Monday, 17 September 2012
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Cloth Diapers: Our Adventure
Pretty much before we ever got pregnant, I knew that I wanted to try and cloth diaper our baby. I did loads of research and talked to other moms that cloth diapered and from this decided that one-size pocket diapers were likely the best fit for our family. However that didn't stop me from picking up a bunch of freebie sized pockets that needed work done to the elastics and a bunch of fitteds and AIO's for $50. I just couldn't salvage much from the sized pockets, but I did repurpose the PUL into reusable breast pads. They turned out OK, but I leak a lot and after awhile I leak through the seams. So I only use these when I am at home or in case of accidents. The fitteds and AIO's, however, are waiting to be tried out once LA grows up to approx 22 pounds, which at the rate she is growing seems like it will only be a month or two from now.What I also salvaged from the busted pockets were their liners. I use these outside of the pocket to minimize how many diapers LA goes through in a day. Most days I can get away with one or two diapers just by switching out these liners at changing time. I use a large one and a smaller terry one on top near the front for extra protection. I am not sure what the larger pads are made of but I'm pretty certain it's not microfibre as it is smooth to touch, whereas I find microfibre grabs at my skin.
While some family members haven't embraced using cloth with LA, my sis Steph knew what I wanted and she and her family purchased me a starter set from Giggle Life for my shower present. They are one-size and come in a variety of colors, they also had 2 liners per diaper and came with a couple of cute pairs of baby socks.
So far I love the diapers, although I do need to contact Giggle Life as some of the snaps are not the greatest and come unsnapped occasionally. Also LA has little legs and so sometimes we get some side leakage while sleeping or breast feeding. The liners for the Giggle Life diapers are microfibre so I am unable to use these on the outside as of yet but I am thinking about making a little cover for them should the need arise. I believe I have about 15 total one-size pocket diapers between the ones my sister purchased and the few I purchased off the internet. Today I tried just using them with the liner in the pocket and had no issues aside from a bit of leak and almost some poo out the leg as again LA has tiny thighs. We went through approx 4 diapers today so far. That being said if she averaged 6 a day that means laundry every other day. LA is strictly breast fed so really no major rinsing or shaking is required yet. Our routine so far is just to separate the liner from the outside and put in a wet bag. When laundry time comes, we just dump the contents of the bag into the washer and then toss the bag in too.
As for wash routine I usually let them soak in hot water and baby washing liquid then wash on hot for longest cycle time, use vinegar instead of fabric softener and then either toss in dryer or line dry. So far it works beautifully and we have had no stink issues, and only minor staining on some of the liners (not on the outer diaper). Mind you, it has only been a week or two of solid cloth diapering so this could change. We got two diaper cakes as shower gifts, so we have used the diapers up out of those first, though I did have to buy some diapers as LA didn't fit her cloth or the diapers we got as gifts but I think that was only about $30. We are using up the last of our disposable wipes and did use some of our reusable ones today, they work fantastically. I mixed up a bit of wipe recipe that a WAHM had made and sent me and placed it in the little squirt bottle that you get at the hospital. Perfect :)
While I am a little disappointed that some family members won't even try the cloth diapers, it is their choice and I have agreed that if they wish to use them and they are willing to buy them (as I will not) then it is OK for LA to occasionally be in disposables. As for us I think we will continue with cloth happily. Though Aaron has never changed her butt yet so no idea how he will react.
I look forward to any input on cloth diapering or different washing ideas. Leave me a comment :) That's all for now.
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About the Author
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- From: SayntCinn@xanga
- Name: Brandi
- Location: Belleville, Canada
- About Me: Woo been a long time since I have been on here. I love to sew and paint and draw. I love spending time with friends and family you know all that fun stuff.....And I am posting alot of my old work. so sometimes I may post like 20 times then not come back for a long while, we shall see how it goes. Please feel free to peruse and leave your comments good or bad.
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Comments (12)
The traditional cloth diapers, which are hard to find... make amazing burp rags
Most stores like Target, WalMart, and so forth push disposable over cloth so it takes effort to even find what you need
I found a Facebook page that sells cloth diapers (Maisie Jane's, I believe it's called). They're like $8 or $9 a piece which is pretty cheap as far as cloth diapers go. They're super soft and the liners are really absorbent. I also got a "lot" of "Alva" cloth diapers on eBay and they're pretty good as well.
I don't understand why people say that cloth diapers are so much work or so gross... ACTUALLY, they're so cheap and so easy, and my daughter's diaper rashes have been almost completely eliminated since wearing cloth diapers. I love 'em.
If I had to do it all over again, I would go cloth. Although, I have heard that eventually the diapers keep a certain smell - or it is a lot of work to get it out. But that is my lack of education of it, probably.
I'm using cloth diapers on my baby next year after looking at pros & cons & talking to a friend that uses them. What sold them for me was a story on how a baby got diaper rash so bad, she needed oral antibiotics. People try to tell me it'll be hard & just to change the baby more often. It's not just that. The diaper doesnt breathe & the chemicals in it can irritate the skin. Cloth diapers breathe (yay natural fibers!!).
