Cloth diaper questions

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ChelseaRae -> Cloth diaper questions (9/7/2007 10:18:59 PM)
I am so excited!!! Dh has finally agreed to try cloth diapers!![sm=funny.gif][sm=funny.gif] We have decided on pocket diapers and ordered a BumGenius and a Baby Kangas to see which we like better... I have a bunch of questions for those mamas who cloth diaper though, hopefully someone can help! What kind of cloth diapers do you use? Do you like them? If you use pocket diapers what do you use as inserts? Do you use any liners? I am thinking that I could probably sew some inserts and liners, what kind of material are they made of? What do you find the most absorbent? I have more questions but I think I will start with these. TIA!! Chelsea

W.O.F. -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/7/2007 10:47:48 PM)
I just use the fold them yourself and pre-folds. I don't do disposable liners, because in my opinion they kind of defeat two reasons we use them : to reduce trash, and to reduce cost. HOWEVER...I have used doublers..and the most absorbant are flannel with a terry cloth middle (I have made them by taking 4 layers of flannel and sandwiching an old towel between the four layers )....and most doublers can be used as inserts in pocket diapers. The main thing is...DO NOT EVER USE FABRIC SOFTENER on your diapers...it reduces the absorbancy of the diapers. Also if you can...hang them outside to dry in the sun...it kills a lot of germs as well as naturally bleaches them. You can use clorox/bleach...but it should only be used about once every other month and ONLY 1/4 cup as the hot water increases the strength of the chlorine....and yes..they should be washed in hot water...you can run them through a rinse cycle of cold water prior to washing them..then wash them in hot and then rinse in cold. Adding vinegar to the rinse water softens them and balances the ph level (about 1/2 cup of vinegar to the final rinse).

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/7/2007 11:56:35 PM)
quote: What kind of cloth diapers do you use? Do you like them? I use a kind you can't buy anymore...so I won't intice you with telling you about them, but YES I do love them. quote: If you use pocket diapers what do you use as inserts? Do you use any liners? my diapers came with inserts...so I use them. they do have pockets but we don't use the pocket part...we just lay the insert into the diaper and fold the front up to double thickness I also have some wool inserts (doublers)...THESE are the ones I have. They pull the wetness away from them...helps to prevent rashes. If you want I can take pics of what I have to show you. washing.....WOF said some great things. We use vinegar...actually we do it in a downy ball and throw it in at the beginning like you would for fabric softener. We dry the inserts in the dryer on no heat and the outsides we let air dry either outside in the sun (preferably) or inside just laying around on the couch. They are pretty much dry within minutes though...maybe 30 or so and I can stack them up again. We use the dry pail method...keep a diaper pail beside the washer and all diapers and wipes (we use cloth) go in there. I don't even rinse them out (because honestly I can't....I have a very very very weak stomach). When ready to wash I throw them into a load with hot water, let it fill up, and turn it off letting them sit there for a few hours to overnight. Then I drain that water and restart it on hot again. Using this method I have never had to rewash one single diaper...they always come clean. (Oh dry poops do get dumped into the toilet at the time though).

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/8/2007 12:02:35 AM)
Oh yeah....cloth wipes....I mentioned that in the post above. We use baby sized wash cloths....we were given a lot at showers plus they are very cheap at the dollar stores. Folded in half they also fit nicely in the plastic wipe cases for diaper bags. I just get a handful of them wet with a squirt of baby soap in the morning, then fold the wet ones up and put them in a carrying case and have them all day long to use. Sometimes they will stay good for two days like that, but I don't like to go long like that...bacteria can grow without alcohol to kill it. I know some people though that just keep a little bowl with a lid of water with some baby soap right beside where they change them and just do the wipes as they need them throughout the day. It's amazing how much money you save by NOT getting store bought disposable wipes!!!!

W.O.F. -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/8/2007 7:41:42 AM)
AMEN AMEN to the dry pail method...we don't do wet pails either. I don't soak mine in the washer...I just run a cold water rinse on them and then wash as normal...but then...my diapers are flat so.... We also use cloth wipes rather than disposable...I buy the pack of 10 cloths for 5 dollars or so at Walmart and then cut them in half and use my maching to zig zag stitch the raw edge to keep them from unraveling. I just get mine wet with water out of the sink when I need to change a diaper...when we go out...I just get them wet and put them in a ziploc container. I have never done the baby soap thing...don't have anything against it...just my kids had very tender bottoms and plain water sworked just fine. You can use liquid vitamin E to retard bacteria growth for 14 days if you want to pre-wet them. You can take 3 capsules and squeeze them into about 2 cups of water. It also makes baby's skin very very soft [:D]. the nice thing is that after baby is toilet trained...those washcloths are just the right size for little hands and faces, misc. spills, etc. It saves a lot of wear and tear on the bigger full sized cloths and they dry faster so they can go into the dirty cloths faster too. they are also great to soak with witch hazel and use on any sore hemmorhoids or scarring from episiotomies or scarring from small tears.... we also use them to wrap around frozen condiment packages (like ketchup etc from fast food places) to make great boo boo packs for bumps and bruises.

