Toddler hand washing question

[AliceK]

Hi
I have 2 toddlers to look after every day, one my own DD has just turned 2 and mindee is 16mths. My only bathroom is upstairs and it's not practical or easy to get them both upstairs to wash their hands all the time so what I was thinking was to get a small washing up bowl and use it on the floor in the kitchen when needed with warm water and soap etc for them to wash their hands. Firstly would Ofsted be OK with this? Secondly do you ALWAYS get the children to wash their hands before they have a snack for instance, I'm talking about a plain biscuit or bread stick or something or do you only make a point of washing hands before a "meal". I've been using a lot of hand gel as mindee is ALWAYS snacking and if I had to wash her hands before each time thats all we would be doing.

xxxx

[tammerisk]

ofsted don't like shared washing bowls sorry
i use my kitchen sink for that with running water
if i out i use hand sanitiser
never been told off for this as i use it on my own hand whan changing nappies as i allergic to gloves they corse demititus on my hand even the altex free one

[babs]

i wash hands and dry b4 each snack with a face cloth for each child once sat at table as by time 2yr old has washed her hands they are dirty again b4 she reaches table as she likes to crawl everywhere at moment as for 12 month old same i wash her hands too as shes to little.. for lunch time 2 yr old normally goes toilet 1st then washes her hands in sink while i do sister. when i had my inspection they didnt say anything bout me washin hands with a face cloth.. i wet cloth with warm water put bit of hand wash on there do like that then dry off. i cant use santitiser at all cus of eczema on her hands which at moment is very sore so try and keep her hands out of water as much as poss at moment..

[ORKSIE]

There's a hand washing song isnt there, anyone know it

[babs]

This little hand is a good little hand (wave)
This little hand is its brother (wave other)
Together they wash and wash and wash (pretend)
One hand washes the other.

Sung to: Row, Row Row Your Boat"

Wash, wash, wash your hands
Play our handy game.
Rub and scrub, and scrub and rub.
Germs go down the drain. HEY!
Wash, wash, wash your hands
Play our handy game.
Rub and scrub, and scrub and rub.
Dirt goes down the drain. HEY!

[ORKSIE]

This little hand is a good little hand (wave)
This little hand is its brother (wave other)
Together they wash and wash and wash (pretend)
One hand washes the other.

Sung to: Row, Row Row Your Boat"

Wash, wash, wash your hands
Play our handy game.
Rub and scrub, and scrub and rub.
Germs go down the drain. HEY!
Wash, wash, wash your hands
Play our handy game.
Rub and scrub, and scrub and rub.
Dirt goes down the drain. HEY!

Brilliant....Thank you XX

[Zoomie]

I have a 2y DD and 29m mindee, and my bathroom is also upstairs.

We snack once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and of course there is breakfast and lunch. The children always go upstairs to wash their hands, and if they don't want to, then they can't eat. This is also when they want fruit during the course of the day.

I used to get the children to go upstairs to wash their handsw when they had their nappies changed too, but it felt like we were constantly up and down the stairs, so now I wipe their hands with a wipe and if they want to go up, then no problem. I always go upstairs to wash my hands after nappies, but do use the kitchen sink when I do the food. I don't like the children to use the kitchen sink.

[AliceK]

ofsted don't like shared washing bowls sorry
i use my kitchen sink for that with running water
if i out i use hand sanitiser
never been told off for this as i use it on my own hand whan changing nappies as i allergic to gloves they corse demititus on my hand even the altex free one

But how would I get a 2yr old and 16mth old up to the sink. For safety reasons I can't really sit them on the sideboard can I???

xxxxxx

[AliceK]

i wash hands and dry b4 each snack with a face cloth for each child once sat at table as by time 2yr old has washed her hands they are dirty again b4 she reaches table as she likes to crawl everywhere at moment as for 12 month old same i wash her hands too as shes to little.. for lunch time 2 yr old normally goes toilet 1st then washes her hands in sink while i do sister. when i had my inspection they didnt say anything bout me washin hands with a face cloth.. i wet cloth with warm water put bit of hand wash on there do like that then dry off. i cant use santitiser at all cus of eczema on her hands which at moment is very sore so try and keep her hands out of water as much as poss at moment..

I like this idea, might so that then if Ofsted are happy with it

Thanks
xxx

[Alibali]

Kitchen roll! A wet piece and a dry one

[Ripeberry]

What about wet wipes? When mindee is in his high chair we go throught the ritual of 'clicking' on the safety straps, puting on the big bib and then he holds out his hands to be wiped with the wet wipe that has a bit of get on it.
I'm not a fan of face cloths...but that's just a personal thing of mine

[tammerisk]

i have a step for the older ones and i hold the younger one we do it one at a time i am quite capible of holding a little one and them to runn there hands under the water to wash off the soap we have rubbed in before

[babs]

i cant use wet ones on 2yr olds hands has her eczema is really bad and she says its sore if u use a wetone even frag free ones, its like open cuts at moment. so i have to use face cloths. i do have a few and the children each have thier own and own towel which again is another face cloth just for little hands ... i use about 8 a day if not more have about 25 different pics on each and diff colours they all go in wash at end of each day to use next day.. so its alway a clean cloth.

[Mummits]

My toddlers before snacks or meals either wash their own hands at the kitchen sink or have them washed for them at the table using individual facecloths and dry with kitchen towel. But they only have a snack mid morning and late afternoon after the school run, both at the table, so are not washing hands all day long by any means. After meals, I tend to clean them up with their facecloths at the table - some of them get VERY messy so the alternative would be a trail of food accross the dining room and kitchen. The Ofsted inspector observed all of this at the last inspection and was fine with it. All my cloths and flannels are hung up separately and go into the wash each day.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I have lots of wet wipes around the place but before eating we use anti bac gel which they can all use (i put it on my hands and rub it in to the little ones) and Ofsted were fine with this

No more individual towels for me and bottles of anti bac everywhere.

[Merry-Minder]

Im glad you said that Debbie - going upstairs to the toilet and washing hands then is no probs, I have liquid soap and paper towels - I cant be doing with a million different flannels and towells, I have enough washing to do with my own family!!!
So wipes and anti-bac is the way to go for me - and im glad Ofsted are ok with this.

[AliceK]

I have lots of wet wipes around the place but before eating we use anti bac gel which they can all use (i put it on my hands and rub it in to the little ones) and Ofsted were fine with this

No more individual towels for me and bottles of anti bac everywhere.

Well this is what I am doing at the moment so I'm relieved that I can carry on like this. The amount of wet wipes I get through is unbelievable
Thanks

xxxxxx

[mama2three]

ofsted don't like shared washing bowls sorry
i use my kitchen sink for that with running water
if i out i use hand sanitiser
never been told off for this as i use it on my own hand whan changing nappies as i allergic to gloves they corse demititus on my hand even the altex free one

this is what winds me up about ofsted. inconsistencies. When i had my pre-reg i said i wouldnt be using the downstairs loo as it has no sink - and the inspector suggested i just put out a bowl of warm water to use.