Wipe Or No Wipe?

[Starburst]

I usually do. The mom of the boy I watch now instructed me to wipe him after a wet diaper because he has very sensitive skin and is prone to rashes there. Also even though it is sterile it is technically still the elements of all the toxins that our bodies have acquired that it's trying to get rid of (just like feces in liquid form, but not the bacteria because our digestive tract needs bacteria to function) and we can absorb toxins through our skin (like we absorb UV rays from the sun). It may not cause serious illness but it could cause irritation which could mean a fussy baby. Plus I think of it this way: don't you wash your hands after you use the bathroom or change a wet (but not soiled) diaper?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine:

"Healthy urine is not toxic.[6] However, it contains compounds eliminated by the body as undesirable, and can be irritating to skin and eyes. After suitable processing it is possible to extract potable water from urine."

[Crazy8]

always a wipe! Regardless of how sterile urine is it still stinks and everyone can use a little freshening up down there after sitting with that wetness against their skin!

[Play Care]

I wipe everyone with every diaper change... if for no other reason, to at the least get the pee smell off of his body.

[jokalima]

I do wipe girls all the time, boys only if they are really wet, if they are dry I don't and never had a smelly problem or rash because of it.

[Starburst]

hey while on the subject..do any of your states require washing the kids hands after diaper changes like texas does?? what are some of your strategies for the young ones.. not looking forward to that part of my annual inspection ughhhh..

We watched a video on sanitizing child care homes and centers in a health/safety class and it said to either make sure that you are close to a sink when you change diapers (but not where you prepare food) or it said you could always wear gloves but you would have to change it with each child to avoid cross contamination of bodily fluids; but could be costly and bad for the environment.

Maybe if you want to be clean but still be green (financially and environmentally speaking) you could get some of those reusable dish/house cleaning gloves (they have them at the $1 store) and have one specifically for each kid in diapers; you could have different colors for each kid or write their names on the gloves and keep it in their diaper cubby/diaper bag. Just make sure you only use the one pair for that child and that you wash them with soap and water after diaper check (or maybe with a cleaning or bleach solution or boiling them once a week). You may still have to wash your hands after every change them but it would be good to have for particularly messy diapers or if you want to avoid as much direct contact with diaper content as possible- especially if you have a sore or cut on your hands.

The only problem is you may want to try to avoid latex gloves in case of latex allergy which could cost a little more but they would probably be more durable too.

http://www.amazon.com/each-Clean-Nyplex-Reusable-1137-01/dp/B002YJZYNS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_4

They also have special tables for diaper changing with a sink but they are over $1,000 and it seems like you would have to have it connected to a pipe.

They also said something about using a plastic or porous surface (like the type of material nap mats are made of) for changing diapers so you could wipe them down easily after or using one of those one-use paper sheets like they have on doctor exam tables (again kinda wasteful and could be costly). If you use a plastic changing mat you may want to have a quick dry disinfectant spray (like Lysol) to temporarily sanitize between changings when bleach is not available. Or have blankets/towels/rags that's on the bottom changing part that is provided for each individual child to make sure there is no cross contamination and just wash them at the end of the day.

But then again make sure that your state regulations allow it.

[MamaBearCanada]

I always wipe.

Urine is NOT sterile

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/762048

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409164156.htm

Even if you don't agree that these studies debunk the myth the tradiational view that it is sterile only holds true if the child is not sick. You would not know before diagnosis if a child had a UTI or other bladder problem in which case there would be a lot of bacteria on their body if you didn't clean of the urine. Plus I just think it's cleaner and probably feels fresher.

[rmc20021]

Only if soggy or poopy. Urine is sterile.

Urine is only sterile until it's exposed to the air and then bacteria can grow. Actually, it doesn't even have to be exposed to the air. If it just sits inside the kidneys without being expelled it can lead to bacterial infections also.

I ALWAYS use wipes at diaper changes...even if they are not wet.

[mamac]

I wipe every child at every change and every child gets a quick dusting of powder too. I love the way it makes them all smell fresh.

Out of curiosity- do you use talc powder? When my son was an infant (5yrs ago) I read some articles saying that it shouldn't be used on infants due to cancer, infertility and inhalation dangers. Being a new mom I stopped using it even though I loved the way it made him smell "baby fresh".

And to answer the question, I wipe for wet only after the first morning diaper or after naps, where they have been in a wet diaper for a longer period of time. Middle of the day wet diapers usually don't get a wipe.

[melilley]

We watched a video on sanitizing a child care facility (for homes and centers) in a health/safety class and it said to either make sure that you are close to a sink when you change diapers (but not where you prepare food) or it said you could always wear gloves but you would have to change it with each child (could be costly and bad for the environment). But the good thing about gloves is you don't have to wash your hands as much which means less dryness of the hands (which means less dry cracks in the skin that can trap germs) and it could also save time by not having to get up and wash your hands for 20 second after changing each kid.

