Potty Accidents

[TGT09]

When children have potty accidents through underwear and pants? Do you wash their clothes or send them home in a plastic bag? Which is considered proper protocol?

[Daycare Mommy]

I put soiled clothing into a plastic bag and leave it on the front porch. In my daycare, I handle the diapers and cleaning the children and the house after accidents, but cleaning the child's clothing is the parent's job. We already have full plates without random loads of laundry during the day.

[mac60]

I agree, it gets bagged up and sent home.

[momma2girls]

I bag up mine as well, I do need to place it out on the porch though. It does stink when you enter the front door, if I keep it where their shoes are!!

[TGT09]

OK, thanks ladies! This is exactly what I needed to know. That is how I feel that it is the parent's jobs.

As for potty routines, do you have set times throughout the day to have them at least "try" or do you just ask at various times throughout the day?

[MarinaVanessa]

I feel like such a softy . I am guilty of running it through the wash. I just think back to when I had my little girl toilet training and in a daycare and how I had to take home an occasional bag of soiled clothes that had sat in a bag for a few hours and have to scrub dry hard poop out of them. By the time I'd get home the poop would be hard and set in and most of the time I'd end up having to throw them away because the stain wouldn't come out anyway. Now I prefer to throw them in the washing machine and then quickly in the dryer. It doesn't take me more than a few minutes anyway. This way I can dress the little with their extra change of clothes and send them home in that and wash the dirty set and still have that set here in case of another accident on another day instead of sending both sets home and then not having one here when I need one. You know how forgetfull parents can be. What are the chances that they'll bring another set the next day?

Also I can't bag them and leave them on front step. I have an HOA and I'd get fined $50.

As for potty training, I have them line up and go in one by one and try a couple of times a day and keep asking them throughout the day.

[tenderhearts]

It depends for me, I've only had a couple little ones poop in their undies during potty training and those parents said just throw them away. If they have only pee'd in them, IF I'm doing laundry I'll toss them in, and if the child has a change of clothes kept here then I just wash them when I do my next load and replace those with the other spare clothes. If the kids don't have a change of clothes here and I'm not doing laundry, goes in a bag and sent home.

[momma2girls]

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa

I feel like such a softy . I am guilty of running it through the wash. I just think back to when I had my little girl toilet training and in a daycare and how I had to take home an occasional bag of soiled clothes that had sat in a bag for a few hours and have to scrub dry hard poop out of them. By the time I'd get home the poop would be hard and set in and most of the time I'd end up having to throw them away because the stain wouldn't come out anyway. Now I prefer to throw them in the washing machine and then quickly in the dryer. It doesn't take me more than a few minutes anyway. This way I can dress the little with their extra change of clothes and send them home in that and wash the dirty set and still have that set here in case of another accident on another day instead of sending both sets home and then not having one here when I need one. You know how forgetfull parents can be. What are the chances that they'll bring another set the next day?

Also I can't bag them and leave them on front step. I have an HOA and I'd get fined $50.

As for potty training, I have them line up and go in one by one and try a couple of times a day and keep asking them throughout the day.

If there is any formed poop I would throw that in the toilet, other than that, they are bagged and put right next to their shoes.

[gkids09]

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa

I feel like such a softy . I am guilty of running it through the wash. I just think back to when I had my little girl toilet training and in a daycare and how I had to take home an occasional bag of soiled clothes that had sat in a bag for a few hours and have to scrub dry hard poop out of them. By the time I'd get home the poop would be hard and set in and most of the time I'd end up having to throw them away because the stain wouldn't come out anyway. Now I prefer to throw them in the washing machine and then quickly in the dryer. It doesn't take me more than a few minutes anyway. This way I can dress the little with their extra change of clothes and send them home in that and wash the dirty set and still have that set here in case of another accident on another day instead of sending both sets home and then not having one here when I need one. You know how forgetfull parents can be. What are the chances that they'll bring another set the next day?

Also I can't bag them and leave them on front step. I have an HOA and I'd get fined $50.

As for potty training, I have them line up and go in one by one and try a couple of times a day and keep asking them throughout the day.

lol..I'm glad to see I'm not the only one!! I am guilty of throwing their clothes in the washing machine too. I have an assistant so it doesn't take anyone away from the other kids, but I feel the same as you do--if you give parents the bag of soiled clothes and say, "Okay, he needs a clean extra set tomorrow," you usually don't get them! Then, when they come back and have an accident, I have to put them in some of the daycare's extra clothes that have been donated over the years, and half the time that won't come back either. It's much easier in my opinion to just wash and dry like you do and keep the clean ones for their extra set! If the parents want to bring another set to replace them, I don't argue, but I have to make sure they have extra clothes!

[TGT09]

I guess I'm lucky in the extra set regards. She still sends a diaperbag with DCB every day. He wears pull-ups at naptime. His bag has his pullups and always a clean set of pants and underwear.

As for the washing, I have actually washed a few times. As in, like the other provider said that if I'm doing laundry then I have no problem with it. Especially, when they decide to pee on my rug in front of my toilet...why not just throw it all in together. However, if that's not the case and it is just pee then I have bagged and told Mom that I just didn't have time.

[originalkat]

Our State does not allow us to wash soiled clothing (or even rinse it out). We have to just send it home.

[TGT09]

Originally Posted by originalkat

Our State does not allow us to wash soiled clothing (or even rinse it out). We have to just send it home.

I doubt it is state mandated for me but I can definitely understand the sanitary issues with it.

[Crystal]

I rinse them at the least. I will wash them if I have time, and have done that. Luckily though, I RARELY have potty problems. In 13 years I have only had to do this a handful of times.

