Diapers Q&A

Cloth Diapers??

I have a 9 month old daughter. When we first had her I was all for disposable diapers but as I have used them I hate them. I am pregnant with my second child and I have thought maybey I would give cloth diapers a shot. I need to know what to buy. They make the cloth ones but there so thin. Everyone in my family has used disposables so no help there. Also when you change baby do you soak the diapers? Do they stain when you wash them? I would really love some input on this. Okay what do you mean soak them in a pail? Like a bucket? If thats the case when I have my second child my girl will only be 15 mths and I would be worried that she would drown. Could I put them in something with a lid?

Public Comments

1. i never used the cloth ones because ive heard they are more trouble than they are worth...but if you do use them i highly recommend getting a diaper service instead of tryignt o do it all on your own! they come and pickt hem up and wash them for you and drop off the clean ones...
2. I've used cloth diapers, and they are not that much trouble. Buy the best you can afford. There are ones called "pre-folded' and are thick. You need plastic pants to put over the diapers also. Used diapers are soaked in a gentle detergent and water in a pail. Flush or rinse diapers that have a BM in the toilet before putting in the pail. Wash with hot water, bleach, and detergent. My kids never had a rash with cloth diapers. Good luck.
3. Cloth diapers are awesome! I would highly recommend! You buy them, use them, and wash. Repeat (except for the buying part, but plenty have fun doing that too!). It's that easy, seriously. If you wash everyday then there is no need to soak your diapers; I don't and all my diapers are stain-free. I wash mine in hot water w/ a little bit of baking soda (for freshness), vinegar (to help soften), and whatever detergent is around (my son is not sensitive, so no problems here). Try Google for the various places to find cloth diapers. Your best bet is going to be online since department stores only carry pre-folds or Kushies, and both of those are lame. I would reccomend AIOs or pockets because they are the closest thing to disposables, as far as a trim fit (well, depending on the brand), ease of use (velcro or snaps), and no need for a cover. Here is a great website to educate yourself about cloth and the different options you have: http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp There is a dictionary, reviews, and FAQs. Just go for it! You will be happy you did and save thousands of dollars as well. The upfront cost only takes a couple months to pay for itself. Oh and BTW - Using a diaper service is stupid and a waste of money.
4. I recently started using cloth on my now 19 month when he was 15-16 months or so. Initially I used the pre-folds which were okay, but did the job. Then I received my miracle diaper package and now have better pre-folds, and pocket diapers (bumkins no less!!!). I prefer the bumkins at this stage as their inserts absorb nicely, they are much less bulky and rather easy to wash and line dry. As for newborns, I read somewhere, it's about containment instead of absorbency. Which diapers contain best for newborns though?? Not too sure, but will need to search that for myself very soon so I can start my newborn collection. As for soaking/ washing and what not. My toilet is perfectly placed whithin reach of my removable shower head so that I can wash the poop off into the toilet without worry! But there are min-showerheads that you actually attach to your toilet. I was adviced to use a dry pail (no soaking) and love it! Since my poopy diapers are already rinsed off, I just throw them in still wet (no need to wring them) so that the darker spots don't dry and possibly permanently stain the diaper. I use pre-soak with cold water in my washer the first time washing, and wash them an additional time on hot water with both baking soda and vinegar to rinse them nicely as well as disinfect (vinegar is a natural disenfectent). I then line dry them all outside (unless a bad day, then inside). The sun is a natural bleacher so there is another way to fight off those dark spots (this also works for kids clothing). I then fluff them in the dryer on no heat to soften them up. Good Luck if you so choose this route, I have enjoyed it and love the money saved!! To add on, the pail can be anything with a lid. A smaller trash can that has a snap on lid so your daughter can't open it or just about anything with a lid if you do dry pail. I already had my Diaper Champ from when we used disposables, and found it worked great as a dry pail. It does have tiny opening at a certain level, and that means smells can get out, so after each time I wash the diapers (every other day roughly because that's all the room I have in the pail), I set the Diaper Champ outside open all day to air out. Then every other time of sitting outside, I drop a few drops of lavender essential oil to freshen it up (lavender covers all smells almost and is a natural anti-bacterial). And another thing, when you buy them brand new, you have to wash and dry them a whole lot till they fluff up (this is mainly for prefold, but liners and AIO's also need to be washed, but don't fluff the same way) before using them. And never again dry them on high heat after using them the first time or else you risk the chance of setting those stains!
5. Check out this web site for some unique cloth diapers: www.softclothbunz.com I wish I could help you more. I used disposable diapers because they were easiest for my busy lifestyle. The only thing I know about soaking the diapers is that after you rinse out the feces in the toilet, you put the diapers in a pail that has some sort of a disinfectant in it, Pine Sol, Lysol, etc. with water and let them soak until ready to wash. You have to wash in very hot water. Some people recommend using a detergent that is made to wash baby clothing like Dreft, but any detergent will do, just double rinse. Best wishes.
6. i love love my cloth diapers i have hemp crickets and growing greens....i so wish i had these for my first daughter you don't need to soak them in anything....no pinesol or something harsh like that....no bleach there are great vendors on the web.......do a search engine and check it out....you will get hooked!...it's addicting i promise but you have to buy quality not matter the diaper system you choose....you can't buy the cheapies from wal-mart and expect to be happy.....so spending about $200-$400 on your startup cost is reasonable on quality diapers.....but that is no comparison to spending $2000 on sposies and wipes over 2-3 years i also cloth wipe your best bet is to buy one size fits all fitteds....they grow with your baby from birth to potty train and all vendor sites will sell covers for your diapers and tell you how to care for them, how to wash(according to the fabric) and how to use them good luck!
7. I recommend one-size pocket diapers. Do some research on those and see if you agree. They fit from 8 pounds until toddlerhood. AIOs and pockets seem the most like disposables because they go on and are velcro'd in one step. The prefolds you have to fold and then put a cover over them. You don't need to soak the diapers. Just put them in a pail and rinse them before you toss them into the laundry. One girl mentioned the attachment to the toilet. That is what I have. Most of the time they don't stain. If they do a little oxy clean gets the stain out also you can hang the diaper in the sun and the sun will bleach the stain out. I also agree with one of the other girls that mentioned the cost. I bought my 24 one-size pockets, 38 liners and 36 wipes (yep, bought the cloth wipes too) for $230 and that is all I ever need to buy. It costs between $2000 and $3000 to put a baby in disposables.