Dirty diapers...how do you deal?

Hi everyone,
I'm wondering if anyone has the same problem with dirty diapers as I do. My problem with them is that it takes me everything not to throw up while I am changing them. It's not like this with my own kids...it's just a little yuckier when it's not your own little ones. The reason I ask is because I have a soon to be 4 year old who does not yet poop on the potty. While he was here interviewing he pooped in his pull-up. His mom went to the bathroom to clean him up. She then asked me where she could put his diaper and I told her I would take it for her...the smell alone of his diaper made me gag! I am wondering how I will do it when I'm the one changing him. I am seriously considering buying latex gloves and a face mask...LOL. I know it's part of our jobs but sometimes those dirty diapers are just...yuck is the only word that comes to mind. How do you all deal with it? Just do it as fast as possible??

I wear gloves when changing diapers. My friend is a nurse and she recommended I do this as there could be germs or diseases in the poop.

I totally agree with you other kids poop is so much more gross than your own kids.

A soon to be 4 year old? When is this child turning 4? I probably wouldn't even of accepted them into care...they should be fully trained at that age unless they have some sort of developmental issues.

Hi! Totally agree that other kids poop is sooooo much more disgusting than our own kids ha ha! I have a similar question.....I have an almost 4 year old who was toilet trained before he came to me almost a year ago. However, he does not wipe his bum after poop, is this weird?????

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Emily3

Hi! Totally agree that other kids poop is sooooo much more disgusting than our own kids ha ha! I have a similar question.....I have an almost 4 year old who was toilet trained before he came to me almost a year ago. However, he does not wipe his bum after poop, is this weird?????

---

Yes it's weird that his parents wouldn't of made this part of the process and it's disgusting that he doesn't wipe after he poops. This can cause smell( since it would be getting on his underwear), could cause itching, irritations and rashes. This is something I would be strongly encouraging and even talk to the parents about.

He will be 4 in March. He pees without a problem on the potty but doesn't poop. His parents are trying but he still won't go. After reading Bugaboo's post I think I will also be wearing gloves. I use hand sanitizer and then wash my hands after changing diapers but gloves would definitely be useful. I am hoping he will be trained very soon and will do my best to help him. Hopefully he will be fully trained soon!
Emily, I have heard of this before with 2 different 4 year olds. Not sure what's going on with that...maybe they have a hard time reaching??

Oh...and I'm also glad to know that I'm not alone in this. :)

I have a little boy here who is almost 4 and won't poop in the potty but he's been pee trained for at least a year now. Thankfully, he only poops at night and I haven't seen one in a long, ong time. He's so stubborn but his Mom is trying absolutely everything.

Be careful to buy non-latex gloves by the way because a lot of people have latex allergies and you don't want to run into any problems. I think I'd be buying a mask for that little guy too.

I'm sorry, but that kid is WAY to old to be doing that. Maybe they should take him to the doctor or something. He may have an issue. I don't get paid enough to deal with a 4 year old who is choosing to crap his pants.

I'm sorry, but I just love this thread! :laugh: I HATE poopy diapers! Kind of sound obvious, but seriously...yuck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fruitloop

I'm sorry, but that kid is WAY to old to be doing that. Maybe they should take him to the doctor or something. He may have an issue. I don't get paid enough to deal with a 4 year old who is choosing to crap his pants.

---

Another question I have is why is he stil wearing a pull up?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Skysue

Another question I have is why is he stil wearing a pull up?

---

I asked that he wear one. It was either that or he would go in his underwear and I really didn't want to have to deal with that! His mom said at home and preschool he only wears underwear but has accidents all the time, so as soon as I heard that I asked that he wear a pull-up here.

On the 4 year old wiping - back in the old days, lol,you taught them to just reach through their legs as far as they could and swipe and then washed off the hands till they got the hang of it. Then, someone came up with this idea that we needed to wipe front to back so we didn't transfer germs well not easy to teach and some parents just won't let the kid learn to do it themselves. The fact it was ok for them to poop and sit in it and get it all over the whole butt front and back and once toileting it suddenly becomes an issue - have a parent bordering on the paranoid on the germ transfer issue and expects me to always wipe the child. Child is 3 and I would prefer they did it and I "checked" just like we do with tooth brushing in kids but you can thank some medical/scientific team for scaring the parents on another issue. And yes child will go to school and just not bother wiping cause he wasn't allowed to learn.

