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playgroups and reusable nappies

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 9:18 am
by mrsflibble
my local playgroup; the only one that will take soph 'cos of where we live, will only take children in disposable nappies due to their facilities. she's probably not going to be totally potty trained before september but I was so annoyed that they wont even take her in re-usable toilet training pants 'cos they wont store them for me. I want her to have this experience of playgroup 'cos I have fond memories of it myself, but my god I am annoyed. if I wanted her to go to one which will make a concession for reusables, allbeit not a great concession; put her in a fresh one before she goes, change it myself when she's home again... it'd mean a train journey there and back, over a mile's walk between home, station, station and playgroup and over a year's waiting list. Not to mention double the fees at the moment :( grrr!

Re: playgroups and reusable nappies

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 10:52 am
by Clara
What is their argument exactly? "Due to their facilities"? So long as you are not expecting them to be washed and can provide them with a wetbag then what´s the problem?

Due to bloodimindedness and sloth more like :?

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 11:09 am
by mrsflibble
they don't have anywhere to store a nappy aparently, it's against "health and safety" to have it hanging on her peg in a plastic bag. Idon't get what the problem is either but I realy need her to have this experience to decide whether home schooling would work better for us as a family or not, and it's the only one near enough to us. I even offered to come and pick up a wet nappy, her answer was "what if you're not about?" ok. I don't have a car, where am I going to get to, on foot, for 2 hours other than my own house?!
I told the woman that sophie never poops in her nappies but she didn't believe me. AAAAAARGH!!!

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 12:07 pm
by Russian Doll
mrs f they cant discrimanate like that for all they know there may be a medical reason sophie cant wear disopables..allergies etc..i would go to the council and kick up a fuss about it

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:23 pm
by The Riff-Raff Element
tea690 wrote:mrs f they cant discrimanate like that for all they know there may be a medical reason sophie cant wear disopables..allergies etc..i would go to the council and kick up a fuss about it
I think I'd kick up a fuss too. The health and safety arguement is a completely spurious one. If they are prepared to take little ones in nappies then they must occasionally have to deal with what my dear wife calls a "catastrophic loss of containment" and what I call up the back and out of the collar. What then do they do in these circumstances? Is it possible that they put the soiled items in a plastic bag and hang them up on the peg???

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:30 pm
by baldowrie
The health and safety argument is a completely spurious one.
It's a real HS argument, sorry. Although yes it's a bit OTT!

You are very lucky the playgroup will actually even take her in nappies.

It's all do with the exchange of bodily fluids and certain infections. You will also find that disposable gloves and aprons will be used if mum is not around to change a nappy, that is very often done with a witness so the person changing can't be accused of interfering with the child.

What a sad world we live in we that even at playgroup they obliged to do this.

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:36 pm
by Russian Doll
baldowrie wrote:
The health and safety argument is a completely spurious one.
It's a real HS argument, sorry. Although yes it's a bit OTT!

You are very lucky the playgroup will actually even take her in nappies.

It's all do with the exchange of bodily fluids and certain infections. You will also find that disposable gloves and aprons will be used if mum is not around to change a nappy, that is very often done with a witness so the person changing can't be accused of interfering with the child.

What a sad world we live in we that even at playgroup they obliged to do this.
thats the problem we have at the m..with alex still occosiaonally with holding at 3 hes still in nappies and we only have on nursery in our area willing to take him..others insist there out of them

but they do hang soiled clothing in peg bags lol

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:38 pm
by baldowrie
but they do hang soiled clothing in peg bags lol
:roll:

and if the inspector sees that there will be ructions!

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:54 pm
by The Riff-Raff Element
baldowrie wrote:
but they do hang soiled clothing in peg bags lol
:roll:

and if the inspector sees that there will be ructions!
OK, point taken - but if they have a procedure for handling filled disposables, it surely cannot be beyond them to adapt that for soiled reusables. Perhaps the parents could be asked to provide a bucket with a clip-locking lid, for example.

I suppose my point was more that, increasingly, H&S arguements are trotted out as an excuse not to do something which could easily be accomplished with a little thought and effort.

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 8:17 pm
by baldowrie
they are not even supposed to have hand towels in the toilets. All hand drying has to be with paper towels that are disposed off, without the staff touching them.

Most playgroups ignore this in favour of common sense!

Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 8:57 am
by mrsflibble
thanks everyone for your input, thankfully she's not on this summer's intake so she'll be starting in sept. she is sooooo close to not needing nappies that I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!

the stumbling block we have is pants, if we put them on her she thinks they're a nappy. I've tried training pants but they leak something chronic (re-usables again). she's only happy pantless... but they wont take her pantless :roll: ggrr!!

Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 10:34 am
by Russian Doll
try letting her pick her own knickers...we took alex out to get some doc who pants and he is really good about not getting them wet as its his fav thing

Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 7:04 pm
by circlecross
no, sorry, no-one is allowed to be discriminated against on grounds of lifestyle or choice. You should provide a wet bag and some nappy sacks and that should be the end of it. I bet she has a malodorous bin full of sh*tty nappies sitting around all day - doubt she flushes dispicables - so there is no excuse. The wet bag or pail can live next to the dustbin, and as long as you remember to collect that's it. I wouldn't even have had the discussion with her.
I work in childcare and know that you cannot discriminate against the toileting choices of parents. You have to accomodate parental wishes.

Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 5:18 pm
by mrsflibble
I'm gonna try Tea's tips of pants sophie's chosen, and also I AM going to go to the council about the playgroup itself. sorry, "pre school".

i am liking this idea less and less but I do feel she needs the opportunity.

Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:31 am
by Russian Doll
mrsflibble wrote:I'm gonna try Tea's tips of pants sophie's chosen, and also I AM going to go to the council about the playgroup itself. sorry, "pre school".

i am liking this idea less and less but I do feel she needs the opportunity.

marks and spencers have some great and cheap selection of cartoony and preety knickers..alexs doc who ones were three quid for a pack of 6