Wow. I cannot believe that it has been 19 months of full-time cloth diapering in our house! And we still love it. I did a 411 post on cloth diapering you can find here. I won't recap all that information, but I wanted to update on what we have found to really work for us now that we are a year and a half in.
We have gone for a streamlined all the same brand approach best we could. We felt as our daughter has various people care for her throughout the week, it would be easiest on them to have diapers that all functioned and went on the same way and fit. So, our stash is currently half and half BumGenius 4.0s (pockets) and BumGenius Elementals (all-in-ones). I did make my own inserts for the 4.0s because due to our hard water we had a lot of stink issues with the microfiber inserts that are included. I settled on inserts made with Pooters large hemp inserts with three layers of 100% cotton terry (old towel). The Elementals are 100% cotton already and have been great for us. Plus, they are super trim! For our daughter these two diapers have the same fit on the snap settings and have been very convenient to use. Overnight, we still prefer the Blueberry Deluxe pockets with a large SuperDo insert. They have been awesome!
Around 15 months in our daughter had yet another rash flare up and we finally ditched the disposable wipes we had been using. I bought cotton baby wash cloths from the Dollar Tree and a couple travel size spray bottles. We made a mixture of water with coconut oil to spray on her bum before we wipe with the dry wash cloth. Since then we have suffered no rashes! I'm amazed! The natural anti-bacterial properties and the fact that coconut oil is simply magical have been huge in our diapering journey. My daughter actually laughs when we spray her bum now. Totally fun.
We still use Charlie's Soap as out cloth and regular laundry detergent. We did opt to start using their hard water booster over vinegar to be gentler on the diapers' PUL.
We're expecting our second daughter in just a couple short months, and that set me on the journey to build a newborn cloth diaper stash. We plan to cloth from the day she comes home from the hospital this time. I opted to go with Green Mountain Diapers newborn prefolds and small workhorse fitted diapers for the new little one. We had tried both of these options on our oldest and LOVED them, but knew the pockets and all-in-ones were more practical with daycare, etc. We will be using Thirsties Duo Wrap size one covers to go over these all cotton diapers and I hope its as smooth a transition to diaper her as it was at the beginning of this journey!
Recently, Casey and I did the math on what we have put into cloth diapers financially (because it is a big investment) and broke the cost down over 4 years to account for our second child wearing them, too. We added $100 to our "money in" total to consider the diapers that may need replaced before we're said and done. We were shocked at the outcome. We spent essentially $12/month on diapers for 4 years. Wow! Talk about saving some dough! We were really excited and that's before any kind of selling of our stash when both girls are potty trained. Well well worth it for us.
I love talking cloth, so feel free to contact me with any questions you may have! Getting started is the hardest part!
Showing posts with label 101. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 101. Show all posts
Friday, January 4, 2013
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Cloth Diapers 101
Ok. Be prepared for a whole lot of information. I have several friends asking about cloth diapers and instead of many many converstations/e-mails/whatever saying the same thing, I'm going to blog and link. Please comment any questions you have! I'll try my best to answer them. I promise starting is the hardest part of cloth diapering. So here we go!
**Disclaimer: I'm primarily writing about what I do. And I'm constantly searching for better and more efficient ways to cloth. There are other and maybe better routines, etc. But this is what works for me and our family.**
Q: I'm lost in a sea of acronyms! Help!
A: CD- cloth diaper,
AIO- all in one,
AI2- all in two,
OS- one size,
NB- newborn,
BG- BumGenuis (brand),
PF- prefold,
MF- microfiber,
EUC- excellent used condition,
VGUC- very good used condition,
GUC- good used condition,
PPD- postage pre paid,
MMAO- make me an offer,
GM- GoodMama (brand),
GMD- Green Mountain Diapers (brand),
WAHM- work at home mom,
RnG- Rockin' Green laundry detergent,
CS- Charlie's Soap,
PUL- water-proof layer.
