what to do with a baby mindee when you need the toilet?

[NikNak]

This might sound daft but does any one know what you are supposed to do when you need a wee and are minding a 11 month old baby!? What would ofsted expect you to do?

Do you take baby upstairs with you or make sure baby is safe in play pen downstairs? (my toilet is upstairs).:)

[Trouble]

if its not in a secure place then yes take it with you andtake a little toy with you to amuse itself with;)

[ma7ie]

A playpen would be fine so long as it was safe. I'd take the baby upstairs with me personally. Before now I've had an quite an audience with me.

I leave older children downstairs and have the toilet door open which is right at the top of the stairs. Unfortunately the front door is at the bottom of the stairs so I always run the risk of being caught by my eldest daughter and her boyfriend walking in.:blush:

[miss muffit]

If you have a playpen then baby wont hurt being left in there while you go to the loo!
:) :)

[sarah32]

I sometimes put my one year old in the high chair or take him upstairs and I have a travel cot in the bedroom.

[crazybones]

:rolleyes: Ive had parties in the loo before now. Running commentary, questions and telling me how to wash my hands. Hubby was home once and a little one said "Where's Dave going?" I shout Dave lock the door quick! We have a downstairs loo but the lock is high up and me and hubby never lock it normally. :laughing:

[jaja]

Hi

I make sure they are safe in a playpen or travel cot. However on my last inspection, i needed to go and visit the loo :blush: ( was minding a three year old boy!) i left him safely in the playroom, stairgate on and inspector watching him and my daughter play, i left room and into loo straight across from playroom, i didnt think anything of it (child was safe and protected from harm) however when my inspection was over she told me that i had left children unsupervised and then wrote this on my inspection! i asked what should i have done then? she told me i should have taken him with me!!!!:panic: i was completely surprised by this and i asked the parents thoughts and she agreed with me, she wouldnt of wanted me taking her 3 year old boy to the toliet with me, he was safe from harm, contained and happy, there was another registered adult watching over and i had gone for less than 2 mins! she was a new inspector (i was first one she did!!!) and very nervous.

I would of contested the result but i couldnt face another 5 hour visit!!!!!! yes 5 hours! and i still got good but that was one factor which stopped me getting outstanding! i was so upset by it.

What age do u guys stop taking the kids to the loo with you? i would be very interested to know!

jen:littleangel:

[miffy]

Oh you have to get used to an audience in the loo when you're minding :laughing:

I'd take him with me

miffy xx

[sarah707]

I pop baby in his playpen and the other children are playing... I leave doors open and talk to everyone a lot.

I certainly would not take a 3 year old of either sex to the toilet with me! :eek:

[miffy]

I pop baby in his playpen and the other children are playing... I leave doors open and talk to everyone a lot.

I certainly would not take a 3 year old of either sex to the toilet with me! :eek:

I don't always get a choice!!!!!

miffy xx

[Lou]

I pop baby in his playpen and the other children are playing... I leave doors open and talk to everyone a lot.

I certainly would not take a 3 year old of either sex to the toilet with me! :eek:

i agree with Sarah, im sorry but what is this world coming to when you cant have a 10 second pee without it becoming a big issue?

I have a downstairs toilet and as long as mindees are playing happily i would just nip in, if ness i would put baby in highchair/travel cot but i am not taking them all with me.

[fionamal]

When I last had a baby to mind I used to strap him in the buggy while I nipped to the loo, that way he couldnt get out and I knoew he was safe.

[ruby]

although there are 2 of us so this problem does not arise
we would not take a 3yrs old to the toilet with us
but that doesn't stop one of the little ones standing out side shouting what you doing Aunty Cathy
he's going through that what why stage


cathy

[flora]

I generally leave the door open and use the downstairs loo, yacking away as I go. Kids can come in if they want too, both 2. Older ones stay out of the way, too gross for words :laughing: so no longer have an audience of 6 :D

Most parents I have discussed this with DO NOT want you using the loo with their kids present past 3yrs old or so. One mother asked me what I did at " that time of the month????" I said that tried to avoid taking them, but if not possible then I was very quick and very discreet. Necessity is the other of all invention :thumbsup:

[mum22]

I have when minding 1 x 3 yr old and 2 x 20 month olds at the same time, my loo is upstairs - i would not take them with me - if necessary i will strap them in booster seats doing some drawing while i nip to the loo, but i leave the door open as it is at the top of the stairs and chat to them whilst doing so.

x helen

[charleyfarley]

Strap the baby in the pushchair so they are safe.

I often have an audience outside the bathroom door, it's downstairs btw

Carol xx

[Twinkles]

I don't take mine with me either. I put babies in the playpen. My loo is downstairs so I can still hear them.
I did have one very insecure tot who had a blue fit if I even moved across the room. I used to take her with me ( but leave her outside ) and we would knock to each other on the door just to reassure her I hadn't disappeared !!

[angeldelight]

When you gotta go you gotta go

So I do ! Alone !

Angel xx

[buildingblocks]

I am afraid I am a very bad childminder and if I need the loo (upstairs) and hubby is at home then I leave them downstairs with him. Sorry but my ofsted inspector deemed it good enough to leave all my mindees outside with my mum not CRB'd and my hubby whilst I took her on a tour of hte house and she grilled me inside after the tour. WHen I said I would fetch them her words were htey are obviously happy with your mum and hubby they will be fine!!!!!.

To be perfectly honest I know my children well enough that weven when I am on my own they are left downstairs as they are perfectly safe playing and TBH I would be more worried about accidents if I left them strapped in at the table in booster seats (one of mine has a lovely habit at the moment of pushing feet against table and making gthe chair rock.

