I remember it still. The first time I dropped my little one in the church nursery in cloth diapers.
I nervously (and probably very quickly) said "My daughter wears cloth diapers. They are really easy I promise."My unsureness probably made them unsure about the situation as well.
Then again, my daughter started a Mother's Day Out program.
Cautiously I asked, "She cloth diapers, is that okay?"
But as I have gotten more confident in my cloth diapering, so have my responses to church nurseries, daycares, baby-sitters, grandparents and the like.
So how do you introduce cloth diapers to the Non-cloth Diapering Caregiver?
Here are some quick tips…
Be confident
Your confidence in cloth diapering is key. My nervousness in introducing cloth the first two times did not help. This might sound harsh, but I don't even ask any more. When signing up for our daughter's childcare this year, I just simply stated we cloth diaper, then at open house showed them how it worked. When I go the church nursery I tell them that she cloth diapers and give them a quick tutorial.Show the easy, cutest diaper first
eLeMeNO-Pee has some awesome all-in-one options. I also recommend using a velcro closure for a first showing to a caregiver- snaps can be really intimdating. Showing them a all-in-one velcro diaper and commenting about "how it is as easy as a disposable" usually is a good start. This is a gateway that gets them open and comfortable. I have found in the past as they get more comfortable they are, the more open they are to other things. For example after using velcro for a while our caregiver was completely open to snaps.Know your rights
You have rights. Seriously, this is your baby and you get to make these kind of choices. This site has some great information listed by state about your rights. Even if you are in a "restricted" place, you could most likely get an exemption from the doctor for something like sensitive skin.Be Prepared
Diapers, wipes, wet bag- all prepped and ready to go. Make this easy on them, so they have a positive experience cloth diapering!Work with them
Maybe they prefer you use liners. Maybe disposable wipes would make it easier on them. Be willing and open to work with them!Don't pack another option
If you pack disposables, they will use them… I almost guarantee it. If you want your child using cloth, pack cloth and they will learn to use it.The great thing about exposing our caregivers to cloth is that it makes a dent in making cloth mainstream. One care giver last year even said that she grew to like it so much that she planned on cloth diapering her own children!
Did these things ring true for you? Do you have any other suggestions?
I am Stasia- wife, mom, blogger over at Our Life on a Budget, part-time preschool teacher and local cloth diaper consultant.
This is really helpful information! We didn't cloth diaper with our son but I REALLY want to with any future children. I'll admit that one major concern is that my mom helps with child care quite often and she is NOT on board with it. These tips will certainly help me as I introduce her to the concept. Thanks for linking up with the #SHINEbloghop!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely pack the easy ones! Make sure you change your child right before you drop them off, and show at least one person how to use them! Thankfully, we didn't have to use much child care when my little was in cloth diapers, but I didn't worry about it too much. Great tips!
ReplyDelete