Diapers in Kindergarten
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Photo by @oliviafarjo
If your child starts kindergarten but is still wearing a diaper, that should not be a problem. But which diapers are suitable for daycare? Are educators allowed to refuse to change diapers? And how often are diapers changed in kindergarten? We have gathered all this important information for you.
Which diapers are suitable for kindergarten? For daycare, in addition to disposable diapers, cloth diapers are also suitable, especially all-in-one diapers, all-in-two diapers, and Judes cloth diapers.
In this article, you will learn all the information about diapering in daycare. In addition, we give you important tips on how you and your child can prepare for diaper changes in kindergarten.
Is my child allowed to go to kindergarten wearing diapers?
The short answer is: Yes, your child is allowed to go to kindergarten wearing a diaper, because every child is entitled to a childcare place once they have turned three years old.
And here is the longer answer:
Your child does have a right to daytime care by a daycare center or a childminder, whether they are already potty-trained or not. Nevertheless, your child can be refused by the daycare center, because this legal entitlement is not binding on individual facilities. Each daycare center sets its own admission requirements.
This means that while your child must definitely be given a childcare place, it may not be your preferred facility.
Are diapers changed in kindergarten?
If the kindergarten accepts your child knowing that they are not yet potty-trained, they must be changed. Even if your child no longer wears diapers and still has the occasional accident, they are of course entitled to be changed.
Changing clothes and diapering must also take place in a separate, designated area, because even toddlers have a right to the protection of their privacy.
Photo by @isabelplett
Who is allowed to change my child's diaper?
As a rule, all educators may change your child's diaper. Ultimately, your child should be allowed to decide who is allowed to change them. The child's well-being is paramount, and before your child is changed by someone other than the parents, a relationship with this person should be established.
How can we establish diaper changing in kindergarten?
For your child to feel comfortable during diaper changes, they need to get used to the new environment and build trust with the educators. Your child should only be changed by trusted caregivers, and that does not happen overnight.
To familiarize your child with the new environment, you should first change them on your own in the designated changing area. Next, the educator can join to get an idea of the diaper-changing routine. Do you have any special changing rituals? Be sure to share them with the educators.
Perhaps the educator can already help next time and, for example, hand over wipes, diapers, etc., or fasten the diaper.
Only once this trust has been established and your child agrees should the educator be allowed to change your child.
How often should diapers be changed in kindergarten?
Even in kindergarten, the diaper should be changed no later than every three to four hours. In case of a bowel movement, the diaper must, of course, be changed immediately.
In kindergarten, a full diaper can sometimes go unnoticed. In preparation for daycare, you could (if you have not already) agree with your child that they will always let someone know when the diaper is full. Agree on a word or a signal for this and communicate it to the educators. This way, your child does not have to walk around with a full diaper for unnecessarily long.
What to do if educators do not change diapers regularly?
Even though it should not happen, in some daycare centers it can occur that the educators change diapers too late, not regularly, or, for example, only in the case of a bowel movement. This naturally has negative effects on your child's well-being and can lead to diaper dermatitis.
The goal here is to find a quick solution. You should definitely have a conversation with the educators. Also discuss with your child that they should definitely let someone know (word or signal) when the diaper is full. But the responsibility naturally lies with the adults.
If conversations do not help, you should also talk with the other parents and possibly, as a group, seek a conversation with the kindergarten management.
If none of that helps, you should contact the organization that operates the facility. If that is also unsuccessful, parents can contact the responsible municipal supervisory authority.
Which diapers for kindergarten?
The daycare diapers should definitely meet these requirements:
The daycare diaper must be leakproof
The diaper should hold urine for several hours, without leaking. This is often not the case with disposable diapers. In particular, children who pee in gushes release large amounts at once that disposable diapers cannot absorb quickly enough.
The daycare diaper should be comfortable
Your child should feel comfortable and move easily in the diaper all day without it slipping. Make sure it is the right size. It should not be too tight, but it also should not slip.
The daycare diaper should be uncomplicated
Educators have to change a lot of diapers throughout the day. Time is often limited in daycare centers. Therefore, the diaper should be able to be put on as quickly and easily as possible. So make sure you choose the simplest possible diaper or cloth diaper option for daycare.
Are cloth diapers allowed in daycare?
Yes, cloth diapers are just as allowed in daycare and can be just as easy to use as disposable diapers.
Make sure that the cloth diaper meets the requirements listed above and explain in advance how the cloth diaper system works.
These cloth diapers are suitable as daycare diapers
There are several suitable cloth diaper systems that are suitable as daycare diapers. These include:
All-in-One diapers (AIO)
With all-in-one diapers, the waterproof outer shell and insert are sewn together.
Diapering effort: Diapering is very straightforward → lay the child on the diaper and close it, tuck the elastics into the leg crease
All-in-Two diapers (AI2)
With the all-in-two diaper, the cover and inserts are not sewn together. The absorbent insert is snapped into the diaper or placed into the flaps.
Diapering effort: Diapering is very straightforward → lay the child on the diaper and close it, tuck the elastics into the leg crease
Judes cloth diapers
A Judes diaper consists of two combinable parts, the absorbent material (inner diaper) and a moisture barrier (cover). Thanks to the special weave, the cotton is particularly absorbent while the diaper remains very slim.
Diapering effort: Diapering is very straightforward → Place the inner diaper and, if needed, Poo Paper (to catch stool) into the cover. Place the diaper under the baby's bottom and close it with the hook-and-loop fastener.
By the way: Judes are not only great as daycare diapers, in combination with our Booster they are also ideal as night diapers. This makes them a perfect all-rounder and you do not need to buy separate daycare or night diapers.
