nobody is saying they have to be washed, but to send a turd home in a plastic bag, wrapped in a pair of underwear is disgusting and i'll dare say stupid.

first of all, if a child is having BMs so often in their underwear that it is a problem, the child shouldn't be wearing underwear. if you DO allow them to wear underwear (your choice) then you should be prepared to deal with the mess.

if and when i had a child have an accident in their underwear (which was mostly when i worked in a center) i would simply put on gloves, shake the underwear over the toilet, rinse them - and then put them in a bag. what the parent does with them after that is up to them.

as a parent, i would assume if i got a pair of underwear sent home in a bag that they were dirty (obviously) but i would never assume that there was a big turd still inside. if you have the balls to send someone a turd in a bag, then have the balls to tell them you threw their underwear in the trash. don't let them find out there was a turd in there when they open up what they think is the lid to a washing machine of CLEAN laundry.

scenario - my child went to the same daycare where i worked and rarely had accidents - he was considered potty trained. one day he had TWO accidents in a row. after his second accident, i happened to overhear the "teacher" being hateful/frustrated when she was helping him in the bathroom. luckily, i was there so i stepped in. i didn't work in the same room, but right beside it. he had another accident at home THAT night (again, so very out of character) so the next day at daycare/work i made sure to tell the lady who was being a witch when cleaning up his mess the previous day to PLEASE let me know if he had an accident OR send him over TO ME so that i could clean it up. i HATE HATE HATE for little children to sense anger and frustration when they have accidents - ESPECIALLY if it's not the norm. since it was MY child, of course i was sincere when i said "send him over to me if he has an accident."

well, the day went by - no problems. i assumed all was well. i got off work, went to get my child, checked his cubby, and i'll be damned if there wasn't a bag of underwear in there. i asked his teacher/my co-worker, "why didn't you send him to me?! i told you i'd clean him up! i think something might be wrong...you know this isn't normal, etc., etc." she just laughed it off - no big deal, etc.

i go home, carry everything inside, throw the bag in the laundry room and go back to it a few mins later. i know it was poopy underwear, but considering i always rinsed them out and they had been rinsed out the day before - i didn't think to open them up and look - so imagine my surprise when i opened up my laundry to find POOP! seriously? i tell you to let me clean up my kid which you don't do, and then you have the audacity to shrug it off at the end of the day when i ask why you didn't without mentioning that there's a turd in a bag?

come to find out - he was having accidents due to medical reasons. he was so constipated (not my fault bc of diet or anything else) that he developed a hydrocele which had to be surgically removed (see below).


Hydrocele
Processus vaginalis; Patent processus vaginalis
Last reviewed: December 15, 2010.

A hydrocele is a fluid-filled sack along the spermatic cord within the scrotum.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Hydroceles are common in newborn infants.

During normal development, the testicles descend down a tube from the abdomen into the scrotum. Hydroceles result when this tube fails to close. Fluid drains from the abdomen through the open tube. The fluid builds up in the scrotum, where it becomes trapped. This causes the scrotum to become swollen.

Hydroceles normally go away a few months after birth, but their appearance may worry new parents. Occasionally, a hydrocele may be associated with an inguinal hernia.

Hydroceles may also be caused by inflammation or injury of the testicle or epididymis, or by fluid or blood blockage within the spermatic cord. This type of hydrocele is more common in older men.



....so what would happen is he would feel like he had to go all the time, but couldn't - and it got to where when he really DID have to go, he didn't know. then, after he did pass the hard stool from constipation - soft stool would follow bc he was backed up. he wasn't being lazy and it wasn't bc he "shouldn't be in underwear" - he had to have SURGERY bc of a real problem.

point being - just because a mother chooses to WASH dirty underwear whether it be pee, poop, or BLOOD as we're all familiar with doesn't make them cheap nor nasty. if you DON'T want to clean dirty underwear then at least see if the parents want you to throw them away (which i'm sure they would if they know there's going to be an 8 hour long dried turd in them) OR put the kids back in diapers if it's an ongoing problem. either way - to think there's something "wrong" with a parent who thinks you should shake a turd in the toilet before bagging the superman undies is a little ridiculous coming from childcare providers IMO. kids, poop, gloves, big deal!

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