Cleaning hands/face after meals

What do you use to wash the children's hands and faces after snacks/meals?

I have a young group (11-14months) and I have them self feed at a child size table. Meals, even snacks, are messy to say the least.

Right now I use baby wipes to scrub them clean. I'd prefer not to use the wipes forever as I go through a ton but I just can't imagine using so many face clothes and the laundry it would bring. I already end up with over a dozen, very messy, full armed bibs each day.

Do you all use one cloth for all the kids? Do you reuse one cloth per child throughout the day?

I use baby wipes too even though I know it's costly and bad for the environment. One facecloth per day per child would be a good idea though.

I "assign" each child a certain colour cloth and use the same cloth all day on the child (sometimes 2 days). I just hang them in between uses. I also use the Ikea smock type bibs and can usually get a few uses out of them by wiping them quickly and hanging it on their chair until the next meal.

I use MANY wet wipes. I let the kids wipe themselves and they sometimes have problems getting them out. Licensing doesn't allow us to use face cloths.

I use one wash cloth for each child per day and dunk it in a bowl of warm soapy water and let the child wash themselves. Then after each meal/Snack it gets washed in my sink while I do dishes, then hung to dry on a little clothesliney hanger (got it at the dollar store, I think it's intended for hanging delicates to dry) It doesn't take long to do this. I don't feel like nit makes that much laundry.
Each child uses the same bib all day and I wash them in the sink after afternoon snack. I use the long sleeved kushies bibs and they are great. They dry fast and can easily be wiped off for a quick clean up if snacks are super messy.

I use wipes for the little ones. Anyone over 2, we march to the bathroom sink, line up and take turns washing/drying our hands and face. Sometimes, if my 2 year old is really messy, I will wipe him down with a wipe first, then send him to the bathroom to do a fuller wash.

I have a wash basin and I put it on the floor beside their table after lunch and call the kiddies one by one to wash up and use the same towel to dry. I used to use individual cloth but found they would get smelly waiting to be washed. I still use wipes for a very messy meal though.

One face cloth per child per day and I use the plastic moulded bibs that have the scoop on the bottom. I wash them with the dishes at the end of the meal. I only have one under two and he eats mostly by himself but I feed him yoghurt and soup ect as he holds the spoon in one hand and eats with the other :(

I used paper towel when I was doing home daycare. The Bounty brand is soft, and you can throw it in the green bin after. I would just lightly dampen it and then wipe. Baby wipes contain alcohol which can be harsh on their skin.

I bought a cheap pack of washcloths from Walmart and use those. They are different colours so each child is assigned a cloth for the day. I have them up on a curtain rod (magnetic and attached to my patio door which is right near the table) so they are always handy and stay organized between snacks and meals.

I wash them with my regular washing (towels, bibs, etc). Usually every 2-3 days.

I take each one and balance them on my knee (with my foot on a step stool) and wash their hands and face at the bathroom sink. I then dry their hands with an assigned cloth for each child, hanging on hooks with their first initial on it. The hooks are ones I got from Ikea and they hang on the towel bar. I change their clothes once a day, or more if it gets extra dirty. But since the cloth is mostly just used to dry, it doesn't get very dirty.

I use the bounty paper towels too. Usually someone has a snotty nose as well so I just wipe and toss.

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Originally Posted by Crayola kiddies

One face cloth per child per day and I use the plastic moulded bibs that have the scoop on the bottom. I wash them with the dishes at the end of the meal. I only have one under two and he eats mostly by himself but I feed him yoghurt and soup ect as he holds the spoon in one hand and eats with the other :(

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Yes, this is exactly me, too. Crayola, once again just a bit more proof that we must have been separated at birth, lol. :)

I take all kids to the sink and wash them there. Same idea as AmandaKDT but I use the same towel for all of them to dry their hands on. For dirty faces I will either use a wipe or a wet paper towel but right now don't have a very messy crew.

I have plastic bibs for everyone that just get wiped down after each use and washed in laundry once a week. I have one child that has the plastic bib with the scoop that mom provided but I personally hate it. It's too bulky and hard for him to sit close to the table and get to his bowl lol. We don't actually wear bibs too often so it's not a big deal.

I think I'm going to try the cloths and see how well I like the extra laundry or if I even notice it. The wipes are convenient but unless I pick them up in the states, they are expensive. I thought most wipes are alcohol free?

I, like smileyface use paper towels. I only have 2 young ones so it's fairly easy to give them a clean and then throw the paper towel on the compost. I used to do the face cloths but found they would start to smell.

For snacks I use wipes. The older children 3 and 4 use them and do it themselves. Craft, they was in the sink or I wash them in the sink. Lunch I use facecloths. Older aren't messy and can use the facecloth themselves. I tried using cloths all day and it was way more work. I only go through one tub a week of wipes and I pay no more than $3.49 at the most.

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Originally Posted by jammiesandtea

Yes, this is exactly me, too. Crayola, once again just a bit more proof that we must have been separated at birth, lol. :)

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I'm telling ya its eerie !!!!!

