{"id":3686,"date":"2025-11-17T14:19:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T14:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/17\/scientist-think-parents-should-get-their-babies-consent-to-change-nappies\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T14:19:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T14:19:02","slug":"scientist-think-parents-should-get-their-babies-consent-to-change-nappies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/17\/scientist-think-parents-should-get-their-babies-consent-to-change-nappies\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientist think parents should get their babies\u2019 consent to change nappies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>2025-11-17 14:19:00<\/b><br \/>\n<BR>Parents should ask their babies\u2019 permission before changing their nappies, according to two Australian academics who argue that consent should be taught \u201cbefore they can even talk\u201d.<BR><br \/>\nDr. Nicole Downs and Dr. Katherine Bussey, early-childhood specialists at Deakin University, claim that treating nappy changes as something to \u201crush through\u201d misses a key opportunity to teach children body autonomy. <BR><br \/>\nWriting in The Conversation, they insist that consent should be \u201ca normal, everyday part of life\u201d rather than a conversation reserved for teenagers.<BR><br \/>\nTheir suggestion has sparked controversy, echoing a 2018 debate when Body Safety Australia chief Deanne Carson was widely mocked for making a similar claim. <BR><br \/>\nBut Dr. Downs and Dr. Bussey argue that involving babies in the process can help them understand what is happening and develop a sense of agency.<BR><br \/>\nThey recommend getting down to a child\u2019s level and stating, \u201cYou need a nappy change,\u201d followed by a pause so the child can process the information. <BR><br \/>\nParents should then offer a choice &#8211; such as walking or being carried to the changing table\u2014and watch for cues in their facial expressions or body language.<BR><br \/>\nCrucially, the pair argue against distracting children with toys or songs, saying youngsters should \u201cnotice when someone is touching their most intimate parts\u201d. <BR><br \/>\nThey suggest guiding babies through small actions &#8211; like lifting their bottom to remove the nappy\u2014and using anatomical terms such as penis, vulva and anus to help them understand their bodies and communicate clearly as they grow.<BR><br \/>\nThe academics acknowledge the approach may feel unrealistic for many parents, especially during emergencies (\u201cpoosplosions\u201d included), but say applying these principles \u201cas often as possible\u201d can nurture independence and reduce power struggles.<BR><br \/>\nHowever, critics insist the advice is out of touch. <BR><br \/>\nChild psychologist Andrew Fuller said focusing on consent for nappy changes is \u201cimpractical\u201d, adding: \u201cFamilies work best when kids trust their parents to do things in their best interest. <BR><br \/>\n&#8220;It\u2019s not about consent\u2014it\u2019s about trust.\u201d<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"> Visit Bang Bizarre (main website) <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><script src=\"https:\/\/geo.dailymotion.com\/player\/xtbac.js\" data-video=\"\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2025-11-17 14:19:00 Parents should ask their babies\u2019 permission before changing their nappies, according to two Australian academics who argue that consent should be taught \u201cbefore they can even talk\u201d. Dr.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bizarre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3686"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3688,"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3686\/revisions\/3688"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}