Cloth diapers at daycare

We thank Michelle from Snooty Booty Diapers for this article on some pointers for using cloth diapers at daycare....
________________________________________________________________

There are many reasons to use cloth diapers, with the environment and saving money at the top of many lists. Yet there are many interested parents who don’t cloth diaper or only use cloth part-time due to daycare concerns. Many parents assume that cloth diapers are not allowed at daycare, but this is not often the case.

Some daycare facilities say they “can’t” use cloth diapers. This is personal policy rather than law. States have varying regulations on diapering procedures, but cloth is rarely, if ever, prohibited. A daycare’s refusal to use cloth may stem from a misunderstanding of regulations, unfamiliarity with modern cloth diapers, or the perception that cloth diapers are more work.

What should you do if you want to use cloth diapers at daycare? Here are some tips:

• Find your state’s regulations on diapering at daycare. Plan how you can make it easy for your daycare to follow the regulations. If your state requires that all diapers soiled with fecal matter be put into plastic bags, for instance, then offer to supply the plastic bags.
  
• Show your daycare provider how easy cloth can be. Bring easy diapers to use-pocket diapers or all-in-one diapers often have velcro closures and are very similar to disposables. If your daycare provider has the idea of complicated folds and pins, these innovative diapers may change his/her mind.
  
• If cloth diapering for health reasons, make sure to provide a doctor’s note.
  
  

In short, present cloth diapering is a positive way and bring samples of the diapers you plan to use. Show your provider how easy cloth can be and how you will help follow state laws. If your daycare provider can feel confident using cloth and knows that all regulations are being followed, you will have an easier time of convincing him/her to try cloth.

Tech free time for families

Technology creeping into more and more aspects of our lives has been an issue for me for a while. While I can’t deny the value of many of these gizmos and gadgets, I think that our increasing reliance on technology is degrading our personal relationships and killing our ability to communicate with other people. And by communicate, I mean actual face to face communication, taking a pen and putting it to paper, or even making a phone call.
Learning that Leap Frog is planning the release of the “Text and Learn”, a smart phone looking device aimed at toddlers, sent me over the edge. The Leap Frog website touts that “learning modes offer practice with letter matching, shape identification and QWERTY keyboard”. In this age where kids are already overscheduled, does a toddler really need to “exchange text messages with their puppy pal Scout, check Scout's planner to see what his week entails” as the product description states? To me, this toy represents two much larger issues with our current society.

First, it is an acceptable lesson of childhood for a child to learn that some things are not toys. Children do not need a toy phone to keep them from playing with their parent’s phone. Children need to be taught that the phone is not a toy. Many things will continue to literally or figuratively be out of reach and learning the coping skills to deal with that will serve children well throughout life. While I’ll readily admit that sometimes the easier parenting choice is tempting, I think that battles fought when children are young lay a strong foundation for later on.

Second, is how technology is eroding our relationships. Nowhere is this more important than within each family. So often when I see families out in public, at least one person is engaged not with the other family members, but with some gizmo. It goes for both parents and children and I think it sends the wrong message. It sends the message that you’re unwilling to give your full attention to the person you’re currently with or that you are waiting for a better offer or something more interesting to come along. What might parents learn if they talked with their children at the grocery store? How might a child feel to hit a great shot in the game only to look in the stands and see that their parent didn’t see because they were busy checking email. Do you really feel heard if during your entire conversation your spouse has their bluetooth ear piece on?

These gadgets have their place in the work world. I can even see their value in helping families keep in contact or organize their schedules. But there needs to be tech free family time. A lot of tech free time. Turn off your cell phone, leave your Blackberry at the door, turn off your Ipod, refrain from checking email, turn off the computers and TV, and truly focus on each other as individuals, as family members, as people who you truly care about.

We wont be getting a “Text & Learn”. Our children learn their letters by looking at books and reading street signs. They learn their colors by coloring and painting. And if they want to check our dog’s schedule, they’ll ask if they can take him in the backyard to play fetch.

Spring clean your Daycarematch provider profile

Our main goal of Daycarematch is to provide parents with an easy way to find childcare providers and give childcare providers an easy and cost-effective way to advertise. Put those together and our overall goal is to "connect parents and providers"

We need you, the childcare providers, to keep your information accurate and updated. Not only will that help your profile be more valuable to parents, it will also help you show up higher in our search rankings.

The order in which provider profiles show up in the search results depends on several criteria:
- how closely the profile matches the parent's search criteria
- completeness of the profile
- date last updated
- does the profile include photos

Accurate and updated information is important to us. We offer a $25 monthly incentive and a $250 quarterly incentive for updating your profile each month.

Not listed on Daycarematch yet? Join us! It's FREE!

Vote for Daycarematch

We've thrown our hat into the race to be listed as one of the top 200 Mom Businesses by Startup Nation. Help us win by voting for us!

Should childcares be peanut free?

We have close friends whose children have allergies. Her son's allergies are so severe that he started to react when a child walked into their home carrying a piece of toast with peanut butter on it. Just the smell of the peanut butter was enough to make her son start coughing and wheezing.

I know many schools are struggling with how to keep children with allergies safe. I'm wondering what childcare providers are doing? What are guidelines parents can use when looking for daycare or preschool for ther child with food allergies?

Should a childcare be completely peanut free? Should a childcare also be free of other common allergens? If so, how does that affect parents of other children?

Our son starts kindergarten this fall. I don't know how the school addresses peanut allergies, but I do know that if peanut butter is not allowed at all, we are going to have a very hungry toddler until he decides to expand his preference for lunch. He eats a PB & J almost every day. I want our son to have a healthy and filling lunch, but I also want to honor the other children with allergies.

What do you in your childcare? How to you address food allergies? Do you allow foods that contain common allergens, like peanut butter?

Food allergies? Great ways to warn others

Food allergies seem so common now. We have several close friends whose children have allergies so we've watched them scan every food box for a list of ingredients, interview waiters on what's in the chicken nugget breading, and drill into their children that they can't have any snacks at a friend's house.

Whenever there's more than one child, keeping track of what child can eat what can be a challenge. Parents might want to consider these products any time their child is going to be with other children or in a new situation, like when the child starts at a new childcare provider.

Here are some fun ways for parents to let others know about what foods their child is allergic to.

Allergyapparel A stay-at-home Richmond mom came up with shirts and hoodies to protect her own son who has a food allergy.

Sansgluten offers products for wheat, peanut, gluten, dairy, and egg allergies. They have a great selection of products including clothes, lunch bags, tote bags, and more.

Allergators includes cute alligator characters warning of food allergies. They also offer wristbands.

Alert Clothing Company has bright and colorful designs on shirts and tote bags.

Kids Aware has a wide selection of products from shirts to bags to pouches to carry epi pens.