Crazy8 09:07 AM 06-13-2014
I am making the switch from 2" foam mats to these cots (no room to store big cots that don't fold). I only have one so far and started using it this week. Going to try to buy another by the end of the month if we decide we like them. As I was putting dcb down for nap I wondered about cleaning them…. I have a crib sheet on it now but what about if they have an accident while napping?? How do you clean them? Do they clean up well? Will they get smelly?
Also, is there another similar product that is better?
childcarebytori 09:32 AM 06-13-2014
We use the fold up cots for our 18 month to 3 year olds. The covers come off (I use a screwdriver to remove the bolts) and I throw them in the washer at the end of each week. Don't dry them! I learned this when I tried putting them back on and they shrunk. I used the sheets they come with them but the corners stretched out from being pulled each day so I threw then when they started to get holes. They work fine without the sheet.
I switch potty-trained friends to mats so I don't worry about accidents. I always keep an extra one on hand, though, just in case.
Crazy8 10:52 AM 06-13-2014
Originally Posted by childcarebytori:
We use the fold up cots for our 18 month to 3 year olds. The covers come off (I use a screwdriver to remove the bolts) and I throw them in the washer at the end of each week. Don't dry them! I learned this when I tried putting them back on and they shrunk. I used the sheets they come with them but the corners stretched out from being pulled each day so I threw then when they started to get holes. They work fine without the sheet.
I switch potty-trained friends to mats so I don't worry about accidents. I always keep an extra one on hand, though, just in case.
ugh, that sounds like a pain! I don't want to deal with taking the tops of the cot itself off every week. I have the sheet they come with but just thew a crib sheet over it. Maybe I can get a crib size mattress cover for under the sheet. I have a 3 year old who has been potty trained for a few months - I can only recall maybe 2 times he has wet the mat but want to be prepared. At least I know I can take the whole top off if he does have an accident!
heyhun77 11:56 AM 06-13-2014
I have 6 of those and I use crib sheets on them but then rinse them with bleach water solution at the end of the week. If someone has an accident I just do the same thing.
The one thing I've noticed on them is that you have to tighten up the bolts about once a month because they come loose on their own over time. That said, I've been using mine for several years and still going strong.
Crazy8 12:14 PM 06-13-2014
Originally Posted by heyhun77:
I have 6 of those and I use crib sheets on them but then rinse them with bleach water solution at the end of the week. If someone has an accident I just do the same thing.
The one thing I've noticed on them is that you have to tighten up the bolts about once a month because they come loose on their own over time. That said, I've been using mine for several years and still going strong.
thanks! wiping them down with bleach/water when I take the sheet off at the end of the week sounds easier than taking the whole thing off. I will keep an eye on the bolts!
KiddieCahoots 12:20 PM 06-13-2014
I use them too, and love them!
For accidents I will take the whole thing outside and wash it down using the hose and a bucket of bleach/water.
Then stretch it back out to dry in the sun on the deck. It dries fast that way.
spud912 02:35 PM 06-13-2014
I have these for my own children (not daycare kiddos....they don't seem sturdy/cleanable enough for long-term use IMO). When they have slept on them during trips, camping or other occasions, I put a waterproof pad between the sheet and the cot itself to prevent any leaks or cleaning issues. They've only used it a handful of times but I've only really had to clean the sheet it comes with and the pad. I did at one point spray down the cot itself with a bleach solution spray and let it air dry.