Newsletter Policies

Nappy Change Procedure

Preparation:

1. Wash your hands
2. Place paper on change table
3. Put disposable gloves on both hands

Changing:

4. Remove the child’s nappy, fold nappy and place on paper.
   Place any soiled clothes in a plastic bag marked with the child’s name. Store soiled clothes bag in the Soiled Clothing Bucket.
5. Clean the child’s bottom
6. Wrap nappy and wipes up in paper and put in a hands-free bin
7. Remove gloves and put them in bin
8. Place a clean nappy on the child
9. Dress the child
10. Take the child away from the change table
11. Wash your hands and the child’s hands

Cleaning

12. After each nappy change, clean the change table with hot soapy water and paper towel
13. Wash your hands

Updated June 2024                                                
Due for Review June 2025

Nappy Change and Toileting Policy

Education and Care Services National Regulations, 103, 105, 106, 109, 115, 156

National Quality Standards NQS Quality Area 2.

 

Policy Purpose

Our service aims to meet the needs of children by providing a clean, safe and hygienic place for nappy change and toileting. We believe that nappy changing and toileting rituals are valuable opportunities to promote children’s learning, meet individual needs and to develop strong relationships with children.

 

Having their needs met in a caring and responsive way builds children’s sense of trust and security—which relates strongly to the Early Years Learning Framework. We aim to ensure best practice guidelines are adhered to for nappy changing and toileting, ensuring the area is hygienic, reducing the spread of infectious disease.

Scope

• This policy applies to children, parents/ guardians, staff, management, authorised persons, volunteers and students on placement working at Karalee Kindergarten & Early Years Learning.
• Information relating to this policy is communicated throughout the service using a variety of the following: newsletters, emails, family and team handbooks, team meetings and memos, planned experiences for the children, notice boards and posters, pamphlets and information sheets in the foyer, role modelling and signs displayed around the classrooms and service.

                            

Background Information and Procedure

 

Our service accepts enrolments of children who are not yet using the toilet. Nappy change and toileting transpires at designated routine times and when meeting children’s individual needs. Educators will collaborate with parents to develop stability with their child’s nappy change and toileting practices. Educators will be responsive to special requirements related to culture, religion or privacy needs.

 

Toileting and nappy changing will be carried out at frequent intervals throughout the day. Children who are in nappies will have each nappy change recorded on the Nappy Changing/ Toileting section of the child’s Xplor profile. A back up paper copy will be available if the centre loses internet connection for digital documentation purposes.

 

Having their needs met quickly and in a caring responsive way builds children’s sense of trust and security. Children also benefit from having the pleasant sensory experience of being free of a nappy and the comfort of having a fresh, dry nappy. It is also important to remember that the way that Early Childhood Educators react to soiled or wet nappies, toileting needs and accidents give children powerful messages about themselves and their bodies and is done in a positive and respectful way.

 

Meeting children’s physical needs, nappy changing and toileting are an imperative time for Educators to:

 

• Have one to one interactions with children, and to give them your full attention
• Build trusting and caring relationships with children
• Interact with children using verbal and non-verbal communication, and respond to children’s communication
• Participate in age appropriate activities with children, such as singing, saying rhymes and doing finger plays
• Build children’s understanding of what is happening by inviting them to the bathroom, supporting their capability to predict what will happen next in the routine
• Help children begin to develop and extend their self-help skills, which includes hand washing and dressing, and encouraging children to identify the feeling of accomplishment and gratification that come with this

 

All Educators will carry out nappy changing, however at times if a student is required to carry out this as part of their practical requirements – they will be under the constant supervision of a qualified Educator. Should a parent be in the bathroom helping their child, a staff member must accompany any other children needing to use the bathroom at the same time.

 

Appropriate hygiene practices must be maintained and procedures followed to minimise any risk of infection at all times. Educators will continuously promote healthy hygiene practices and hand washing procedures, encouraging the children to follow these practices. These hygiene practices can be seen in our Handwashing and Hygiene Policies.

