Are individual towels a requirement under EYFS?

**helendee** · 26-10-2013, 09:20 PM

As the title says, can anyone tell me if it is a current requirement under the EYFS to provide individual towels and flannels for each child? My daughter in law was told off by her inspector last week for not having them, however at my last inspection my inspector was happy that I use paper towels which are thrown away.

I have searched through the statutory requirements and can find no mention of this being a necessity.

**serin** · 26-10-2013, 09:47 PM

I really dont think it is a requirement. I have one hand towel and change it regularly but if I had to bath them which is never then they would obviously have their own.

**helendee** · 26-10-2013, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by serin

I really dont think it is a requirement. I have one hand towel and change it regularly but if I had to bath them which is never then they would obviously have their own.

Thanks for the reply Serin, that is just as a thought.

I just don't understand why the inspector told my dil off about it! x

**dawn100** · 26-10-2013, 10:59 PM

It was something that we were told about in our training and recommened we do i think there is a sentence about avoiding the spread of germs, we were advised to either have paper towels or individual towels also that children should also have individual bedding, I was asked this question both at my pre reg and at my graded inspection

**rickysmiths** · 27-10-2013, 12:11 AM

Yes all my children have their own towels which are washed every week. I have a set with different animals on and a set of different colours. The children choose their own and it is their towel for the time they are with me, be it weeks or years. As a family we each have our own hand towels so it didn't occur to me to do it any other way with the minded children.

**Tazmin68** · 27-10-2013, 06:40 AM

At my last yearly review with local authority although I had individual Hand towels which were washed twice weekly I was suggested to me that I either change to disposable paper towels or buy lots of flannels which the children use once and up in washing bin so I can wash them and that it what I did. This is because using a hand towel and still using same one throughout the day or two was seen as not good enough practice. Just though I would feed thus back.

**Vickster** · 27-10-2013, 07:16 AM

I have lots of flannels. 1 per dry. They are from ikea. I just put them in the wash with my washing at the end if the day.

**Rachel6** · 27-10-2013, 07:30 AM

I also use flannels from ikea,each child has a different colour & I think a pack of 4 is about £1.00 they also have loops already on them so you can hang them up x

Simona · 27-10-2013, 08:33 AM

The original question was whether 'individual towels' were a requirement of the EYFS?

This is another issue in the framework where we differ in 'individual' interpretation or guidance from our LAs...we should use whatever we feel is appropriate to reduce the spread of germs so that we would be able to explain our interpretation/choice to the inspector and also should reflect what is in our H&S Policy?

The best is drying with air but not many CMs have one of those blowers in our bathroom
Paper towels are also good because they are disposable and used once only
Individual flannels are also acceptable...should they be changed daily or weekly? well germs spread wildly in damp conditions ...so up to you to decide

Good luck on your choice!!

**bindy** · 27-10-2013, 09:08 AM

I use paper towels, easy, no washing /drying and getting mixed up with others, I really don't want loads of hanging towels in my bathroom. I have 12 different children altogether!

Glitter · 27-10-2013, 09:24 AM

If children have washed their hands there should not be any germs on them to spread on to a towel.
So if you are teaching children to wash hands properly do you really need separate towels?

**bunyip** · 27-10-2013, 09:34 AM

EYFS Statutory Framework (3.59) states

providers should ensure that an adequate supply of clean bedding, towels, spare clothes and any other necessary items is always available.

It does not state what it means by "clean". Does a towel cease to be clean when the child uses it? another child uses it? you touch it to take it out of the airing cupboard? when you flush the toilet and cover the entire room and all its contents with a microscopic layer of poo/wee microbes? (for such is the case.)

**vals** · 27-10-2013, 09:47 AM

I have individual towels -when I got the bathroom done I had some extra hooks put up for them. I doubt very much that the children actually use the right towel, some don't even use a towel at all lol.

**tas** · 27-10-2013, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by bindy

I use paper towels, easy, no washing /drying and getting mixed up with others, I really don't want loads of hanging towels in my bathroom. I have 12 different children altogether!

At the moment each child has an individual small towel that is washed at the end of the day

I would like to start using paper towels or was thinking of kitchen roll but how do the children access the the paper towels as I really don't want a dispenser attached to my wall

Simona · 27-10-2013, 09:59 AM

Maybe this from the NHS will help... as said before flannels are fine but germs multiply in damp conditions

How to prevent germs from spreading - Live Well - NHS Choices

**Bluebell** · 27-10-2013, 11:14 AM

This is a really interesting thread - I have just started using individual towels for each child that gets washed each day - this was to get brownie points with Ofsted not because I believed that it was an actual requirement!

When I had my visit from environmental health, as I registered with them as a food business, they said it was something that Ofsted liked to see - that was feedback they had got from childminders they had visited.

When I asked if they supported that and thought it was neccessary they hummed and harred over what their answer should be. In the the end they said they need to be seen to be giving the best advice for individual hygeine and so yes they would recomend it. They also pointed out that young children getting them to wash their hands a lot fo the time is to get them into good hygeine routines and that actually a lot of the time their hands aren't necessarily 100% clean so germs could spread on the towels. Its taken me about a year to et round to implementing it but I have at last. I was going to dye the towels different colours or sew the childrens names on but as I have 13 children you can imagine I haven't quite got round to it yet!!

**watford wizz** · 27-10-2013, 11:25 AM

I use paper towel on a free roll, buy in bulk much cheaper, I tear a small pile off ready for very little ones but older ones soon get the hang of it. It's not always torn on the perforations but this doesn't bother me. It's about them being independent. It also makes a good addition to the compost heap which is also a good lesson. Ofsted liked this. I used to ask parents to supply a towel but this just caused the children to all want to use the " best " towel as some bought a big fluffy Thomas one while others bought ones that looked liked they'd cleaned the car engine before being sent!

**Tazmin68** · 27-10-2013, 02:27 PM

When i say flannels we use them as a very small hand towel so they are not damp used to dry hands

**clairer** · 27-10-2013, 03:29 PM

My Ofsted inspector was happy with paper towels being used for the children. I don't like hand towels- with seven children they can all end up dropped on the floor and stamped on!

Simona · 27-10-2013, 03:39 PM

Not an easy answer or one that will please either Mrs O, our LA or even Environmental Health but we are all so resourceful and use our common sense after all!!

Bluebell...I like your idea of names on hand towels...I had labels on the wall above their hook for mine...I'd better get my sewing machine to good use and start embroidery!