INSERTS- the part that absorbs urine you put in pockets or attach to AI2s,
WETBAG- a PUL lined bag that you put dirty diapers in,
LINERS- a piece you lay in the diaper right next to the baby's bum to catch poo or keep non-cloth safe diaper cream off the diaper,
SPRAYER- an attachment to a toilet used to spray off baby poo,
SNAPS- snap closures on diapers,
HOOK & LOOP- or velcro or aplix used to hold diapers closed,
ONE-SIZE- the diaper adijusts in rise to fit your baby at different weights.
Many acronyms are specific to the brand of diaper it is.
Q: There are so many types! How do they work?
A: Cloth diapers break down into a few different catagories: Pockets, All-in-ones, prefolds, fitteds, wool, and covers.
Pockets are we use and what we prefer. It is a PUL cover attached to an absorbent liner like fleece or microsuede. It is open on one end and you put insert inside the "pocket" to absorb urine. You can adjust the absorbency and used different types of inserts as you see fit.
All-in-ones are the easiest diaper out there. It is literally one whole piece, no assembly required. You take it from the dryer to the baby, just like a disposable. These generally take longer to dry then other cloth diapers because of the thickness of the diaper and the lack of air being able to move through it as efficiently.
All-in-twos are similar to pockets except that the inserts snap to the inside of the diaper instead of being stuffed into the diaper- so the insert is right next to the baby's bum. They also have a PUL cover attached and I believe the cover can be reused a couple times.
Fitteds- These tend to be more trim on babies and don't include a water-proof layer.
Prefolds- These look most like the mom and pop way of cloth diapering. Its a large piece of fabric that is folded and placed inside a water-proof cover. (sometimes Snappis are required to keep in place)
Here is a great link to explain prefolds more clearly and how you can fold it different ways: Green Mountain Diapers Prefolds
Wool- covers for diapers made out of wool. Longies are pants, shorties are shorts, skirts, etc.
Covers- Usually a PUL piece. It goes over prefolds and fitteds. Can be use multiple times before needing a wash since it does not come in contact with urine and poo... usually.
Q: What are the essentials that I need?
A: Diapers, a wet bag, cloth diaper safe detergent.
Q: What else will possibly I use?
A: Cloth diaper safe cream, cloth wipes, PUL-lined laundry bag, sprayer, liners.
Q: How many diapers do I need?
A: We started out with 18 when my daughter was a newborn and washed every day. Now we have 27 and we wash every 3rd day. I think 20-30 is a good amount to have. Remember, the longer the diapers sit without a wash, the more of a stink you're going to get. More diapers = less washing =/= less stink.
Q: What is safe deteregent?
A: The ones I know work are Charlie's Soap (what we use) Rockin' Green, and Tide Free and Clear. There are others out there as well. Fabric softeners are a NO NO!
Q: What are cloth diaper safe rash creams?
A: We use California Baby and I also know Grandma El's is safe. As I find more, I'll add them here.
Q: Where can I get good deals?
A: I prefer to shop cottonbabies.com seconds sale and swaddlebees.com clearance sale. These are all new diapers that have a "flaw". I have yet to see what the flaw is on the diapers I purchased. I also endorse pootersdiapers.com and jackbenatural.com for their customer service and reasonable prices. Also, if you want to try out several types of cloth diapers and not get stuck with the ones you don't like, check out jilliansdrawers.com. Don't be scared to shop used!
Q: Ummm... poop. What do we do with that?
A: Breastfed baby poo can be thrown into the washer as is. It is completely water soluble and super super easy to clean. If it stains the diapers, put them out in the sun to bleach out! As you introduce solids poo becomes "peanut buttery" and is a little harder to deal with. Some people use a sprayer, some people dunk it in the toilet, some scrap it off with designated spatula, and some use flushable liners. We tend to use flushable liners or scrap with a piece of toilet paper. This stage doesn't last forever. Soon, the poos will be "plopable" because they are pretty solid and will fall right of the diaper into the toilet.
Here is a great poo plop video using disposable liners:
Q: Stains and sanitation???
A: Meet your new best friend: the sun. Lay your diapers out in the sun for an hour for a good 'ol sun soak!
******************************************************************************
WASHING
Here is what we do. Again, I'm constantly researching and trying different ways, but this works for us as of now.
