Not happy with nursery nappy changing

[kyriane]

Hi Ladies

Just looking for some advice. I returned back to work full time before Christmas (wouldn't have if there were a choice!), and my 1 year old is now in nursery 5 days a week. She seems to really like it, which is a relief - apart from picking up every bug going - which is a total nightmare. She seems to be at home half the time, of course, the nursery still get paid!

But there is one little issue which is driving me crazy, and I don't know what to do about it. I am not at all happy with their nappy changing!

I know it can't be easy with all those babies. But Alyssa just kept coming home with a worse and worse nappy rash, and even when I forbade them from using wipes and insisted they use cotton wool and water it still kept getting worse. Yet the weekend or a few days home with me and Daddy, and the nappy rash is gone. One day at nursery and its back again.

I don't think they make sure she is properly dry for a start. There is often bits of poo still stuck on her, and I saw her changed once and they don't take care to only wipe down. For a while, I was asking them to use metanium, as I found this used very sparingly was the only thing that worked. I saw one using it like sudocrem, slathering it on! I've now forbidden them from using that too, but even with all my instructions, she still comes home sore. I don't think the plastic disposable gloves help either. I know they have no choice on this, but if a baby has a sore bum putting cream on with scratchy plastic gloves cannot help matters.

What do I do? I don't want to seem like a pushy paranoid mum, but I am not happy with this at all. I am thinking about talking to the nursery manager and just asking her to check that they all (even the experienced ones) take more care over nappy changing. My husband and I both have low paid jobs and we pay the nursery so much money to look after her, so I feel they really ought to do a better job on something as simple as this.

Anyway, rant over. Any suggestions on how I can approach this diplomatically or should I go in and be firm?

Thanks x

[hiann]

go be firm. you are paying them to look after your baby after all!

[Bubba82]

ditto hiann, be firm and talk to the manager too, if she's getting a rash constatly i'd say she's being left too long in a sh1tty nappy, the only time my 2 got nappy rash was if they were in their poo filled nappy too long (i.e. if we were on a long car journey and couldn't pull over)

you could maybe try vaseline on her bottom as it's not going to matter if they slather it on and it'll act as a barrier?

[Claire76]

I used to manage day nurseries. I would be mortified if my staff hadn't cleaned the children properly. Defo go in firm and explain that this is not acceptable and is a basic level of care that they need to ensure is being carried out. They should be using any method that the parent wishes, if that is cotton wool and water then so be it. Same with the cream, the manager should supervise her changing times if the staff are incapable of understanding how to apply the metanium as requested and do so until they get it.

Don't be scared about approaching the manager, that's what she is there for Good Luck

[mummydotty]

I agree with the others, you should be firm & speak to the manager, it's unacceptable for this still to be such a problem after you have spoken to them.

[Izzywizzysmummy]

Definitely agree with the others. You need to tell them as it's not fair on your lo getting nappy rash.

Good luck x

[isabellasmum]

I guess it depends what you do at home.

If you use wipes then asking them to stick to cotton wool isn't on. If a dab of metanium sorts out rashes then they need to know not to lather it on although all trained childcare staff should know not to coat nappy areas in a thick layer of cream anyway.

Leaving poo on bum is just wrong and you need to have a firm word about this.

Have you looked at diet etc? If she eats differently at nursery this could affect her nappy contents/cause a reaction.

Quite honestly if they aren't capable of wiping a child's bum I would not want to be leaving my kid with them. It's the most basic task so if they aren't doing that right what else are they not doing.

[jewel]

I agree with speaking to the manager. Explain that it is distressing you and perhaps give a demonstration of how you want it to be done. Maybe ask for them to log when her nappie changes were done and by whom and also ask what she has eaten so like Abbie says, maybe she is reacting to something else? Just by trialing a register may prompt them to be more attentive.

Xx

[kyriane]

Thanks for all the comments, ladies. I would just like to clarify that I certainly did not expect them to use cotton wool and water while I used wipes at home. I always used to use wipes, but since Alyssa's been having these problems, I've been using cotton wool and water at home as well as asking the nursery to do it. Very occasionally I have used wipes when I have been out and have found cotton wool and water difficult, but generally I avoid them at present.

I decided not to speak to the manager but in fact wrote again to the ladies in the baby room, trying to explain more clearly what I wanted and asking for them to check that she is properly clean and to ensure they were being gentle. I put it nicely, that I am sure part of the problem is that she has very sensitive skin and I appreciate them putting in the extra time and effort to try and stop her becoming sore.

It seemed to work at first. Alyssa was clearly being changed more carefully and thoroughly. They were checking her more often and being careful to dry her and not to use too much cream. For three days she had very little nappy rash. Then, on the fourth day, it came back with a vengeance. And strangely, it seemed to occur very quickly, between when I had changed her at home (no noticeable rash) and before they did their first change only 1 hr 30 later (so no chance it was a reaction to the gloves or too much cream etc). I must confess I was confused.

I took her to the doctors, where I was treated like a total paranoid mummy and basically made to feel like I was wasting her time. She looked and thought Alyssa might still have a touch of thrush, but when I expressed concern about how long this had been going on (and I had done several courses with canesten cream to no avail) she dismissed me with the fact that this is very common, lots of babies get it, its nothing to worry about and I basically just have to put up with it. She did prescribe me a different anti-fungal cream however.

