Having said that, I haven’t used daycare for my children, so when it came time to put together recommendations for the many parents who contact us about information to use in daycare selection conversations, the best sources were the moms who had done it. The Real Diaper Association (RDA) conducted a survey on the use of cloth diapers in daycare facilities. We received over 250 detailed responses. The responders were largely parents who had talked with daycare providers about their willingness to use cloth diapers on their children while caring for them. We culled the best advice they had, and came up with this tip sheet for using reusable cloth diapers in daycare.

The tip sheet includes practical advice about finding a daycare provider and talking with them about cloth diapers, and specific options you could consider to make it work for both of you. It also has links for parents to inform themselves about state daycare regulations and about proper sanitation practices for changing diapers in a daycare facility.

This tip sheet represents the first step in a joint project by volunteers from RDA (Real Diaper Association) and RDIA (Real Diaper Industry Association). Follow ongoing efforts to facilitate the use of cloth diapers in daycare at the RDA website or on this blog. Many thanks go to Ann Maclean, Northern Virginia Real Diaper Circle Leader, and RDA volunteers Angie Gregory and Ada Vaughan for all the work they did in putting it together.

Heather McNamara
Executive Director, Real Diaper Association
Chair, RDA/RDIA joint committee on Cloth Diapers in Daycare

Cloth Diapers in Daycare cross-posted at Real Diaper Events, the Real Diaper Association blog.