Using MCN's at Child Care Vs Using Disposables - I need your opinion

Hi Everyone

I'm a family day carer and have a few questions for both users of disposables and cloth nappies.

I'm thinking of supplying mcn's to use within my service, and have a few questions

I go on another forum specifically for day care and this has come up on it.

During last year I had 8-9 kids in disposables each week sometimes up to 4 a day. You can just imagine what my garbage looked like. As well as this I guess it's also an environmental issue, how many years does it take a disposable to break down? Over the last twelve years I have had three or four families use cloth (flats)- which the parent supplied - that's out of over 100 families. I have no hesitation using them, both my children wore flats (although I used disposable of a night time as they slept through and for me they worked better)

1. Would you feel this is ok (me supplying rather than the parent)
2. Would you be comfortable in your child wearing a nappy that had been worn by another child (of course, it would be washed between times)
3. Would it be washed hygenically enough for you - using the normal mcn method of washing


can you list anything else you can think of that I may have not thought about. Give me some pros and cons for this, so that I can make a decision as to which way to go.

I at the moment, supply bibs and linen for each child. I'm also considering changing from using disposable wipes for hands and faces (and perhaps bottoms) to cloth ones. How would you feel with your carer using this?

Another option is to return to asking the parents to take home their dirty napies which I have done in the past, but this only solves part of the problem.

I would ask they supply a home time nappy so that my "stash" didn't go missing.



I am not "putting down" anyone who uses disposables - it comes down to using the nappy that works best for you. I personally used both cloth and disposable.


I will also post this in the child care section so that I can get a wider variety of answers.

Thanks for your opinions

I have used both disposables and cloth, and currently using cloth now with my youngest. I would love to see more people, especially childcares and FDC use mcn more. For 2 main reasons, enviromentally and financially.

To answer your questions:

1. Would you feel this is ok (me supplying rather than the parent)
If mcn were supplied by either FDC or childcare (whichever I used) then I would be more than happy to use them. Providing they are washed according to instructions and changed frequently.

2. Would you be comfortable in your child wearing a nappy that had been worn by another child (of course, it would be washed between times)
I am happy to buy second hand nappies, providing they are in good condition, so no, I would not have a problem with this.

3. Would it be washed hygenically enough for you - using the normal mcn method of washing
Yes it would. I think it's a lot more hygenic to use cloth (providing they are washed properly) than disposables anyway.

Just a question for you: What are the council laws (in your area) for disposing of soiled nappies? I know for residential use here, and many other areas, we are not allowed to dispose of poo, it must be rinsed first. Is that the same for you? And if so? Because if it is, then you could point that out to parents as another reason to change over to cloth.

Hi,

providing they are washed according to the instrcutions, I wouldn't have a problem with my CC or FDC doing that. My DD has been in a CC that uses cloth, and they would've been used on other bums before :)

I recently changed CC for my DD (needed different hours), and the old one used cloth, new one disposables. I much prefer the cloth.

I think people can become a bit complacent with using disposables (not that I am saying you are), and tend to change them less often as they supposedly hold more wee. I personally find the nappy rash really bad with disposables when DD is in other people's care as they don't tend to change as often as I would.

I am in the process of making the switch to cloth more at home, and seriously thinking about supplying them for her CC as well..

Nursery supplies disposables, if I want DS in cloth I supply them and wash them.

I would not be happy with DS in someone else's cloth nappy. I'd happily supply cloth and wash them myself, but nappies (like pants I guess) are pretty personal: I wouldn't want someone else's pants, especially someone I didn't really know! Yes, I'm OK in re-using DS's nappies on another child of MINE but wouldn't use someone else's nappies on my child. (Just as I wouldn't mind grabbing a pair of DH's boxers if I had no pants of my own... hmmm, now I'm going to wonder if he'd do the same with some of mine and laughing at the image!)

I wouldn't mind a re-usable cloth for wiping, just sitting right next to the genitals and bum for so long... I don't know why but it does creep me out.

a childcare (for profit) centre that bilby went to last year, supplied disposable nappies, but interestingly enough, wiped every child gettign a nappy change with cloth wipes! (that they laundered themselves).

i sent my child wiht MCN which they were fine to use, but i was amazed they used CLOTH WIPES for all the kids.

the new CC place we use, uses PAPER towels that they wet. i don't like this, but it's their policy.

