Diaper subscription “Tebura Toen (R)” responds to the social issue of a shortage of childcare workers, and special diapers are gradually introduced to promote further work style reform
*BABY JOB Co., Ltd.*
Press release: September 10, 2024
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Diaper subscription “Tebura Toen (R)” responds to the social issue of a shortage of childcare workers, and special diapers are gradually introduced to promote further work style reform
*~Diaper exclusively for subscriptions designed for ease of use by childcare workers~*
BABY
JOB Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture) is collaborating with Unicharm Corporation to provide a subscription service for childcare facilities that provides disposable diapers and wipes, “Hands-free Admission” to childcare facilities. We have started to gradually introduce special diapers from mid-August 2024.
This specialized diaper aims to address the social issue of the shortage of childcare workers by further reducing the burden on childcare workers and promoting work style reform. Additionally, by allowing childcare workers to spend more time with children, it will also improve the quality of childcare.
■Chronic childcare worker shortage problem
According to data from the Children and Family Affairs Agency, the effective job opening ratio for childcare workers is 3.54 times as of January 2024, and has remained at 2 to 3 times in recent years*1.
This figure compares to an average of 1.35 times the effective job openings-to-applicants ratio for all occupations during the same period.*
This shows that the demand for childcare workers is extremely high and that a chronic shortage of workers continues. *
In addition, demonstration experiments are progressing on the “every child attending kindergarten” system, which is the centerpiece of the government’s unprecedented measures to combat the declining birthrate, but the shortage of childcare workers is a major issue in moving forward with this measure.
*1) Children and Families Agency “Trends in the effective job opening ratio for childcare workers (nationwide)”
■Background to the start of “empty-handed entry” and purpose of special diapers BABY
With the desire to reduce the burden on parents and childcare workers, in July 2019, JOB launched a subscription service for disposable diapers and wipes for childcare facilities, “Tebura No Token”.
With “empty-handed entry,” disposable diapers and wipes are delivered directly to the nursery facility, so parents no longer have to write their name on each diaper and bring it with them. There will be no need to manage it.
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In order to further reduce the burden on childcare workers, we have developed a special diaper that allows children to come to school empty-handed. By introducing these specialized diapers, we hope to increase the amount of time nursery teachers spend with children, improve the quality of childcare, and create an environment where parents can leave their children with peace of mind.
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■ Advantages of diapers specifically for returning to school empty-handed * 1. Easier to order and manage disposable diapers *
Diaper sizes are clearly displayed on packages and cardboard boxes, and they are also color-coded, making it easy to see the stock status of each size at a glance.
This makes managing disposable diapers even easier, allowing you to sort cardboard boxes by size immediately when they arrive at a child care facility, and quickly identify missing sizes.
* 2. Diaper changing can be done smoothly *
The diaper itself has a large size display and is color-coded, making it easy to check the size just by peeking into the pants.
This eliminates the need to take off the child’s pants, check the size, and then go to pick up the diaper, making it possible to change diapers quickly even in busy child care settings.
■Voices from kindergartens that have actually used diapers designed for empty-handed entry to kindergarten
* -Fairy Nursery School Honjo Higashi (Osaka Prefecture)- *
– You can see the inventory for each size at a glance, making diaper management much easier. It’s so convenient that I wish all of them had special diapers!
– It’s nice and easy to understand that the diapers have different colors for each size! Changing diapers has become even easier. –
Because there were so many people changing diapers at once, it was sometimes difficult to tell who was using which size diaper, but by using different colored diapers for each size, there were no mistakes in putting on diapers, which made it very easy. Thank you for your help!
In the future, we plan to gradually expand the coverage area and move forward with the switch to diapers specifically designed for empty-handed entry to kindergarten.
■What is the disposable diaper and wipes subscription service “Hands-free Admission to Kindergarten”?
“Hands-Free Entrance to Kindergarten” is Japan’s first*2 subscription service that allows you to use unlimited disposable diapers and baby wipes at child care facilities. This is a service that solves issues for both parents and childcare workers, as parents no longer have to handwrite their names on disposable diapers and bring them with them, and childcare workers no longer have to manage individual diapers.
The service began in earnest in July 2019, and has now been introduced at over 5,200 facilities (as of September 2024). In 2020, we won the Grand Prix at the Japan Subscription Business Awards.
Click here for details on empty-handed entry
Additionally, in order to further reduce the burden on parents, in addition to disposable diapers, we have started offering
“subscriptions for disposable cot covers” and “subscriptions for meal aprons and hand wipes.”
Disposable cot cover subscription: https://nap.tebura-touen.com/
*2) According to BABY JOB research as of 2019
*Tebura Toen (R) is a registered trademark of BABY JOB Co., Ltd. ■Voices from parents/nursery teachers who actually use the empty-handed system * -Voices from parents- *
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I was so stressed out every day because I was panicking when I realized I forgot to buy diapers in the morning, and I had to prepare a lot of other stuff so I wouldn’t miss anything. Just not having to worry about bringing diapers with me is a huge relief.
– I no longer have to bring diapers or write my name, which frees up my time!
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Since I don’t have to bring diapers to daycare anymore, I have to buy diapers less frequently and shopping has become easier. I think this is a great service for both parents and kindergarten teachers. * -Voices from childcare workers- *
– The burden of managing diapers at the nursery school has been reduced, allowing children to concentrate more on childcare. –
I’m happy because I can change diapers without hesitation for my child. I no longer have to worry about parents saying, “Aren’t you using too many diapers?”
– You no longer have to worry about putting the wrong diaper on, and you can now change diapers smoothly. I’m also happy to have unlimited use of baby wipes.
■Contents that can be covered
– Interview with childcare facilities that use empty-handed entry system – Interviews with users of empty-handed attendance (parents/nursery teachers) *If you have any other requests, please let us know.
■Nursery facility search support “Engaso♪”
“Engaso♪” is a platform that allows parents to easily do “daycare” with one hand using their smartphones. Ensagaso ♪ HP:
https://ensagaso.com/
By using “Engaso♪”, parents can easily search for childcare facilities near their home or current location on a map, or register childcare facilities they are interested in as favorites so that they can refer back to them later. You can make inquiries and request a tour. You can use it anytime and anywhere, even while breastfeeding or while your child is sleeping, making your daycare routine even smoother.
BABY JOB Co., Ltd.
In order to create a society where everyone can enjoy raising children, we are a company that works to solve social issues related to child-rearing, mainly through our flat-rate disposable diaper service for child-care facilities, “Hands-Free Entrance to
Kindergarten.”
■Name: BABY JOB Co., Ltd.
■Business details: Childcare facility support business, child care support business
■Representative Director Kimitsugu Ueno
■Location: 6-7-8 Nishinakajima, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Prefecture ■Established: October 1, 2018
■Capital: 100 million yen
■HP: https://baby-job.co.jp/
■Empty-handed kindergarten entry service official website:
https://tebura-touen.com/
■Own media for nursery teachers “Empty-handed childcare column”: https://tebura-touen.com/column/
■Empty-handed entry official Twitter: https://twitter.com/teburatouen ■Ensagaso♪ Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ensagaso/ ■“Ensagaso”, a search site for childcare facilities for parents: https://ensagaso.com