CM Club: Hand washing, nappy changing, unattended children - CM help please (Ofsted coming)

[leeloo1]

Hi all,

Ok I think this is the area where I am weakest so I want to work out what is acceptable...

Nappy changing for Mindees has to be done in the living room, obv I wipe the mat after use and use antibac gel on my hands but it means I have to leave the room to dispose of the nappy.

1. Is taking nappy out to put it in the kitchen bin acceptable?
2. I don't use plastic gloves - is this an absolute must? (Couldn't see it in EYFS but might have missed it).
3. I (for last few weeks) have a 5 month old and 15 month old. If taking nappy to bin/fetching food/going to the loo etc, what should I do with the children?

a) put baby in car seat and take with? b) put 1 of them in a playpen (if so which one?) c) take 15 month old with me?

Ok, 3 feels like something out of Professor Layton where you have to get a wolf, chicks and cabbages over a river without anything being eaten, but hopefully you get the idea.

Currently I usually leave them in the living room if the 15 month old is happily engaged in what he's doing, or take 1 of them with me if he's not (or leave door open so he can follow)... but there's no set pattern and I don't know what Ofsted will find acceptable.

Any advice appreciated...

Oh and I'm the only one using the toilet, so is 1 handtowel acceptable or should I have extras for guests (and Ofsted inspectors)?

okay

1 seperate lidded bin in kitchen for soiled nappy
2 non latex, vinyl gloves are best practice, I order mine in boxes of 100 from local pharmacy
3 baby in high chair for your loo trips, then the 15 month old can't tip the car seat

wrt towel, either one changed daily or use kitchen towel and dispose of in bin

HTH

and yes it is acceptable for you to move around the house with out the children in the same room, as long as you can hear them it's fine

obv your premises are safe so the mindees cannot electrocute/ strangle themselves whilst you are weeing

I had to make lunch with the inspector here, leaving 4 children unattended in the play room. I just kept popping back each time I had done the next bit of food. I also had to change a nappy - one child followed me, but the other two stayed in the play room unattended (the Ofsted inspector followed me). I always use gloves by the way. The Ofsted inspector was happy - I had risk assessed the play room, so ...... Not sure if this is any help.

Thats a big help thanks! Huge relief to know I'm not expected to transport both the kids with me each time I leave the room!

Baby is too little for highchair (not sitting up yet so mum doesn't want her using it), but thats not a huge problem - can either take her with me in car seat or take him if need be.

About the plastic gloves for each nappy change - I despair about what this does to the environment! If you use them would you also wash your hands/anti bac them? Or is that overkill?

Thanks again for the advice.

yes I deglove, turning each inside out and then wash hands

1. I put mine in nappy sack and chuck out of the catflap to the outside then when we go outside, I collect the nappy and go round the other side of the garden and put in the dustbin.
2. Some inspectors say we should wear those disposable aprons too - crazy, I do NOT wear one lol
3. I use toilet downstairs and leave the door open usually but that's when I'm on my own. If I needed to go whilst inspector was here, I'd explain this and ask her to watch them as obviously I'm not leaving the door open with the inspector there!! lol

Boysargelikedogs - Please don't read this as me being snidey as I am really not, but I'm just curious to know why you wash your hands after using the gloves as I thought the gloves were there to protect your hands thus not needing to wash them afterwards? I was going to buy gloves but I don't really see the point if you're still expected to wash your hands afterwards anyway??

Lol, looneytune - I normally do the same as you on 3. A friend was complaining that her work was so busy she hadn't had time to go to the loo all day, so I told her I could go whenever I wanted but that I usually had 2 toddlers (prev mindee) watching me!

Will add - 'install catflap' to my to do list! - do you really do that when an inspectors watching you?

because I am a bit OCD wrt clean hands

Leeloo - I must have done that when she was here as I wouldn't put in my kitchen bin (it's a carrier bag lol) and wouldn't have gone out of the house round the side of the back garden to do it so yeah. Oh, and my inspection report mentioned how fab I was with nappy changes so can't be that bad lol. But my inspector was a nice 'normal human being' type so maybe I was lucky Oh and no, I don't wash my hands after using gloves!

I pop (throw) my nappy bag out of the fan light window, to put in an outside bin when I go out. Inspectors have always been happy with that. (Cat flap miles away from the bin, so not my chosen nappy exit)

Oh dear, I don't know what the inspector will think of me. I don't and will not wear gloves nor apron, I anti-bac my hands after changing. I wrap nappies in nappy sacks and throw into the corner of my patio then when we go out to the park or playgroup, I collect them from patio and take with me and place in public bins dotted around the area

Obviously though, if we are playing on the patio, I do not put them there!

I bought some cheap changing mats £1 each and use a separate one for each child but obviously still wipe down after each use.

As for towels, when inspector came very recently to inspect my prospective co-childminder, I placed a clean towel and hung it for adult use and all the children have their own clean towels every day.

Ok, will either get gloves and just use them when inspector is here (if its the done thing) if organised enough to go and buy them, or antibac them if not...

Am loving all the people flinging nappies out of windows and catflaps - am imagining all the wildlife being smacked around by flying nappy sacks!

I found some flannnels with different coloured tags on them, put plastic hooks in bathroom and kids had their own 'towel' which I changed every day - they were only about 3quid and are in packs of 10.

I've never used plastic gloves as a cm but in the playgroup where I work now we have to - and the aprons . By the time you've 'kitted' yourself out the contents of the nappy are usually half way down their legs . It'll be those white industrial suits next....

If I have to go to the toilet when I'm out and about - and I reaallly have to be desperate to do it - I get the mindees to face the door and sing nursery rhymes till am finished . Mind, it gets embarassing when they announce 'good girl' in a packed public convenience

Oh, and pmsl at the thought of nappy sacks being chucked through catflaps

i lob my nappies to the end of the garden till i can be arsed have time to bin them

arsed

cant do the crossed out thing oh well