The tours themselves went great! We visited about five in one day and ended up liking three, enough to revisit them at a later date. But there was one thing about every daycare that really irked me:
"No, we don't cloth diaper. State regulations."
Those of you who know me in some capacity know that I'm your typical tree-hugging liberal vegetarian hippie, so of course cloth was my go-to diapering solution before we even got pregnant. I was let down by the insistence from each daycare director that it was against state regulations to cloth diaper, and I was just as let down with myself for not researching whether this was the case before visiting these places.
If you're interested in cloth diapering, learn from my mistakes! I've detailed below how to handle cloth diapers with daycares, as approaching them from a different angle actually led to very promising results; we're currently waiting on an answer back from one now-CD-friendly daycare!
1. Make it easy on yourself! (If you can.)
There actually are easy ways to find cloth diaper-friendly daycares in your area. Word of mouth is a great tool, so if you know any mamas in your area who cloth diaper and send their child(ren) to daycare, see what they have to say about their experiences. You may also want to check with your OB, midwife, doula, or possibly even your local La Leche League for suggestions.
If you're having a hard time finding other parents who cloth diaper or if your healthcare provider really has no clue (and this totally might be the case), check out this list of cloth diaper-friendly daycares. Some may not be close to you -- we're looking for daycares near my work, and there were literally none on this list that weren't prohibitively far -- but if one is, it's worth checking out! Be sure to ask up front, mentioning that you saw them on such a list.
2. Know before you go.
My biggest mistake was the lack of research I did before going on any daycare tours. I knew that cloth diapering was legal in the state of Maryland, but when push came to shove, I had no documentation to prove it, and believe me, "nuh-uh!" isn't a terribly convincing argument.
To eliminate some of the legwork, check out this link to both arm yourself and educate your daycare provider of choice on state regulations for daycares: National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education
This site dishes out state-by-state regulations on diapering, including (if applicable) cloth diapering. From what I noticed, cloth is either very lightly covered -- "this is how you handle a cloth diaper" or "you need a doctor's note to use cloth diapers" -- or not mentioned at all. No state outright bans the use of cloth diapers.
Take the applicable statute or paragraph about the diapering procedure for your state and bring them in to your daycare providers, with the pertinent section highlighted if you can. If they cite state regulation, you'll have the regulation right there to point it out.
(If you're in Maryland, it's very difficult to find an actual diapering procedure the NRC; click here to view the diapering procedure. Finding it difficult to find it for your state, too? Just Google "diapering procedure [STATE]". Your individual state's Department of Education may cover this topic.)
If one of their concerns is sanitation, let them know that (modern, front-closure, AIO) cloth is just as sanitary as disposables, and direct them to this study, which observes the levels of fecal contamination in daycare centers with each type of diaper. In brief, there was no significant difference in the levels of coliform contamination in daycare centers when comparing the two types of diapers.
3. Bring the goods!
The reason why I encountered so much resistance at first was because daycare providers -- both the directors and the caretakers -- still believed that "cloth diapers" meant folding, pinning, and plastic or rubber pants. On my second round of daycare interviews, I brought with me a newborn all-in-one diaper and a one-size pocket diaper, plus a small wetbag, to demonstrate how they're used.
Let me tell you: These modern diapers will BLOW THEIR MINDS. Literally every provider who got their hands on the diapers were floored by how much they resemble modern disposables, and how far they've come from their generation's or their ideas about cloth. In fact, one daycare that I brought them to -- the one that I mentioned above that we're seriously considering -- said that they love them so much, they'll likely tell other parents about them!
So bring along some samples and show them just how much like disposables they are. It might end up impressing them more than you think.
(I honestly wouldn't recommend prefolds, fitteds, contours, AI2s, or even hybrids for daycares. Anything more than something that very closely resembles a disposable diaper is likely to intimidate a daycare provider. Stick with AIOs or pockets.)
4. Make it about them.
Another thing I noticed is that they wanted cloth diapers to be as simple and as much for them as possible, so bring up these perks:
Cost-efficient! Your cloth diapered baby means possibly reducing the number of trips to the dumpster or by trash service. If the daycare provides its own disposable diapers (some actually do), let them know they can save money by parents providing their own diapers.
Less waste! According to the Real Diaper Association, disposable diapers represent about 4% of solid waste in landfills, and about 50% of household waste. One can only imagine the amount of waste produced by your average daycare...
Eco-friendly! With all this talk about saving the environment and all that -- ahem, above-mentioned hippie-type here -- the daycare can actually market to those parents by saying they're earth- or green-friendly. Green moms eat up that stuff.
Totally easy! Aside from how convenient cloth is, imagine the cloth diapering mom as a personal diaper service, at least for her own child. And fresh diapers each day? Who wouldn't love that!
5. Try before you buy.
Even if they look cool, have additional benefits, and aren't banned by state or other regulations, some daycare providers may still be wary. If you're hooked on a place for reasons other than their diapering policies, propose a trial period; let them know that they're not committing, but they're being reasonable with you. Two to three weeks is usually enough to convince a provider that cloth really is no different and may actually prove beneficial. Your provider may even end up loving them!
Should they like cloth diapers but would like for some changes to happen to keep using them...
6. Be flexible.
There may be something that they will insist on. If your daycare provider is cool with cloth diapers but insists on disposable rather than cloth wipes, go with it (and consider asking if you can bring your own green-friendly disposable wipes). If they insist you have a wetbag AND a sealed trash-like container, just bring your own, one of a different color or with a distinctive sticker or mark so it's not confused with actual refuse bins.
Basically, make whatever concessions you're comfortable with. It's entirely up to you whether you want their demands to make or break your choice, but if your daycare is willing to cloth diaper with only an added request or two, it may be worth it to avoid a possible fight with another daycare.
7. Don't be afraid to shop around.
Not all daycares will be down with cloth. Despite my positive experiences thus far, some daycares are simply stubborn, so take your business elsewhere... and let them know the reason why you're doing so. It probably won't have any affect on them unless their business is hurting, but it IS good to let them know that they may lose the business of other parents who want to cloth diaper.
And finally...
8. Be positive!
Since this is a hot-button issue for many moms and for some daycares, try to approach the situation as positively as possible. Don't diss disposables (entirely); rather, point out the positives of cloth and the comparisons between the two, readily apparent or not. Direct their attention to the ease of use, the benefits to accepting them from a personal and daycare-wide perspective, and a level of excitement when showing them what modern cloth is all about.
Your attitude will make the biggest difference. While there's every reason to insist that they accept cloth for your child and other children, there's no reason to get combative, and you may end up losing out. Be firm but polite, educational but not condescending, upbeat and excited. It may end up rubbing off on them!
Most of all, good luck! Hopefully you'll find a daycare that you love so much, their acceptance of cloth diapers is merely a perk. :)
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