Diapers Q&A - Why are my cloth diapers useless?

Why are my cloth diapers useless?

They do not hold ANY piss whatsoever. I may as well wrap the kid in toilet paper. I thought it was because I was wrapping her wrong but I even tested pouring some water on the "absorbent" side and could feel it instantly leak through the other side. WTF? These are the Gerber ones...not some cheap off brand. What is this plastic liner everyone is talking about? What is it called and where do I get it?

Public Comments

Are you using the plastic diaper cover the cloth diaper? To help prevent the run through.
When using cloth diapers, you are suppose to put a plastic lined cover over them.
I found you had to wash brand new diapers about 100 times in very hot water, including drying them 100 times between each wash before they really started to absorb properly. Dont use fabric softner of any kind and once in a while the diapers need to be "stripped" of any soap residue. You can do this by washing them in soda and vinegar on a really hot cycle. I had a hard time too...we only managed to use cloth for about 1 month before I gave up. Not to mention, my son grew so fast we had to keep buying the next size of covers..which cost a fortune. Hang in there, if you are persistant, you'll get them to work.
You have to use a waterproof diaper cover. That prevents the pee from coming out. The cloth diapers just hold it.
Look on the bright side, they make great spit clothes. I am always washing spit rags.
http://www.borntolove.com/column7.html Check out this link. It had some very interesting information which you might find helpful. No mention of Gerber brand though.
honey.........Gerber IS cheap!!! Gerber only has the name go with their products....not necessarily quality.......if you want to cloth diaper.....which is aswsome by the way......you HAVE to buy quality and what we think of as "off brand" can really be the way to go in cloth diapering do an internet search....there are wonderful wonderful vendors out there of fitted diapers.....many of which are work at home moms i use fitted hemp/cotton blend from Growing Greens and Crickett's and they fricken rock.........cloth diapers have come a LONG way since prefolds and flats forget cheap as Gerber prefolds.....if you want Gerber you need to buy their Diaper Service Quality style..... and yeah you need a quality cover over cloth those same websites i am talking about sell covers too....just search engine "cloth diaper" good luck
Well, I'm not sure Gerber really makes the best cloth diapers, either. Check out http://www.diaperpin.com. They've got tons of information about cloth diapers. It can be a bit overwhelming, but you might try seeing if there's a cloth diaper or natural parenting yahoo group in your area to get more hands-on information! You need to use some kind of cover with your kind of cloth diapers, which it doesn't sound like you're doing. I personally use the Bummis Super Whisper Wraps: http://www.bummis.com/. But there are other good brands as well (the diaperpin.com site has reviews of several). Good luck!
Gerber diapers aren't very good. And with prefolds you have to use some sort of cover.
most of my cloth diapering hippie friends hate the gerber ones!! to them that is a cheap off brand.... these are the types they all use... http://www.fuzzibunz.com/ http://www.kissaluvs.com/ http://www.mother-ease.com/ using cloth diapers w/out some kind of cover is really only good for the tiniest newborn who doesn't pee much and is changed frequently... covers like these are the most effective from what I can see: http://www.fuzzibunz.com/fuzzi_bunz_diapers.php these have a pocket, that you fill with a folded or prefolded cloth insert... this what I use w/ the boy I babysit... and he's taken some long naps after a huge bottle and woken up still dry!
Can you SEE through the gerber diaper? Those aren't good in use for diapers. Even after a quality cloth diaper is made absorbant you STILL have to change after a pee or two. And of course ALWAYS use a diaper cover.
Gerber IS the "cheap" brand when it comes to cloth diapers... They don't hold worth a squat. I made my own diapers out of towels/flannel sheets, but you can buy "indian" cotton prefolds that are FAR more absorbent. Until then, though, you may have to double-diaper your baby. And the PUL (plastic) diaper covers can be fitted like a disposable to cover the cloth and keep the wetness in. I bought all mine on eBay, actually. ProRap is the best brand of diaper covers from my experience. They have a polyurethane liner on the inside and on the outside it's like soft (I think it's polyester or cotton). That should help out alot!! Quality diapers AND covers make a huge difference!
Please go to http://www.thediaperpin.com Start reading about cloth diapers and covers. It sounds to me like you 1) Need to get new type of diaper. The gerber prefolds really aren't good for anything other than burp cloths. 2) Need some covers. They do not have to be the plastic ones that most people associate with cloth diapers. I use only wool because it is the most breathable and gentle on baby's skin.
because we are in the 21st century?
Yep, that's about right for the Gerber brand. Gerber brand diapers are the cheap off brand, but don't throw them out yet. They make good changing pads. Check out these diapers: http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=89 http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=100 http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=284 http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=148 For me, cloth diapers have been very enjoyable. I think that these awesome diapers are the reason. They do cost more than the Gerber brand, but you'll make it up in time. Good luck to you!
Part of the problem is that it's a Gerber diaper. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP Then I need to ask if you have been using bleach on your diapers, if you have, then you have broken down the fibers in the cloth to the point that it won't absorb any pee any more. They become useless if you wash them in bleach. Also don't use fabric softener on diapers, it coats the fibers and keeps them from absorbing the pee so that between the two, you might as well not put a diaper on the child at all. I hope this helps. Good Luck.