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]

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]

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.

..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]

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]

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.