I know, isn't that just ridiculous?! In my care, when you learn to use the toilet, you also learn to wipe your butt because I'm NOT gonna do it for you. That's the whole point of potty training...so you don't have to change and constantly wipe them. Otherwise...why potty train at all. I make them wipe (or try to wipe) and then I check it for them. Not wiping after you poop is disgusting!

As for the 4 year old pooping in his pants, that's just as ridiculous imo. They obviously aren't potty training right and the child is using this as a control thing (which I don't really get but kids are weird sometimes). They need to give him consequences for his actions...like cleaning himself up or put him back in a baby diaper and call it that. He is FULLY capable of telling someone he has to go to the bathroom. Unless this was a medical problem, I wouldn't of even accepted him into care based on that alone.

I have a friend with a 4 year old who is going to JK already and he is not trained. she has tried everything she can think of, but he refuses to try. She tried putting him in underwear only and he didn't seem to mind peeing and pooping in his pants. This is just to say that sometimes parents have a very ahrd time....my friend is a wonderful mother and she tries very hard to do what is right...but she is at a loss with this one. On the poop issue...yes, other kids' poop is much stinkier than my own...sometimes I feel like gagging too...but I just get through it as fast as possible. I don't use gloves, but I wash with soap and water immediately after.

Poopy diapers don't really bother me!
Everyone poops.... I also don't think its a huge deal that he's four and still poops in his pull up. Is it all the time, or was it a slip up? Does it happen when he's nervous?

I remember when I used to have exams for school... I would always get what I like to call "Sick bum", and I was 25 and still thought I might crap my pants! Maybe its a nervous thing! Maybe its a parenting issue, maybe he's just not ready...??

Just put your gloves on, hold your breath, say a little prayer, and go as fast as you can! I have a girl who uses cloth diapers.. I not only have to change her, but I then have to clean our her diaper. It's not a big thing for me though.. I have a high gross tolerance!

Most of my dck's as well as my own daughter are in cloth...it isn't any worse really...at least it goes home at the end of the day ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MamaMel

Poopy diapers don't really bother me!
Everyone poops.... I also don't think its a huge deal that he's four and still poops in his pull up. Is it all the time, or was it a slip up? Does it happen when he's nervous?

I remember when I used to have exams for school... I would always get what I like to call "Sick bum", and I was 25 and still thought I might crap my pants! Maybe its a nervous thing! Maybe its a parenting issue, maybe he's just not ready...??

Just put your gloves on, hold your breath, say a little prayer, and go as fast as you can! I have a girl who uses cloth diapers.. I not only have to change her, but I then have to clean our her diaper. It's not a big thing for me though.. I have a high gross tolerance!

---

Some kids smell worse than others. I had this one little girl. My god, I didn't know that I HAD a gag reflex until this kid. I would pre-spray a bedroom with fabreeze . . . then take her in and change her holding my breath as long as I could. The fabreeze would help if I thought I might pass out

But all jokes aside I have a suggestion for the 'I won't poop on the potty' thing: I had a little one who should have been fully trained before she came and was not. So I used stickers: 1 sticker for a pee (or a good try) and two for a poo. As was out off training pants in two days.

At first you can attribute the refusal to poop as a fear or just being uncomfortable doing it the potty but then there is a point where it has become a power struggle. They won't do it because they just don't want to. At this point stickers are not going to work, and consequences need to be put into place. Pooping in the toilet becomes a rule. and like all other rules, if they are not followed, there are consequences. What I did was talk to the parent about the new rule that goes for my house and thiers (which they whole heatedly agreed to). When she pooped in her pants, she would be cleaned up and then serve a time out. She was pooping the toilet a day later and has not had ONE accident. Now I see how people can twist this as it is a rule of thumb not to make children feel bad about, or punish, accidents. But a refusal to use the potty is not an accident but a choice the child has made.

