Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Cloth Diapers?
kitkat 09:22 PM 05-01-2010
Have you ever had a dckid or your own child use cloth diapers? I haven't had any experience with them and am thinking about switching DD to them. She has sensitive skin, but doesn't get diaper rash, and I think she's reacting to the disposables. If you've had any cloth diaper experience (the good, the bad, or the ugly), I'd love to hear about it!
Reply
booroo 10:15 PM 05-01-2010
I have never used, I wish I would have but dh was like no way!! They do have in some areas cloth diaper services.... Meaning the will bring a week supply and take the used one and wash then... They have great option now, just do your research!!! It's really not that bad to soak in a cleaning solution and then wash them your self!! Go to esty.com and search cloth diapers.
Reply
QualiTcare 10:24 PM 05-01-2010
you're brave!

my daughter had extra sensitive skin. she didn't have diaper rash, but had this awful looking outbreak on her backside that looked like bug bites and she'd dig at them.

i took her to the doctor and she had eczema. he recommended a really good lotion like eucerin or lubriderm which is a little cheaper. i just drenched her in lotion and let her go without a diaper whenever i had the chance and that worked great.

she's 6 now and i still have to use tons of lotion. i can put it on her (her whole body) before she goes to sleep and she wakes up literally digging into her skin because it's just so dry.

cloth diapers could be a good solution. i just couldn't deal with that.
Reply
Rachel 12:17 AM 05-02-2010
I use(d) cloth for all of my kids, and it's much easier than it seems! I use a combination of prefolds & covers (cheaper), and pockets (easier for dh and when ds goes to a dcp so I can take classes). If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
Reply
Daycare Mommy 03:04 AM 05-02-2010
I cloth diapered mine too. It's not bad. You could get some prefolds and covers pretty cheaply. But avoid the cheapie Gerber ones they carry in the stores like the plague. They are good for changing pads or burp rags, but that's about it. I ordered my prefolds and covers from this site: http://www.diaperjunction.com/discou...d-diapers.html They were awesome. After breaking them in they fluffed up to be huge and super soft while the gerber ones were still flat and rough. If you have the money Fuzzi Bunz or BumGenius pocket diapers are really nice too. You can get the Fuzzi Bunz with minor defects here for a nice discount: www.fuzzibunzseconds.net They have pics of the defects and when I ordered a dozen I only had 2 that I actually figured out that there was anything wrong with it. I had what looked like a red pen mark on it and another had uneven elastic, so I just snapped it tighter on one side. All usable and really nice looking. If you have any questions for me feel free to ask or PM.
Reply
Childminder 05:27 AM 05-02-2010
I cloth diapered both of mine and have had one dcg with sensitivities to disposables that we had to use them on. No big deal for mine but the dcg it depended on the ages of other children in care. It was because of the little bit of extra time it took to deal with. Overall no problem at all.
Reply
DBug 06:50 AM 05-02-2010
Just a heads up -- I have one dcb that normally wears cloth diapers. However, when he has a rash, mom has to switch him to disposables til it clears up. For most kids, it's just the opposite. You may want to think about buying just a few to give them a trial run first ...
Reply
Daycare Mommy 08:11 AM 05-02-2010
Originally Posted by DBug:
Just a heads up -- I have one dcb that normally wears cloth diapers. However, when he has a rash, mom has to switch him to disposables til it clears up. For most kids, it's just the opposite. You may want to think about buying just a few to give them a trial run first ...
Yeah, the pocket diapers are better at keeping the wetness off the skin than the old fashioned prefolds are. You pay more for them though. And that reminds me. I had one little dc boy who got rashes from baby wipes. Are you sure it's the diapers and not wipes? Much cheaper to buy cloth wipes or wash cloths if that is the issue.
Reply
SunflowerMama 10:16 AM 05-02-2010
We used cloth diapers for our twins from birth until PTing and LOVED them!! We started out using them for financially reasons but then loved what we where doing to cut down on our trash and the benefit to the environment.

We used everything from pockets to AIOs to fitted diapers and covers and settled on just basic prefolds with snappis to close them and covers.

It can be addicting getting all the cutsie dipes and matching dresses, tops, etc. but then you're defeating the purpose of doing it to save money. So we stuck with just pfs and covers for the last year or so.