We pull the inserts out when we remove the soiled diaper and drop all of pieces into the hanging laundry bag. At wash time, we do a cold water pre-wash without any soap added to it. Then we do a hot water wash with an extra rinse and Charlie's Soap added to it. We try to air dry our covers as much as possible so the PUL and elastic doesn't break down as fast.
Stripping: I do one of two ways about once a month. It helps to deep clean the diapers and get rid of stink or repelling problems you may have.
1. A cold water pre-wash without any soap. A hot water wash with one cup of white vinegar to cut our hard water and a couple squirts of blue Dawn. We have an HE machine, so I'll add a few buckets of hot water to the machine after it fills so the diapers are completely flooded in the hot wash. A second hot water wash with out anything added. And 2-3 cold water quick rinses. If the weather allows, I sun dry all my covers and inserts.
2. A cold water pre-wash without any soap. A hot water wash with 50 drops of grapefruit seed extract. A hot water wash with one cup of white vinegar to cut our hard water and Charlie's Soap. We have an HE machine, so I'll add a few buckets of hot water to the machine after it fills so the diapers are completely flooded in the hot washes. And 3-5 cold water quick rinses. If the weather allows, I sun dry all my covers and inserts.
MATERIALS
Microfiber is what you will see the most of. It absorbs fast, but it doesn't absorb as much as natural fibers and it tends to hold stink/build-up more. Also, you cannot put microfiber right up against a baby bum.
Microfleece and microsuede are often used as liners in AIOs and pockets. They wick away moisture quick, but don't hold the moisture well.
Hemp and bamboo (My preference for inserts for my heavy wetter) are natural fibers. They are slow soakers, but hold a lot of wet without leaking. Because of the slow absorbency, these need to be used with microfleece, microsuede, or microfiber. These tend to be more expensive.
Cotton is another natural fiber. I just started using cotton prefolds as inserts for our daughter. They hold more wet then microfiber and are faster absorbers than the hemp.
OUR CHANGING SET-UP
There are many options for how you store your dirty diapers, some prefer wet storage and others dry storage. Wet storage is a bucket of water with a lid that you put the dirty diapers in to soak until you wash them. You would pour the whole bucket in the washer. We use dry storage. We have a hanging laundry bag that is lined with PUL right next to our changing table. We also keep a small trash can beside the changing table for non poopy liners and wipes. Other dry storage options are as simple as using a plastic trash can with a lid.
WHAT I HAVE
We use approximately 27 BumGenius 4.0 one size and Blueberry one size deluxe diapers. We prefer snaps over hook and loop and I'm working on converting our hook and loop over to snaps. For inserts we're using Green Mountain Diaper prefold in size newborn and small and also Pooters size large hemp inserts. We also have Kawaii microfiber inserts and Blueberry microfiber inserts. For overnight we use Babykicks bamboo pocket diapers with their hemp insert and an added Hemp Babies insert or two or we use a BumGenius diaper with a SuperDo insert. Our wet bags are a Vera Bradley Ditty bag and a Swaddlebees zippered wet bag. Both hold about 6-8 diapers at a time. Our nursery bag is a PUL-lined laundry bag by Vera Bradley. It can hold all our diapers and inserts at one time. I don't use cloth wipes. We wash with Charlie's Soap and use homemade wool dryer balls.
LINKS
Here are some of my favorite links when I got started with cloth diapering
*http://styleberryblog.com/an-accidental-passion-cloth-diapering-for-the-modern-mom
She has a great breakdown of her use of Fuzzibunz diapers and also includes videos of her changing table set-up and plopping poo.
* http://www.sewgirlyalterations.com/2010/12/17/cloth-diapers-pt-i-the-diapers/
Here is a write-up on Grovia diapers by another cloth mom I know. Thanks, Janice, for the link!
*https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?authkey=CL-Sw-kE&key=0AjWZwjykgONndEtZOXNkaHVXUzRGWEdoLVlQQmFMMGc&hl=en&authkey=CL-Sw-kE#gid=36
Here is a spreadsheet made by many moms reviewing cloth diapers. They discuss fit vs baby's build, absorbency, etc. It's great!