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/8/2007 9:38:28 AM)
quote: AMEN AMEN to the dry pail method...we don't do wet pails either. I don't soak mine in the washer...I just run a cold water rinse on them and then wash as normal...but then...my diapers are flat so.... if we are in a time crunch and I NEED diapers without waiting that time I do them through immediately and they are fine....mostly the soaking is my weirdness (OCDish) coming through. quote: We also use cloth wipes rather than disposable...I buy the pack of 10 cloths for 5 dollars or so at Walmart and then cut them in half and use my maching to zig zag stitch the raw edge to keep them from unraveling. I just get mine wet with water out of the sink when I need to change a diaper...when we go out...I just get them wet and put them in a ziploc container. I have never done the baby soap thing...don't have anything against it...just my kids had very tender bottoms and plain water worked just fine. just to clarify, I usually do one small squirt of soap into the bathroom sink as it fills up, so it's very diluted...and again that goes back to my OCDish tendencies, I have major issues with bathroom stuff and meat quote: we also use them to wrap around frozen condiment packages (like ketchup etc from fast food places) to make great boo boo packs for bumps and bruises. now that's a great idea!!!!!!

ChelseaRae -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/8/2007 4:22:48 PM)
Thanks guys! You are fantastic!! Pics would be great Sarah, it is so nice to have other moms who use cloth to talk to, everyone here thinks I'm nuts!! So what do you wash your diapers with? I read that you only add a tablespoon of soap, is that enough? Can I use Borax with them? Thats what I use to get stains out of her clothes and it works great. For fold it yourself and prefolds, you just have a flannel (or whatever material) piece of cloth, fold it, fasten it.. with a pin? and then put a cover over? I'm a little confused as to how those work, are they a lot of work? I guess they would be easier to clean and dry, how many of those cover things do you have? Are they plastic? I kind of think that would be bulky...

W.O.F. -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/8/2007 10:22:45 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: ChelseaRae Thanks guys! You are fantastic!! Pics would be great Sarah, it is so nice to have other moms who use cloth to talk to, everyone here thinks I'm nuts!! So what do you wash your diapers with? I read that you only add a tablespoon of soap, is that enough? Can I use Borax with them? Thats what I use to get stains out of her clothes and it works great. I use fragrance free detergent..and I use the full amount for a load of clothes. I DO add a 1/2 cup of borax (or baking soda) as it is a natural disinfectant and fungus fighter....I do a second rinse most of the time...but especially when it is the once every 8 weeks bleach time. quote: For fold it yourself and prefolds, you just have a flannel (or whatever material) piece of cloth, fold it, fasten it.. with a pin? and then put a cover over? I'm a little confused as to how those work, are they a lot of work? I guess they would be easier to clean and dry, how many of those cover things do you have? Are they plastic? I kind of think that would be bulky... you buy them at the store...the fold them yourselves are flat pieces of either birdseye material (picture HERE) or sometimes cotton gauze (not medical gauze...but fabric gauze)...you have to fold them a certain way...I'd have to show you [&o] to explain.(HERE are some possible folds..but not the one I use...it is the KITE fold that she is going to post soon) Pre folds are just diapers that you by that are sewn together to make them 3 to 4 layers deep and you just put them on the baby and pin in place. You then can use a cover (rubber pants, or velcro cover or wool cover) if you want. You can also just fold the diaper into thirds and lay into a velcro or snap cover. HERE are some pictures of prefolds...(I haven't bought this brand ...they just have good pictures!) and HOW you use them... You can make prefolds out of flannel...just take two 18 inch squares of flannel and place two to four more layers of about 4 inches wide 18 inches long in the middle of ONE square and stitch this in place by sewing straight seams down each side...then place this on top of other 18 in square with right sides together (meaning pad is on the OUTside..and stitch around all four sides LEAVING a 2 inch opening to turn diaper outside right..then stitch that opening closed. You can also make the pad in the middle out of terry cloth (a hand towel folded in thirds is great for overnight diapers). Old receiving blankets make good flat diapers as well....

