Cloth Diapering Questions

[homesteadmomma]

See I knew this was the right group to come to, all the people around here but a handful think I am a little crazy. I am so excited at Mrbstephen's generous offer and I am actually looking forward to cloth diapering.

You all had wonderful comments and it seems that near everybody thought it was the way to go.

Thanks! And I am sure I will have a ton more questions as I go along!

 

[mrbstephens]

See I knew this was the right group to come to, all the people around here but a handful think I am a little crazy. I am so excited at Mrbstephen's generous offer and I am actually looking forward to cloth diapering.

You all had wonderful comments and it seems that near everybody thought it was the way to go.

Thanks! And I am sure I will have a ton more questions as I go along!

 

[goldenluver]

I make the feminine pads, they should be madeof the same materials.

1. fannels and fleese
2. I use a batting called ZORB, it is a blend and absorbs 10 times moe than cotton or bamboo
3. and a material called PUL it is the liner to prevent leaks, comes in some pretty colors.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I know what you mean HSM....Here on SS and on BYC, most members can totally relate with me, but in my personal life, thats another story. Some of my contacts have tried some of my things and one time or another, but can't see why I'm up to all this old fashion stuff at this day and age.

 

[flossy]

Hiya, I have used all kinds, disposables at night, because babies wakes less if they are not wet!! and that means a lot more to me then throwing out a nappy, but I would use cloth during the day, even if out. I didn't have a job though so I had the time to do the extra washing.

I used both the traditional and prefitted kind. I found the pre fitted slightly easier, but once I got the hang of how to pin the square kind I didn't think they were that much harder to use, and as mentioned they won't grow out of them.

and they will potty train heaps earlier, which is always a bonus, unless you have a boy, then they will figure out they can make the pee go in different directions, but thats a topic for a whole other thread!!!! Congrats on the baby

Haha...like off the back deck with the other neighborhood 2 year old! LOL!!!

Ahh yes, good times!!! I have two boys and I've seen some pretty funny stuff. Boys seem to have a thing about using the toilet.

 

[raro]

My youngest is 9, and I still have diaper liners because they were so hard to find that I can't just toss them. I'd be happy to send them to anyone who wants them. I loved using them once my kids were big enough that their poop was solid. You just take the 4 cornes of the liner and lift and dump. Then there's hardly anything on the actual diaper to clean.

 

[homesteadmomma]

My youngest is 9, and I still have diaper liners because they were so hard to find that I can't just toss them. I'd be happy to send them to anyone who wants them. I loved using them once my kids were big enough that their poop was solid. You just take the 4 cornes of the liner and lift and dump. Then there's hardly anything on the actual diaper to clean.

So are these washable or ????? They must go inside the prefold and then the cover goes over the prefold.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I'm using the prefolds too. I would recommend the diaper covers called "thirsties " that have velcro tabs to close over the diaper. They are lined with some sort of water-repellent material.

If you have a good washing machine, it might have a soak cycle like mine does. I don't pre-soak the diapers. I let the washing machine soak the poopy diapers (2 hr cycle) in borax before washing them. That way I don't have to deal with dirty soaking water.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

We went through like 70 a week! Crazy.

The first 6 weeks or so we were going through 60 diapers in 2 days! I had to buy more diapers because my intention was to get through half a week, at least, without having to do laundry. Thankfully, now that I have more like 80 diapers, I am finally getting through half a week. But my little guy hates messy or wet diapers and lets us know as soon as his diaper needs changing. He is very particular. From estimates I have read on how many diapers one needs per day, I guess some people can get by with less diaper changes per day, but we have not been so fortunate.

 

[Living the Simple Life]

We used cloth diapers for both our children. I used the traditional rectangle one from Target (only place I could find the ones I really liked). They have blue stitching and are a nice thickness. I don't know the brand. I also made liners from washclothes. I found the 12 packs of washclothes and folded in thirds and stitched down the "open" side. We found for our son that placing the liner more toward the front worked good, daughter pretty much centered. With the liner we rarely had a soak thru and usually only used vinyl pants/cover when going to church (somewhere that a leak would be a little more inconvenient).

We also made homemade wipes. I used an old commercial wet wipe container and cut soft flannel. I filled the box with the wipes and dumped in distilled water that had a few drops of mineral oil mixed in. The wipes will wick the moisture throughout the stack so they are all moist. I found the distilled water didn't get a "funky" smell like tap water sometimes did in warm weather.

Everything got put in the diaper pail (really messy ones got dumped first). When the pail was full, everything into the washer, fill it and turn it off to let soak. Drain it and then run a regular cycle. White vinegar during the rinse. DON'T USE FABRIC SOFTENER - it will affect the absorbancy.

The sun is a wonderful bleaching tool. We didn't have a clothesline at the time so I would hang the diapers around the yard along the top of the chainlink fence.

I still have all those diapers (they ain't pretty after two kids!) They now get used for wiping dog's feet, dusting and anything else that needs to get cleaned. They wear like iron.

One more suggestion. I found the best solution for any type of diaper rash/irritation is the Lanisol pure lanolin you buy with the breastfeeding supplies. It is in a purple tube. A little dab and man, by the next diaper change everything was cleared up. We rarely had diaper rash with cloth diapers - but during teething my kids got really irritated bowels and sore bums. Something to do with the enzymes the body produces during teething.

Hope some of this is helpful!