*http://www.ehow.com/how_5151381_make-wool-dryer-balls.html
Here is how to make wool dryer balls, if you're interested. They are totally cloth diaper friendly!
*http://awesomeclothdiapers.blogspot.com/
Another all about cloth diapering blog I found useful.
**Disclaimer: I'm primarily writing about what I do. And I'm constantly searching for better and more efficient ways to cloth. There are other and maybe better routines, etc. But this is what works for me and our family.**
Q: I'm lost in a sea of acronyms! Help!
A: CD- cloth diaper,
AIO- all in one,
AI2- all in two,
OS- one size,
NB- newborn,
BG- BumGenuis (brand),
PF- prefold,
MF- microfiber,
EUC- excellent used condition,
VGUC- very good used condition,
GUC- good used condition,
PPD- postage pre paid,
MMAO- make me an offer,
GM- GoodMama (brand),
GMD- Green Mountain Diapers (brand),
WAHM- work at home mom,
RnG- Rockin' Green laundry detergent,
CS- Charlie's Soap,
PUL- water-proof layer.
INSERTS- the part that absorbs urine you put in pockets or attach to AI2s,
WETBAG- a PUL lined bag that you put dirty diapers in,
LINERS- a piece you lay in the diaper right next to the baby's bum to catch poo or keep non-cloth safe diaper cream off the diaper,
SPRAYER- an attachment to a toilet used to spray off baby poo,
SNAPS- snap closures on diapers,
HOOK & LOOP- or velcro or aplix used to hold diapers closed,
ONE-SIZE- the diaper adijusts in rise to fit your baby at different weights.
Many acronyms are specific to the brand of diaper it is.
 |
| Onsize BumGenuis diapers at each size. |
 |
| Snaps on left. Hook and loop on right. Both onesize. |
Q: There are so many types! How do they work?
A: Cloth diapers break down into a few different catagories: Pockets, All-in-ones, prefolds, fitteds, wool, and covers.
 |
| A pocket diaper. The PUL is attached to microfleece. |
All-in-ones are the easiest diaper out there. It is literally one whole piece, no assembly required. You take it from the dryer to the baby, just like a disposable. These generally take longer to dry then other cloth diapers because of the thickness of the diaper and the lack of air being able to move through it as efficiently.
All-in-twos are similar to pockets except that the inserts snap to the inside of the diaper instead of being stuffed into the diaper- so the insert is right next to the baby's bum. They also have a PUL cover attached and I believe the cover can be reused a couple times.
Fitteds- These tend to be more trim on babies and don't include a water-proof layer.
 |
| Green Mountain Diapers newborn size prefold. |
Here is a great link to explain prefolds more clearly and how you can fold it different ways: Green Mountain Diapers Prefolds
Wool- covers for diapers made out of wool. Longies are pants, shorties are shorts, skirts, etc.
Covers- Usually a PUL piece. It goes over prefolds and fitteds. Can be use multiple times before needing a wash since it does not come in contact with urine and poo... usually.
Q: What are the essentials that I need?
A: Diapers, a wet bag, cloth diaper safe detergent.
Q: What else will possibly I use?
A: Cloth diaper safe cream, cloth wipes, PUL-lined laundry bag, sprayer, liners.
Q: How many diapers do I need?
 |
| My storage drawers for the diapers. |
Q: What is safe deteregent?
A: The ones I know work are Charlie's Soap (what we use) Rockin' Green, and Tide Free and Clear. There are others out there as well. Fabric softeners are a NO NO!
Q: What are cloth diaper safe rash creams?
A: We use California Baby and I also know Grandma El's is safe. As I find more, I'll add them here.
Q: Where can I get good deals?
A: I prefer to shop cottonbabies.com seconds sale and swaddlebees.com clearance sale. These are all new diapers that have a "flaw". I have yet to see what the flaw is on the diapers I purchased. I also endorse pootersdiapers.com and jackbenatural.com for their customer service and reasonable prices. Also, if you want to try out several types of cloth diapers and not get stuck with the ones you don't like, check out jilliansdrawers.com. Don't be scared to shop used!
