Using A Cloth Or Single Use Wipes After Meal Time.. What Do You Do?

[turkey]

I have a Licensed Family Daycare. I have the same 5 children everyday and have been open and running for 5 years now. Yesterday, I had a mom get upset and start freaking out about cross contaminating kids jerms because she seen me use the same cloth to wipe one child's face, as I did another...

I use 1-2 new cloths a day, and rince in hot soapy water between every use.

I think it's a waste of money and garbage to use single wipes for everychild for every meal. That's 2 each for most meals and I already use them outside and for infants who are drooling and have runny noses.

Im just curious what other home providers do? do you use cloths or single use wipes?

[Meyou]

I have a stack of jersey "facecloths" that I cut from tshirts. I use a new one for each child and I just toss them in a bin in my kitchen and wash them every 2 days. I have enough to get through a couple of days. I use them for faces and hands. It's super easy to wet a stack of them at once.

[butterfly]

I use a reuseable wash cloth. I agree about the waste. I understand the parents concern and had one of my dck's families express the same concern. I would suggest that the family supply the wipes if they have concerns and then you could use them for just their children. I personally just explained my process of cleaning to the concerned family and it wasn't brought up again.

[Rockgirl]

I buy big bundles of washcloths. We use them for washing up after eating, and for drying hands. I keep a bucket in the kitchen and bathroom for dirty ones--they get a fresh one each time. I have enough so I can just do a couple of loads per week in the laundry, and the kids help me stack the clean ones.

[Mom2TLE]

I am pretty sure it is against licensing regulations to use the same towel on more that one child. I just use one per child child a clean one each time and wash them every few days. You can get a pack of 18 for around $5 at Wal-Mart.if you get one with pink eye you will surely spread it even before you know the first child had it.

[canadiancare]

Each child has their own facecloth. It and the bibs go in the wash at the end of the day. I rinse them as needed. I use white so I can bleach them.

[youretooloud]

Each kid gets their own washcloth. I have huge stacks of them, and I give each kid their own.

[Play Care]

I am pretty sure it is against licensing regulations to use the same towel on more that one child. I just use one per child child a clean one each time and wash them every few days. You can get a pack of 18 for around $5 at Wal-Mart.if you get one with pink eye you will surely spread it even before you know the first child had it.

It is in my state. I have to have a separate towel for each child. I do have paper towels but am working on phasing them out and using cloth. Each child would have their own.

[daycarediva]

EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW. Sorry I am with Mom, that's NASTY! It's against regs here too. I couldn't even let them dry their just washed clean hands on the same towel. Every child in my care has a color, they have washcloths and hand towels that are just theirs. Washcloths are used once and put in the dirty clothes, hand towels are used for one day and then washed.

It was a small investment up front, as I bought high quality items and 3 washcloths and 2 hand towels per child, but well worth the use over paper.

[snbauser]

I am pretty sure it is against licensing regulations to use the same towel on more that one child. I just use one per child child a clean one each time and wash them every few days. You can get a pack of 18 for around $5 at Wal-Mart.if you get one with pink eye you will surely spread it even before you know the first child had it.

It is here as well. Single use only.

[WoodOx]

These are great ideas, i know i'm not the OP, but i have been using papertowels and wipes for those purposes.
i will be stocking up on towels or cut up old shirts.

[Leigh]

I use disposable wipes-I hand one to each kid and they wipe their own faces-I go to each kid and check their face (clean it up more if needed), and excuse them from the table one by one. I hate creating more trash to go in a landfill, but not as much as I hate the idea of ANOTHER load of laundry to do every day.

I, too, would never use the same cloth on different kids.

[turkey]

Thanks for the input.

[Sugar Magnolia]

I'm confused......did you use the same cloth, without washing it? Our did you wash it between uses? In my state, regs say disposable cloths only, no cloth towels or wash rags. I kinda agree with the mom, its pretty gross and definitely a health risk. I would use baby wipes, but if cost is the issue, use a damp paper towel. I get 4000 "trip-fold" paper towels for.$15. That's .004 cents per towel.

[melilley]

I don't use either. I just take them to the sink and wash their hands and faces and give them a half of a paper towel to dry off-even the babies. For me, that's cleaner than using wipes or a washcloth. I have used washcloths in the past when I worked in a center and they seemed to work well (I still had them at least wash their hands), I just don't use them at my home childcare. Sorry, but I would never use the same washcloth on more than one child, if I did use them. As for the drooling, I put bibs on the children and use that to wipe it. And as for runny noses, I use a tissue. I know that it may not be very "green" of me to use paper towel or tissues, but in my opinion, it's the most sanitary. Also, my licensor said that when they come to do inspections, they prefer to see paper towels, especially in the bathroom, rather then towels or washcloths.