Letter to parents sending their children to a mcn FDC [Archive]

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CrazyCatLady

14-09-2007, 12:47

So I've decided to take the plunge and make our wonderful FDC an environmentally freindly mcn using one. So I've written up a letter to advise the families that sedn their children here. Would love some feedback on it and advice if there is any other info I should put in. Thanks a million:thumbsup:

Dear families
As most of you know I am constantly on the look out for new ways to improve the quality of care for your children. My next little venture is one that I am truly passionate about and very excited to implement. I am currently looking into supplying and using modern cloth nappies while the children are here in care. When I first heard the word modern cloth nappies the image that popped into my mind was the terry towelling flats that my mother used with a new fandangle clasp instead of safety pins. I was very surprised and amazed when I looked into it further and saw how much things have changed. Today, modern cloth nappies are just like disposables nowadays and are just as absorbent.

There are a number of reasons that I am looking into modern cloth nappies. A major initiative is to reduce the environmental impact of the disposables we go through here each day. Each disposable takes 500 years to break down, which means currently every single nappy ever made is still sitting in landfill. During a week of care we fill an entire wheelie bin with nappies alone. During the hotter months it becomes a quite overwhelming, which is why we first started looking for a solution. While I have absolutely no problem with any parent using disposables I love modern cloths and if I can remove an entire wheelie bin of nappies each week from becoming landfill (and from sitting in our driveway) that would be amazing.

Another reason I love cloth nappies and am excited about using them here is that they are much healthier for the children. As the cloth nappies are made from natural fibres that breath they let the children’s skin breath too. Because of this they stay cool during the hotter months and reduce the incidence of nappy rash. The natural cloth is also a much healthier material than the treated plastics of disposables to be in contact with children’s delicate regions. After each use all nappies are washed and sanitised according to nappy washing and sanitising recommendations.

There is also the added bonus that it saves you money. We go through an average of 5 nappies a day per child here. Disposables average at 50 cents per nappy and with an average of two days care 48 weeks of the year that is $240 you don’t have to spend on nappies each year.

I have added below a few websites if you would like to find out more information. Otherwise don’t hesitate to simply talk to me about it. This is something that will take a little bit of time to set up due to delivery times, working out how many we will need as well as talking it over with you all.

***nappy retailing site removed by moderator*** - This is the wonderful brand I am most likely to use
http://www.ozclothnappies.org (http://www.ozclothnappies.org/) - A more thorough information site regarding cloth nappies

Thankyou all again for your happy faces everyday and your support with our loving day care. I look forward to our new step to not only look after your children now, but also for their future.

poshBecks

14-09-2007, 12:51

Sounds good to me :) when you realise that its a whole wheelie bin full.... WOW!!

14-09-2007, 12:52

I think it's great, good for you for doing something different :D

gremily

14-09-2007, 12:58

Great letter :thumbsup: I sure would love to have a child at your FDC :)

Just a Q: is there a reason you decided on fitted nappies and not an AIO or pocket?
I actually love my BB's; they are the majority of my stash. I'm just wondering, for a FDC, something that doesn't have extra "work" would be easier iykwim.

Little_Toad

14-09-2007, 13:01

i think it's great you are enthusiastic and want to convert people, but it may be hard to expext others too.

I am also an MCN addict but believe every parents choice is right for their baby so wouldnt pressure people into switching.

As the cloth nappies are made from natural fibres that breath they let the children�s skin breath too.
I dont believe polyester is natural? Lots of nappies have polyester linings. Still ok for the bum though.

gremily

14-09-2007, 13:04

I dont believe polyester is natural? Lots of nappies have polyester linings. Still ok for the bum though.

She's looking at using BB's which are totally natural.:thumbsup:

SalTheGal

14-09-2007, 13:06

stellaj

14-09-2007, 13:07

I think you need to make a bigger point that you are happy to use disposables if you want or are open the discussion about it. You also need to include exactly how it will work rather than just general stuff.
ie will you supply them, will each kid have there own nappies or will they be shared, how you are going to clean them so they are hygenic, will they come to FDC in disposables etc.

I think it is a great idea by the way and hope it works out.

TyBean

14-09-2007, 13:08

I think it sounds fantastic... If I wasn't a MCN user I would definately let you do it and even look into it myself!!...

Good luck!!! I think it is a wonderful idea!!! :thumbsup:

xkwzit

14-09-2007, 13:09

Hi Cat
I would only suggest one thing: you might want to make it clear if you were intending to increase your fees to cover laundering etc. By not mentioning it at all, I think that ppl will ask you, so you might as well have your intentions flagged in the letter, what ever way you intend to go.

