Bathroom Procedures

[melissa ann]

I don't know what to say to OP but wow! Really, boys & girls together in the bathroom, with their pants down waiting? I don't know what to say, I'm speechless.

[LK5kids]

Standing around with their pants pulled down ready to go is weird. There's no reason to do that. I owned a group center and things have to be done a bit by group, but not to this extent. For goodness sake! They need to address their schedule and the need to warehouse kids like this...it sounds like they are just a number. Hurry, hurry, line up, stand around with your pants down, etc. How fast do they need to get through this toilet time that they have to stand around with their pants down....again, WEIRD. If they do this what other quality issues are there?
I have even a stranger child care story. My husband went to see his grandson at a group center and was coming in the front door near the office. Some 2's were coming in from outside and they were naked! The were walking down the hall and one girl came up to him and started talking to him and then gave him a high-5. Totally naked...NOW THAT'S WEIRD. I guess they had been swimming outside and the teacher took off their suits outside. Why wouldn't she dry them off and then go to their room and change....

[Kaddidle Care]

It sounds like a very institutionalized place.

I worked for a Center and we never had that. Boys and Girls were never in together in a bathroom unless they were just washing hands.

Part of the joy of having an assistant is that when a child has to go, the assistant takes them and the Teacher can continue teaching.

On Pool days they may have seen some skin - but boys in one room and girls in the other.

The above post about the Nudie Dudies coming in from outside is really weird!

[Unregistered]

What about a classroom that just has a toilet in it? Like, no doors, or dividers or anything.

I would assume it's okay, since they are licensed and I'm sure have had walk throughs. It just seemed so weird to me.

[EchoMom]

Maybe I should log out (LOL).....My kids see each other all the time, yep naked. Well not completely. We do not make a big deal about it. They are kids. They are not sexual. They have respect for each other. They do not stare at each other. If fact, they could care less. Kids will make a big deal out of it when adults act innappropraitely by making a big deal out of kids going potty with the door open. Adults are feeding kids a message they do not understand. I do not allow my bathroom door to be shut. kids can get into alot of mischief inside a bathroom including clogging my toilet. So....I don't make an issue out of it....and neither do the kids or parents. Funny...people panick over silly things sometimes.

LOL, maybe I should log out before answering too! Sorry, but I agree with MissAnn on this one. When I do diaper changes I corral everyone into the nap/diaper room and close the door so I know they're all safe and in one place where I can see them all. I change each one on the changing table while the others play around at my feet, look out the window, lay on bed, or even talk to the child getting changed and hand them toys/diaper, etc. No one is staring or embarrassed. The only one I send away is the 5 year old because YES I think that is too old for him to be seeing everyone, plus he's at a height where he can actually see at the changing table height and it's just too up close and personal. Kids that dont' wear diapers don't need to be in the room for that.

When my DS uses the potty (been doing some elimination communication since he was 5 weeks old, 13 months now) the other kids love to come in and cheer him on. He LOVES it and it keeps him from fussing on the toilet. The 2s that are potty training like to have visitors and I sit right next to them on the bathtub side and help them with their pants and TP. However, when the 4 or 5 year old use the bathroom, it's door shut and I don't allow the littles to go in.

I think it's basically that at the age the child starts to REQUEST privacy or demonstrate some kind of modesty then I absolutely respect that and let them have it. But the littles? They don't have a clue and I think it helps them learn from each other.

But, OP, having them full monty right in front of each other seems too far. Not because of the naked issue necessarily, but I just think it's plain rude. The child using the toilet feels rushed, and the kid who's already dropped trow, well, I'm surpsised they don't just pee on themselves/the floor while waiting!

[MNMum]

I think it's basically that at the age the child starts to REQUEST privacy or demonstrate some kind of modesty then I absolutely respect that and let them have it. But the littles? They don't have a clue and I think it helps them learn from each other.

But, OP, having them full monty right in front of each other seems too far. Not because of the naked issue necessarily, but I just think it's plain rude. The child using the toilet feels rushed, and the kid who's already dropped trow, well, I'm surpsised they don't just pee on themselves/the floor while waiting!

I agree with this.

I'm a home setting. Once they ask for privacy, or EARN a closed bathroom door, they get it. I.E. I have a 4 year old I would like to have the door closed when he's using the bathroom, but then he gets "creative" in the bathroom. School agers close doors for sure.

When my 2 or 3 year olds are using the potty, I let the toddlers see from time to time, it is helpful for pre-potty training skills (hmmm...my friends can do that, I should, too). Diapers are changed in the main play area. None of the other kids pay any attention, and I am still able to monitor the kids playing.

[Unregistered]

My issue with this isn't so much having the children using the washroom together or seeing private parts as much as it is that the children are clearly being forced to take their pants down in front of people. Sounds like a breeding ground for confusing blurred lines about valuing self and future issues with being able to assert "NO!" when a sexually inappropriate situation were to come up.