Hope this helps

Hmmm.... so much to talk about on this icky thread. LoL
First; other kids poops= bleccchhhh. (I am not sure how to spell that noise, but you get the gist)!! And some kids totally smell worse than others. I had one little guy whose mom insisted he needed extra iron. His poops were soooooo stinky. The only good thing was that they were also rock hard like little pebbles, so didn't need 478 wipes to clean up!!
When I was pregnant, and therefore gagging at just the IDEA of some odors; I would take a tissue and stuff it up my nose. If it was going to be really bad (you can tell, right?!?) I would also put a dab of Vicks Vaporub into my nose. Hey, it works for coroners and medical examiners, right?

On the idea of a 4 year old not pooping: I also think that if medical issues have been ruled out, and all the kinder, gentler methods have not worked (ie; stickers and rewards, etc) then it's time to crack down. If it is known that the child CAN use the potty, and it's not a terror issue (some kids get phobias), then it has definitely become a control issue. Honestly, I don't think I would do a diaper (or poopy pull up) for a kid that age. Flat out gross. I don't see any schools letting a child that age wear diapers, either. My cut off is more like 3, which I know can be a little early for some, but I personally think that 3 is PLENTY old enough to use the toilet.

As for not wiping the bum; if mom and dad haven't taught that, then I damn sure would be!! I get it if they are little (like, 2!) and just started the potty thing. I remember my oldest sitting in the bathroom yelling "Mooooommmmm! I need a wipey bum". (Awww, that seems like so long ago now, *sniff*). But it becomes a necessity, no??? A collleague of my husbands brought his kid to the office one time, and he went to the washroom and shortly afterward started yelling for his dad. Turns out, he needed dad to come in and wipe his bum. He was 6!!!!!! I was beyond disgusted.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlexFunCare

Some kids smell worse than others. I had this one little girl. My god, I didn't know that I HAD a gag reflex until this kid. I would pre-spray a bedroom with fabreeze . . . then take her in and change her holding my breath as long as I could. The fabreeze would help if I thought I might pass out

But all jokes aside I have a suggestion for the 'I won't poop on the potty' thing: I had a little one who should have been fully trained before she came and was not. So I used stickers: 1 sticker for a pee (or a good try) and two for a poo. As was out off training pants in two days.

At first you can attribute the refusal to poop as a fear or just being uncomfortable doing it the potty but then there is a point where it has become a power struggle. They won't do it because they just don't want to. At this point stickers are not going to work, and consequences need to be put into place. Pooping in the toilet becomes a rule. and like all other rules, if they are not followed, there are consequences. What I did was talk to the parent about the new rule that goes for my house and thiers (which they whole heatedly agreed to). When she pooped in her pants, she would be cleaned up and then serve a time out. She was pooping the toilet a day later and has not had ONE accident. Now I see how people can twist this as it is a rule of thumb not to make children feel bad about, or punish, accidents. But a refusal to use the potty is not an accident but a choice the child has made.

Hope this helps

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mom-in-alberta

Hmmm.... so much to talk about on this icky thread. LoL
First; other kids poops= bleccchhhh. (I am not sure how to spell that noise, but you get the gist)!! And some kids totally smell worse than others. I had one little guy whose mom insisted he needed extra iron. His poops were soooooo stinky. The only good thing was that they were also rock hard like little pebbles, so didn't need 478 wipes to clean up!!
When I was pregnant, and therefore gagging at just the IDEA of some odors; I would take a tissue and stuff it up my nose. If it was going to be really bad (you can tell, right?!?) I would also put a dab of Vicks Vaporub into my nose. Hey, it works for coroners and medical examiners, right?

On the idea of a 4 year old not pooping: I also think that if medical issues have been ruled out, and all the kinder, gentler methods have not worked (ie; stickers and rewards, etc) then it's time to crack down. If it is known that the child CAN use the potty, and it's not a terror issue (some kids get phobias), then it has definitely become a control issue. Honestly, I don't think I would do a diaper (or poopy pull up) for a kid that age. Flat out gross. I don't see any schools letting a child that age wear diapers, either. My cut off is more like 3, which I know can be a little early for some, but I personally think that 3 is PLENTY old enough to use the toilet.

As for not wiping the bum; if mom and dad haven't taught that, then I damn sure would be!! I get it if they are little (like, 2!) and just started the potty thing. I remember my oldest sitting in the bathroom yelling "Mooooommmmm! I need a wipey bum". (Awww, that seems like so long ago now, *sniff*). But it becomes a necessity, no??? A collleague of my husbands brought his kid to the office one time, and he went to the washroom and shortly afterward started yelling for his dad. Turns out, he needed dad to come in and wipe his bum. He was 6!!!!!! I was beyond disgusted.