Good on you I reckon. What's the worst they can say? "No"
But I'm sure that some ppl will take up your offer :thumbsup:

Oh, and you can leave the website for your retailer in your letter - just not here ;)

Cheers

xkwzit

14-09-2007, 13:12

As an MCN user myself I think what your doing is a great idea. :yelclap:

However I was just a little hesitant regarding the letter you have composed- to a full time disposable user I am concerned it may come across a little condescending? I know that you mention you respect peoples rights to use disposables, but you are also pushing the agenda of how great MCN is very hard as well.

I'd be interested to hear what the take is from a disposable user...
I'm a full time disposable user and I didn't find it too preachy. You have explained why it is important TO YOU to minimise the amount of disposables you use - I think that reasonable ppl would take that on board w/o feeling too pressured.

(of course, as I get older, I'm starting to think that there are fewer and fewer reasonable ppl around ...:D:D:D)

CrazyCatLady

14-09-2007, 13:15

I believe every parent has a right to choose too. I'm on great terms with all the parents and we often chat away at drop off or pick up. So if any of them didn't want their child in cloth I'd talk to them abaout it to see what their concern is and respect that decision.

Yeah I did find it hard to let them know that cloth is a great choice (so they are happy for me to use it on their child) while not going too far. May have to review this bit.

stellaj thanks for the reminder on the specifics. All in my head and completely forgot to include them.

Manxie

14-09-2007, 13:17

Hi

I am a disposable user but think MCN are great! Hypocrite I know. I think its a great idea btw.

I think maybe your letter needs a bit of moving around. The first thing that sprung to mind was that is just so that you dont have a stinky bin sitting in your driveway. I would consider taking that bit out or making it less of an issue.

I also agree that I would be keen to know more about the logistics of it and I would also put in there if parents want to continue using disposable thats ok.

How about sending an initial letter first asking how many parents would be interested so that they feel involved rather than being dictated to?

Hope you dont mind me playing devils advocate :D

CrazyCatLady

14-09-2007, 13:40

ok so I've changed a fee things and added as per some recommendations. the enviromantal sections now reads

There are a number of reasons that I am looking into modern cloth nappies. A major initiative is to reduce the disposables we go through here each day. Each disposable takes 500 years to break down, which means currently every single nappy ever made is still sitting in landfill. During a week of care we fill an entire wheelie bin with nappies alone. During the hotter months it becomes a quite overwhelming, which is why we first started looking for a solution. While I have absolutely no problem with any parent using disposables I am very happy to put in some extra work to use modern cloths. And if I can remove an entire wheelie bin of nappies each week from becoming landfill (and from sitting in our driveway) that would be amazing.

I'm hoping it sounds a bit less preachy.

I've added the washing info onto the end of the health related section

. After each use all nappies are washed and sanitised according to nappy washing and sanitising recommendations; washed in a hot wash above 60 degrees celcius (heat killing any bacteria) and either tumble dried (excess heat also kills bacteria) or dried in the sun (uv rays in studies shown to be a more powerful antibacterial than hospital grade antibacterial).

And I've put in this bit about fees and anyone who wants to still use disposables.

I would like to assure all of you that this change comes with no increase in fees. It is a decision made by myself to increase the level of care and reduce the amount of odorous waste we have at our home. The children would still be dropped off in a disposable and sent home in a new disposable. If this is something that you do feel very strongly against please come and talk to me about it. This is your child and you have the right to make any decision regarding them.
Keep those comments coming ladies:thumbsup:

westerner

14-09-2007, 13:45

With those extra bits added in/changed i think the letter is great.. :thumbsup:

~J'dore~

14-09-2007, 13:51

Sounds great to me:thumbsup:

CrazyCatLady

14-09-2007, 13:55

I've now taken the recommendation to send the letter out asking what the parents think first. It may come off slightly softer that way and less likely to offend anyone. It now reads like this:

Dear families
As most of you know I am constantly on the look out for new ways to improve the quality of care for your children. My next little venture is one that I am very excited to implement. I am currently looking into supplying and using modern cloth nappies while the children are here in care. When I first heard the word modern cloth nappies the image that popped into my mind was the terry towelling flats that my mother used with a new fandangle clasp instead of safety pins. I was very surprised and amazed when I looked into it further and saw how much things have changed. Today, modern cloth nappies are just like disposables nowadays and are just as absorbent.

Now before plunging into this change I wanted to find out how each parent feels about it. I would like to test the waters to see if it is a worth while change. In no way would I ever force such a change on a child and would respect the decision to continue to use disposables if cloth nappies are something you feel very strongly against. So I have tried to include as much information as I can think of to let you know how it all would work. Please read through the following and come and talk to me if there are any queries or concerns.