As a parent I would be livid if I knew my child was being subjected to such negligent lazy care.

Yes, you need to call. That situation is absolutely against any licensing regulation I have ever heard. You could be held responsible too when a parent finds out about this and presses criminal charges.

I emailed a friend who is a social worker in Canada this link and she was as disgusted as I was. Help those poor children and call licensing. If they don't listen call the police. Again it's not the children using the same washroom but that they have been trained to stand with their pants down in front of people which is breaking down their natural "no, this isn't right" instinct which will lead to further issues.

[Unregistered]

This is what happens when state ratios are extremely high!. The ratio for 2s in TX is 22:1. Could you imagine chasing 22 toddlers around all day? Teachers are exhausted by lunch, and just want the kids to potty ASAP, and get on their nap mats. I could never see myself doing something like this. The last year I worked in a commercial center I was put in a room with 28-5 year olds when the state ratio is 22:1. I was over ratio, but not once did I do something like this, and I had no co-teacher. I let each child lay on their mat with a book as I called them in one by one. Then they put away their books, went potty, and went back to their mats for nap. Sure it was tiring, but it was right. But you can't expect everyone to have the same code of ethics. I would report this. I have a 4 year old daughter, and I would never want her to be in a situation like that!

[Heidi]

You would have to see how it works here. The bathroom is not in full view of the whole daycare. The kids don't sit there staring while waiting for their turn. We are singing songs or just talking. No one sees anything full view. It's very innocent. It is not disturbing. Our rules and regs say we need to supervise for toileting and handwashing. That does not mean I stand there staring either. I walk by and glance. No big deal.

I'm a bit middle of the road here on this. Nudity in general does not bother me in the least...my family is German, and I was raised with a certain amount of non-chalance about the whole thing. Someone said you wouldn't let children run around naked outside...well, in most European countries, until they are school-aged, that would not be a big deal at all! I know...we don't live in Europe!

That being said, I take a middle-of-the-road approach. If a child closes the door, I'm ok with that if I feel they are not going to mess around. For myself, I usually close it 3/4 and leave the light off when the kids are here, so they can't see anything but I can see out ok. If a child leaves the door open the whole way, I usually pull it shut part of the way to block the view. Not freaking out..."you probably want a little privacy"...

I change diapers in a more private area, and if another child comes over and noses around a little too much, I just say "so and so needs his privacy, can you go find something else to do?" A single question...yeah, that's fine. A full viewing with multiple questions...not so much.

Hey, if we all wore hats every day, sooner or later, the kids would be pulling off each others hats to see what's underneath. Ever where a pair of sunglasses around a little kid? What happens?

As for OP....it sounds like the whole situation is being managed for the convenience of the teachers, with no respect for the children at all. To me, it's not about a little peek of someone else's body, it's more about the fact that they are being herded like cattle....

[Unregistered]

Maybe I should log out (LOL).....My kids see each other all the time, yep naked. Well not completely. We do not make a big deal about it. They are kids. They are not sexual. They have respect for each other. They do not stare at each other. If fact, they could care less. Kids will make a big deal out of it when adults act innappropraitely by making a big deal out of kids going potty with the door open. Adults are feeding kids a message they do not understand. I do not allow my bathroom door to be shut. kids can get into alot of mischief inside a bathroom including clogging my toilet. So....I don't make an issue out of it....and neither do the kids or parents. Funny...people panick over silly things sometimes.

Yeah girl but your kids are siblings...how would u feel if your little girl was using the bathroom in front of strange boys and vice versa?

[Unregistered]

I work at a center. 3 toilets in the bathroom. I send one teacher with 3 boys first, they go, do there business (one on each potty), they get down one at a time, get a new pull up and wash. Then they line up on there squares by the door. These are 1-2 year olds. When the boys come back, the girls go next. Never do the sexes go together.

[Unregistered]

All children NEED privacy.

The first post shows very clearly that they don't. It is adults who want to teach them to NEED PRIVACY even when they absolutely don't need it yet.

[Unregistered]

Wow this post is OLD.

But preschoolers are fine in open bathrooms. Many centers do. I worked in one with 2 toilets because back in the day they did 2 but they changed the rule and only used one. It had a door, no lock.
I have a problem with standing there pants down waiting. Weird and awkward.
I have a problem with school agers. That said I used to work in a center with an old building and the bathrooms were open with 3 stalls but separated by gender. This was for ages 1-school age, depending on which group went in. Never mixed ages. I didnt particularly care for this. One girl used the private bathroom (one classroom had one and it was also the staff bathroom) probably because she or her parents fought for privacy.

[tlemother]

I worked at a center that had 10 tiny toilets in one room no walls...just 5 toilets on one side, 5 on the other facing each other. No privacy at all. Kids would be sent in groups to go to the bathroom.