 

The Approved Provider will:

• Provide adequate and appropriate hygienic facilities for nappy changing
• Ensure nappy change facilities are designed and located in a way that prevents unsupervised access by children which is compliant with National Regulations and Health and Safety Standards
• Ensure that adult and children’s hand washing facilities are located within the nappy change area
• Consult the Building Code of Australia for requirements concerning nappy change benches (centre-based services)
• Ensure that the nappy change facilities are designed and maintained in a way that facilitates supervision of children at all times, having regard to the need to maintain the rights and dignity of the children
• Ensure nappy change bins have a ‘hands-free’ lid
• Ensure nappy bins are located out of children’s reach, in a child proof cupboard or in a lockable nappy bin.
• Ensure Nappy change procedure remains compliant and up to date

 

 

 

The Nominated Supervisor will:

• Implement policies, procedures and training with educators to ensure that nappy change procedures support children’s safety, protection, relationships and learning
• Develop systems with educators to ensure that soiled clothing and soiled nappies are disposed of or stored in a location children cannot access
• Ensure children’s nappies are changed at scheduled intervals and recorded on Xplor Playground under the child’s profile
• Ensure Educators check nappies throughout the day to ensure children are not susceptible to nappy rash and discomfort. A system to record this routine will be maintained for reporting purposes which will be kept up to date via the digital program Xplor
• Ensure nappy change and hand washing procedures are displayed visually as appropriate in the nappy change area
• Ensure nappy bins are emptied once during the day and at the end of each day. This may need to be done more regularly if there are soiled nappies
• Ensure there is a quarterly (every three month) audit of all Educators in their nappy changing procedure and feedback given to ensure they are meeting the centre standards.

 

Educators will:

• Discuss children’s individual needs professionally with families to ensure practices are reflective of their home environment and are culturally sensitive
• Provide information to families regarding children’s nappy change routines
• Utilise nappy change times to interact with children on an individual basis. The nappy change time will allow Educators to converse, sing, play and generally interact with the child. This time allows Educators and children to learn more about each other and understand each child’s personality and personal strengths
• Organise the nappy change area to promote positive interactions and promote positive learning experiences, e.g. place pictures or mobiles to stimulate children’s interactions and to encourage learning
• Ensure physical contact and direct supervision with children throughout the nappy change experience
• Ensure no child is left alone on a nappy change mat or bench
• Keep nappy change areas fully stocked with all required materials at all times
• Ensure nappy change and toileting supplies are readily accessible to staff to ensure efficiency and the health and safety of each child
• Encourage mobile children to walk to the nappy change area
• Assist the child to walk up the steps onto the nappy change bench to decrease monotonous movements by Educators and to promote children’s agency. Where a child is not walking, Educators will follow manual handling practices to lift and carry the child to the nappy change mat
• Follow the service’s documentation requirements for nappy changing and toileting.
• Ensure wipes have the seal sticker removed from the container to ensure no cross contamination occurs if an educator needs to reach for a second wipe during nappy change.

 

 

Toilet Training

Our Service accepts enrolments of children who have not yet been toilet trained. Toileting occurs at any time of the day and is specific to individual needs. Educators will communicate with parents/guardians to develop consistency with their child’s toileting habits. Educators will be aware of and consider any special requirements related to culture, religion or privacy needs.

 

Decisions about when to begin toilet training will be made by families, or may occur through shared decision making between families and early childhood professionals. This decision is based on mutual respect and open communication, which is crucial for a good outcome.

 

Families may have strong views and preferences about when and how their child learns to use the toilet, which may come from their cultural background or individual preferences which must be respected by Educators and staff.

 

The priority of the individual child’s wellbeing is paramount, and the decision to begin assisting the child to learn to use the toilet should be based on signs of readiness from the child and discussion with families.

 

Early signs of readiness, will often start to appear when children are around 18-24 months old and may include:

• Showing interest in the toilet, including having an interest in others using the toilet
• Indicating a need to go to the toilet either before, or while they are passing urine or doing a poo
• Staying dryer for longer
• Begins to dislike wearing a nappy and perhaps tries to pull it off when it’s wet or soiled
• Indicating a desire to sit on the toilet

 

It is important to keep the process subdued and not place unnecessary attention and pressure on the child so they can prosper. Acknowledging children’s successes, no matter how infrequent or small, is vital for their self-esteem and confidence. Families and Educators can expect accidents, which should be treated respectfully and in a supportive manner.

