Daycare and the cloth diaper

Here's my qualifications to write on this subject. I have five kids. Three I have used cloth in daycare, both home and centers. I have used wash at home and industrial diaper services. I have worked full time away from my children and home for up to 60 hours a week  for eleven years. Currently I work as a preschool substitute and can see how cloth is being used on babies.


Cloth as we all know is not as popular as it needs to be. There are a lot of day cares that are not cloth diaper friendly. How ever there are some baby's who are not disposable friendly with breathing issues such as asthma or skin that just can't handle all the chemicals used to make paper absorbent. I have had one of each of these little ones.

When shopping for day cares here in California where  I live most in-home days cares are fine with cloth once you show them no diaper pins are involved.  However most in-home day cares are not receptive to the Snappi either. (A snappi is a rubber claw system invented to replace a diaper pin on prefold diapers.) My in-home day cares have preferred hook loop (Velcro) over snaps.


Center day cares can present a challenge. Some have in their contract they wont take a cloth diaper baby for sanitary reasons unless it's doctor approved and industrial delivery service.  So get a doctors note right? Easy fix? I have been fortunate to have a pediatrician that is Pro natural parenting and will right that note. Some doctors are on the fence with cloth diapers and may take some convincing. Industrial diapering service may present a problem for some families for several reasons.

1. There isn't one in your area.
2. They can be expensive.
3. The chemicals they use the clean the diapers can be hard are your babies skin.

Then where are you left? If you already have your doctor writing a note just have them add in there you can provide the diaper you wash do to your baby's specific needs. The center then has to allow you to use your cloth diapers.

When I started cloth diapering 11 years ago I used a cloth diaper service. They picked up and dropped off at day care. I paid the same if not more than disposable diapers. My beautiful baby girl had pale white skin and disposables would allow her urine to burn her skin. Prefolds, pins and rubber pants solved this issue for us.

This is a Happy Heinys sized cloth diaper.

When my son came along 5 years ago we started with a similar system only the rubber pants were cotton covers and we did not us pins or Snappis. Then I found bum Genius 3.0 OS, FuzziBunz  and Happy Heiny sized. My son was in a center where he was the first of many cloth diapered babies. This day care preferred Hook loop and a wet bag that could be easliy sealed. bum Genius was not a favorite for them because of the adjusting rise snaps. FuzziBunz snaps confused them and often were snapped too loose leaving huge poopy explosions. Happy Heinys had neither of these. I stuffed them and the diapered Sonny as if he was wearing disposables. He had a small draw sting bag that came to school with the clean diapers and left with the dirty.He used this system until he started to potty train.


My last little man is 3. Same day care and new diapers on the market. I tried bringing Flips as I loved them at home. Day care wasn't thrilled. The insert removal was to much to deal with until I showed them the bamboo disposable insert then I was talking their language. I did have to give a quick training and at first I only had one teacher loving it. Now they can all use them and will. The other diaper I brought in day care has asked for as a preference is Mini Maestro. They like them because they are hook loop and trim so dressing Declan after each diaper is easier. They still love Happy Heinys sized  the best.

The last part of cloth in day care is trainers. All though there are some great diapers that double as training systems a lot of them have snaps. Snaps when you have a room full of kids and and your cloth diapered baby is squirming is just to much at daycare. My day care center agreed to help me test several cloth trainers to determine what was most day care friendly. Their favorites are Kawaii  for the early learner and Eco Posh or Imse Vimse to catch the occasional accident of the more advance learner. For nap, or those days the training isn't going so well they just add a Hiney Lineys Big kid right over his trainers.

To break it down for something to think about when shopping for your daycare stash.

Day cares likes:

1. Hook loop
2. Wet bags with draw strings or zippers taken home daily.
3. Sized
4. Trim

I hope this helps.