I am not sure a blanket policy would work with all your clients. but i think it would be very progressive of you to OFFER this choice to your clients.

and maybe have a choice whereby they could purchase a set of nappies for THEIR child, only to be used at your daycare - to get past people's fear of having washed nappies on their child (worn by someone else last time).

there may be some people who love the idea, exavtly as you have it, but i don't think 100% would go for it (based on the "perceived" hygiene angle").

Especially if you "sell" it to the parents on an environmental level, this could help them salve their own conscience, if you tell them "by doing this (the nappies at daycare), you will personally be sending X amount less rubbish to the dump, making a greener future for your kids".

and also the point, that for the older babies/toddlers, you'll be putting the poo into the sewage system (down the loo) NOT to stink out bins and collect at rubbish dumps. Obeying council bylaws too. Have you seen the little signs on sposie packs saying solids have to be disposed of (down the loo)?

i would certainly be hoping you possess a Little Squirt! (for your sake LOL).

good on you

changing people's mindsets is a hard slog, but someone has to do it

think ten years ago, before kerbside recycling, before the green supermarket bags, everything has to start somewhere.

i wish you were MY daycare lady!!

I would be ok with it :) But I am a cloth user. I think if you supplied the right info to the parents you might get some saying it's ok, and some is better then none right?
Good luck!

I wouldn't mind, as if DD got a rash or fungal infection from communal nappies I'd say that I'll supply my own MCNs or sposies and collect the used nappies to take home.

Give them the choice:
1. They supply their own clothies.
2. They use your MCNs while at day care, with a supplied home nappy.
3. They provide their own nappies and take the soiled ones home.

WOW i wish you were in my area, i have just met 3 potential FDC's and 2 of them totaly freaked out that they would have to change her MCN... needless to say i didnt choose them...

To answer your questions...
No i wouldnt have a problem with MCN's being used on my child
No i wouldnt have a problem with the fact that other children will have worn them (unless you decide not to wash them between use :p)

I wouldnt have a problem with the reuseable face/hand and bum cloths - the only thing i would make sure you do is have one colour for bums and one for others... it actually woulndt bother me, but i reckon that would freak some people out ... (off the topic but did you know that we use facewashers in hospital to wipe adults pooy bums - no one has a problem using the facewasher in hospital!!!)

I think that some people would have a problem with this, but some of Gigi's suggestions are h=great (and i would have said much along the same lines)

Do you supply the disposable nappies currently?
If you are wearing the cost, not only can you paint your cause as an environmental one, but also financial as they are not having to supply the nappies during the day...

i also like echidna's 3rd point as an option for parents that do not want to go along with the MCN's

Good on you!

I'd be all for it, but I too am a cloth-user, and a lot of Natty's naps are second-hand :)
It does make more work for you though.

Hi Everyone

Just wanted to thank you for your opinions.

You've all got some great points.

I've decided to offer the use of MCN's to the parents that I have currently in care using nappies, and to advise any future parents that I do provide this service. However, it will be their decision as to whether or not they take me up on it.

Sammiejane - if you ever decide to move................

The parents supply the nappies at the moment, but some supply in bulk, so I have boxes (or packets) of nappies sitting around belonging to different children, so if these choose to use MCN's I guess that's something less I have to find storage for. Others supply enough for the day in their child's bag. I have had others supply not quite enough to get through the day, then I charge for extra's used (but that means I have to have a supply here for that purpose).

Thanks again everyone for your opinions.

1. Would you feel this is ok (me supplying rather than the parent)
I think thats great. I use MCN at home and our FDC only uses disposables. I hate that I have to buy disposabkes just for FDC! When I asked about MCN she said no! But I think I am going to ask her again. I think its great that you have thought of this.

2. Would you be comfortable in your child wearing a nappy that had been worn by another child (of course, it would be washed between times)
I think its fine. I've bought second hand nappies. It gets washed and I'm sure that if it wasnt clean enough, you'd wash it again right?

3. Would it be washed hygenically enough for you - using the normal mcn method of washing?
Yes, because thats how I wash them at home anyway and they come out perfectly clean. I think though that if a child was sick (like gastro or something, and they were sick while in your care while you were waiting for their parent to come and pick them up) then I'd probably hope for that "sick" nappy to be washed again just to make sure, lol!

To be honest, I think you'll still have parents that would freak out at the idea of a cloth nappy and probably also not be keen on a nappy that has ben on another kids bum. So I think you could offer it and some of the parents would take you up on the offer but some would probably still prefer to supply their own disposables (or maybe they'll supply their own cloth nappies? you never know!)