There are a number of reasons that I am looking into modern cloth nappies. A major initiative is to reduce the environmental impact of the disposables we go through here each day. Each disposable takes 500 years to break down, which means currently every single nappy ever made is still sitting in landfill. During a week of care we fill an entire wheelie bin with nappies alone. During the hotter months it becomes a quite overwhelming, which is why we first started looking for a solution. While I have absolutely no problem with any parent using disposables I am very happy to put in some extra work to use modern cloths. And if I can remove an entire wheelie bin of nappies each week from becoming landfill (and from sitting in our driveway) that would be amazing.

Another reason I love cloth nappies and am excited about using them here is that they are much healthier for the children. As the cloth nappies are made from natural fibres that breath they let the children’s skin breath too. Because of this they stay cool during the hotter months and reduce the incidence of nappy rash. The natural cloth is also a much healthier material than the treated plastics of disposables to be in contact with children’s delicate regions. After each use all nappies are washed and sanitised according to nappy washing and sanitising recommendations; washed in a hot wash above 60 degrees celcius (heat killing any bacteria) and either tumble dried (excess heat also kills bacteria) or dried in the sun (uv rays in studies shown to be a more powerful antibacterial than hospital grade antibacterial).

There is also the added bonus that it saves you money. We go through an average of 5 nappies a day per child here. Disposables average at 50 cents per nappy and with an average of two days care 48 weeks of the year that is $240 you don’t have to spend on nappies each year.

I would like to assure all of you that this change would come with no increase in fees. It is a decision made by myself to increase the level of care and reduce the amount of waste. The children would still be dropped off in a disposable and sent home in a new disposable.

I have added below a few websites if you would like to find out more information about the products I would be using. Otherwise don’t hesitate to simply talk to me about it. This is something that will take a little bit of time to set up due to delivery times, working out how many we will need as well as talking it over with you all.

(not allowed to post it) - This is the wonderful brand I am most likely to use
http://www.ozclothnappies.org (http://www.ozclothnappies.org/) - A more thorough information site regarding cloth nappies

Thankyou all again for your happy faces everyday and your support with our loving day care. I look forward to our new step to not only look after your children now, but also for their future.

What do you think?

Hokey Pokey

14-09-2007, 13:55

Wow how generous of you to be supplying and washing etc the nappies!!

Can't see many people knocking back the idea, after all they won't have to pay for nappies hey!

Bek

14-09-2007, 14:16

what sort of regulations are involved with the washing of the nappies? would it be similar to what is required for a nappy service?
i'm just wondering if there's red tape involved in that side of it...

Manxie

14-09-2007, 14:19

:thumbsup: I think that sounds great

gremily

14-09-2007, 14:20

CCL - I've already responded, but thought I'd mention that you can write what brand of nappy you're going to use, you just can't post a direct link.:thumbsup:

CrazyCatLady

14-09-2007, 14:30

TyBean

14-09-2007, 14:35

I think it sounds fantastic!!!! Good on you!!! :thumbsup:

whatwasithinking

14-09-2007, 14:35

KarniF00l

14-09-2007, 14:35

Sounds like a great idea, well done! :thumbsup:

I just have one query though, not all types of nappies work for all babies and toddlers whether it being AIO's/fitteds/pockets ect.. Some nappies simply wont work on children because of their shape and size. I'm not trying to dampen your great idea, it's just something to think about.

CrazyCatLady

14-09-2007, 14:53

yeah I know that some nappies just don't work for some kids. Chosen BBB bacause they seem to work for alot and be a bit fo a work horse but that's no garauntee. Will have to see how we go. have a couple of wholesale accounts set up so if I have a bub that BBB doesn't work for may try another brand and if the same again then talk to the parent about it and they might be happier back in sposies. I hope not but have to be realistic.

Bek

14-09-2007, 15:06

glad that red tape isn't a problem :)
I know that there were a lot of hassles when people were looking into modern cloth nappy hiring services - there were a lot of regulations - so it's good that this isn't the case in your situation :)

pookiesossige

14-09-2007, 20:41

no red tape involved in the washing of the nappies as hot washes teamed with dryer/uv rays sanitises. Already checked with QLD health.

We'll be using BBB just because they are OSFA and seem to be the work horse of alot of familes.

They ARE great nappies, but definetly not a OSFA- they are more like a one-size-fits-most. For example, it's not unusual to have a boy who's just turned 3 still in nappies. Mine is very skinny and quite small, but no way does a BBB fit on him. BBBs are great night nappies, and many use them during the day too, but have you looked into pockets that don't require a cover and are a OSFA? I'm thinking along the lines of BumGenius and Green Kids. AIOs are even easier but are often less absorbent and take longer to dry so may not be as economical.