Love them! If you have any questions don't hesitate to pm me.
Reply
Preschool/daycare teacher 12:06 PM 05-02-2010
We have a 2yr old in cloth diapers. The pre-fold, with snaps. They're just like disposable, except, they're cloth, and we dump the extra in the diaper pail, then bag the soiled diaper to send home.
I personally think cloth diapers aren't good for a daycare setting, as it seems as soon as he wets, it leaks. If he sits down on our lap, we get wet. Anything he sits on gets urine on it unless we notice he's wet in time. But usually, it's as soon as he wets, so we don't know til too late. And the poopy ones? The loose stools in the diaper pail make for a nice fresh smelling daycare (yeah right...), and as soon as he dirties his diaper, it starts droping out, so as he walks, he's losing pieces. That usually lets us know he's dirty before even the smell tells us! So I find it a pain... and unsanitary. No matter how often we change him (since we can't anticipate the exact moment he wets or dirties).
Reply
Chickenhauler 01:08 PM 05-02-2010
Originally Posted by DBug:
Just a heads up -- I have one dcb that normally wears cloth diapers. However, when he has a rash, mom has to switch him to disposables til it clears up. For most kids, it's just the opposite. You may want to think about buying just a few to give them a trial run first ...
Could very well be the cleaning agents being used on the diapers.
Reply
nannyde 03:29 PM 05-02-2010
Originally Posted by Preschool/daycare teacher:
We have a 2yr old in cloth diapers. The pre-fold, with snaps. They're just like disposable, except, they're cloth, and we dump the extra in the diaper pail, then bag the soiled diaper to send home.
I personally think cloth diapers aren't good for a daycare setting, as it seems as soon as he wets, it leaks. If he sits down on our lap, we get wet. Anything he sits on gets urine on it unless we notice he's wet in time. But usually, it's as soon as he wets, so we don't know til too late. And the poopy ones? The loose stools in the diaper pail make for a nice fresh smelling daycare (yeah right...), and as soon as he dirties his diaper, it starts droping out, so as he walks, he's losing pieces. That usually lets us know he's dirty before even the smell tells us! So I find it a pain... and unsanitary. No matter how often we change him (since we can't anticipate the exact moment he wets or dirties).
This has been my experience with cloth. They are definitely more work than disposables. I have had some parents request them and I just tell them that it will be an additional $2.50/$3.00 a day for that service. That will cover the extra staff time daily to do the work of managing them and the inevitable clothing changes. Haven't had anyone take me up on that offer. The cost of managing them is more than the cost of the diapers.

I have a "no cloth" in my policies and we only accept certain diaper brands BUT I definitely would consider it for an additional fee. I could cover the cost of a nap disposable and make a little more for the extra work.

In my first few years of day care I offered cloth diapering for a dollar a day. I bought a bunch of old school Kushies and did the work myself. I soaked washed, and line dried them. It was a way to make money but it was work to manage them. The washing/drying was cake but the clothing changes and equipment clean up with the leakage was a pain. I would definitely do something like that now if I could find a good brand of diapers that really worked.

My biggest problem with them was my staff assistant sending them home on the kids instead of a "go home" diaper. That sucked because they were very pricey with the diaper and liners. I wouldn't know about it until a parent returned them. I ended up with ten or so less than I started with when I quit doing them. I had a bunch of parents not return them. That would be my biggest risk of doing it now as a service.

I ended up selling the used ones on Ebay back in the day. I actually got the money from them that I paid for. People were into the old school kushies in those days.
Reply
Michael 03:34 PM 05-02-2010
We also had a previous article on Cloth Diapers: https://www.daycare.com/news/cloth_diapers.html
Reply
nannyde 03:50 PM 05-02-2010
Originally Posted by michael:
We also had a previous article on Cloth Diapers: https://www.daycare.com/news/cloth_diapers.html
That's a good article. I am betting the costs now are higher than stated in the article. Over the years I have done care the quality and size of the diapers have decreased dramatically. A size five diaper is now the size of what used to be a size three or medium. Everything on the diaper is smaller now.. the whole perimeter of the diaper is smaller, the clasp are a third of the size they were a few years ago, the top of the diaper that goes under the belly button is not padded... just a thin layer of plastic material.

The cost per unit is also markedly higher. When my son was diapered in the year 2000 I was able to get diapers for him for fifteen cents a piece on sale. I don't know what the current cost is of the name brands but I'm guessing around fifty cents a piece? The total cost is increased also because the quality requires much more frequent changes.

For providers with their own small children in diapers... what do you pay daily? Has anyone figured that out?

The diaper companies really don't have much further to go to cheap them down. Parents diapering toddlers five years from now will be used to buying size 7 or 8. The only way for them to go is to increase the sizes beyond six. At some point they will be cheapened down to the point that even with every two hour changes they won't hold the urine or poop. With the trend they have now I think cloth will become more common because even the expensive diapers are of such poor quality that they won't be worth the expense.

