My friend at work told me today that her daycare wanted her to bring disposables only and not cloth nappies.. Does anyone know if they can do this or you have the right to choose what kind of nappies you want to provide?
thanks!
Prama, I don't know for sure, but I imagine they do have the right. I'd be concerned about the quality of the centre if they weren't prepared to accept cloth though. Our centre were quite happy for the boys to wear MCN. The director said technically they are not allowed to rinse them though (I'm guessing it's an Occupational Health and Safety issue), so maybe terry flats would be a problem, although I told them that was fine not to rinse them and I have noticed that they mostly do anyway.
Last edited by MantaRay; October 31st, 2007 at 01:07 PM.
: add
I agree, I think they do have the right to refuse but a good centre would be able to accomodate cloth. You might have to pay more in fees though as storing/laundering/and time spent managing them would affect the centre's bottom line (excuse the pun). If they accepted cloth they would legally have to be prepared for every child using cloth. I know this wouldn't be the case but they would have to demonstrate to community services that it could be hygenically managed. I use cloth nappies and I know the extra work that is created rinsing them properly. I wonder where the centre would store the rinsed nappies? You couldn't put them back in the child's bag like you do when you rinse a wet pair of undies. Would each child need a bucket? Imagine a room full of 30 buckets. Would that smell?
I'll all for fabric nappies but having worked in a child care centre myself I can understand the logistics of allowing cloth to be tricky. Not impossible, but tricky.
Hmmm. that's gives me a lot more to think about. I mean if a child has an allergy to disposables, would they have to accept cloth nappies. I will get in touch with the day care centres we are on wait list and see what they say.
I wouldnt expect them to rinse them, but maybe put them in a bag or something that can be sealed..
I wonder if council run centres would be more accommodating... I will ring them and find out.
Not sure how putting a pooey cloth nappy in a bag is less hygienic than putting a pooey disposable in the bin??
I haven't needed day care for DS, but I'd be most put out if they made me pay for disposables as well as paying for their fees!
We spent a weekend down in Canberra a few weeks ago, and I found the best way to counter the smell was to put the pooey nappies in nappy sacks and then into either a wetbag or a bucket. They survived the whole weekend and you'd never know there were pooey nappies in there hehe.
MCN are fabulous for 'drypailing' which means just put them in a bucket until you have a load of nappies/washing to be done. Obviously any solid waste would be removed before they are drypailed. There is no 'soaking' needed.
I'm would like to think the centre would be happy to put a used nappy inside a plastic bag until the end of the day.
Some daycares actually use cloth nappies and have a laundering service. Daycares that provide nappies tend to be more expensive than those that don't but that could be an option.
I think from a community services POV pooey nappies in bags pose more of a health risk than pooey nappies in a bin that is removed from the centre several times a day. The staff would have to rinse solids, it couldn't be left lying around in bags. Imagine if a child got into the bag. I know that when my children soil a nappy it's fine sealed in a bag until we get home but multiply that by 30. The average centre is just not geared up for that... and having changed many nappies in a child care environment I know that it has to be done fast because there are always time pressures... It was hard enough finding time to empty the bins let alone rinse each nappy as well which, if pooey can add a few minutes to each change. A good centre would have a laundry service like a hospital or at least more staff to help. It depends how many children are in cloth but I know that I have to change my clothies more frequently than sposies... not always the case but if parents supply their own clothies not all would supply super absorbant Bum Genius (my most absorbant).
In an ideal world all centres would accomodate cloth... I agree, make your needs known so things can change for the better.
Using cloth is really important to me. We are just about to start daycare so I don’t know how exactly we’ll go, I hope everything will be fine.
The carers were shocked and less than enthusiastic when I said the c word (“cloth”) but when I showed them the pockets and AIOs they were really impressed and keen to try them.
I will be providing Pockets and AIOs and wetbag/s.
I expect the carers to put the wet nappies in a wetbag.
I will be providing disposable/flushable liners in every nappy so if there is a poo I expect them to put it in the toilet, then the nappy in the wetbag.
I don’t expect them to rinse the nappies.