Great letter!! :thumbsup: :D

Paris04

14-09-2007, 20:50

I just thought I would pop in and say what a wonderful person you are to be taking this initiative, it was a great letter and I'm sure all the parents will be very appreciative. You trully sound like a beautiful, caring person. Best of luck.

CrazyCatLady

14-09-2007, 21:13

Paris thankyou so much that means alot. I'm very passionate about what I do.

Pookie it's not economical for me to use AIO's only because they are all sized and with different age group I need one that will cover most of them. I've decided against pockets for the simple reason of extra work stuffing and unstuffing 20-25 nappies a day. Also I have a nanny who helps in the afternoons and know she would be fine with fitteds and covers but perhaps slower to pick up the pockets and stuffing them approprately for each child.

I know they may not fit all and have to be realistic. If they don't work for the child or they grow too big for them I'll talk to the parents about whether they want to strat toilet training or use sposies. Nothing is going to work blanket for all the kids. Just have to pick one that's reliable and flexible and then just keep my fingers crossed.

Going to the natural baby expo tomorrow so may find out some more info there.

Shanaynay

15-09-2007, 04:03

I think what you're doing is absolutely fantastic! Good on you! Hopefully you won't have any probs with anything :thumbsup: BBH fit my 3.5 year old, she is of average size, so hopefully they'll do most kids :yes:

Tea Lady

15-09-2007, 05:44

I think it's a good idea to use cloth at daycare too, but if I were a parent there I don't think I'd be keen on the kids sharing nappies. With the Qld Health regulations, are you able to get them in writing, or have you just got verbal approval? I'm just thinking you might want to get it in writing because if you have a bug go through your centre I'd imagine it could be likely that people blame the nappies, and you might want to cover yourself in case they want to blame you.

Just a couple of other thoughts - if you're always doing hot washes the elastic won't last as long as usual, so you might want to look at getting a style that is easy to replace the elastic on (I'd suggest pockets for that). You can replace the elastic on fitteds but it's a bit of a pain and doesn't look quite the same afterwards.

Also, having used BBs for awhile now and talking to other people who've got some that have been used for a fair while, it's pretty common to have issues with the fabric kind of rotting under the snaps. Some people have suggested soaking after use to try to stop it happening, but then you'd be compromising the elastic even more, and I'm not sure if it actually helps. Personally I think it probably happens because there's so much fabric squashed between the parts of the snap and it can't dry quickly so it rots.

If it were me I'd avoid nappies that have snaps through the absorbent material because snaps hanging out with shredded bamboo isn't a good look!

I should add that I'm not against BB's as a brand, but I don't know that they'd be the most practical in your situation. :) Good luck with it!

OJandMe

15-09-2007, 18:50

I love the idea. but I'd definitley use pockets.

Bum Genius are a OSFA, they fit my 4 week old and my 2.5 yr olds perfectly. As do my Green Kids and my BlueBerrys (though I wouldn't reccomend those for FDC... bit too expensive to set up).

And why would you have to stuff them for each child? Sposies aren't tailored to each child... they just are, and you change as each child needs. So you could use the pockets the same way. Stuff them all at one time, and just change appropriately as each child needs.

I know with FDC you can have 4 children under school age... I've got 3 in cloth now and it doesn't take very long at all to stuff my pockets (we use pockets basically exclusively here.. I LOVE the quick drying time)

And then you wouldn't need covers either :)

AND not only that, but pockets are generally slimmer, which is very important, as some of the clothes the other kids wear might not accomodate a cloth bum, fitted with cover under them.

Just some suggestions. (and that way you could just buy different colours for the different kids.. so parents don't have to worry about them sharing. It makes no difference it you have to buy them anyway)

pookiesossige

15-09-2007, 19:03

Oooo another thing about pockets is I find my BBHs actually significantly slower to put together then my Green Kids and BG's. I use the Green Kids bamboo inserts and they just fold in half and get shoved in the pocket opening of the nappy, no different size snap-ins. As much as I LOVE fitteds, mine are about 12 months old and they have all had their elastic replaced. There is nothing better then a BBB or VBSN or GNST for night and day-sleeps, but pockets are easy to clean, some are OSFA, and they are quick to stuff straight off the washing line.

And gosh, I just want to agree with previous posters... I think you are doing an amazing thing. You are putting the health of the children in your care first, along with your environmental footprint, and I think that is highly commendable :yes:

FishFace

15-09-2007, 21:03

If you were my carer , I would decline.

Your letter is fine but I would not want to change to cloth.

I also think if anyone says no to the cloth, dont tell them to discuss it with you, they dont need to explain their reasons. Just tell them ok , if you WANT to ask anything go ahead.

If you make it they need to give you reasons as to why they dont want to use them, you could create a little animosity.