You may be using cloth nappies at home with your baby and now you're ready to broach the subject with your nursery or childminder. It can feel like a big step! As parents, we often feel self-conscious, doing all we can to avoid being the 'awkward one'. Thankfully, there's a big cultural shift surrounding environmentally conscious actions and awareness of cloth nappies. Some nurseries will already have other children using cloth nappies, in this case asking them should feel less daunting and they will have some hands-on experience.
Here are Roam's tips for using reusable nappies at nursery or childcare:
Be Prepared
If you can, send the same type of nappy in with your child to prevent confusion with the nappy fit. For pocket nappies, pre-stuff the inserts inside the nappy cover and set the correct front/rise setting to make things simple for nursery. All they have to do then is basically put the nappy on as they would a disposable and simply close the hip/waist.
Amount
How many nappies you send each day will depend on how long your nursery day is and how many changes your child usually has per day. A good formula to follow is one nappy for every 2 hours your baby/child is away, plus a couple of spares.
Liners
Nurseries may appreciate the cloth nappies having a disposable liner inside. (This would also limit any rinsing required for nappies that are brought home soiled!) When changed, the liner and any poo can go in the nursery's nappy waste bin, along with used disposable nappies. Most nurseries will have specific nappy waste collections.
Storage
For wet and soiled cloth nappy storage, nappy buckets are probably a step too far for most nurseries, as space will be at a premium. They are also not easy to transport back and forth! A Roam XL Wet Bag is a great size for nurseries to store used reusable nappies in. The XL wet bags feature a sturdy zip and hanging straps. The clean nappies can go into nursery in any bag that suits you and the dirty nappies can be rolled up and put straight into the XL wet bag at nappy change times. At the end of each day, just empty out the nappies into your nappy bucket or bag at home, ready for washing!
We hope this helps to give you a confidence boost in using reusable nappies at your nursery or childcare setting. Do get in touch if you have any questions!