How will cloth diapers work at daycare? How do you get your daycare on board?
If you're a bit apprehensive about asking your daycare, don't. Most daycares are fine with cloth diapers and may even have other parents already using them.
But if you've asked and your provider was sceptical or outright said no, here are a few ideas to get them on board. They also help with making your baby's carer's life easier even in daycares that are totally on the cloth train.
Demonstrate your cloth diapers
This is one of the most effective ways to get people on board.
Because most people hear "cloth diaper" and think "square towels, weird folding, stabby pins, rubber pants".
So, show your daycare what you're using and how. Show them how to put them on, fit them, what snaps to use. You can send them a fit guide but a
demonstration is sooo much better! Maybe make a video for them if in person is not your jam or not possible.
And then, show them your wetbag for soiled diapers.
Tell them that they don't need to do anything other than replace the waste pail with your wetbag. Some daycares will still bag each individual diaper in a plastic bag but hey - small wins!
Make it easy for them
Use diapers that are easy to use and reliable. Usually this will be All-in-Ones, All-in-2s and Pocket Diapers. For heavy wetters you might consider fitteds + cover.
Stick to one type if you can (e.g. all pocket diapers).
Prep your diapers well, this means: Rise settings (usually the snaps at the front) all set correctly. All inserts in, liners if needed/requested. Have them boosted with a bit more absorbency than normal so that they will last in case of a bit of a longer time between changes. This is to avoid leaks and therefore the opportunity for the daycare to claim that it's not working for them.
You can ease off on this if you think it's going well.
Provide the wetbag. If your wetbag has a piece of cloth inside, drop some essential oils on there. That way they smell nice when opened and it can mask any smell and can make that hole part a bit more pleasant. Tea tree, lavender or citrus oils work well.
Mark the snaps you want them to use with a Sharpie.
If you want you can cover up the snaps you DON'T want them to use. You will need a Kam snap set for this (the snaps plus the pliers) - most diapers use size 20. GroVia diapers use size 22. You make male snaps and then just snap them into the spots you want covered up.
Include a few more diapers than would normally be needed (at least in the beginning).
What to do with the poo?
Ask them what they do with poo normally? In theory even with disposables, solid waste should be disposed of in the toilet.
If they don't my view is to make it easy for them, so I ask them to just roll the diaper up and put it in the wetbag and I will deal with it at home.
Busy Daycare tips
If there are other cloth diapered babies at the same space, it definitely helps to tag your diapers. Nothing worse than ending up with someone elses poopy diaper or losing one of yours.
You can use stamps, stickers (like Mabels Labels, although they may come off in the wash) or specific snap tags - Agrumette in Quebec make really economic ones here. (We're not making money on any recommendations here) Otherwise you can find some on etsy, too. Don't forget to tag your wetbag too.
What to say to the sceptics
What do they do with soiled clothing (e.g. dirty bodysuit due to blowout)? Do they bag it up and send it home? Ask them to do the same with cloth diapers and tell them that there's less blowouts to clean up - less work!
There aren't any guidelines in Canada that we know of here that restrict the use of cloth diapers, bar maybe that they shouldn't be used during an outbreak of an illness that can be spread by bodily fluids such as pee and poo. Some documentation state that the chance of contamination is slightly higher with cloth diapers although there is no explanation as to why. If daycares are insisting on using plastic bags for each diaper then go along. Small wins are important. Maybe you have a chance of re-using them in your home.
If your daycare providers are absolutely opposed and you don't have another choice or your baby is happy there in every other aspect, then use the disposables. We can't win every battle ;)
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