Using cloth nappies at daycare

If you have to return to work after having your baby, you may think that it’s the end of reusable nappies, but as many child care places now allow cloth you might be interested in our tips for using cloth nappies at daycare.

Tips for using cloth nappies at daycare

• Research before you start; find out if the daycare you have chosen has used cloth nappies on many babies before. Ask about the types and brands of cloth nappies they are used to.  Try speaking to parents that have children there and use cloth nappies at daycare to see how they found it.
• Take time to go through the cloth nappies with the person who will be doing the changing.  Show them exactly how to put the nappy on and how to change it.  I’ve heard many stories of babies coming home with nappies on back to front, or the inserts done wrong.
• Use all one type of nappy; if you are planning on using cloth nappies at daycare, try to make it as easy for them as possible, by using one brand or style of nappy so that it’s not too confusing.
• Daycare only cloth nappies; some people have nappies that they only use at daycare, these are usually slightly cheaper ones that they are not that bothered about. Childcare centres can be messy places with paint, mud and play dough, you might not want your expensive, custom made creations exposed to that kind of abuse.
• Supply named wetbags or bins; some people send a small bucket or bin with a liner or plastic bags in or wetbags to take the nappies home in.  Try to get into a routine of dropping of clean nappies at the start of the day and collecting the soiled ones at the end of the day.
• Flushable liners; flushable liners make dealing with poo much easier, as they can be simply flushed with any solid waste.
• Speak to the day care regularly about any issues they might have with the nappies, if you address any problems early, then using cloth nappies at daycare will be much easier for everyone.
• Send more nappies than you think they will need; always send extra nappies to daycare, just so that they always have clean ones on hand.
• Name the nappies; write your child’s name on the back of the washing instructions label in the back of the nappies. If there are lots of children using cloth nappies at daycare and the wrong ones go home with a family, you are more likely to be able to be reunited with them again.

There’s no reason at all that you can’t use reusable nappies when your child is in childcare, using cloth nappies at daycare needn’t be hard.