Photo by @isabelplett
Preparing for diaper changes at kindergarten
To prepare your child as well as possible for diaper changing at kindergarten, you can already get ready together for the daycare routine:
- As already mentioned, you can practice with your child that they let you know as soon as the diaper is full. To do this, agree on a specific word or signal that your child can use at daycare.
- It is best to find out in advance about the diaper-changing set-up and, if possible, have the changing area shown to you at the parents’ evening. This way you can explain to your child in advance what awaits her/him.
- If your child is to be changed at daycare with different diapers than at home, make sure to get them used to the new diapers beforehand.
- In kindergarten, children are often changed while standing. You can practice that beforehand as well.
Tips for diapering while standing
There are a few tricks that make diapering while standing really easy for you and your baby:
- Standing support: To diaper your child while standing, you need both hands and ideally a bit of support from your knees and thighs. In other words: Your baby needs a stable, secure stance of their own. This works best if they can hold on to something, such as the back of the sofa or a chair.
- Distraction: A chair and the couch are not only useful as standing aids, but also as a display shelf! Here you can place items your baby can occupy themselves with.
- Use your whole body: When you squat behind your baby to put on the diaper, it helps to use a knee or thigh to hold the back of the diaper in place against your baby's bottom. Then your hands are free for the hook-and-loop fastener.
- Switch sides: Speaking of hook-and-loop fastener (Velcro): It is really advantageous for diapering while standing! This way you can quickly fasten the front first on one side and then on the other so the diaper stays on. Then you can readjust in peace until it fits well.
- Teamwork: Especially older children can assist wonderfully with diapering while standing – that way they are occupied and distracted from fidgeting. For example, they can hold the front wings of the diaper while you fix the back part against their bottom.
How many diapers for kindergarten?
In daycare centers, diapers are usually changed every three to four hours.
For the morning, you should plan on two to three diapers (including the diaper put on at home). For full-day care, you will need a total of about six to seven diapers, to be on the safe side.
Which diaper-changing accessories for daycare?
- Two Wet Bags → One bag for the fresh and one bag for the used diapers
- Three to six diapers per day (possibly plus one to two diapers as a buffer)
- Poo Paper
- Booster → If you are worried that diapers are not being changed often enough, you can increase absorbency with the Booster
- Washcloths or wipes
- Change of clothes → in case the diaper leaks
Diaper-free in kindergarten
When should a child stop wearing diapers?
There is no set timeframe for when a child is potty trained. Every child is individual and every diaper-weaning process is different. Some children are fully potty trained at 2 years old, others not until 5, and both are completely normal.
→ Our own study shows that becoming diaper-free sooner is possible: Children who were diapered with cloth diapers became diaper-free about 8 months earlier than children who were diapered with disposable diapers.
When should a child go to kindergarten without a diaper?
If you are currently in the process of potty training and it is already working quite well at home, the question arises: When can I send my child to kindergarten without a diaper?
As always, your child’s wishes should come first. Simply ask your child whether they already feel ready to go to kindergarten without a diaper. Explain that they are welcome to change their mind and that it is not a big deal if there is the occasional accident.
Discuss with the educators how potty training is handled at the facility and simply try out what works best for your child. The most important thing here is: Everything should happen without pressure.
In any case, remember to pack enough change of clothes for your child.
Why isn't my child dry at daycare?
It is quite possible that your child is already (mostly) dry at home, but still has “accidents” at daycare and just isn’t ready to go without a diaper yet.
There is a different atmosphere in daycare than at home, and children are often too distracted to notice when they need to go. Remember that every child is different and there is no fixed time for being fully dry.
Discuss your concerns with the educators. They have already gained a lot of experience in this area and can reassure you.
Judes cloth diapers support potty training
By the way, Judes diapers can help your child become diaper-free earlier. If you diaper your child with cloth diapers, they feel immediately when they wet the diaper. This provides natural biofeedback. Through this immediate sequence of action and result, even a baby can recognize this “if-then” relationship and thereby gain a (subconscious) understanding of it.
This understanding benefits your child during weaning off diapers, as they already know their body’s signals.
At Judes, we have therefore deliberately designed our cloth diapers so that your baby can feel getting wet when they pee in the diaper. This way, your baby can learn this important connection.
Here you will find more information on potty training and weaning off diapers.
Toilet refusal syndrome
You should, of course, not ignore your child’s signals. If your child was already mostly dry and suddenly refuses to use the toilet and prefers the diaper again, it may be toilet refusal syndrome.
Definition: The toddler refuses for longer than a month to sit on the toilet to do their business and prefers to use the diaper.
Toilet refusal syndrome can have physical causes such as constipation, or develop out of fear. If you suspect it, be sure to speak with your pediatrician to clarify the cause.
It is important to understand that there is no ill intent behind this refusal and that pressure will not lead to a solution here.
I hope I was able to answer all your open questions about diapering at daycare with this article and support you in choosing the right daycare diaper. For more tips on cloth diapers, feel free to follow us on Instagram.
Further questions and interesting facts
When should you start potty training?
According to research, the ideal time for potty training for most children seems to be between 22 and 30 months. However, every child is different, and you should primarily be guided by the signs of your child’s readiness:
- Your child can sit independently and steadily
- Your child can walk (to the toilet)
- Your child imitates your behavior
- Your child notices/lets you know (with words or gestures) that there is something in the diaper and wants to be changed
- Your child stays dry for a longer period (around 2 hours)
- Your child feels discomfort with soiled diapers
- Your child shows interest in the toilet and in going to the toilet
- Your child can follow simple instructions
When is a child considered potty trained?
Some say a child is considered potty trained when they have only one "accident" per week and can otherwise manage the entire bathroom routine independently. According to Elternkompass, a child is considered potty trained when there are more successful attempts than “accidents”.