I have a pretty big stock of disposables in my garage from five/six years ago. You guys who are newer to diapering wouldn't BELIEVE the difference.
Reply
Daycare Mommy 04:26 PM 05-02-2010
Originally Posted by Preschool/daycare teacher:
We have a 2yr old in cloth diapers. The pre-fold, with snaps. They're just like disposable, except, they're cloth, and we dump the extra in the diaper pail, then bag the soiled diaper to send home.
I personally think cloth diapers aren't good for a daycare setting, as it seems as soon as he wets, it leaks. If he sits down on our lap, we get wet. Anything he sits on gets urine on it unless we notice he's wet in time. But usually, it's as soon as he wets, so we don't know til too late. And the poopy ones? The loose stools in the diaper pail make for a nice fresh smelling daycare (yeah right...), and as soon as he dirties his diaper, it starts droping out, so as he walks, he's losing pieces. That usually lets us know he's dirty before even the smell tells us! So I find it a pain... and unsanitary. No matter how often we change him (since we can't anticipate the exact moment he wets or dirties).
That's not right! Those diapers aren't fitting him right for poop to be dropping out. Gross! The cover is supposed to grab securely all the way around his leg. If you have them fastened as tight as they go around his legs and there's a gap then they just plain don't fit. I'd insist on better fitting covers and disposables until the parents can find them. You are right, that's just unsanitary!

For the leaking urine I'd double up his dipes you're using under the cover. Are you trifolding a single prefold diaper? That usually wasn't enough with mine. I'd have 1 trifolded prefold along with 1 or 2 smaller ones folded inside of that for extra absorbancy.

And if the parents are using fabric softener on them then the urine may not be absorbed fast enough and this will cause them to leak as well. They should be washed on hot every time with minimal detergent and never any fabric softener.
Reply
nannyde 04:58 PM 05-02-2010
Originally Posted by Daycare Mommy:
That's not right! Those diapers aren't fitting him right for poop to be dropping out. Gross! The cover is supposed to grab securely all the way around his leg. If you have them fastened as tight as they go around his legs and there's a gap then they just plain don't fit. I'd insist on better fitting covers and disposables until the parents can find them. You are right, that's just unsanitary!

For the leaking urine I'd double up his dipes you're using under the cover. Are you trifolding a single prefold diaper? That usually wasn't enough with mine. I'd have 1 trifolded prefold along with 1 or 2 smaller ones folded inside of that for extra absorbancy.

And if the parents are using fabric softener on them then the urine may not be absorbed fast enough and this will cause them to leak as well. They should be washed on hot every time with minimal detergent and never any fabric softener.
The problem with extra layering is that the kids clothes have to accomodate them. It works okay with loose fitting sweats that have a good elastic band on them but not so good with regular pants and jeans. IME, most parents keep the easy on sweat clothes for home.

I'm wondering why the pp boss allows this kid to be in day care without proper covering. You can't make a profit when you have so much staff time in cleaning, dealing with layering of the diapers, and changing the kids clothes. In order for it to work the parents HAVE to supply what will work. One day of what she described would be the last day I would do cloth for that family. Even with an extra fee daily it wouldn't cover the cost of one clothing change and the enviromental clean up.
Reply
Daycare Mommy 05:23 PM 05-02-2010
Originally Posted by nannyde:
The problem with extra layering is that the kids clothes have to accomodate them. It works okay with loose fitting sweats that have a good elastic band on them but not so good with regular pants and jeans. IME, most parents keep the easy on sweat clothes for home.

I'm wondering why the pp boss allows this kid to be in day care without proper covering. You can't make a profit when you have so much staff time in cleaning, dealing with layering of the diapers, and changing the kids clothes. In order for it to work the parents HAVE to supply what will work. One day of what she described would be the last day I would do cloth for that family. Even with an extra fee daily it wouldn't cover the cost of one clothing change and the enviromental clean up.
That can be true about the pants not fitting when you double up if the parents send him in tight fitting jeans or other non-stretch pants. I didn't even think about it since I've only ever cloth diapered my own children and that's all we own, stretchy or sweat pants.

To the pp, I'd make sure to require that these things be supplied if they want to keep him in cloth during daycare. Elastic waisted stretchy material pants along with "diaper doublers" (thin but very absorbant extra layer for cloth diapering), and decent fitting covers. And until everything is right and not constantly leaking it would be disposables at my daycare too.
Reply
kitkat 08:03 AM 05-06-2010
Thanks everyone for the input! I knew if I asked you guys I'd get a better, or more honest, answer than what I read for diaper reviews on the cloth sites.