One technique I read was to wash the diapers & liners once on a warm cycle & then again on the cold cycle with the cleaner (or baby detergent) & once a month, put a teaspon of bleach in the wash to disinfect them. I wouldnt bother with the special spray thing on a toilet to clean the poop off the liners though. It's not that serious....lol. As for drying, every brand is different but they should be dryer friendly!
Thanks for the info ladies. Yes it is very hard to find cloth in local stores like Walmart. I was luckily invited to a local Facebook group that deals in cloth diapers. I just got back from purchasing some new diapers from a local mom, some are alvas and I can't remember the other brands but one of them has double gussets yay! And they only cost me $5 a piece. If anyone is interested in aios or fitteds I am looking to destash mine.
Are you on Diaperswappers? It's amazing- forums, sales, cloth diapering tips and info galore. There are tons of forums where you can ask super specific questions and get great answers. It's like the Mecca of cloth diapering. I made an account about a month before my son was born, cloth diapered him for 18 months, and used the site the whole time. I personally prefer prefolds and simple (Bummis) covers, and haven't like all in ones very much, but i"m due next month with babe #2, and I have a few so I'll try again. It definitely saved us a lot of money- even with washing costs factored in. This time I made a lot of the covers (PUL was on sale at JoAnns one weekend), so I'm excited to see how those work. Oh, but the BEST thing you can do for cloth diapers is sun dry them whenever possible!
I should add- my son got diaper rash only ONCE in the 2 years he was in diapers. I can't say enough about how great cloth is!
@Growedup@xanga - Walmart and Target sell them (gerber.) They are usually folded up.
I really have been looking into cloth diapering for my future offspring. Many of my friends use disposables and, while it does seem stupid (especially since one is a SAHM) well each to their own eh? Its nice to know that there are so many out there that I can learn from.
I used cloth diapers on my oldest son because disposables kept giving him rashes. It got to the point that he wore cloth during the day and disposables at night because that kept the rashes away and leaking down at night. I had all kinds of all-in-ones, prefolds, and fitted with various liners and covers.
I used disposables on my youngest son because no matter how I washed the cloth diapers, and changed them and this and that and all the other, the cloth diapers gave him rashes. He ended up only wearing disposables.
Sometimes you just do what works. Good luck!
Edit: **P.S. I used disposables on my oldest child, and she never got a rash... go figure.
Go online and check out all the options for cloth diapers. It's mind boggling. Back when I had my kids 36 years ago, we didn't have all those options. I could have used disposables, but chose not to, along with other ways of saving, so I could stay home with my babies. Now I watch my year old grandson, and see why it costs 3 grand in 2 to 3 years to diaper a baby. And people tried to tell me my electric bill would kill me, and it didn't. Didn't even come close to making that much of a difference. And the old tales of diaper rash are simply that. Tales. And you don't wait until something is spongy wet to change the baby either.
I have heard that vinegar (while definitely eliminates the odor) can damage diapers, so be careful! Drying in the sun will also get rid of stains and odors! We love our cloth diapers!
I don't have any kids (yet?), but I've been making cloth diapers for my nephew (or if he'd have been a niece, I had a good start there as well). I haven't managed to make a full supply yet and my sister is kind of icked out by them. lol Mom uses the cloth ones during the day, and if I end up changing him Sundays when I visit, I put him in cloth. They seem to work as well as the disposables, and they don't stink, which is a plus.
I make my pocket diapers without a waterproof layer, for a couple reasons. 1. I don't want to only see the same monkeys and dinosaurs for the next year. 2. PUL costs more than old t-shirts. 3. They'll last longer that way.
I've also been making ones out of receiving blankets. You fold them up but they're not pre-folds or flats. They're sort of like a QSFW. I 'stole' the basic idea from here and somewhat figured it out on my own by accident, too, because I am apparently half retarded and got a little confused with her directions.
As for washing, Mom's been 'wet pailing' it. He's not crawling around yet so there's no worries right now. The bucket is short and would fall over easily anyway (for better or worse). Rinse off the poo, put 'em in the bucket, wash daily. I don't think she's doing anything special as far as washing or drying. I suggested she wash the covers by hand if they're just peed on, and hang dry them if possible, but IDK what she's actually been doing. lol My sister left one sit for a couple days and it stained (breastfed newborn poo, fun fun), but setting it out in the sun for a little while took care of that, no problem.
@Growedup@xanga - I've stumbled upon them at Meijer near the baby clothes (and bibs?), completely separated from the disposable diapers.
Cloth is so much fun!
I'd recommend a cold water soak, rather than hot. Hot can set in stains (more an issue when eating solids). And baby detergent? I wouldn't recommend most--they tend to have enzymes, optical brighteners and sometimes fragrance. I've always used Tide Free with no trouble, but that could also be because of a good water supply. If your water is too hard, or too soft, you can have trouble with whatever your routine is.
I use a large, heavy weight plastic bag hung on the door knob. When we used to CD during the day, I'd do a cold rinse for any poopy ones, then fill with hot water, the rest of the diapers, and any towels, dishcloths, underwear, etc that also needed a hot wash. I washed every three days.
I wish I had started with cloth sooner! Especially since I'm a knitter and LOVE wool covers!