Monday, January 25, 2010

Cloth Diapering help from the PROS

So I think that most of you probably know that I am just starting out Cloth diapering....started a few months ago. We don't even have enough diapers to do full time CDing. So I use cloth until they are all dirty and then use sposies while the diapers are washing and drying. I think that my diaper grand total is up to 9-10...and I have 7 coming in the mail now.

So I have a few questions for you seasoned Cloth Diapering PROS

#1-What is your night time diapering routine? So far I have used BumGenius and Rumparoos. What is the best fabric for absorbency and for not leaking? My little man is almost 18 months old and sleeps 12 hours every night.....so I need something that will last that whole time and not leak. What are your favorite night time diapers?

#2- Do you have a diaper sprayer to clean the poopy diapers off or do you have a super special method of getting the nasty poops off......without pukeing. And also how clean do you need to get them (all poop off or just most) before putting them in the dry bag??

#3-What do you do with the poopy wipes since you dont leave them inside of the diaper like you do in a sposie? I havn't found a good solution to this problem. I cant just throw them in the trash because they are STINKY....but i dont want to have to go buy like a diaper genie?? What do you do??
 
#4-What is your washing routine?? I wash once on HOT and then once on COLD with planet laundry soap. First of all how much soap do you actually need to use? I know that it is not as much as it says on the bottle...i usually just guess. Second....what do I do with diapers that the inserts are attached to the diaper? I dont want to dry the PUL but they take FOREVER to dry if I just hang them up. If it was summer I would just hang them outside...but what is a good winter solution?
 
Thanks so much for your help!!! I really appreciate it......I am definitely not a pro at this.

15 comments:

  1. You should really consider using cloth wipes. It really makes things so much simpler. I made mine using old receiving blankets, but you could buy cheap flannel too. Cut out the size you want (I like 6 in x 6 in) and zig-zag stitch the edges. You can do 1 layer or 2, depending on your preference. I know some people use a wipes solution, but I just wet mine and put them in an old wipes container.

    We use a BumGenius OS at night stuffed with their newborn insert/doubler and a SuperDo insert. My daughter is a heavy wetter and this is the only solution that has worked for us so far.

    Good luck!

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  2. I wish I could help! But I can't wait to find out some the answers! I'm going to start cloth diapering my little guy once he finally makes his arrival and we get rid of all the disposables people bought for us!

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  3. So when using cloth wipes do you just throw them in the wash with the poo still on them or what do you do about that??

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  4. My daughter is still exclusively breastfed, so I just toss them in there dirty. I'm not sure about what to do once they're eating solids. I hope that someone else can answer that question because I'll need to know soon too!

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  5. -I use a pocket bumgenious with the insert it comes with and a hemp insert on the side further from the bum
    -I use cloth wipes after I wipe up as much as I can with the diaper. I throw the wipe in the pail than use my sprayer on the diaper. I spay as much as I can off. I the wipe is too poopy I will spray it
    -I wash on short was cold to not set in the stains which a hot wash would do. Then I add detergent to a hot wash with an extra rinse. I use 1/4 of the recommended detergent or the recommended rockin green
    -right not I throw everything but the bag an flip covers in the dryer but come summer I will air dry

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  6. I agree about the cloth wipes. The more you think about it, the more it just makes sense! My daughter is almost one, so her poo is pretty solid and most times the wipes don't get that dirty. If they are not too bad, I thrown them in the pail with the diapers. If they have more substance one them, I rinse them off before putting them in the pail. I don't have a sprayer, but I do have a utility sink, so I spray diapers off in there, and I don't spray until all the poo is gone, just most of it. I run the diapers through a cold cycle without detergent and then a hot cycle with 2 tablespoons of Rockin Green. Oh, and for night time, Bum Genius with a hemp insert is the only choice for us (my daughter also sleeps about 12 hours). Keep up the good work!

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  7. I'm not going to be a lot of help being that I just ordered my arsenal of cloth diapers yesterday to get started. I have been doing a lot of research, though. If you go to the Diaper Junction or other CDing websites, they give you a TON of info that will help. I bought a sprayer because I am not about to use any other special method to clean those poopies! LOL! I am also wondering about what to do with the wipies,though. I did get some cloth wipes and can cut up the old receiving blankets (thanks Kayla!) but I just bought a case of disposable wipes! Good luck with getting your answers!

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  8. #1 - Nighttime - This was a tricky one for us for awhile, as my son is quite the heavy wetter. What we use now, and have been using for quite awhile are Happy Heiny's OS diapers (I'm sure Fuzzy Bunz or BunGenius Os would do the trick as well). I put it on the largest setting and stuff the crap out of it! :) I stuff it with a regular prefold folded into thirds, then I use TWO doublers folded into thirds and put them in the diaper on the spot where he pees the most. The poor kid can hardly walk, but who needs to walk when they're sleeping. This method lasts 12 hours + - and no leaks!

    #2 - I LOVE my diaper sprayer. Sadly, it just headed to the garbage yesterday, I'm already on the hunt for a new one. I used the Bungenius diaper sprayer - it's awesome! As far as how much I clean off...I try to get most of it off before sticking it in the dry bag, I'm not especially particular though.

