Ausgirl; I have no idea how they will police this, however, I did "get away" not washing my hands when I went in on Tuesday or today. The kinder lady was standing guard at the door with her bottle of soap on Tuesday, and I just said, no, it's altogether impossible to wash hands while holding a baby, and I kept walking to the sign in book, pulled my own pen out of my pocket, and duly signed the book. Same in the afternoon. This morning, nobody said anything to me, the Mum who walked in directly after me made sure she washed her hands though, and her kids' hands.

There are no towels or hand dryers for the adults/other visitors to dry their hands with, thus nulifying any "germ-control".

I spoke to a gf of mine on Tuesday regarding this, and she happens to work in childcare, and as a distance trainer for childcare. She said this is common practice, and not necessarily about the control of nut allergens, but about basic hygiene; that for many children who come in (to the kinders and the other childcare centres), washing their hands upon arrival may be the first time they have washed their hands all day (and if the teachers aren't "on to it" after toileting, possibly the last). Also, for those who may have patted the cat/dog on the head as they walked out the door of home, smoked a cigarette, changed a nappy, etc. So, as you ask Ausgirl, would these "un-hygenic" children be allowed to enter?

I would use hand sanitiser if I "utterly had to" clean my hands upon entry to the kinder, as even though I have read it is evil, it is not something I use on a regular basis, and as something to use whilst carrying a child in one arm, is definitely preferential to washing hands. Especially in a sink that is child-height.

It just feels like this is a bit out there with the whole "not-allowed-to-blow-candles-out-on-the-communal-birthday-cake" issue which has just come up too.

And for what it's worth, on both Monday AND Tuesday, when I picked up my son from kinder, he had a blo ody nose. No one said anything on Monday, and only on Tueday, the Keeper of the Soap only just mentioned it in a "by-the-way" manner..... Really? I mean he had a faint smear of dried blood across his cheek. And it only warrants a "by the freeking way" ? You know where you can stick that soap! Okay, rant over, I just think that is really, REALLY poor form. I can't even call it poor practice, because there was none!