During the tour, the teacher showed us the “dramatic play” area. This area was filled with lot of items to enhance creativity and imagination. There were dress-up clothes for the kids to try on, and even baby dolls that they could dress. I noticed that there were disposable diapers laying next to the baby doll area, and I thought to myself, "Where are the cloth diapers?" Since both of our children have been cloth diapered since birth, I would be surprised if my daughter would even recognize the crunchy plastic things also known as disposables.
Our daycare is extremely natural-parenting friendly: wooden toys, books that support multicultural awareness, involving the kids in gardening (the list goes on). Multiple children in the center are cloth diapered. I knew I wanted my daughter to have the opportunity to play with cloth diapers like she does at home. I decided to start saving up my Kelly's Closet Rewards Points and purchase some doll diapers to donate to our daycare center. I felt that this was not only a great way to advocate for the use of cloth diapers, but also a way to enhance creativity. Kids and parents who normally use disposable diapers would get a chance to see modern cloth diapers and parents may become interested in using cloth diapers at home. But most importantly, cloth doll diapers would offer the children another aspect of dramatic play. The prints, colors, and textures of a cloth doll diaper would give kids choices, allow them to select a favorite color, or even start the process of creating matching outfits. The white, disposable diapers the kids were currently playing with were not very fun or imaginative.
I think all daycare centers should consider adding cloth doll diapers to their classrooms and it's a good idea for parents to think about purchasing a few for use at home. Our daughter likes to play with our one-size cloth diapers that we use to diaper her younger brother. However, most of our diapers have snap closures and she isn't able to secure them or unfasten them. Doll diapers are typically secured by hook-and-loop closure, which allow children to work on the fine-motor skills necessary to take the diaper on and off. Our daughter also enjoys unloading our entire drawer of cloth diapers, leaving me hunting for diapers during her brother's diaper changes. Doll diapers help keep older siblings out of the diaper drawer, prevent unnecessary wear to your real diapers, and fit correctly onto the baby dolls. I have diapered a few stuffed animals where the diaper was almost the same size as the animal!
I'm trilled to be supporting my child's daycare by providing another opportunity for the kids to learn and have fun. Dramatic play is an amazing way for kids to learn about life skills, develop motor coordination, and use their imagination. Doll diapers provide a great opportunity for older children to learn about the care of an infant, and support the transition to being a big brother or big sister.
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2 comments:
Unfortunately our cloth diapers are far too large for our daughter's little baby doll. So I used some outgrown worn out outfits (an old wear of cotton shorts and fleece sleeper) to make her a couple for cloth diapers for her dolly. (She'll be opening them for her birthday on Sunday). I hope she likes them.
It is indeed a good idea to use cloth diaper for children and even for dolls. It is budget and environment friendly. Disposable diapers are just additional garbage in the landfills.
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