---

Thank you both! Amen! That kid needs to get trained!

My son had a hard time with getting used to pooping on the potty, he was peeing by the time he was 3.5 but didnt master poop until just over 4. He was afraid of sitting on the potty (not sure why). Pee was ok bc he could stand. Anyhow, to get him to poop we would have him sit and give him an activity to do so he would get distracted and not hold it in. I also bribed him! LOL! Told him if he pooped on the potty I'd buy him the big firetruck at Walmart that he had been eyeing! It worked, we were at my sisters one day, sat him down on the potty, and he played with a couple of toys and then he did it! We went to Walmart immediately and he proceeded to telleveryone he passed, "I'm getting my fire truck because I pooped on the potty!" it was funny.

As for wiping, he is grossed out by poop, even now (hes almost 7) if its a particularly yucky one, he will call for me and try to get me to wipe for him (to which I refuse, I mean hes almost 7!). So he does wipe but usually goes through a lot of toilet paper bc he doesnt want to get the poop on his hands. I also make sure I have thoes wet wipes for older kids (not the baby wipes) so he can get himself as clean as possible. Maybe that's whats up with your non-wiper, he's grossed out by poop! Even his own!

My nephew had to be bribed with hot wheels to even pee on the potty. . . . . The entire collection and $400 dollars later, he was trained.

I'm hoping to avoid all these issues by sitting my kids on the toilet for fun starting at around 18 month. we make poo faces and push and make funny farting noises and wipe even when we haven't peed or pooped. . . . . it's pretty entertaining for all.

I definitely use a glove for changing poopy diapers but I've been wondering if it's safe to go barehanded for a pee diaper. Any ideas?

I dont get grossed out by my own kids, or daycare kids poops AT ALL! I think the secret is just not breathing thru your nose and not smelling the nasty smells! I couldnt care in the least bit!
I dont wear gloves or anything, just I always wash my hands with soap and water after and I use hand sanitizer often as well.

I have only 2 dcks potty trained, one 3 1/2 and one 20 months (girls). Both became potty trained at the same time, 2 months ago. I wipe bums for their poops, although I should make the 3yo attempt it herself, but its just I am usually always rushing to get the pee, poops and hand washing done with so I can attend to the other kids.

I also have a 4yo dck and I could not IMAGINE wiping her bum or her go pee/poop in a diaper or otherwise!! That is too old for sure!!! Gross!!

I do agree with the others who have said that this is more of a choice and not a lack of control issue with pooping on the potty...the time out sounds like it worked wonderfully!

i have yet to encounter these issues with my own two kids! (21 months and 3 months)

there are probably many reasons for this to be still happening... one would be medical... also in my experiences boys tend to take longer in training... i tend not to agree with pull ups as they tend to prevent the child from being uncomfortable with the sensation of bowel movements etc. again, its a process that takes effort by parents and care providers... working together to ensure same things are followed through... also at this age, talking to the child about simply... how its easier for them in toilet, cleaner, faster... etc... make sense of it for them. i have 2.5 year old in my care trained through night and everything as a result of open communications with parents and working with the child... children also refuse to go based on fears, or that constipation previously hurt them... they get caught up in activity and dont want to stop what they are doing as well... be consistent and firm. use others bathrooming as a tool... everyone is doing this, you have no choice but to try... keep it simple but be firm. i did an interview two days ago, the mom's 4 year old had no bathrooming skills... that unfortunately is part previous care provider, part parenting... good luck... oh and for the smelliness... yes somedays you want to throw up! i had children who were vegetarian due to allergies etc that omg... :( good luck!!!

I don't use gloves when changing bums pee or poop and never have - 25 years of daycare and 4 of my own. I just wash with soap and water between - don't even use the purell like some do because I don't like it and not totally sure I believe in it. I do have a box of gloves and will use them if I have to put a special cream on a child with a rash/yeast infection but for routinely using creams no just do it - or I will use a piece of toilet paper to actually swipe it on which spreads it around really well and keeps the cream off my hands which can be hard to wash off which is the idea behind it.

Funny that poop never bothers me but anything beyond a baby spitting up and I have a hard time with that one.