I use a cloth per kid per meal. It's usually enough to do a quick wash cycle at the end of the day.

I've tried going more than 1 meal with the same cloth, but I found they get stinky, plus if any of the kids are sick and I'm trying to keep their separate, it just seems like more of a hassle. This way I know they're never using someone else's. If/when I need to replace my current stash, I'll get a bunch of different colors to try to make it easier to keep them separate and try again.

You all must have really small washers cause I couldn't imagine three facecloths x 5 kids being enough for a load if laundry .... I've also never had a face cloth go stinky after one use... Very strange .... Maybe try the Norwex cloths .... They have a travel pack that comes in 4 different colours and they are anti bacterial (its their special patten) and don't get stinky because they have silver particles woven in the fiber and silver inhibits oxygen and bacteria needs oxygen to grow .... I use most of their products and they are truly amazing

I use the dollar store baby terry cloths and a different cloth for each meal. I find they get stinky as well after multiple uses. I do 2 loads of laundry a day for my own family, so I just throw them in too.

I have a front loader and I do 5 loads a week ..... That is for my family of 6 and five day care kids. 2 loads of darks 1 whites and 2 sheets/towels

I use regular wash clothes 1 per day per kid. Mine never get stinky either. I let them dry and then toss them in the laundry basket. They are all washed at the end of the week.

I do a LOT of laundry, and it's not because of the daycare kids. I have three of my own, ages 9, 11 and 14. I use a washcloth per child per day. It's not at all a big increase in laundry for me. It doesn't even amount to a quarter of a load per week. :laugh:

I was using baby face cloths. Assign one per kid, per day and leave on the back of the chair/seat to dry between meal/snack times.
I will admit, though, that I have taken to using a wipe lately. I leave a package of them in the eating area. They are the Costco kind, so I think it works out to 2 cents each?

If the cloths are stinky after one use it is due to bacteria. Even on a hot wash they can still become stinky easily. I swear a small tub next to the washer with a little water and vinegar is where I toss them till laundry day and it prevents the whole stink issue. I don't always get them in the washer the same day which just makes it even worse so the vinegar helps with that too. They are also put through a sanitize wash once a month to give an extra thorough clean and get any stubborn stains out. I have had my cloths for well over a year and they don't need replacing yet. Still look bright, not ugly and worn. I use baby washcloths from kushies and even in a month I couldn't get a half washload which would be 64 washcloths. They are only the size of my hand and are as thin as dress socks so I wouldn't even sweat it on the laundry front.

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Originally Posted by bright sparks

If the cloths are stinky after one use it is due to bacteria. Even on a hot wash they can still become stinky easily. I swear a small tub next to the washer with a little water and vinegar is where I toss them till laundry day and it prevents the whole stink issue. I don't always get them in the washer the same day which just makes it even worse so the vinegar helps with that too. They are also put through a sanitize wash once a month to give an extra thorough clean and get any stubborn stains out. I have had my cloths for well over a year and they don't need replacing yet. Still look bright, not ugly and worn. I use baby washcloths from kushies and even in a month I couldn't get a half washload which would be 64 washcloths. They are only the size of my hand and are as thin as dress socks so I wouldn't even sweat it on the laundry front.

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Bright sparks, what do you use to sanitize them, if you don't mind me asking?

II don't like yo use bleach, so I'll admit, I haven't fully "sanitized" them in a while, but I always wash them on hot once a day, to prevent build up (or proliferation) of bacteria. I should give this a shot though.

Have debated about looking for a fabric like a stretchy terry fleece that doesn't fray but would still stay damp - not all fleece will. Then cut it into large squares for wiping up. I used to have some terry ones were a full 12" square I used on the counters till they completely wore out that were just squares cut and hemmed on a machine. I used to do them weekly by putting a bucket of water and bleach in the laundry room sink and then soaking them overnight. In the morning I would rinse them out and toss them in the laundry with a load of bedding giving just enough bleach to that load to sanitize it too from the cloths. wonder if that would be an option to make some to use on the daycare kids similar to using a cloth napkin but would have to be something that would hold water.

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Originally Posted by 2cuteboys

Bright sparks, what do you use to sanitize them, if you don't mind me asking?

II don't like yo use bleach, so I'll admit, I haven't fully "sanitized" them in a while, but I always wash them on hot once a day, to prevent build up (or proliferation) of bacteria. I should give this a shot though.

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I have a sanitize setting on my washer which is hotter than just a hot wash. I also have a steam setting. Even with the use of bleach on occasion, my washcloths would still smell so I discontinued using that. I also don't like to use bleach with my daycare kids but it was a last resort to see what would shift the smell. Once I heard about the vinegar it was no longer an issue.

I used only paper towel after the meal and throw in the dustbin

I do exactly what torontokids does - one cloth for the whole day, rinse it out after every use and let it hang. Then start the next day with a new cloth and bib!

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