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 parents 60/70 changing diapers and all the grand kids were clean. The loved to be helpful when grands were over.

This is basic childcare. They should be cleaning them properly. There's no excuse not to.

Are childcare centres monitored and reviewed by a government department or similar that you can report them to. If you do leave make sure you leave them a Google and Facebook review. That’s an awful attitude from the owner to suggest you leave rather than fix.

Perhaps younger members of staff who can’t be bothered to do the job properly?

I stopped using cotton wool at about 2 weeks old because of the faff!

If you're not letting them use wet wipes, surely this is a big part of the issue?

Yeah wet cotton wool balls are for new born squits, not proper poos. It'd take forever to get every bit of poo and they don't have that long to spend on your tot's bot.

I didn't make the comment about age. I just replied to it with my own experience.

Some nurseries won't allow any staff with less than a Level 3 to be doing nappies, so 16 year olds shouldn't be doing nappies on their own. some Nurseries don't allow ' bank staff ' to do nappies etc.

What age toddler? Old enough to start potty training or not?

The cotton wool balls are the issue I think.

They have umpteen kids to care for yet you demand they spend extra time on yours faffing about with cotton wool balls !
It will be impacting on time they can spend on others.

That’s probably why they have suggested you find somewhere else.

Thanks for suggestions. For all those saying cotton wool balls are the issue - the nursery actually said they would find this easier. It’s not that they aren’t using wipes - wipes are used to get the majority of the poo off, and then cotton wool balls for the very final bits that are hard to get off with wipes alone. So it’s a mixed approach and I don’t think the cotton wool is to blame.

Thanks for clarifying, OP.

If this is the case, would moving your child to another nursery be possible ?

I know there can be issues with available spaces but wouldn’t it be better for dc and reassuring for you,knowing staff are doing their job properly ?

I found wet cotton wool is useless for cleaning poo, however cotton wool with Johnson baby lotion (pink bottle) worked wonders. Maybe it's not the wipe/wool problem but that the stickiness is abnormally sticky and needs a better active ingredient to clean.

You didn't respond to the diet part. Poo can change consistency and stickiness depending on what is being consumed. As can dehydration.

This is why using the proper language is important. Not to be a bitch but people seem to want to avoid saying bum or genitals when it come to children.

YANBU and their attitude stinks about it as well! What else are they cutting corners on? I'd be finding another setting and reporting this lot to Ofsted for the inconvenience.

Your child should be clean after a nappy change, but in most cases a few wipes should do the trick.
I have two in nappies and honestly most poos for mine are easy to wipe. Is there a diet/tummy element to this that means those hard to clean nappies are very frequent. Wiping over and over again to get every bit off is going to make their bum sore.

I've noticed a similar issue with my dd at nursery and also that she seems to have a redder than normal bum on her nursery days. This is probably because it takes them longer to notice she's pooed than it would take me as they have so many other kids to monitor. It's not ideal, far from it. But if you send your child to nursery I think you have to accept they won't receive the same 1-1 care that you provide at home. Nappies might be rushed or not picked up on immediately.

Maybe your dc would be better in a smaller setting such as a childminder?

I’d report this to the Care Inspectorate. That’s basic hygiene

Absolutely DON'T send photos of your child's naked bottom/genitals to the nursery managers phone/email. Even in context, that's a big safeguarding no-no. Phones and emails can get hacked/forwarded incorrectly, all sorts.

If you absolutely must OP, take a photo and physically show the photo on YOUR phone directly to the manager. That would be considered "at your own risk". But don't send them anywhere.

But yes, to address your actual question OP. Yes, they should be cleaning your child properly after a poo.

I work in a nursery and this shouldn't be happening. Of course they should be cleaning your child properly. The problem may be a lack of suitable staff, unfortunately. We are recruiting at the moment. No qualified staff have applied, even though we have a good reputation in the local area. The people we have had apply are, to be polite, not ideal. We don't mind taking on unqualified staff, as long as they agree to start training, but honestly it is very hard to find anyone half decent to work in childcare at the moment.

@SableGrape if this is the case "I'm not even particularly old (mid 40s) but I know my hands and wrists aren't as good as they used to be!" then I think you need to look into it. I'm 59 and I wouldn't say I've noticed this. I play the flute and know lots of musicians in their 50s and beyond who are definitely not noticing a loss if strength of dexterity. Mid 40s? Really not normal.

I was thinking that. 😀 I am in my 50s and childless and have never changed a nappy and I was just thinking well I never knew that, I thought people changed them completely not “cleaned them”. 😂

I would say that the cotton wool is the issue. It’s very hard to be thorough with Cotton wool while having to be a bit quicker than you would be at home. You can get ultra sensitive wipes if your child has a skin issue, but it’s much easier to be thorough with wipes. (I’ve worked in nurseries for years and have had my own children).

Doesn't your lo get nappy rash from having poo on this bum all day?

Sorry for the insult. I'm just thinking it's very difficult to be quick and thorough without experience. They may be fantastic with kids but being able to do this week comes with a certain amount of experience.

It's all very well to say 'shouldn' t be working in a nursery' but many nurseries need to take what they can get:
A. Recruitment issues, not always much choice
B. Funding issues. What the government pay for funded children is very little and many, many nurseries are going out of business. Those that are surviving are on minimum staff numbers, supplemented by cheap apprentices. If a staff member is off sick, it's a bit of a nightmare.

I hope you understand the context of my comment.