When it’s time for you to go back to work you will need to find a sitter or day care facility for your little one. Both can be a challenging step. Do I want to work again? Can I be away from my child all day? Oh no, what about cloth diapers; will I have to buy disposables for day care??? Lots of questions to figure out; so let’s get started.
First off, you should start looking for child care around the six month mark; some families do this before the arrival of their baby. When you find a day care facility, in home sitter or you hire a nanny, you should set up an interview and test the waters. You want to make sure the facility or person you are going to leave your little one with is the right fit for you.
Second, go prepared with questions to ask. There is no wrong answer but be prepared to receive an answer that doesn’t quite meet your values. Ask if they are okay with Cloth Diapering. If not, then you have three options:
- By disposables.
- Find another sitter or facility.
- Educate the sitter or staff on how to cloth diaper.
Third, educate your sitter or day care staff on how to cloth diaper. When we interviewed our in-home sitter we brought along our diapers, wipes and wet bag. We changed our daughters’ cloth diaper in front of her. We showed her how they work; snaps and Velcro and then what do to with the cloth diaper once it was soiled or wet. After our little demo our sitter said that it was very helpful for us to go through that with her. She also asked if we wanted her to wash them in her laundry before the end of the day!
Fourth, there will be challenges. We’ve had a few challenges with leaks. Our sitter has worked with us to come up with a solution until we had no more leaks. She didn’t ask that we switch to disposables but worked with us. We also provided 1 – 2 disposables just in case of an emergency.
Our sitter provides a daily report each day. This report consists of what they eat, activities they did such as crafts and outside play. More importantly she includes when our daughter has a bowl movement and when she had her diaper changed throughout the day.
The key is to be flexible and open to support your child care provider as they are the one’s your little one will be spending a lot of time with. If cloth diapering is important to you, spend the time interviewing the right person or facility that will take care of your child. Spend the time educating them, be flexible and expect a few challenges.
Written by Anna Sherwood from Piper’s Run – the balance of being a mom, wife, working and working out.
