Help our CC is now banning cloth nappies as of March

[Epacris]

Hi Stretcher Bearer,

Our FDC (Family Day Care) lady puts the MCN (Modern Cloth Nappy) any wipes she uses, and if there is a poo, a disposable glove, all wrapped inside the nappy in one of those small plastic bags that are often used with disposable nappies. They then go in the wetbag. A wetbag is just a waterproof bag with a zipper, I put a tissue with some lavender oil on it inside to keep it smelling nice-ish. The MCN nappies we use, Green Kids Pockets, are functionally exactly like a disposable. They are the same shape, with velcro tabs, you use them exactly like you would use a disposable.

At the end of the day I pull everything apart (yuckko!!!) I put the wipes and glove in the bin, the poo in the toilet and the nappies in the wash.

I think this is much more healthy and hygienic because the poo ends up in the toilet, where it should be and not (illegally?) in the bin.

I think all of the resistance to cloth at daycare is because people just don't know about MCN and how they work. They think when you say "cloth nappies" you mean terry toweling flats with pins and plastic pilchards. I just can't see how anyone could argue that they can't use cloth (MCN) for "health reasons" or any other reasons either for that matter.

[mollycat]

I'm not 100% sure, but if you look through Quality Assurance standards, you may be able to use "continuation of care from home to centre", ie, using cloth at home to the centre would form part of their QA standards. I haven't time now, but I'll have a look later and see what I can find.

I'm a FDC provider, and would happily use cloth. I don't see the difference with cloth or disposable. I put on gloves whichever "style" of nappy it is, the gloves are removed once the nappy has been dealt with (and I use both cloth and disposable). The change mat is disinfected after each use, so no chance of cross contaimination there.
I have also in the past when I've had a lot of children in disposables sent the dirty ones home at the end of the day, to me, a bag of dirty disposables poses more risk then a wet bag/bucket full of cloth nappies.

It will be interesting to see what is said from our scheme manager when she realises I have my baby in cloth nappies next year when I return to work.

[*Beema*]

It has happened I received a letter this morning when I dropped of DD at CC, the cloth nappy ban will be as of March. What has made me more angy is that DD came home yesterday wearing a disposible nappy, from which she now has a horrendous nappy rash, and two completely clean dry fressh MCNs

I was sooo upset when I saw her bum last night it is horrible! Yet she went in the morning and it was fine

So now I have to write a letter as to why we should be allowed to use cloth, I am happy to take a bucket for it and separate bags for each nappy (eco biodegradable ones) so it would be the exact same thingas putting them in the bin, no extra handling or touching of the nappies, but I really don't know if I will have a chance or not. So I amd having to reasearch and see if there are alternative CC centres who do allow/encourage cloth nappies

If anyone has any suggestions on items to include in my letter please post or if you have encountered this before and let me know I really really don't want to move her as she is settled within the centre, but FT we haven't used FT disposibles on her for a very long time.... It is a cost implication as I have bought cloth to see her through for TT....

[~Raven~]

Can you protest and say it is due to allergy reasons to the disposable nappies? They make provision for sunscreen allergies so this could come under a similar thing. It's just not fair that your DD ends up with a sore rash from being put in a disposable nappy

[*Beema*]

I think that is one of the stances I wil have to take, I am just really dissappointed at this centre used to provide a FULL cloth service, and now a complete turn around and there are only a couple of us who use cloth...

[*Beema*]

Thankyou so much for that information Suse, that is really going to help me out a lot so as long as I can demonstrate that it is possible to achieve the same hygeine levels in relationto disposables there can't be an argument there, the other arguement they have this is direct from the letter:

"For OH&S reasons for both staff and children it is not acceptable for children to arrive in our centre in a cloth nappy and for infants to wear them throughout the day.
Cloth nappies, even with plastic pants can leak faeces and urine and therefore germs from the bowel being transferred to surfaces within the centre. It is not acceptable for cloth nappies with urine and/orfaeces to site in a plastic bag in a childs bag all day.

We appreciate that clothe nappies are more environmentally friendly than disposible nappies, however due to the health and safety of all concerned we adopted the policy to not allow the use of them. Management has followed health and hygeine proceedures in nappy changing in accordance with recommendations from recognised health authorities - particularly "staying healthy in chaildcare". The amendment to this policy will be found in the reprint of the parent handbook after March 2010"

Thanks Heaven I really hope so too

[Inertia]

Management has followed health and hygeine proceedures in nappy changing in accordance with recommendations from recognised health authorities - particularly "staying healthy in chaildcare".

Went and looked that up for you... this is what it has to say...

Disposable nappies may reduce the risk of infections as disposable nappies do not ‘leak’as easily as cloth nappies and are able to be disposed of immediately.

Also

Cloth napp ies
If a parent provides cloth nappies for their child’s use, ensure the parent also provides ‘plastic pants’ to help prevent faeces, and therefore germs, from leaking. Wearing clothing over plastic pants also reduces the number of germs from the bowel being transferred to surfaces in the centre. It is a good idea for the nappy and the plastic pants to be covered with clothing at all times. Parents need to be aware that cloth nappies with urine and/or faeces will not be rinsed or washed at the centre. They are to be placed into a plastic bag and laundered at home.

Interestingly, its due to be reviewed this year.

A search of the NHMRC shows that the only mention of cloth nappies is in the aforementioned publication - and only the parts pasted here refer to cloth nappies.

One heck of a policy they have developed from one sentence O.o

[Loula]

sorry havent read all the post but think this is so stupid! I worked in an occasonal care once and they send home all nappies, they place them back in the childs bag after changing, i would think this more of a health hazard. However when working in LDC some parents would use cloth even though we provided spossie through the day. we would just bag it up and leave it in a empty bucket for them to collect at the end of the day. easy.

I cant believ this! and CC is menat to be part of the comunity and continuing what you do at home??

[Nai]

They raise some points that need to be responded to I think -

Yes, cloth nappies leak at times, but so do sposies. Leaks are prevented by regular changing so the general way cloth nappies would leak is if the babies aren't changed regularly enough. I think it could be asserted that they are NOT changed regularly enough if your DD is coming home with nappy rash even in sposies.

So we have gathered that all nappies leak from time to time - that's why you provide a clean change of clothes. If all nappies leak from time to time and babies need their clothes changed then dirty, wet clothes need to be stored in the babies bags all day until home time. How is this different from storing a nappy in a proper, sealed wet bag?

Many babies have reactions to sposies (especially cheap ones that I presume the centre uses for cost reduction reasons) so what is their policy on how to deal with children who have reactions to disposable nappies? If they don't accept children into care who can't use disposable nappies then that is discrimination. What is their policy around that?

I would be contacting the other clothie users and combining forces to put together a response. Is this a private centre or a community centre? If it is a community or council centre then lobby your councillor as well.

[Heaven]

That's terrible I hope you can sort it out!

[suse]

I would be asking your care centre to provide reference to the relevant legislation that has prompted their decision - because to my knowledge it is not legal for a centre to refuse to use cloth.

I believe CCCs have a dispensation from any Council requirements to dispose of solid waste in the toilet, for contamination/excessive handling reasons (change & nappy disposal areas are not always immediately convenient to toilet facilities, which are part of the accessible area of the facility, as they have to be separate from the areas accessible to children, so if the carer has to travel through the accessible area in order to dispose of waste this presents a contamination risk).

So long as their handling of cloth is consistent with their handling of sposies, which it is if they roll the nappy up without disposing of waste, deposit in a sealable container consistent with that used for sposies which is removed by the parent at the end of the day for cleaning - they have no legal grounds for refusing to use cloth.