I already posted about my search for daycare. I'm just wondering if there are alot of babywearing and cloth diaper friendly home providers out there?
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I already posted about my search for daycare. I'm just wondering if there are alot of babywearing and cloth diaper friendly home providers out there?
Baby wearing not likely since over time 30-40 years of lugging a child around takes its toll on the back. Also it is very common to have more than one young child in care at a time. Also it is more likely that the caregiver at least to start will have their own young children and would give the sling position to their own first.
On the cloth diapers yes there are some home daycares that will accept them. I take them but the parents are requested to use a liner and if they do I will remove as much fecal matter as I can. Otherwise whatever is in the diaper is bagged (provided by the parent) and put in their carry bag (usually a washable waterproof drawstring or zippered bag). The idea is that I can give the cloth diapers only the treatment I give the disposables. I do not dump, clean out poop as it can cause splashing and contamination of the toilet. Any handling can lead to the spread of disease from child to child and diapering is one of the areas we try our best to contain. Ok this is probably more detailed info that you wanted but it is the rule of many agencies as well in terms of accepting cloth diapers. For a caregiver that says they will dump and rinse you might also want to find out what measures they are taking after to make sure the toilet area is sanitary for the other children since some day it will be your child out of diapers and sitting on the toilet seat and washign their face and hands in the sink.
Thank you for the information playfelt! I use pocket diapers and disposable liners and flush them so that wont really change my routine at all. I'm hoping to find someone cloth diaper friendly but it's hard, and really other qualities in a care giver are more important to me right now anyways....It's nice to know I might be able to find someone though!Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
A lot of providers in my area are cloth diaper friendly. The usual request is that diapers go home "as is".... (no washing), it the parents are not using liners.
I baby-wear and cloth diaper. I'm a big advocate of attachment parenting and also flex-scheduling. I baby-wear my own (my 6mo loves it on my back in the wrap) and also others. I can babywear two babies at once (I'm proud of that! lol).
We also cloth diaper our own kids...so how could I say no to a daycare baby? As long as mama provides a wetbag so I can send soiled diapers home, I don't mind using cloth at all. I'm skilled with pins or snappies...we use prefolds on our own.
Yay! I am an AP parent myself and I love that there are AP daycare providers!
A dad at a recent interview asked me how I can nurse my baby while caring for the other children...I explained that I can nurse hands-free in the sling. I wouldn't be able to bottlefeed him hands-free. Soft carriers are awesome!
[QUOTE=Emilys4Guppies ;1227] I baby-wear my own (my 6mo loves it on my back in the wrap) and also others. I can babywear two babies at once (I'm proud of that! lol). QUOTE]
I am duly impressed :)
I never could figure out how to nurse while wearing....that requires skill!Quote:
Originally Posted by Emilys4Guppies
I am not a parent (yet), but have a daycare (but don't have young young children).
One question I have is: How are your backs holding up!?!?! I don't think I'll ever be able to babywear :( as I have cronic back pain, and can easily throw out my back (once again).
Well, I used to throw my back out occasionally. There are better carriers for helping with that...mei tais, mobi wrap, ergo. Basically, when I see my chiro, and keep up with my other issues through workouts, I can maintain health in my back. My lower back issues are a result of tight hamstrings...because I know that, I can work on my hamstrings to ease that burden, kwim? But, not everyone's backpain is the same. And it's debilitating when it hits. I feel your pain!
Thanks for the post Emily. I just recently, in the Fall, threw my back out again. The last time I threw it out I was in university, and it was hit and miss for 8 months (and that included physio 2-3 times/wk!). Luckily this time around, I only have a little one (whos' mom is my physiotherapist), and my dance students still took as I laid on the ground teaching them Highland!!!
I don't think I'll ever be wearing (once I have my own) baby. :( I'm just trying to regain my own core muscles from this last incident!!!
Something to remember too is the age of children coming into care. In Ontario for instance most kids are 12 months when they start care so need to be developming their own walking muscles rather than being carried everywhere. That doesn't mean there aren't extra cuddles but it does mean that crawling and getting there on their own is developmentally appropriate. Not to mention some can be 30 lbs. - especially the ones that have been carried too long and need more exercise time.