 

Educators and families will collaborate and communicate how the toilet learning is going, both in care and at home. This will support children to become more familiar and comfortable with the toilet training process. This can be done in person or via the Playground/ Home Xplor app as families can communicate through the moments section and the educators through the observation section.

 

Children should be given the opportunity to complete the toileting procedure, such as toileting, washing hands, flushing the toilet, keeping the bathroom environment clean independently, while at the same time keeping in mind the importance of hygiene and providing assistance when needed.

 

During this milestone, children should be empowered and encouraged to be successful.  Toilet training varies for individual children. As Educators we can take advantage of the child being in a group and the many opportunities that provides for learning from each other. Educators and families need to remember that comparing children is inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour.

 

 

 

Bush Kinder Toileting

Educators will discuss with children at the beginning of each bush kinder session the toileting procedures for the session.

 

The children are encouraged and supported to use the toilet bucket throughout their bush kinder session. The children are supervised by an educator, who also supports the children in their toileting requirements. The educator will take the child to the toilet bucket, with toilet paper, and assist them where needed. After the child has finished, the educator will sanitise the child’s hands and their own hands.

 

The Bush Kinder toilet is taken back to the centre at the end of each bush kinder session and is cleaned and sanitised in accordance with our Cleaning and Laundering Policy guidelines.

 

 

Nappy Rash and creams

The service provides Sudocream as an option for nappy rash relief. Parents or caregivers have the option of providing the service with an alternate nappy rash cream to be used for their child, with a pharmacy label with the child’s name, date of birth and application method stated. The parent or caregiver will then need to fill out a Non-Prescribed Medication/ Cream Form.

 

If a child presents with nappy rash throughout the day, the educator will seek input from another educator to decide on whether nappy rash cream is needed. The educator will then notify the director of the rash. The educator will fill in an Illness Digital Observation Form for the family to sign on Xplor Playground

.

If at any point the educators feel the family need to be contacted about the nappy rash, we will do so. Any nappy rash or unusual changes will also be noted and detailed on the daily nappy change chart and a second educator will witness this to ensure consistency.

 

Policy Review

• The Service will review the Nappy Change & Toileting Policy every year or as new information arises.
• Families are encouraged to collaborate with the Service to review the policy and procedures.

 

Centre Related Policies and Source Acknowledgements

 

• Centre Nappy Change Procedure
• Centre Medication Policy
• Centre Glove Policy
• Centre Bathroom and Toilet Cleaning Policy
• Centre Hand Hygiene Policy
• Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (2014)
• Guide to the Education and Care Services National Law and the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2015
• ECA Code of Ethics
• Guide to the National Quality Standard
• Staying Healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (5^th Edition)
• The QLD Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Storage and Handling of Dangerous Goods: Guidance www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/formspublications/ publications/Documents/storage-handlingdangerous-goods-1354.pdf
• Approved First Aid Qualifications www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications/approvedfirst-aid-qualifications
• Health and Safety in Children’s Centres: Model Policies and Practices (2nd ed.)
• Changing a nappy without spreading germs
• https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/ch55h_nappy_changing_poster_130701.pdf
• Raising Children Network www.raising children.net.au

 

REVIEW

Policy Reviewed	Modifications	Next Review Date
September 2019	Information added in regard to non prescribed creams and medication form to be filled out	September 2020
January 2020	Information regarding updated detailed nappy change chart with information regarding rash and unusual change identification and second educator witness signing.	January 2021
July 2020	Updates regarding Xplor Playground digital documentation of nappy changes, toileting and any illness observations due to nappy change/ rashes	July 2020
February 2021	Bush Kinder Toileting Procedure added to the policy document in line with daily bush kinder excursions and accessible toileting for children.	February 2022
February 2022	Info added regarding removing the seal sticker inside the wipes to ensure no cross contamination if an educator need to reach for further wipes during a nappy change.	February 2023
May 2023	No changes required	May 2024
June 2024	No changes required	June 2025