Accidents/Change of clothes

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I had a kindergarten student today who didn't wipe well enough after a bowel movement and the teacher called me to the class to help her. She had some smeared in her underwear so we had her remove them and put pants back on (nothing at all on pants). I called mom, who was at work. She said she will try to have someone bring underwear and if they are unable she will have to go commando for the rest of the day (this was at lunch time)

She is a single working mother of 3 kids, so I understand. I've had kids go commando a few times before because my supplies are very limited and they don't often send in extra clothes. But this teacher is distraught nobody has brought underwear and called the principal, who was then going to call mom.

I didn't think this was such a huge deal....wondering what you all do in these cases?

At the beginning of the school year I send out a paper, in the first day packet, informing parents we don't keep extra clothing at school. In the same paper I advise parents to send extra clothing to school to be kept in the child's locker for instances of potty accidents, bloody noses, playground mud, ripped pants, and cafeteria spills. In the same paper I inform parents they will be called to come to school if their child has occasion to need a change of clothing and there is no extra clothing at school. I don't do potty accidents...end of story. I call parents to do potty accidents if there is no extra clothing or the child is not capable of toileting themselves. Potty accidents are not life threatening. A child's allegation of you doing something inappropriate while exposing and or touching their genitalia could be a personal and professional disaster; considering, nowadays, in such accusations, you are guilty until you prove yourself innocent. Even if you prove yourself innocent irreparable damage to your reputation and career can occur.

I don't do potty accidents. I advise all of you to practice the same.

Great advice! I like the idea of sending a note out in the beginning to say if you don't send in clothes, you will be called. Maybe then they will be more likely to actually send them in!

I have some one time use "mesh" undies that I keep in my office. Usually they go to girls who have their period and wrecked their undies but still need something to attach a pad to.

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I don't do potty accidents. I advise all of you to practice the same.

I'm not saying that there hasn't been an occasional time when i haven't had to step in and help - it's few and far between and i don't make a practice of it. AND i always pull another adult into the room as a witness.After all, if a little one is really a mess you can't exactly leave them like that if a parent is an hour away and they are incapable or too sick to clean up.

The last thing you want is that phone call saying you've been accused of such and such...

Oh - and i tripped across this fun article too so all the more reason to protect ourselves - especially because these are not our own children:

Arizona child sexual abuse law guts due process for parents and caregivers.

Specializes in School nursing.
I have some one time use "mesh" undies that I keep in my office. Usually they go to girls who have their period and wrecked their undies but still need something to attach a pad to.

I love those things! I just ordered them this year and there are cheap and good for period accidents. Which I see a lot of. Par for the course when one works with 7th graders. We do uniforms at my school, so my clothing closet is donations when students outgrow their uniforms. It gets used more often for students that are out of uniform!

And wiping? Nope. I didn't do when I did work with K kids (I called home while student was cleaning themselves up to let parent know they may be arriving home in a different set of clothes). That job was in a large public district with a Nurse Leader, who said no to changing unless it was to help one of the 1:1 nurses in a documented situation of two same gender adults present.

Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

That teacher needs to back off and go teach. Leave the nursing to you. What you did is 100% appropriate. I love to go commando!

I don't typically help with bathroom accidents unless it's a REAL issue. I had one little guy, so sweet and obviously feeling very sick to his stomach, with a diarrhea explosion. Like, underwear, pants, socks, sneakers. It was everywhere. He was only in K, obviously wasn't able to clean himself. I helped in that situation and just let mom know (she was eternally grateful)

Usually, I give them clean clothes, a bag for the dirties and some wipes if needed. I tell them to ask if they need help but 99% of the time they are fine managing on their own. If I do get down and dirty helping out, I always call the parent to let them know. Haven't had an issue yet (knock knock)

I'm not saying that there hasn't been an occasional time when i haven't had to step in and help - it's few and far between and i don't make a practice of it. AND i always pull another adult into the room as a witness.After all, if a little one is really a mess you can't exactly leave them like that if a parent is an hour away and they are incapable or too sick to clean up.

The last thing you want is that phone call saying you've been accused of such and such...

Oh - and i tripped across this fun article too so all the more reason to protect ourselves - especially because these are not our own children:

Arizona child sexual abuse law guts due process for parents and caregivers.

That Arizona law is terrifying! I was reading about it a few days ago. Basically the law no longer accounts for intent, if you touch a child's genitals-in any way, for any reason-, you can be charged.

Specializes in kids.
That teacher needs to back off. Nobody has ever died from going commando, plenty of people are without undies by choice on a daily basis.

I hate when you talk about me like that "blush" :bored:

Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
I'm not saying that there hasn't been an occasional time when i haven't had to step in and help - it's few and far between and i don't make a practice of it. AND i always pull another adult into the room as a witness.After all, if a little one is really a mess you can't exactly leave them like that if a parent is an hour away and they are incapable or too sick to clean up.

The last thing you want is that phone call saying you've been accused of such and such...

Oh - and i tripped across this fun article too so all the more reason to protect ourselves - especially because these are not our own children:

Arizona child sexual abuse law guts due process for parents and caregivers.

Yikes! Of course... if there is a situation where the poop accident is bad enough to contemplate evacuating the school, I will step in with a female adult staff member present, gagging with me, in the restroom.

Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
I hate when you talk about me like that "blush" :bored:

Doesn't it just give you that feel of being free??? :up:

Specializes in Home Health, Mental/Behavioral Health.

Oh for goodness sake! You school nurses have enough on your plates without having to worry about undies!!

In kindergarten, my son had the same situation come up. And like this mom, I was at work and had no one to bring him fresh ones. And like you, there were no spares in his nurses office.

As a parent, I was just thankful to the nurse for even taking time out of her busy schedule to chuck my son's poopie garments away and make sure he wasnt stinking up the classroom. Not once did it even cross my mind or trip me out about him going commando. His teacher didn't either.

I mean kids have accidents all the time. They also don't give a hoot about whether they have undies on or not for the most part. Especially at that age.

This teacher (and most of the time, the parents) made you feel like you're crazy... when in all reality its her (or them) with the issue. That mom wasnt even worried about it. You did the right thing. And I wouldn't even worry about keeping a healthy stock of underwear. If you got em, great. If you don't, oh well! As a mom and nurse I can tell you... this is not as big of an issue she made it out to be.

Do you have a link to the "mesh" undies? We need to keep some in stock here. We have plenty of period accidents.

Do you have a link to the "mesh" undies? We need to keep some in stock here. We have plenty of period accidents.

I ordered them from a school nurse catalog. Came in a 10 pack

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