty shocked. They seem to basically be saying that they can’t guarantee that staff are well trained enough to clean nappies thoroughly and so we should just leave (presumably so that someone else can take the place who hopefully doesn’t notice or is just less inclined to complain?!). We’ve always been polite when raising this so it just seems like they can’t be bothered any more. Is it unreasonable to expect there not to regularly be specks of poo left in our child’s nappy?

'My' kids bums are immaculate but I've had 3 children. I can imagine some poor 16yo having issues.

I know all varieties of poo and some make my heart sink: half a packet of wipes later you have a clean child.

OP, you say this has been the last few months, are you aware of any changes in the nursery? Is the nursery part of a chain - is there higher management? It’s not really acceptable for a child to have poo in sensitive areas, this can lead to rashes and sores. I think the suggestion from a PP to provide wipes may help, and also escalating above the nursery manager. Make sure everything is in writing.

My kids used to get this with high fibre foods. Virtually impossible to get off without a full soapy bath. Wiping would make them sore.

Two questions.

Is your child's poo sticky. Sometimes it can be stickier after certain foods/meals, so it's harder to clean. Same with dehydration.

Has your toddler reached the wriggling and refusing to lie down stage, especially when there's something more interesting happening elsewhere? Like other toddlers playing for instance.

Good point about sending pics of bum. Bad me !

But I would still take pic of nappy then and show manager what you are concerned about

If flecks

Shouldn't be any trace of poo

Do you provide wipes ?

Some brands like Huggies I find are rough and don't wipe well

Amazon or Aldi wipes are good and get off stubborn poo

I can think of the obvious one, but what are all the others?

Thanks for the suggestions - to try and answer questions - have already raised to the very highest management, the owner. That’s who has responded to say they can’t guarantee full cleanliness. Have put everything in writing already, and their response implying we might want to leave the nursery is also in writing. There have been some staff changes recently too, though not many.

Sometimes my toddler’s poo is difficult to clean thoroughly, and appreciate nursery staff don’t have as much time as I do at home. But while I can understand the odd slip up, this is becoming the norm now.

I provide all wipes and cotton wool. Have specifically requested wet cotton wool be used for poos, but unfortunately hasn’t solved the issue.

Does your toddler have an issue with poo? Could they be leaking small amounts of poo? Why the cotton wool instead of wipes?

But yeah I'd move my kid out of a nursery that just couldn't be arsed to wipe a kids arse.

1. It's a criminal offence.
2. The child's dignity.
3. What are you going to do with the photo? Once you send it you have no control over where it goes next.
4. Nursery will think you're batshit.
5. Shitty bum photo, just gross.

How old is your toddler? Obviously they should be thoroughly cleaned at each change but wondering if age/size might be a factor if they are wriggly?

If it's just the very occasional tiny bit I would let it go, we had that both at home and at nursery. If it's more common then that's not ok.

I raised this once with our nursery when it was particularly bad and there was a lot of new staff in the room, I thought the room lead should know some more training might be needed. She took it incredibly seriously. Of course, it turned out it was her who did the last change that day and the dirty nappy by home time was the start of a bug that made itself felt the following day.

Your comment about age was a bit eye-opening tbh, even if it was unintended.

I wasn't going to comment, but you obviously need it pointing out more than once. Can't you just accept that it came across badly?

I personally think k it they don't regard that as a sortable issue then they should be reported to the LA.

Could they be cleaning his bum then he has a follow on poo?

They can't guarantee full cleanliness? That is utterly ridiculous, it is part of their job to make sure your child is clean!

I get sometimes with a really gritty, runny poo ( I call them weetabix poos, sorry 😅) it can be hard to clean every single speck, but this should only happen the very odd time, not every soiled nappy.

As a nursery nurse I am actually appalled by management's response. They are basically saying If you don't like it you can leave. And honestly op, I would strongly consider doing this. Its the bare minimum that your child's nappy area is kept clean and sanitary.

And as others have said, don't take photos of your child's nappy area, the nursery will definitely see it as a safeguarding concern!

It really is. It's stereotyping.

I'm 30 years older than you and there's nothing wrong with my hands and wrists, I'm as dextrous as I ever was.

It is. That's you and YOUR wrist, fine. But sweeping comments about age are not

Sorry? What! I’m in my 60’s and perfectly capable of changing my GS nappy. Thank you 😳

How old is your toddler? I also wonder if they're trying to nudge you towards potty training? Changing older children's pooey nappies is not fun! Having said that, they should of course be cleaning him properly. It sounds like the owner would rather you moved your child than actually making sure her staff are doing their job properly!

I had my first child at 16, I was quite able to clean his bum properly . I'm not sure a nursery have 16 year olds but if they do and they are incapable of cleaning a child's bum they shouldn't be working with children . It's really not hard

Honestly, I think this may be on you. You say you are insisting that they must use wet cotton wool balls only? And you are providing cotton wool balls to them. Personally, I’d refuse to do it at all. Firstly it’s the faff. Having to wet the ruddy things in advance of getting a child on the changing table. Then what if you need more than you anticipated? Get the child down, put them ? while you wet more. It’s ridiculous in itself. But that aside, why not properties that can just be pulled out of the pack at hand one after another as needed, and they give a proper wipe as opposed to what you can achieved with squished up wet cotton wool balls. You can get unfragranced hypoallergenic wipes if needed. As the saying goes, if you give a carpenter shit tools, they will do a shit job. It’s likely why the nursery is trying to get rid of you.

This is not ok, a one off i could maybe let go but repeatedly? I would not feel comfortable that the staff are not competent enough to clean a childs bottom properly and would be reporting them. If this is the standard of care provided why on Earth are you leaving your child there? God knows what else is happening if the staff think this is ok.

This is insulting to 16 year olds, if someone cannot adequately change a dirty nappy they shouldn't be working in a nursery.

Sometimes my toddler’s poo is difficult to clean thoroughly,
Why? What are you feeding him that is causing this, and can you stop feeding it him on nursery days?

Have specifically requested wet cotton wool be used for poos, but unfortunately hasn’t solved the issue.
This shouldn't be needed unless the child is suffering with broken skin due to nappy rash/eczema etc. Why can't they use wipes which are easier and quicker to use?