Worrying trend in Switzerland: 11-year-old kids wear diapers to school as teachers remain concerned

The teachers in schools in Switzerland have raised alarm about many children coming to class wearing diapers because they have not been trained on how to use the toilet.

“Kids are going to school as early as four years old now, so yeah, you might actually find some still in diapers,” said Dagmar Rosler, head of the Swiss Federation of Teachers, while speaking to the Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten. “When 11-year-olds come to school in diapers, that’s a worrying trend,” she added.

Many children have become so much accustomed to wearing diapers that they are not interested in changing the convenient but unsanitary method. As per Mayo Clinic, the average age of children who receive toilet training is between 18 months and 24 months, however many parents have been avoiding the training session.

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“Some parents let it slide because diapers are a convenient relief. It’s not seen as a problem these days,” stated educational scientist Margrit Stamm. “That sends a totally wrong message,” she added.

Child development expert Rita Messmer said that the number of children wearing diapers in school has “skyrocketed”, as she emphasised her 11-year-old patient who had not learned how to use the toilet on their own.

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Burden for teachers

The lack of knowledge of children has become a burden for a lot of teachers who are forced to assist them with soaked diapers.

“Parents have a responsibility to make sure their school-aged kids aren’t wearing diapers anymore. Teachers aren’t there to change their students’ diapers. That’s crossing a line,” said Rosler.

Although the issue is rampant in Switzerland, similar problems have emerged in Buffalo, New York where parents have not been teaching their children how to use the toilet.

“Teacher aides here say that it’s not their responsibility (to change diapers),” Phil Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation, said.

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“There is no policy in place, or procedure in place, to work with the child to either potty train them, to clean them when they have an accident. “The teacher can’t do it because it takes away from the class,” Rumore said.

The Buffalo Teachers Federation stated that 43 children were not efficiently trained to use toilets, which led to accidents and teasing from classmates.

“I’m not blaming the parents … because in some cases we have an autistic child, or we have a child with emotional problems or physical problems,” Rumore stated.

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