Q: Ummm... poop. What do we do with that?
A: Breastfed baby poo can be thrown into the washer as is. It is completely water soluble and super super easy to clean. If it stains the diapers, put them out in the sun to bleach out! As you introduce solids poo becomes "peanut buttery" and is a little harder to deal with. Some people use a sprayer, some people dunk it in the toilet, some scrap it off with designated spatula, and some use flushable liners. We tend to use flushable liners or scrap with a piece of toilet paper. This stage doesn't last forever. Soon, the poos will be "plopable" because they are pretty solid and will fall right of the diaper into the toilet.
Here is a great poo plop video using disposable liners:
 |
| Sunning diaper on front sidewalk |
A: Meet your new best friend: the sun. Lay your diapers out in the sun for an hour for a good 'ol sun soak!
******************************************************************************
WASHING
Here is what we do. Again, I'm constantly researching and trying different ways, but this works for us as of now.
 |
| Air drying |
Stripping: I do one of two ways about once a month. It helps to deep clean the diapers and get rid of stink or repelling problems you may have.
1. A cold water pre-wash without any soap. A hot water wash with one cup of white vinegar to cut our hard water and a couple squirts of blue Dawn. We have an HE machine, so I'll add a few buckets of hot water to the machine after it fills so the diapers are completely flooded in the hot wash. A second hot water wash with out anything added. And 2-3 cold water quick rinses. If the weather allows, I sun dry all my covers and inserts.
 |
| Air drying |
MATERIALS
 |
| Microfiber inserts. Two different sizes by BumGenius. |
Microfleece and microsuede are often used as liners in AIOs and pockets. They wick away moisture quick, but don't hold the moisture well.
 |
| Hemp and microfiber inserts inside a pocket diaper. |
Cotton is another natural fiber. I just started using cotton prefolds as inserts for our daughter. They hold more wet then microfiber and are faster absorbers than the hemp.
OUR CHANGING SET-UP
 |
| Our changing station. |
WHAT I HAVE
We use approximately 27 BumGenius 4.0 one size and Blueberry one size deluxe diapers. We prefer snaps over hook and loop and I'm working on converting our hook and loop over to snaps. For inserts we're using Green Mountain Diaper prefold in size newborn and small and also Pooters size large hemp inserts. We also have Kawaii microfiber inserts and Blueberry microfiber inserts. For overnight we use Babykicks bamboo pocket diapers with their hemp insert and an added Hemp Babies insert or two or we use a BumGenius diaper with a SuperDo insert. Our wet bags are a Vera Bradley Ditty bag and a Swaddlebees zippered wet bag. Both hold about 6-8 diapers at a time. Our nursery bag is a PUL-lined laundry bag by Vera Bradley. It can hold all our diapers and inserts at one time. I don't use cloth wipes. We wash with Charlie's Soap and use homemade wool dryer balls.
LINKS
Here are some of my favorite links when I got started with cloth diapering
*http://styleberryblog.com/an-accidental-passion-cloth-diapering-for-the-modern-mom
She has a great breakdown of her use of Fuzzibunz diapers and also includes videos of her changing table set-up and plopping poo.
* http://www.sewgirlyalterations.com/2010/12/17/cloth-diapers-pt-i-the-diapers/
Here is a write-up on Grovia diapers by another cloth mom I know. Thanks, Janice, for the link!
*https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?authkey=CL-Sw-kE&key=0AjWZwjykgONndEtZOXNkaHVXUzRGWEdoLVlQQmFMMGc&hl=en&authkey=CL-Sw-kE#gid=36
Here is a spreadsheet made by many moms reviewing cloth diapers. They discuss fit vs baby's build, absorbency, etc. It's great!
*http://www.ehow.com/how_5151381_make-wool-dryer-balls.html
Here is how to make wool dryer balls, if you're interested. They are totally cloth diaper friendly!
*http://awesomeclothdiapers.blogspot.com/
Another all about cloth diapering blog I found useful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)