I’m happy to deal with them all when I get home at the end of the day
It is illegal to dispose of poo in the bin so legally everyone is required to scrape sposies in the same way as cloth.
I can’t see how MCN will take any more time than sposies and there will be easier/better poo in the sewage system compliance with MCN.
Sure, I take the point that if everyone used MCN it might take a little more time. But what a great world that would be!
I hope everyone understands that I'm just playing devil's advocate I would LOVE the world to use primarily cloth nappies too and as a childcare worker I would easily accommodate this but ATM many centres have logistical problems.
One thing i am a bit confused about is how to extract the poo from the nappy of a breast fed baby. They are not all nice compact patties that come away cleanly when held over the toilet. The poo seeps into the nappy. Even my 14 month old still makes the odd very moist pooey nappy. The only way to get it out is to rinse. I know that technically it is illegal to place poo in a bin... but what do you do when it has seeped into the disposable? You don't really have any choice. This is another reason why clothies are superior.... they save our water table from all these human waste pollutants when placed in landfill
I agree Bath - DS still does 'wet' poos (probably due to getting colostrum out of me these days too).. I know I certainly wouldn't be trying to scrape it off a sposie - blerk!! But with cloth - no choice - gotta squirt it into the loo. Have just bought some flushable liners actually (didn't arrive in time for Canberra trip unfortunately) which apparently are supposed to keep them feeling dry as well. There's no real reason that you couldn't use flushable liners in a sposie if you're prone to sloppy ones! Altho, newborn like you said is so runny it would soak through into the nappy anyway.
well, I rang two centres, once council and one privately run. The council one said no one had ever asked them that before so she will find out and let me know in a couple of days.
The other one, invited me to their orientation night tomorrow and will let me know then. I also rang the NCAC (National Childcare Accreditation Council) and they said it's up to each centre and what policy and facilities they have in place.
Just curious, but wouldn't they have had to deal with cloth in the past when sposies weren't so prevalent? And if so whouldn't the situation for the centre be better now with MCN? I'm think when my (now teenage) nephew was a baby, he went to the original ABC centre in terry flats. Must remember to ask my sister next time I talk to her.
The daycare centre I have Ryan booked for for January/Feb when I work charge $10 extra than their sister daycare centre around the corner and provide all nappies and food for the week. Neither accept cloth but for $10pw I think I can manage lol
For whoever asked, I supply a wetbag for the soiled/dirty nappies to go into. The wet ones go in no problem, and I am happy for the pooey ones to too and deal with them at home (I asked them just to tip whatever solids bit there were in the toilet). But I find that they mostly rinse the pooey ones for me anyway, and then usually put them in plastic bags inside the wet bag. For the first couple weeks I was still waiting on my wet bags to arrive and I sent along platic bags which they used happily.
I can understand that this could be a little bit more work than sposies, but realisitcally unless the centre was somewhere really unusual, you wouldn't have all mums using MCN - just look at the proportion of MCN users in the population. Since my boys started using MCN, there has been one new little girl in the nursery also using MCN. The feedback from the centre has been extremely popular. The director and each of the staff looking after Jack and Tom have all commented on how much they love the nappies I provide. I mostly provide AIO for ease of use but they are equally happy for fitteds and covers.
I don't think there would be any need for the workers at the centre to rinse the pooey ones out at all.
Several times I've had long days out and just rolled the nappy up like a sposie and put it into a wet bag. When I've come home I've done the poo removal, rinse and into the dry bucket or machine if I had a full load worth.
If you provide them with a zip up wet bag that they can just pop into a cupboard under the sink they can just put the dirty nappy into it. I can't see the difference between that and rolling up a sposie and putting it in the bin.
My cousin uses MCN for her daughter and the creche were fine about using them one they saw them. I think that educating the workers would be a big part of it.
The problem as I see it from my experience in using creche is the high staff turnover or holiday relievers and having to discuss what to do repeatedly.
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Can daycare refuse cloth nappies?
I would LOVE the world to use primarily cloth nappies too and as a childcare worker I would easily accommodate this but ATM many centres have logistical problems.
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