Sending Cloth Nappies to Daycare

You’ve been using modern cloth nappies at home for some time, and you’ve gotten used to washing and reusing. But now your child is ready to go to daycare. What should you do now?

If you’re proud to protect the environment and your child’s skin, it’s likely that you’ll still want to use cloth nappies even when your child is at an early learning centre, but this can be a challenge. Will educators be willing to help? How will you explain your decision? What will you need to provide?

When your child starts attending a daycare centre, you still have the option of reusable nappies if you think wisely and prepare staff with everything they’ll need.  

Here’s how you can plan ahead and communicate with centre staff for a simple, easy transition!

Knowing which nappies to send

Sending cloth nappies to daycare is all about planning ahead and thinking practically. It’s important that you recognise which nappy options are best suited to a centre environment.

At many daycare centres, staff may be unfamiliar with using modern cloth nappies and may not know how to care for them correctly.

To ease the learning process, it’s a good idea to choose cloth nappies that are similar in style to disposable versions. Choose cloth nappies that fasten the same way that most single-use options do.

It’s often helpful to start off by sending several different types of reusable nappies. Ask the staff at your child’s centre which options they find easiest to use, and choose to send these in the future.

Providing plenty of supplies

When you send cloth nappies to your child’s daycare centre, you’ll need to ensure that you’re providing enough nappies to last throughout the day and to accommodate any accidents.

It’s a good idea to send one nappy for every two hours that your child will spend at daycare, along with at least one extra, just in case. Any nappies that don’t get used will be sent home and can be sent again the following day.

You’ll also need to provide centre staff with other relevant supplies. Be sure to send plenty of wet bags for used nappies, along with any other care items.

If you’re unsure exactly which extra supplies to provide, ask staff about centre policies and preferences.

Communicating with your child’s educators

Most centres are willing to use cloth nappies but have limited experience using, storing, and caring for them. If your child’s daycare centre is new to the world of washable nappies, you might need to help educators learn how to use them correctly.

The most important thing is to maintain open communication with centre staff and to clearly explain your decision to choose modern cloth nappies for your child.

It may be helpful to provide an instructional guide to help your child’s educators while they’re learning.

Remember to be patient when staff ask questions. What you teach educators now could help other families in the future!

Navigating challenges

Using cloth nappies at daycare is likely to come with a few challenges that you’ll need to navigate.

For instance, some early learning centres may require you to use a closed bucket or something similar to store dirty nappies that cannot be thrown out like disposables. What if this causes damage?

While storing nappies in this way might not align with your own nappy care and wash routine, it won’t cause lasting damage to your cloth nappies if it's for occasional use. However, we always recommend that, where possible, take the opportunity to educate your child's educators about the ease of use and benefits of wet bags rather enclosed buckets. 

When your child gets home from daycare, remove the nappies from their wetbag as soon as you can and pop them into their dry pail ready for their pre-wash. Problem solved!

Choosing resuable at home

If cloth nappies just won’t work at your child’s daycare centre, there are a few things you can do.

If it’s important to you that your child continues to use only modern cloth nappies, it might be best to search for a centre that can accommodate this decision.

Alternatively, you can allow your child to use disposable nappies at daycare while continuing to choose reusable nappies for at-home use. Using cloth nappies doesn't have to be all or nothing and every time you use cloth, you're making a huge difference to your child's carbon bumprint!

Ultimately, this choice depends on your priorities and your childcare needs.

Need a few more nappies to send to daycare with your child? We have plenty of great options for you to choose from! Visit the Ella & Maeve online store, and start stocking up today!