Cloths or wipes?

[Daycare123]

hey everyone!

So, when I started my daycare I always used face cloths before and after food-each child has their own color of cloth. But I am finding I use way too many and if I don't do laundry everyday for the daycare the cloths get smelly even out of the laundry!!

I would love to know what you all do in your routine for hand and face washing.

Thank you!

[monkeymama]

I hate the smell of baby wipes so I use cloths. I have two sets: one for the morning, one for the afternoon. Everyone has a color also. During nap, I wash the morning ones and use the afternoon and then there clean for the next day.

[Inspired by Reggio]

I use wash clothes .... I have at least 40 white clothes for meals and 20 dark blue ones for craft/sensory messes ... so enough to get me through the week by having 1 per child each day and it hangs on the back of their little chair between snacks and meals and than goes into the hamper in the morning after it has time to dry and it is replaced with a fresh one at the morning snack. I do the daycare laundry on Fridays with their bed sheets and everything so end up having a load of 'whites' and a load of 'colors' that is daycare only stuff.

In the summer time when we are picnicking more I buy the cases of 'disposable wipes' from Costco and admit that I do use those more cause do not always have access to running water and they are just easier and lighter than trying to carry enough wash clothes for before the meal, after the meal and if they just get 'dirty' in some mud or what not.

[Daycare123]

Reggio-hanging the cloth on each childs chair-great idea! I think mine were staying wet making them smell! Thank you both for the replies!

[sunnydays]

I use cloths...similar to Reggio, I let them dry at the end of the day and then throw them in the hamper and wash them on the weekend. I find as long as they get to dry, they don't get too smelly, but a bit of vinagar in the wash helps too. I wouldn't use wipes on their faces on a regular basis as it might irritate their skin, especially in winter when their skin is already dry from the cold.

[crafty]

I do exactly the same as Reggio. I use one per day and keep it on the child's chair. I use wipes or paper towels for craft time as the youger ones can't reach the washroom without making a mess on t the way but the older ones wash hand in the washrooms with water and soap. I also use wipes outside ... Easier to keep in my pockets.

[BlueRose]

I have to pay to do washing in my building $4.25 per load, so I just use wipes the wipes from Costco. Its a big box of over 900 wipes for about $20. I get them anyways for my own kids.

[Monday 2 Friday Mama]

Hi there - I too had a problem with stinky cloths. =) I put my cloths in a bucket of hot water with vinegar. The vinegar kills the odours and then I just launder them as usual. I saw on a program (think it might have been the Marilyn Dennis show - the Butler guy) that if your cloths smell funny after you wash them, it's not because they are not clean. It's because the cloths are porous and the smells get absorbed. A little vinegar kills the smells. =)

[Mamma_Mia]

I too use wash cloths. I have quite a few (over 20) and let them air dry before tossing into the laundry basket to stop any smell.

Also re: summer outings I bring a tuppaware container with 2-3 washcloths in it which are with soapy water (not much) but they stay wet and clean ready to use. My mom used to do this when we were kids but in a ziploc baggie. She'd wet a cloth, soap it up....scrub the bubbles up, squeeze lightly some access water and ready to go!

[Momof4]

I use cloths most of the time and wipes when it's convenient, like when we are out or when a parent arrives to pick a child up when we are just finishing snacktime. I use the small baby washcloths so I use 8-12 a day but they don't take up any room in the washing machine and I do a load every other night so I've never had them go smelly.