Cloth Diaper Q&A

[Rach]

Well I have been getting a lot of questions. So, I decided to post it publicly in case others were interested, plus some of the questions are repeats.

Q: Another diaper cleaning question: I read on the internet that with a dry pail method you just throw your newborn's diapers straight in.
A:Sometimes I rinsed out the NB diapers if there was a lot of poo. If it was just a stripe, I just threw it in the washer. This will work well as long as you are planning to bf. In general, it didn't stain, and when it did I used the sun-out method.

Q: With an older baby, you shake the poop into the toilet and then throw them in. Has that worked well for you in avoiding staining?
A: Yes, when the poo is solid, shake it into the toilet. You are supposed to do this with disposables, too, it's right there on every package! To rinse it further, you can use the tub, sink, or a diaper mini-shower/sprayer.

Q: Are there any alternatives to pins?
A: You shouldn't ever have to deal with pins! Get yourself a few Snappis!!!! You can also look up fitted diapers, which come with their own velcro, aplix, touchtape, or plastic snaps.

Q: How long do your Fuzzi Bunz last?
A: My Fuzzis have lasted pretty well and they are currently in use by my younger 2. I almost always air dry them to prolong the life of the diapers. Also, don't ever use bleach - it will kill the elastic.

Q: How do you sun out stains?
A: I know it sounds crazy, but hanging them out to dry in the sunshine really does remove stains, especially the nb poo stains. GONE. God, of course, made the best stain remover! Make sure you hang them out wet. You can also use vinegar or lemon juice to help.

Q: Do you rinse out the diapers in the toilet or somewhere else? You said that if there was just a stripe of NB poo you threw it in the washer. I assume that you meant that you threw it in after having it sit in the dry pail for a couple of days? And that didn't set the stain in?
A: correct! I rinse them in the toilet. (which I clean 5 days a week LOL) A few of my diapers have stains. Most are still in awesome shape, after over 2 years of use! Be warned that very colorful berries like blueberries and some types of diaper rash creme will stain your dipes.

Q: I was just thinking, is there any reason why I can't just fold a diaper over the baby and put on a cover over it without using pins to secure the diaper. Like for example a Dappi cover? Would that work?
A: Unfortunately, not with the 'plastic' pants (or nylon or rubber), the diaper would move, shift, fall off, and that will cause leaks.
There are some covers like Bummis that are designed to hold in a prefold diaper. They have strong velcro/aplix and a small pocket at the front and back tops to hold the ends of the diaper.

Q: What is your personal favorite diaper combination to use at home? Do you use CPF's, Snappis, and covers?
A: For the newborn stage, I liked fitted diapers or prefolds and Snappis. I liked the nylon diaper pants the best. After that, we just used the Fuzzi Bunz because both boys could wear the same size. EASY, but not as cute teehee.

Q: I was just wondering if you can tell me how many cloth diapers the adverage baby goes through in a day?
A: Newborns are going to go through about 10 diapers a day, sometimes more. Older babies anywhere from 6-10 diapers a day, depending on how heavy of a wetter your child is and how often you change him. Also, sometimes you will change their diaper and 10 minutes later they soil it, so there's 2 diapers in an hour, LOL.

Q: How do you handle the turn around time with washing? Do you have a set time to do the wash, and have a certain amount clean?
A: I have 30 diapers per child, and that seems to be an excellent number. I like to keep one in the car, a few in the diaper bag, then about 4-5 on hand at all times minimum. So if I see we only have 4 diapers left, I will make sure to start a load of wash. I don't have a set time to wash - I just do the wash when the basket gets full. Sometimes it's every day, sometimes every other. I have 2 kids in diapers. When I only had one, I'd wash every other day or every 3 days.

Q: Did you find it hard to keep on top of washing them?
A: Like all my chores, it ebbs and flows. I can tell you this though... it's much easier to run downstairs and start a load of laundry than it is to get 3 kids ready and go to the store, plus, you always buy more stuff at the store, so that saves money, too LOL.

Q: If I do go ahead how many fitted diapers should I order to start of with for when I bring the baby home?
A: I would order 6 to see if you like them. You might not like them, so you wouldn't want 2 dozen plus. You can wash them with the towels - NO FABRIC SOFTENER, to get a full load. Once you see what you like the best, I would get 30 total. You would probably need about 8-10 covers to be comfortable. A lot of times, especially in the newborn phase, I would just rinse out a cover in the sink and hang it to dry in the bathroom (right by the heater) or out on the line. You can re-use the covers a few times before washing them. Of course, I always wash it with detergent after a bm.

Q: DO you think with the costs of water and laundry powder and power they do save money?
A: For me, absolutely. I use liquid detergent, and only half the recommended amount, so $3.79 for the premium stuff does 64 loads of wash for me. We already do about 10 loads of laundry a week, so what's a few more. I did not notice a jump in power or water costs. It's way more costly to fill the kiddie pool. I also use cloth wipes, saving even more money.

Thanks Rachel... after seeing the price of Huggies today 38.00 per box, I figured ordering the Olliemates (which sound like fuzzibuns) would pay for themselves in no time.

Thanks a lot for your QA !!

[Kensbev]

I'm so excited! I just got my diapers in, so I'm ready to get started using CDs on my baby girl. I know you need to wash prefolds before you use them. Can anyone tell me how many times is recommended? I know that the washing fluffs them up and makes them absorbent, so I want to do it enough to max that out, but I don't want to wash them 5 times too many, lol. We're prepared for a slightly higher water/electric bill, but I don't see any need to waste water, KWIM?

[Aalena]

My instructions say about 3 times. Then pour a little water on them to see if it absorbs the water. If the water rolls off, wash and dry again. If it absorbs, you're ready.

[Rach]

You don't have to wash them so many times. Just be sure to change more often the first couple weeks because they won't be at maximum absorbency yet. Don't be discouraged if you get a few leaks. Once they fluff up nice and good, you'll be amazed.
Also, if you need more absorbency, you can get some hemp to pair them with.

[Kensbev]

Thanks for the help, girls! Sorry I haven't replied to this before, but I've been a little consumed with the normal being a mom stuff, plus the cloth diapering learning curve! I think we've pretty much got CDing off to a decent start, with a few mess-ups. Lol, I'll just say I'm grateful that I'm doing it for my kids and not for the cost savings. Cause it'll be a loooong time before I start saving money, with all the money I've had to sink into this. Mostly because I don't know what I'm doing, but life is a learning experience, right?

[EmJo]

For people who want/need to use cheap prefolds, wool diaper belts are available at theECstore.com. They really facilitate changing--much faster than pins. And only one or two of each size are needed.

[Cheeseburger]

I was thinking of buying these prefolds for newborn and sewing covers.... then use pocket dipes when baby start moving more (we already have medium fuzzi bunz)

http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_...roducts_id=277

so, what do I need to make these prefolds work... what kind of fasteners etc? Can I sew my own covers and what kind of material should i buy for the covers?

I am buying PUL & fleece to make larger pocket dipes for katherine when she outgrows her fuzzi bunz, but am interesting in what the best choice for a prefold cover for an infant would be.

[Rach]

I loved snappis for prefolds.

Covers you'll need PUL )celticcloths.com has a nice selection)
FOE
aplix or touchtape or a snap press
polyester thread
a pattern

[Jill]

This may be a silly question but what are the benefits (other than being environmentally friendly) to cloth diapers? Are they better for the babies? Cheaper? I am interested in making the switch but I wanted to gather info first. Thanks!