The complete guide to using cloth diapers in childcare

As we all get our lives back on track, and as we all head back to childcare, for a lot of parents who use cloth diapers on their children, the idea of their childcare provider using cloth diapers too can cause worry. However, with a growing understanding that reusables are the way forward, and with reusable alternatives becoming much more commonplace in all settings, most nurseries and childcare providers are extremely happy to jump on board with cloth diapers!

They may need a little prompting and advice from you, but in our experience they will all be willing to give it a go. We have asked many of our users and they say the same thing! A little patience and a little guidance is all it takes.

Let’s begin with the basics.

The first thing you need to do is to talk to your childcare or daycare provider, whether it's a family member, a childminder, a crèche, or a nursery. No matter the setting, we encourage you to explain your reasoning for wanting to ditch the disposables and switch to using cloth diapers and be prepared and ready to answer any questions they might have. The more information you can provide to them, from the environmental benefits to the cost savings, the more willing they will be to help you and your baby out.

Keep it simple. Explain what you will be sending each day and work with them to come to some agreements on what is best for both sides. We are always amazed at the positive responses from crèches and daycare when they realise Bayrli reusable diapers are blowout proof, are leakproof, and are incredibly easy to store in a Bayrli Travel Cube that they can hang out of way. We recommend sending our Deluxe Diapers to childcare; no fiddly bits, no loose bits, and no learning curve. In many ways, this is similar to a disposable diaper so should be the best fit for a daycare setting.

Now lets talk about poo. It's worth discussing about poo right from the start. Not all nurseries, crèches, or daycare providers will have the facilities or time to be scraping your cloth diapers so they may choose to roll them up and send them home for you. A small establishment might help you out here and be more than happy to get involved with the scraping for you! But by having that conversation you won’t get any nasty surprises in the evening!                 

What you will need:

• Cloth diapers - the actual number you will need will vary daily, and the number will depend on the amount of time your children are in childcare. However, just remember to send an extra one in case of any leaks. All our diapers are leakproof and blowout proof, but a childcare provider may not have the time to properly check the fit for you.
• Wet bag or diaper pod - this is to send home dirty, cloth diapers. Make sure the childcare facility knows diaper sacks are not needed and they can put your Bayrli diapers and inserts straight into the wet bag or diaper pod you provide. Our Everyday wet bag is a perfect size for this.
• Wipes - we encourage you to ask if the childcare setting would prefer them to be brought in wet or dry. Some providers may say yes to cloth diapers and no to using organic cloth wipes, so it’s best to be clear what is and isn’t tolerated.
• Liners - if using disposable liners then a polite reminder they are not flushable may be needed. If using reusable liners, make sure they know to include them in your wet bag!
• Spare clothes - This is a given whether you use cloth or disposable diapers with your children. Remember the childcare provider may be new to using reusable diapers and might have a sone fit related leaks so send extra clothes to help them out!

Our top tips for you:

• Pre-stuff all your cloth diapers - send all your reusable diapers into the childcare provider pre-stuffed to make it as simple as possible for them. If using liners, be it disposable or reusable, you could consider placing them in the reusable diaper ready for use. And try and opt for an all-in-one solution like our Deluxe Diaper to keep it as simple as possible for them.
• Use the same/similar cloth diaper type/style - this will help to reduce confusion as some reusable diapers fit differently to others, and some will snap differently too.
• Support them with the fit - show your childcare provider how its done! A simple demonstration would be most welcome and useful.