Im with emilys4guppies on this one... Its all about the carrier that you have and not every carrier works for every mommy or every baby. My favorite is the mai-tie.Quote:
Originally Posted by Play and Learn
HAHA, mines in the 3rd percentile for weight (hubby and myself have high metabolisms too) so i don't think I need to worry about his calorie burn!Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
But your right in that they do need some floor time and lots of opportunites to develop their motor skills.
Core strength is important and starting out either when your babe is young and light or starting slowly if they are older and your body isn't used to it. You also have to switch to a back carry before they get to heavy, the extra weight on your front will throw your back out. I am also super careful with how I bend or move, I try to make sure I'm bending with my legs in a squat or lung position and keeping my back straight - the added benefit is super toned thighs from all the squats!
Another thing that comes to mind though is carry the babies is one thing but does do justice to the older kids or do they suffer. You loose the freedom to be spontaneous - to pick them up or to have them flop down in your lap for a story - the babies are always in the way. I understand the whole attachment parenting thing but it is about bonding with the mother and baby not just about being lugged around. I have been a caregiver for 25 years and deal only with infants and toddlers. There is no way it would have been feasible to carry 1-2 kids constantly for that length of time. If you do it now for your daycare children you may not be in a healthy enough state to do it for your own future children or grandchildren. Just something to think about. The back, legs and shoulders take an awful beating from doing daycare.
I would definitely not do it for the daycare children (I have a stroller for a reason!). It was more of a question on when I have my own!Quote:
Originally Posted by playfelt
Thanks for all your responses!!!!
I am a new daycare provider and mother of three (15 years, 2.5 years, and 8 months). I babywear and use and accept cloth diapers. I have never worn two at once and I'm not sure if I could manage that much weight at once, but I love being able to have my daughter on my back especially when the kids are playing outside since she isn't walking yet. Once she is walking, if I have a daycare child who is younger, I will certainly wear him/her the same way.
I would never baby wear, not only for the reasons that Playfelt mentioned but because my body type doesn't allow it. I tried to baby wear my girls when they were little but it really really hurt my back, I am really short and difficult to wear a baby who might be longer than my core ;) I also don't accept children until they are 11 months old and at this time, the children should be exploring and enjoying their environment vs being held all the time. I am a cuddlly type of caregiver, so I agree that I love being able to spontaniously cuddle with the kids as necessary.
As for cloth diapers I have no problems with them. Both my daughters were cloth diaper gals, but EVERY daycare family that has inquiried about them has refused to go with my daycare because I don't have a bathroom in my daycare and will not dump. What goes into the diaper goes home in the diaper. Parents also have to supply the special bag that is pretty much odour free. I guess I shouldn't say every family, one decided to go with me but switched to disposable for daycare days, lol.
Hi (my first post here) :)
This thread really caught my eye, not only about the cloth diaper question but the AP. I have a 3 year old daughter and a 2 month old. I also run a home daycare in Dundas. We use cloth diapers and I have 2 other children in my care who also use cloth diapers.
Don't laugh but up until a month ago I didn't know that AP was a 'style' of parenting. I thought that it was just called 'being a parent'. I have 2 kinds of carriers, one of the harness ones that you clip on your back and just recently we got a Wrap. I'm in LOVE with the wrap. My little one has spent a lot of time in there during the day when she's sleeping and even awake (facing out), leaving no pain at all in my back or shoulders.
So I guess to answer your question... yes there are providers who practice AP and use cloth diapers. Like some of the other replies ahead of me.... I send the soiled cloth diapers home in the wet bag for the parents to take care of. If they have a service, the whole thing goes home, if they do the laundry themselves, I do my best to rinse the diaper/insert for them so it's not so nasty when they get home.
