Going to the toilet in reception

[Northlondonma]

Hi all.

My daughter turns 4 at the end of August and is starting reception 2 weeks later.

What is the policy on wiping bums in reception? Do they get any help?! I have been trying to teach her but her arms simply aren't long enough! At nursery they still help with this.

Any advice???

I stuck one of those small holiday packets of wet toilet wipes in DD's PE bag, which she had to go past to get to the bogs.

But they're not truly flushable, right? So could clog the school's toilets up, I think quite badly.

I have two who always go around 3-4pm, too. No idea why!

Oh please don't use the wipes. Someone did in our school once (well over a few months) and the resulting blockage meant all the toilet stuff seeped up through the floor. We had to evacuate a classroom and get people in to dig it all up. Oh the horror...

Andrex do flushable wipes.

What they claim & what they do might be 2 different things.

We provide wet wipes and bins

And I've never encouraged my kids to "withhold" if that's the term, but neither like the school loos. Can 't say I blame them, neither do I. Neither is constipated, though dd always needs encouraging to drink more.

Reception teacher here. :)

We expect them to at least have a very good go. If they get in a real pickle with it, then of course we'll help them out.
(Frankly I'd be concerned over a school that wouldn't help. We're in loco parentis, and our job is to ensure children are safe, clean and comfortable. Dried poo can make children very sore and uncomfortable).

From my experience though, many children actually don't poo at school, for many different reasons.

I myself never pooed once at school during my entire school career!

My DSs would manage v well at school, but still insist on me performing the deed at home

You really need to take a tough stance over the hols, it's just pratice! But make it clear that she can ask for help at school.

I would also ask to see your school's initmate care policy. Yes, they should have one.....

Ds2 has pooed once at school. In a year. I know because they rung me. Coz he sat on the toilet singing for twenty minutes before wiping and they were worried that something was wrong as he kept saying he wasn't done.

He does that at home too. He will grow into a man with a library in the bathroom.

My DC1 started Reception last Sept and had this issue. She has tended to wait and poo at home after school most days. Some walks home have had to be quick!

She's been a few times at school and wiped herself - I know because of the skid marks in her knickers. (Sorry TMI)

Apparently a bigger issue was the number of children who were scared of having the cubicle door shut and also those who were scared of the hand dryers in the toilets, so the teaching assistants had to go with them quite a lot in the early days, until they got used to it. (Only found this out anecdotally from DC1, none of the teachers said anything formally, didn't make an issue of it to any parents.)

We have survived. We've now set ourselves a summer "project" for her to learn to wipe herself properly by the end of the holidays.

Ds was concerned about this but as zingally said the staff will and did help. He does normally do it himself now at school and has been told that he will have to in y1! I think they very much encourage the children to be independent as otherwise the ta would spend all day in the loo.

They didn't help in nursery but if when the child went the next time and their knickers were dirty from before they would help them change and clean up. Not been a problem too often, I think the lower toilets might generally result in a cleaner exit?! Since reception DD2 has gone at 7pm before her bath like clockwork.

Thanks for all the replies . Will try and teach her over the next few weeks and just in case pack extra knickers in her book bag!!!