Maybe if you want to be clean but still be green (financially and environmentally) you could get some of those reusable dish/cleaning gloves (they have them at the $1 store) and have one specifically for each kid in diapers; you could have different colors for each kid or write their names on the gloves and keep it in their diaper cubby/diaper bag. Just make sure you only use the one for that child and the you wash them with soap and water (or maybe with a cleaning or bleach solution or boiling them once a week).

The only problem is you may want to try to avoid latex gloves in case of latex allergy which could cost a little more but they would probably be more durable too.

http://www.amazon.com/each-Clean-Nyplex-Reusable-1137-01/dp/B002YJZYNS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_4

If you use a porous changing mat you may want to have a quick dry disinfectant (like Lysol) to temporarily sanitize between changings. Or have a towel/rag that is on the bottom changing part to make sure there is no cross contamination.

You have some great ideas, but make sure to check with licensing to make sure you are doing it right so if they come, you don't get cited. Here in MI, for centers, we have to wear gloves at every change and also wash our hands and each child's hands after every change and change gloves after every change. For FCC's we don't have to wear gloves, but are required to wash our hands and the children's hands after every change. Also, we have to have a non-porous diaper changing mat and have to sanitize it after each change either with soap water then rinse water then either bleach water and let it air dry or something like Lysol and it has to be done exactly how the directions say to sanitize. Of course, it's almost impossible to wait for the bleach water/Lysol to air dry if you are doing multiple changes, but when I worked in a center and if licensing was there, they always understood that we couldn't wait that long to change every one if we waited for it to dry.
I do like your idea of having different washable gloves for each child! I wish we could do that here, it would save me lots of money!

[melilley]

Out of curiosity- do you use talc powder? When my son was an infant (5yrs ago) I read some articles saying that it shouldn't be used on infants due to cancer, infertility and inhalation dangers. Being a new mom I stopped using it even though I loved the way it made him smell "baby fresh".

And to answer the question, I wipe for wet only after the first morning diaper or after naps, where they have been in a wet diaper for a longer period of time. Middle of the day wet diapers usually don't get a wipe.

In MI, we can't use any type of powder at all.

[rmc20021]

I don't know what the laws are regarding powders but I do know there was a lot of controversy over the use and decided long ago to never use it when they first started talking about it...never paid attention to it since then as I don't use it.

I also don't like it because it clumps together with the moisture and can also irritate the skin like in the folds of the legs.

[Heidi]

We watched a video on sanitizing child care homes and centers in a health/safety class and it said to either make sure that you are close to a sink when you change diapers (but not where you prepare food) or it said you could always wear gloves but you would have to change it with each child to avoid cross contamination of bodily fluids; but could be costly and bad for the environment. But the good thing about gloves is you don't have to wash your hands as much which means less dryness of the hands (which means less dry cracks in the skin that can trap germs) and it could also save time by not having to get up and wash your hands for 20 second after changing each kid.

Maybe if you want to be clean but still be green (financially and environmentally speaking) you could get some of those reusable dish/house cleaning gloves (they have them at the $1 store) and have one specifically for each kid in diapers; you could have different colors for each kid or write their names on the gloves and keep it in their diaper cubby/diaper bag. Just make sure you only use the one pair for that child and that you wash them with soap and water after diaper check (or maybe with a cleaning or bleach solution or boiling them once a week).

The only problem is you may want to try to avoid latex gloves in case of latex allergy which could cost a little more but they would probably be more durable too.

http://www.amazon.com/each-Clean-Nyplex-Reusable-1137-01/dp/B002YJZYNS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_4

They also have special tables for diaper changing with a sink but they are over $1,000 and it seems like you would have to have it connected to a pipe.

They also said something about using a plastic or porous surface (like the type of material nap mats are made of) for changing diapers so you could wipe them down easily after or using one of those one-use paper sheets like they have on doctor exam tables (again kinda wasteful and could be costly). If you use a plastic changing mat you may want to have a quick dry disinfectant spray (like Lysol) to temporarily sanitize between changings when bleach is not available. Or have blankets/towels/rags that's on the bottom changing part that is provided for each individual child to make sure there is no cross contamination and just wash them at the end of the day.

But then again make sure that your state regulations allow it.

Even with gloves, our state requires us to wash hands before and after each diaper change.

[LK5kids]

i always use wipes when the diaper is changed whatever is down there LOL
hey while on the subject..do any of your states require washing the kids hands after diaper changes like texas does?? what are some of your strategies for the young ones.. not looking forward to that part of my annual inspection ughhhh..

Yes, one and older wash hands after diapering with warm running water & soap. Under one can be wiped with baby wipes. I must also wash my own hands before and after changing a diaper. It's a lot of hand washing.

[Scout]

I don't wipe my son's with urine unless it is on his skin. Of course always wipe poopy!

[Blackcat31]

Out of curiosity- do you use talc powder? When my son was an infant (5yrs ago) I read some articles saying that it shouldn't be used on infants due to cancer, infertility and inhalation dangers. Being a new mom I stopped using it even though I loved the way it made him smell "baby fresh".

I remember the whole issue with talc and use only corn starch based or talc free powders.

http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/cosmetics/talc.htm