Ohana what will you do when you have another parent come to you and ask you to wear her child. What will you do when you have a parent come to you and expect you to sanitize the toilet/sink area with bleach every time you rinse a diaper for fear some of the water has slattered out. I think the point here is that what you do with your own child is your business and you have the right to hire a nanny and make it part of her work requirements but you do not have the right to expect a dayhome provider or a worker at a daycare centre to do it as those people get to set their own standards of business not the parents. We are sort of talking about two different things. I am not against baby wearing, cloth diapers (and have had kids in care with them but I do not rinse). I am just against being told to do it. A parent that wants attachment parenting should stay home and be attached or it becomes a mute point.
I would never ask a daycare provider to wear my baby. I was only wondering if anyone was out there that did babywear as a general practice, by their own choice, not because of a parent's request. I would never expect a provider with multiple kids to do what I do at home, nor was I trying to suggest that daycare providers should practice attached parenting. I baby wear, but I don't co-sleep and I believe in letting a child CIO. I babywear because it's easy for me, I get more done and I don't find it strains my body. Plus both my child and I enjoy the closeness. I thought maybe some providers might find it a helpful practice to carry their younger/lighter children at times, but if it would make life harder than of course I wouldn't expect anyone to do it for my child or anyone elses. I never meant to somewhow imply by my query that I expect a daycare provider to wear my child or act like my nanny, I only wanted to hear if it was a common practice or not in daycare. I think your post is a little harsh, all things considered, but I understand that you may find some parents and their requests frustrating and may have misunderstood my post. I was mearly inquiring out of curiousity, as I find babywearing makes life easier, not suggesting that daycare providers should babywear. I would also expect that if a provider was to accept cloth diapers that I would do the work of cleaning them, I just wanted to know if they were accepted, period, not if someone would wash them for me!Quote:
Originally Posted by luppernoodle
Baby wearing also has different meanings to different people. I have "worn" an infant my own or a daycare baby in a snuggly which was the term for them back then when we often got children into care at 4 -6 months of age. That is very different than now when we get children into care here in Ontario at least when they are 12 months old. At that age most caregivers expect a child to be moving into independence in terms of walking and gross motor and wearing the baby defeats that purpose. Closeness happens when we snuggle for a story not during playtime. The only time I wore the infant was when going to the park and they were too small to hold their head up properly and sit in the wagon and it saved having to push a stroller and pull a wagon at the same time. You have to remember that "back then" we didn't have the nice infant seats we have now with handles that you can just plop in the wagon. Once we were back home the infant was removed from the snuggly and put in the playpen, highchair, on the floor etc to move around and play. I even had a cape type coat that went over the snuggly too (from being pregnant) that I wore in the fall when it was cooler. The age issue is one that creeps up a lot in interviews. A parent forgets that while their baby is now only 6 months that they will be a year old and maybe even walking by the time they start daycare. Expectations need to be adjusted and that is hard for a parent that hasn't experienced the child's growth yet.
I have no problem with parents asking me if I do certain things. I *DO* babywear. I love my wraps, slings and pouches. My babies love them too. Obviously I cannot feasably wear 5 babies at once but I do often wear at least one...we trade off who gets to be worn. It doesn't mean I always have a baby strapped to me...just that if we're walking down the street to the park, I will put one of the 11month olds on my back for the trip and the other two toddlers into the stroller.
I also cloth diaper my own. I have never met a cloth diapering parent who didn't expect to get their poopy diapers back at the end of the day. IME, it's easier to cloth diaper a DCK because their poopy dipes aren't taking up precious space in my limited garbage bags.
I think there is NOTHING wrong with asking IF a provider will accomodate for things like cloth dipes. If they don't, no biggie, move on. It's just like if organic food were important...you'd ask, and move on to find a daycare that does too. Or if a fully structured day were important....or if an educational program were important. Or if the daycare drives with the kids. Ect., ect. No harm in asking. But, in the end, it is up to the provider to decide what she's comfortable with, and you certainly can't make demands.
As for the rinsing of the diapers in the sink... i don't. I have a wonderful handy little hose that attaches to my toilet that I use to spray the stuff from the diaper into the toilet and flush. No need to use the sink. I also use gloves to avoid getting it on my hands.