W.O.F. -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/8/2007 10:29:46 PM)
forgot to answer the cover question. I tend to use vinyl/rubber pants...they are easy. I usually only need about 6...unless they have a major blowout poopy..they can be reused for several diaper changes (about 2 covers a day) and we wash diapers about every 2 to 3 days...so...it depends on how often you wash your diapers. I have used velcro covers..and there again....about 2 to 3 a day is good.... You just toss them in with your diapers in the wash...HOWEVER...they must be air dried if you use rubber pants...but turn them inside out and they are dry in a couple of hours..even in the house! Here is the brand I use....I usually buy them at walmart. I also, in the warmer months...just double diaper baby and leave the covers off when we are just at home.....

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/8/2007 11:07:12 PM)
ok...pics of ours. We love our brand...but like I said you can't buy them in the US anymore...only in Australia. Here is a pic of all the three things...the yellow thing is the insert that came with the diapers...the white thing is a wool doubler the insert is folded into thirds (it's square...about 12 inches or so) and laid down on the inside of the diaper the baby is laid down and the front is folded up to double the thickness there then it is folded up and the diaper is folded up in front then it is snapped baby is complete very easy and simple...no fuss!!!! Some that you can buy are similar to mine but already have the insert in the diapers...sewn in...so you really don't have to do hardly anything. A friend of mine had those and she said the only problem was that after two kids the inserts were coming lose in the corners and she didn't like that she had to have several different sizes...mine are all one size and you snap them closed more for a smaller baby...so they basically fit size 1-5...five is a tight fit on some babies.

OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 1:29:49 AM)
Sarah, Just when I already thought you were super mom...I now find out you are amazing super duper mom--cloth diapers too...WOW..I am impressed. To all(including you, Sarah), I am just asking this out of CURIOUSITY, not judgement, what are your reasons for using cloth diapers... I've done childcare a lot, but I've never had my own kids, so that was never really a decision for me (when you take care of other people's kids, they make that choice, of course).

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 1:38:44 AM)
quote: To all(including you, Sarah), I am just asking this out of CURIOUSITY, not judgement, what are your reasons for using cloth diapers... I am cheap actually we use both cloth and disposable...try to use mostly cloth though

OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 1:42:20 AM)
quote: I am cheap LOL!!! I thought it was something about babies' skin or something....[:D]

ChelseaRae -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 10:51:42 AM)
You guys are so fantastic!! Thank you so much!!! I will post the rest of my questions after church. W.O.F. Thanks for explaining those diapers to me, I was really confused as to how the different kinds worked, I think I'm going to make a few of those and try them as well. Sarah, thank you so much!! That diaper that you had looks really similar to this one, I ordered one to try, it should be here sometime this week.

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 11:43:08 AM)
quote: Sarah, thank you so much!! That diaper that you had looks really similar to this one, I ordered one to try, it should be here sometime this week. yes...looks very similar to that....the only difference I can see is that mine have buttons only on the two sides to make it a smaller size and those have them on the sides and in the middle. It is the same concept though...a diaper that grows with the baby...which I love. Those must be new...before the only thing similar to mine were the Fuzzibuns...and they aren't adjustable for downsizing for smaller babies, just adjustable in the waste. Also now it looks like BumGenius has gotten the concept and started adding them to theirs also!!! The one thing I don't like about theirs is the velcro...I think hubby would like the velcro better then the snaps though...he has big mechanic hands and sometimes it's hard for him to get those little snaps done...but for laundry purposes I don't like velcro as much as snaps. Thanks for that link!!!! I am glad someone finally followed in the Wonderoos fashion (that's the kind I have)...I got mine years ago and basically right after I got them they stopped selling them. Now I know where to get more from!!!! (We have lost some with moving...for some odd reason...that black hole).

BlessedMamaofmany -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 2:32:26 PM)
those are nice diapers Chelsea. Thanks for letting me know about the link Sarah Sandy

ChelseaRae -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 4:47:09 PM)
Aahhh... I love experienced moms... what would I do without you ladies? quote: To all(including you, Sarah), I am just asking this out of CURIOSITY, not judgment, what are your reasons for using cloth diapers... We are cheap too... I like the idea of having them until she is potty trained. Plus they are really cute and that doesn't hurt[;)][:D]

Royal.Fortress -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 5:01:14 PM)
Plus, you can reuse them for the next kids, if there are to be any =) I asked this in the PP thread, but I'll re-ask it here: Has anyone used wool soakers/diaper covers? Not the inserts, the actual covers? There's a bunch of patterns HERE that I was thinking about. It seems that wool is an interesting and even cheaper option, since you can knit your own! Also, has anybody used the Kushies diaper covers? Link HERE. There's an outlet in my area with $5 covers and I'm wondering if they're a good brand (I know they're an expensive brand, but I'd like to know if anyone has used them!)