    #3 - I use cloth wipes and make my own solution:
    2 c. water
    2 Tbsp Olive Oil
    2 Tbsp Baby Wash
    2 drops Tea Tree Oil
    Works like a charm!

    #4 - Washing routine - I use All free & clear (or some other free& clear alternative), seems to work fine for me. Do NOT use Tide - you can really feel the build up on the diapers after they're dry and they do not absorb to their maximum potential. I actually hang my diapers in the basement in the winter time, it humidifies the house as well...it does take FOREVER, but if you have a large enough stash, it's not really a big deal.

    I hope this helps. I'll be happy to answer any questions. We've been cloth diapering our son for 19 months and our daughter for 7 weeks, I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

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  9. I would love to hear more answers to question one since I am still a chicken to try nights with cloth with my heavy wetter. :)
    #2- I use flushable liners, though we may have to do something else as we are moving to an older house and I don't want to clog our pipes (plus it is currently septic and liners tend to say not recemmended for septic). Right now if we don't use liners most of the poo will come off if I lightly agitate the dipe over the toilet. If there is anything too stubborn I use toilet paper to try to get it off. You don't have to get all poo off. Just as much of the more formed stuff as you can.
    #3 I have a post about this question on my blog. http://lynifer.blogspot.com/2010/01/tips-tuesday.html
    #4- I do a COLD rinse (add some baking soda if doing a hardcore cleaning and have stinkies). Then a HOT wash on the longest cycle setting. My washer has the option of double rinse (you always want to double rinse as far as I can tell by others). I use planet soap too. :) The consensus I have found is about 1/3 to 1/2 of what the container says to use for the size load you have. For me, if it isn't a cover or wetbag, it goes in the dryer. I don't have a clothes line at all except in the basement, so dryer is the way for me to go. So far my PUL has come out fine as long as you listen to the tag. If it says I can tumble dry, I do.
    Sorry this was long. I am sorta new to this too (three months or so), but this is what I have come up with.

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  10. I have been cd'ing for about a year full time, like you we did dipes til they ran out, then sposies and so on until we had enough. we bought her bg's for christmas because she was a newborn, so that helped, then we bought more when on sale, and I have won a few diapers from giveaways. So we have plenty (but I'd love more!). I just use a bg double stuffed, but my baby no longer sleeps 12 hours, its a long story that involves annoying neighbors. I don't have a sprayer. I shake over toilet, use tp or kleenex if its not chunky, and I have dipped a couple of times, but i take the insert out and just swish the cover, and then hold the drippy cover over the absorbent inserts until I get to the pail. hold your nose, as long as its not chunky, should be okay.

    We just switched to cloth wipes, but the wipe solution is outrageously expensive, i have a few samples, but think i will just use water. someone recently said, use a half/half wipe with wet half to wipe, dry with dry half for a pee, wipe with a wet one for poo, dry with a dry one. I tried that and works pretty well, even without solution. However, we used sposie wipes until 2 weeks ago and didn't have excess stink in an open trash can. if you're using an aIO you kind of have to dry them that's all I can say, since you dont have a big stash, I;d suggest getting more pockets or prefold systems instead of AIOS. We use planet, we're washing about 15 diapers at a time, plus wipes and I'm using a medium water setting 'heavy' cycle using enough planet to cover the bottom of the cap, cold wash, then same amt on a hot wash, and then an extra large rinse. we've changed washers a few times but that's the gist. soap cold, soap hot, big rinse.

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  11. Howdy! I am your newest blog follower from The Mamazone's FriendsDay.

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  12. Hi there. I have no experience with cloth diapering, but I think your blog is adorable and I'm following you from my WednesDay is FriendsDay linkup. Thanks for linking.

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  13. HI! I'm a new follower from the mamazone's wednesday/friendsday link-up!

    Suzi

    www.confessionsofafitnessinstructor.com

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  14. I'm not a pro, but I have done a ton of research and do a little bit of experience.

    #1 Night time routine - a double stuffed BumGenius worked up until DS was 3 months old and then that started leaking. Now we use a triple stuffed BumGenius (one big insert and two small ones), a Nifty Nappy Fitted with the hemp/bamboo insert or Bububebe Fitted with all three snap in inserts. I also will sometimes us superdo in a BumGenius pocket and that works too.

    #2 DS is still exclusively breastfed so I don't need this yet.

    #3 Cloth wipes are so much easier to use with cloth diapers than disposable wipes.

    #4 I either do a cold rinse or cold short wash to rinse the poop off without setting the stain and then do a hot heavy wash with an extra rinse. I use Crunchy Clean detergent, so I just use the amount they recommend. I dry my AIOs in the dryer. It hasn't seemed to hurt the PUL on them yet.

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  15. OK so this is what I do:
    1. I uses fitteds with a cover at night. Usually extra hemp inserts. I have a heavy wetter.
    2. Yes I have a diaper sprayer and would die without it. I try to get as much as possible off.
    3. I have not switched to cloth wipes, but want to. I do have a seperated diaper pail for the wipes. It was just a small flip top pail and then my diapers go in the pail next to it.
    4. I rinse on warm, wash on hot, and rinse again on cold. I use rockingreen soap. I usually line dry, but If I have to put in the dryer (rain) then I hang my pockets and covers. And just wash the inserts. IF they are the attached snap on ones I unsnap them and put just the absorbant part in the dryer.

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