For children in my care If a parents wants me to baby wear all the time I explain to them that simply isn't possible. I will put a little one in a carrier or wrap while we are out. Toddlers go in the buggy. There have been times when I'll baby wear a 1 year old while I'm getting lunch ready or if they are needing that extra cuddles.
"I have no problem with parents asking me if I do certain things. I *DO* babywear. I love my wraps, slings and pouches. My babies love them too. Obviously I cannot feasably wear 5 babies at once but I do often wear at least one...we trade off who gets to be worn. It doesn't mean I always have a baby strapped to me...just that if we're walking down the street to the park, I will put one of the 11month olds on my back for the trip and the other two toddlers into the stroller."
What she said :)
I also wear the smallest kids on my back, but only on outings to save me from having to buy a triple strolle; my daughter or one of the other smaller kids goes on my back and the other two little ones sit in the stroller. The only other time I use the carrier is when we are playing outside in winter and I have one who isn't walking yet. I also use it sometimes with my daughter in the house, but not that often now that she is 11 months. It does not hinder being able to care for the others in any way...in fact it helps because then one child is safely out of the way on my back and my arms are free. I never suffer from back problems due to baby wearing.
As for the cloth diapers, I don't rinse in the toilet, but will dump if there is a liner or if it is solid and falls off easily. I lift the seat and plop it right into the water, so it is actually no different than if a child were to poop into the toilet, so I see no health issues there. I always wash my hands after changing diapers anyway, so no difference there either. If there is no liner and it doesn't easily dump, it goes as is into the wet bag. I also love having most of my kids in cloth because I don't have garbage cans full of stinky diapers by the end of the week! Plus, they can play in them at the splash pad without them abosorbing a ton of water and leaking that gel stuff that disposables do (in absence of swim diapers).
Personally I use cloth for my own and have the luxury of taking the mess to my laundry room right outside the daycare door. If another parent had asked me about cloth I'd say yes but the whole package goes home because of sanitation reasons.
Legally, in Canada, you are supposed to dump solid bowel movements down the toilet even with disposable diapers. Feces is not meant to be in our landfills. All diaper packages in Canada instruct to flush solid waste.
With cloth diapers the general rule is that if it's solid enough to roll off the diaper without being scraped then into the toilet it should go. Otherwise, let the washer do the work. I've cloth diapered my 4 children.
Funny, I was JUST thinking about this. If I get the two boys I interviewed with today, I was planning on using my wrap for him, and the older two (current DCK and new preschooler) could go in the double stroller. :) Their baby is in cloth, and I have absolutely no prob dumping out the solid, but I will not rinse etc.
I also agree, what's the harm in asking?
In daycare centres they are not allowed to dump either from disposable or cloth although most dont' even allow cloth. So I figure while I know it isnt' good for the environment I go with the I don't dump either. My least favourite is pullups that you can't wrap and discard since there are no tabs at the sides.
I cloth diaper my own son and plan on doing the same with future children. I currently use a service-so no dumping for me, but plan on doing my own once the next child comes along-hopefully next year. Currenly do not have any dck in cloth, but of course would welcome them, bc as mentioned above, then I wouldn't have stinky diapers hanging around for a week.
Cloth diapers - no problem but I'm not providing a laundry service too. Baby wearing - heck no. It's completely impractical in a day care to lug two or more weighty children around and it's highly damaging to our backs when you consider we are in this business for 10, 15, 20 years. Few adults would lug two sacks of potatoes around with them all day whilst trying to understand the tasks of their employment and even fewer would be willing to do that for many years.
I do cloth diapers for last 1 year for a boy. He is 2 now...
My sister wants to do cloth diapers, any insight, suggestions.?
Most of my parents use disposables diapers, but I currently have one child that wears cloth diapers. I find it works out well with no problems. (Busy Bees Home Child Care) :)
Yay! for babywearing and cloth diapering. I baby wear my dck. Espcially the young ones who are in daycare for the first time. The separation anxiety can be killer and so baby wearing is a life saver! I also cloth my son and two of my dck's (I got both moms on board with cloth :)