Hand dryer in school toilets - what can I reasonably ask the school to do?

[ScramblyEgg]

DS starts Reception next week & is terrified of hand driers.

The Reception toilets (previously with paper towels only) have been refurbished over the holidays and at DS's transition meeting the SENCO was unhelpfully vague about whether or not they would have hand driers.

I've emailed to find out whether she knows yet, and I'm wondering what arrangements I can realistically expect the school to make if there are driers. If there are driers and paper towels, could I ask them to take the fuses out of the driers so they don't work, or is that completely unreasonable?

I don't want DS to have to go to a toilet used by older boys he doesn't know, as he'll find that just as scary.

We had this worry, however by the time DS started school he was slightly less scared of them than previously. He actually coped much better than I thought he would, as they were the old fashioned not too noisy sort rather than those dreadful Dyson ones and by the end of Year R his TA was very proud to tell me he had actually managed to use one himself rather than wiping his hands dry on his trousers.

I don't think it's unreasonable to discuss it with the school, but think taking the fuses out might be a step too far. Making him use different toilets might not be easy either. Does he have 1:1? Maybe he could just have the TA go with him and make sure no one uses the driers while he's in there.

He has 1:1 for 6 hours a week - 2 mornings, so not always going to coincide with when he needs to go to the toilet!

Not sure that having the TA go with him will work, he has to really be cajoled even to go into a disabled toilet where there's absolutely no possibility of anyone else using the drier.

I'm just desperately hoping the SENCO's going to reply saying they decided to only have paper towels!

Maybe there will be a disabled toilet without them? At my DCs school there is a disabled/visitors toilet that only has paper towels.

DS was similar. He was allowed to use the staff toilet - it was a single cubicle wheelchair style toilet, so there was no chance of it going off.

We gave him anti-bac gel to use, as we carry it round with us everywhere anyway for the same reason.

Oh, I hadn't thought of the staff or visitors toilets - that's the perfect solution.

Thanks both of you, I feel much calmer now.

Loads of kids are scared of hand driers at that age. Our reception teacher simply took the fuses out after i and a couple of other mums said our kids were scared and they all used paper towels. I'm sure if u ask they will take the fuse out for you it's not unreasonable at all.

DD is still somewhat upset by them (it's a noise sensitivity issue with her) but is getting better slowly. She's almost 8.

What we have done is try to get her ok with being in the room while others use them, but for a long time, both she and I did the "shaky shaky hands" and just shook them off, letting them air dry. I would occasionally use the drier and let DD stand at the far wall, and she has slowly started to use them occasionally herself while I am now able to use them pretty much anytime I want (very occasionally if she's having a bad day noise-wise, I will just shake).

The anti-bac gel is also useful but tastes yuck if he ever puts a hand/finger in his mouth even hours later without having washed them.

Another option could be to let him have a clean facecloth every day in his bag as his own little "towel", if he needs drier hands than shaking will give him.

Have discovered that they're not just any driers, they're the Dyson Airblade ones that sound like an aeroplane taking off - what a ridiculous idea for Reception toilets.

The actual washing & drying of hands won't be a problem as there's a sink in the classroom DS can use, but thanks for the suggestions. Getting him into the same room as a Dyson Airblade, however - not a chance.

School have now suggested him using the Nursery toilets, which he knows from last year, so that should be ok-ish. What I'm really hoping is that so many other children will refuse to use the Ariblades that they'll end up having to replace them with paper towels!

My DD uses the staff toilets and then hand gel afterwards.