I really do think we need to use common sense sometimed (which is obviously something Ofsted have never heard of) . If I took all mine upstairs it is less safe then downstairs for them.

[NikNak]

Thanks for all your reply's. I think the last one sums it up, to use your common sense. I agree as long as they are safe from dangers then surely it is just part of normal every day life for a mindee not to have you hovering over them every second. I suppose it's only the same as perhaps when you are doing the washing up or wiping the table after lunch etc. You will have your back to them on such occasions.:)

[Schnakes]

I started a thread about this a while back because it was one of the questions I was asked when I had my inspection.My answer to Ofsted was that I would make sure that the children were safe and go!!! Alone!! Big wow!! :rolleyes: The inspector didnt mention it in my report.

I would never take the children in with me. Its too personal, its not hygenic and furthermore - how are you supposed to develop their "healthy independance" if you cant even leave them alone for 1 minute while you use the toilet!?! I most certainly would not be taking care of personal matters at my time of the month with the children in the room. Absolutely not.

For the person who got downgraded because you leave the kids alone - I personally would have contested and then I would have made a complaint against the inspector for being a complete **** tbh.

Just in case you are wondering, my toilet is upstairs. I put the stair gate on and leave the bathroom door open so in the unlikely event that something terrible happens while Im gone I can hear it and respond immediately.

Sx

[littletreasures]

My toilet is off the playroom. I go to the toilet leaving the door open so the kids continue to play but I can hear them. I think this is safer than closing the door so I could bang their heads or knock them over when I open the door.

littletreasures

[casey's mum]

I dont take mine with me as my toilet is downstairs directly off of the playroom! I do very often have a head or two pocked around the door saying hiya! lol
I usually nip quick when they all totally engrossed in something! No baby babies at mo tho so that helps!

Angela xx

[Lottie]

and furthermore - how are you supposed to develop their "healthy independance" if you cant even leave them alone for 1 minute while you use the toilet!?!
Sx

Exactly what I was going to say. Children need a certain amount of independance dependent on their age. How can not being able to leave a child for a second help that child learn and grow into a well rounded individual. It's all nonsense and contradictory to Ofsted promoting a 'healthy child.'

Seriously think that if I come against this type of thing in my inspection I will have something to say and won't let it drop.

[bubbly]

I don't have a playpen so would I be ok strapping 5 month old baby in the highchair when nature calls?

Would I be ok leaving the almost-4-year-old playing happily in the lounge with the door open (my loo is literally right next door to the lounge)?

This issue concerns me for my inspection next week. I'm not planning on consuming any fluids until it's over but you never know when nature may call :D

Can someone help me out on the best thing to do? Normally I just use common sense to make sure eveeyone's safe but inspectors don't grade us on that! :laughing:

[crazybones]

I don't have a playpen so would I be ok strapping 5 month old baby in the highchair when nature calls?

Would I be ok leaving the almost-4-year-old playing happily in the lounge with the door open (my loo is literally right next door to the lounge)?

This issue concerns me for my inspection next week. I'm not planning on consuming any fluids until it's over but you never know when nature may call :D

Can someone help me out on the best thing to do? Normally I just use common sense to make sure eveeyone's safe but inspectors don't grade us on that! :laughing:

That is what I would do. Must admit I did hold on a bit towards the end of my inspection. Then had a mad dash as she left me with 5 mins to get to the nursery (wee, coats, double buggy and a 10 min walk):laughing:

[nannan]

i dont take the older kids in the loo unless i'm in the shopping center and h ave no choice as i wouldnt leave them outside on their own, but in my own home i lock the door and have a chorus outside from the bigger ones and the babies safely in their chairs or playpen or cot whereever they are when i need to go

[Rach30]

I dont take the children in with me at all !! if they come in voluntarily fine but i try to be quick so they don't . TBH if it was own child i wouldn't even question it.

[Tickles]

Hi, i leave them downstairs when nipping to loo, i am only going to be a minute & i can hear them from where i am.

my livingroom is enclosed, all doors are shut except my stair door & toilet is at top of the stairs.

I have even left care commission officer looking after mindees when i have had to go upstairs potty training, or putting down for naps & they have never once said that i have left child unsupervised

[smithya85]

I have 2 question to add if thats ok?

1) What if you have a few small children in your care, can you leave them altogther without them hitting each other or anything while your at loo?

2) My kitchen is seperate from my living room and will be "out of bounds" for children as its pretty small and would be a bit dangerous as wherever they were in kitchen they'd be next to oven! :laughing: Anyway can I leave children in living room while I go prepare lunch in the kitchen?

This thread could go on forever!! :laughing:

Amy

[vix84]

These are all the same sort of things that I worried about when registering, when I mentioned it to friends and my mum etc. they all laughed at the thought of having to take them every where with you!!

If I had an inspection, and had to leave the room for a minute etc. and the inspector mentioned it, I would say 'well I know that you are crb checked etc. so that is why I felt it was safe to leave them with you'.
I thought within the National Standards description is says 'children must be within sight or hearing distance at all times', so that indicates that you can leave the room as long as you can still hear them.

I would just get a feel for the inspector and judge my answer on how they are tbh - I always go in the kitchen and leave my two mindee's who are both almost 2, while I cook etc. normally though they hover at the door while I chat to them though! And I always pop in to check on them etc. or if your that worried, Id say that If I didnt think they were safe etc. then I would bring them in the hall etc. with a few books or toys.

Or, you could bravely say about them enjoying the activity/playing and you dont want to keep disturbing them etc. so you feel they are safe (could do a risk assesment) and will benefit more from carrying on instead of keep making them follow you every where!