When it got to the weekend the pattern started to repeat again. Sore on Friday while at nursery, I changed her Fri night, by Sat morning it was clearing up and still fine at midday. Then, all of a sudden it happened to me, and I realised for certain that it wasn't down to the nursery. And therefore I owe them an apology (although I am glad I pushed for more care with nappy changes because they were not up to an appropriate standard). But this wasn't the cause of the soreness. Nor do I believe it is down to the thrush, or at least not only this.

I am now convinced it must be something she is eating, either that or somehow her waste is coming out very acidic regardles of what she eats. Between nappy changes, she suddenly got extremely sore. I had been extremely careful and gentle, and thorough, but it just happened. And so fast! And I was using anti-fungal cream, so I don't think its thrush that is doing this. It must be her waste. But what is making it so acidic? We know she is allergic to tomato, but the nursery are aware of this and have been cutting this out of her diet for a long time now. We never feed her this at home either. But what she gets fed at nursery and home is very similar, and I can't see a pattern. I don't usually feed her much cheese although she gets it at nursery, but she had quite a lot of cheese this weekend. So I thought that must be it! But looking back at her diet sheets from nursery I can see no cheese on it. So it can't be that.

I find myself relieved it turns out not to be the nursery, but really worried about what it could be. Her nappy rash problems have been going on since Christmas, and the only thing that has changed since then is I stopped breastfeeding. But I was combination feeding with formula for a while before I stopped breastfeeding, so I don't think it can be the formula milk or it would have affected her before, surely. I just feel completely helpless, and that the doctor will fry me with her hex vision if I try and take Alyssa back there again over this.

Alyssa is due to have her one year jabs at the end of the month, so I think I will talk to the nurse about it, and maybe call the health visitor (although last time I called the health visitor for advice, I really got the feeling she couldn't be bothered either - probably just so busy with newborns they don't need fussy mums of one year olds bothering them.) But what else can I do?

Don't worry ladies, I'm not looking to you all to provide the answer! Just getting it all off my chest. Thanks for listening, I really appreciate it!

[kyriane]

Thanks for all the comments, ladies. I would just like to clarify that I certainly did not expect them to use cotton wool and water while I used wipes at home. I always used to use wipes, but since Alyssa's been having these problems, I've been using cotton wool and water at home as well as asking the nursery to do it. Very occasionally I have used wipes when I have been out and have found cotton wool and water difficult, but generally I avoid them at present.

I decided not to speak to the manager but in fact wrote again to the ladies in the baby room, trying to explain more clearly what I wanted and asking for them to check that she is properly clean and to ensure they were being gentle. I put it nicely, that I am sure part of the problem is that she has very sensitive skin and I appreciate them putting in the extra time and effort to try and stop her becoming sore.

It seemed to work at first. Alyssa was clearly being changed more carefully and thoroughly. They were checking her more often and being careful to dry her and not to use too much cream. For three days she had very little nappy rash. Then, on the fourth day, it came back with a vengeance. And strangely, it seemed to occur very quickly, between when I had changed her at home (no noticeable rash) and before they did their first change only 1 hr 30 later (so no chance it was a reaction to the gloves or too much cream etc). I must confess I was confused.

I took her to the doctors, where I was treated like a total paranoid mummy and basically made to feel like I was wasting her time. She looked and thought Alyssa might still have a touch of thrush, but when I expressed concern about how long this had been going on (and I had done several courses with canesten cream to no avail) she dismissed me with the fact that this is very common, lots of babies get it, its nothing to worry about and I basically just have to put up with it. She did prescribe me a different anti-fungal cream however.

When it got to the weekend the pattern started to repeat again. Sore on Friday while at nursery, I changed her Fri night, by Sat morning it was clearing up and still fine at midday. Then, all of a sudden it happened to me, and I realised for certain that it wasn't down to the nursery. And therefore I owe them an apology (although I am glad I pushed for more care with nappy changes because they were not up to an appropriate standard). But this wasn't the cause of the soreness. Nor do I believe it is down to the thrush, or at least not only this.

I am now convinced it must be something she is eating, either that or somehow her waste is coming out very acidic regardles of what she eats. Between nappy changes, she suddenly got extremely sore. I had been extremely careful and gentle, and thorough, but it just happened. And so fast! And I was using anti-fungal cream, so I don't think its thrush that is doing this. It must be her waste. But what is making it so acidic? We know she is allergic to tomato, but the nursery are aware of this and have been cutting this out of her diet for a long time now. We never feed her this at home either. But what she gets fed at nursery and home is very similar, and I can't see a pattern. I don't usually feed her much cheese although she gets it at nursery, but she had quite a lot of cheese this weekend. So I thought that must be it! But looking back at her diet sheets from nursery I can see no cheese on it for the last few days. So it can't be that.

I find myself relieved it turns out not to be the nursery, but really worried about what it could be. Her nappy rash problems have been going on since Christmas, and the only thing that has changed since then is I stopped breastfeeding. But I was combination feeding with formula for a while before I stopped breastfeeding, so I don't think it can be the formula milk or it would have affected her before, surely. I just feel completely helpless, and that the doctor will fry me with her hex vision if I try and take Alyssa back there again over this.

Alyssa is due to have her one year jabs at the end of the month, so I think I will talk to the nurse about it, and maybe call the health visitor (although last time I called the health visitor for advice, I really got the feeling she couldn't be bothered either - probably just so busy with newborns they don't need fussy mums of one year olds bothering them.) But what else can I do? (ps I'm also going to try vaseline - thanks for suggestion, bubba!)

Don't worry ladies, I'm not looking to you all to provide the answer! Just getting it all off my chest. Thanks for listening, I really appreciate it!