Rachel and Twinmama: Thanks for the offer to pm you with questions! I'm going to take you up on that...I've got a list for you
Reply
laundryduchess@yahoo.com 10:34 AM 05-06-2010
I used them with mine and loved them. EASY, cleaner, didnt leak. and CUTE!
Reply
Unregistered 03:13 PM 06-05-2010
I've used CD since son was 6 weeks old. He's now 10 months. My husband & MIL are not pro-CD but have been fine with what we use. MY MIL puts each one in a plastic bag then puts that into a wet bag she hangs near her diaper changing area. I use all-in-one One Size BumGenius diapers exclusively. I rarely have issues with leaks, even overnight for 6-10 hours, so it seems crazy that the one child described in previous posts has such issues with leaks. I wouldn't tolerate that & I love CD's and want to support others who use them but that is ridiculous. I live in Twin Cities area of MN and am looking for place I can send my son in cloth diapers. I know of a few centers that allow them but not near me, I've heard of many more in home daycares allowing them
Reply
professionalmom 09:26 PM 06-05-2010
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I've used CD since son was 6 weeks old. He's now 10 months. My husband & MIL are not pro-CD but have been fine with what we use. MY MIL puts each one in a plastic bag then puts that into a wet bag she hangs near her diaper changing area. I use all-in-one One Size BumGenius diapers exclusively. I rarely have issues with leaks, even overnight for 6-10 hours, so it seems crazy that the one child described in previous posts has such issues with leaks. I wouldn't tolerate that & I love CD's and want to support others who use them but that is ridiculous. I live in Twin Cities area of MN and am looking for place I can send my son in cloth diapers. I know of a few centers that allow them but not near me, I've heard of many more in home daycares allowing them
The world's perfect cloth diaper!!! This is what I used. Now I am asking for a second set because I am having twins in Nov and 18 CDs just won't cut it.

The great thing about the all-in-one One Size BumGenius diapers is that I got a pack of 18 CDs, 18 inserts, 18 doublers, 16 cloth wipes, and a sprayer all for $356 (approximately). The sprayer attaches to the pipe on your toilet. Make sure you get the right type of detergent (the package comes with a list). Then it really is easy-peasy.

Wet diaper - take out the insert and throw everything into the diaper pail.

Solid poop - let the turds roll right into the toilet, take out insert and toss everything into the pail

Runny poop - hold diaper over toilet, spray poop off (very easy), wring out a little, take out insert, and toss everything in pail.

Approximately every 1-2 days, take pail to washing machine, put in detergent, dump in entire contents of the pail - done!

No dunking, no soaking, nothing. I swear this is all I did to clean the diapers and even after 7 months of using and washing every other day, they still looked as clean as the day they arrived. And these diapers adjust in size as the child grows. Also, no need for rubber pants.

We still had disposable diapers for whenever we left the house (who wants to change a CD in the grocery store and carry a poopy diaper through the produce section?) They never leaked - just make sure that you don't use ANY fabric softener on them!

Type in BumGenius into google and you'll find them. They are THE best and easiest CDs out there. I call them "not your mama's cloth diapers!"
Reply
LaLa1923 05:36 AM 04-19-2013
Originally Posted by nannyde:
The problem with extra layering is that the kids clothes have to accomodate them. It works okay with loose fitting sweats that have a good elastic band on them but not so good with regular pants and jeans. IME, most parents keep the easy on sweat clothes for home.

I'm wondering why the pp boss allows this kid to be in day care without proper covering. You can't make a profit when you have so much staff time in cleaning, dealing with layering of the diapers, and changing the kids clothes. In order for it to work the parents HAVE to supply what will work. One day of what she described would be the last day I would do cloth for that family. Even with an extra fee daily it wouldn't cover the cost of one clothing change and the enviromental clean up.
I've tried one size diapers with snaps, I've also used disposable. For me, I spent the same on my stash as I did on disposables. I probably came out spending more on my cloth than disposables. I do hate the trash it creates, but I had to go with cheaper and easier.
I never spend more than .15 a diaper. I meant to quote your other comment....sorry!!*
Reply
LaLa1923 05:42 AM 04-19-2013
I'm sorry, I know that was an old thread. I was looking for nans break down on price to offer this service.
Reply
Tags:cloth diapers
Reply Up