As an aside, I don't consider it to be the parents job to deal with a potty accident that occurred while I was caring for their child. I feel like if I wasn't paying close enough attention to prevent the accident in the first place, then I should clean up the mess. I don't like to do it, but I will.

I will say though, that I won't let a parent bully me into potty training a child who is not ready. If they are still having regular accidents, they should be in diapers. Not pull-ups, but diapers. When a child is truly ready to potty train, they should not have more than one or two accidents. I generally have a child trained within two days, when they are developmentally ready for it. Then the messes aren't an issue.

[momma2girls]

Originally Posted by Crystal

I rinse them at the least. I will wash them if I have time, and have done that. Luckily though, I RARELY have potty problems. In 13 years I have only had to do this a handful of times.

As an aside, I don't consider it to be the parents job to deal with a potty accident that occurred while I was caring for their child. I feel like if I wasn't paying close enough attention to prevent the accident in the first place, then I should clean up the mess. I don't like to do it, but I will.

I will say though, that I won't let a parent bully me into potty training a child who is not ready. If they are still having regular accidents, they should be in diapers. Not pull-ups, but diapers. When a child is truly ready to potty train, they should not have more than one or two accidents. I generally have a child trained within two days, when they are developmentally ready for it. Then the messes aren't an issue.

I actually just added something in my contract this yr. regarding potty training- it reads:I will assist in potty training, this needs to be started at home and child making good progress and totally understand the concept of it, before I will assist with it here. Pullups or diapers are required at all times, til totally potty trained, this means, goes on their own, without any accidents or reminders from myself.

[My4SunshineGirlsNY]

Here in NY state we are told to bag it up and send it home...they say it is for our protection of our own family. Anything soiled or blood..has to go home...wear gloves and put in in a plastic bag.

[Daycare Mommy]

Originally Posted by Crystal

As an aside, I don't consider it to be the parents job to deal with a potty accident that occurred while I was caring for their child. I feel like if I wasn't paying close enough attention to prevent the accident in the first place, then I should clean up the mess. I don't like to do it, but I will.

If a child is truly potty trained it's not your fault the accident occurred though. It's an accident and they can happen now and then no matter how diligent we are at reminding them, but with the amount of time it takes me to clean up the kid, wherever they hit, the bathroom, and myself the other kids are generally pretty restless or some may have gotten into trouble by the time I get back to the group. Doesn't seem fair to me to extend this cleaning period even longer to rinsing and/or running the washer to save the parents an extra outfit to wash tonight while everyone else is deprived of my attention. I'd say if I were a nanny then yes, it's my job. As a daycare provider though I'd argue all the way to termination that no it is not my job.

Also a question for those of you that do any form of cleaning or rinsing to the poopy underwear. How and where do you rinse?? I wouldn't know where to do it even if I felt it was my job without making an even bigger mess.

[momofsix]

I'll wash clothes if there's an accident. I can usually throw it in with a load of my own, and it doesn't bother me, and it is something that the parents have said they really appreciate (and how often do they say that!) If poop is "formed" I just dump it in the toilet and wash the underwear in the machine. If it is really gross, I throw the underwear out (with the parents' total agreement--they don't want it either!)

[momofboys]

Originally Posted by Daycare Mommy

If a child is truly potty trained it's not your fault the accident occurred though. It's an accident and they can happen now and then no matter how diligent we are at reminding them, but with the amount of time it takes me to clean up the kid, wherever they hit, the bathroom, and myself the other kids are generally pretty restless or some may have gotten into trouble by the time I get back to the group. Doesn't seem fair to me to extend this cleaning period even longer to rinsing and/or running the washer to save the parents an extra outfit to wash tonight while everyone else is deprived of my attention. I'd say if I were a nanny then yes, it's my job. As a daycare provider though I'd argue all the way to termination that no it is not my job.

Also a question for those of you that do any form of cleaning or rinsing to the poopy underwear. How and where do you rinse?? I wouldn't know where to do it even if I felt it was my job without making an even bigger mess.

I totally agree with you. I have ran my own kids' undies (After a thorough rinsing in the toilet) through our washing machine's pre-wash cycle by themselves. But no way would I put someone else's undies in my washing machine. You really need to run that stuff separately & I won't waste a load of wash one one child's panties/undies. As far as I am concerned it would take too long.

[Carole's Daycare]

I agree- I always bag them up, but a label and hang it from a peg in the back entry for parents to grab on their way out. I dont want someone elses soiled clothes in my laundry or with my things. Gross.

[MarinaVanessa]

Yay for us
My parents also like the fact that I wash the clothes instead of bagging. They see it as a feature and it really doesn't take a lot of time. I also dump the "formed" poo and flush then rinse the soiled clothes (I wear rubber gloves) in the laundry sink in our washroom, spray on a little pre-rinse and leave wet until after-hours. I never rinse in a bath or kitchen sink. I guess I'm lucky because we have an open floor plan and our washer/dryer are off from the kitchen. It's not a room itself, more like a closet which encloses the washer, dryer and sink with bi-fold doors. So I just rinse in the sink, leave the clothes and gloves there and close the doors. I genuinely don't mind doing it. I don't have a toddler of my own and for whatever crazy reason I ENJOY washing their clothes lol. Maybe it's time I have another one .

[mac60]

I agree ladies, I am not washing soiled clothes with my own families laundry, nor am I running a load for 2 items, nor do I want that kind of yuck in my washer. I also refuse to wash out poop underwear in my sink. I also don't feel that when a child has an accident it is my fault at6 all. I have an almost 5 yr old that has frequent accidents .......definately not my fault.

I will try to plop off the poop, but if it don't "plop off" it will go home with them.