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 5:36:59 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: OneOfHisJewels quote: I am cheap LOL!!! I thought it was something about babies' skin or something....[:D] oh....well, that too....my girls are very sensitive,.....but the main reason is I am cheap. Hubby likes the ones we have though because they are like disposable diapers and easy to put on...I could never convince him to do the kind WOF does...but ours are perfect for us!!!!

Auben -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/9/2007 7:27:27 PM)
What kind of cloth diapers do you use? Do you like them? I used a mixture of velcro types (several different brands), prefolds for them as infants, and eventually we found a bunch of Motherease one-size diapers at a garage sale cheap. I really liked the Motherease. They went from 10lb to over 30lb. I'm potty training my youngest right now so I sold most of them and gave the rest away. There were other brands I liked too. If you use pocket diapers what do you use as inserts? Do you use any liners? I tried one pocket diaper and didn't care for it. People that I know who use them buy prefolds and fold them and fit them in. I think several online stores also sell specially made inserts. You could probably make your own. I did use liners. The motherease came with a snap-in liner and before that I made my own my folding a washcloth (cheap walmart variety) in thirds and then sewing them down the sides. Some I topped with some fleece to keep their bottoms drier. I am thinking that I could probably sew some inserts and liners, what kind of material are they made of? What do you find the most absorbent? Terry cloth (like the washcloths) will work, diaper flannel (they sell it at fabric stores) will work, buying infant prefolds will work (and make extra diapers). Chinese cotton or hemp prefolds are the most absorbant I hear, but I found the triple washcloth to work just as well. When I made prefolds I just bought 1 yard of flannel with a cute pattern, and another yard or two of diaper flannel. Then I layered and sewed it. I've heard of people making diaper covers by shrinking old wool sweaters down, cutting and sewing the edges. A friend of mine does that. She buys the sweaters at goodwill. I personally don't like wool. It makes me itchy and always seemed to hold a smell. I probably was just not using the right cleaner at the right time or something. I've made a few covers from fleece. Those are good for home use but if they get pressed down in a stroller or car seat they can leak so I didn't like them for overnight or out and about.

W.O.F. -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/10/2007 8:54:56 PM)
we use them because they are cheap, and for the most part, are better the environment, and my kids all have very sensitive skin (not to mention that studies have shown babies diapered in cloth are less likely to develop thrush of the behind)

TammyIsBlessed -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/11/2007 12:42:21 PM)
We use them at home. Though currently I am using disposables on my 27 month old. We will start potty training soon and I've found it easier to train them once their used to feeling dry. My first didn't care if she wet herself because she was used to the feeling from using cloth diapers. Also - at this age they go through way less diapers so the cost difference isn't as high as it was at the beginning. My MIL sewed me the diapers. I think there's 10 layers of diaper flannelette sewn together in a diaper shape, then there's 3 rows of velcro to make it virtually one size fits all. They've fit our babies from 2 weeks old to 2 yrs old so far with no problem! We do it mainly for cheapness reasons. And it's truly no messier than changing a disposable diaper. We just dump them right into a diaper pail instead of a garbage can. We do use disposable liners but we buy them for really cheap at Walmart. We're definitely still saving money using them.

W.O.F. -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/11/2007 4:31:37 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TammyIsBlessed We use them at home. Though currently I am using disposables on my 27 month old. We will start potty training soon and I've found it easier to train them once their used to feeling dry. My first didn't care if she wet herself because she was used to the feeling from using cloth diapers. Also - at this age they go through way less diapers so the cost difference isn't as high as it was at the beginning. kids are sooo funny and soo different....don't EVER let anyone tell you they understand kids when it comes to potty training... mine all trained better because they didn't like feeling wet....and wanted out of the diapers...lol...but your kids and my sil's kids were the opposite...they needed to feel the dryness of disposables before they'd train well.....

BlessedMamaofmany -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/12/2007 11:40:03 AM)
I used motherease with my oldest. I liked them a lot too, my only complaint was that they are a little bulky. Pretty good other than that. Hubby is on board with the switch back to cloth! This time around we decided to get bumgenius one size. I get to order them on friday when we get paid WOOHOO!! here's a question for you...wet or dry pail? What kind of pail do you use? I saw some plain ol trash cans at walmart I was thinking about getting for dry pail storage. Do you rinse out the can everytime or every couple of times? Sandy

peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Cloth diaper questions (9/12/2007 12:11:06 PM)
quote: here's a question for you...wet or dry pail? What kind of pail do you use? I already said above...but dry...I don't to set and see no point in it...they come clean just find even with a dry pail. Also we have forgotten to wash them for a week or more sometimes (when we are going a lot we use disposables)...and that has never hurt them. Every time I empty it I rinse it out and wipe it out with a nice smelling cleaner. We also bleach the pail about once or twice a month.

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