Calling all Moms who have cloth diapered. Please, tell me all about it. Everything!! Spare no detail.
I would like to cloth diaper this baby, but I have no experience and I won't be able to easily shop for different brands and types once baby is here. So I would like to make a nice informed decision by June when I'm in Canada and try to pick up most of what I need then. I realize that this may be idealistic, since every bum and lifestyle has slightly different diapering needs, but I want to try.
I would also like to do at least part time Elimination Communication (EC) with this baby, right from newborn. So if anyone out there has experience with newborn and nighttime EC, please speak up! I still haven't wrapped my head around how those particular parts would work since I started Micah on the potty at 4 months.
Given that plan, I know that I will want some flat and prefold diapers as part of my collection. My research indicates that I will probably want to buy a variety of brands and types of diapers because some are easier than others for going out/other caregivers/every day use.
How do you handle wet and dirty diapers daily? Diaper pail? Wet bag? How about when you go out? Disposibles? Wet bag? Zip Loc?
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Hey Dana...this is just my opinion. I used cloth diapers on Kai until he was one.
ReplyDelete-We used disposable diapers at night (baby can sleep longer because they don't feel wet) and when going out (just for convenience).
-I like all in ones the best (not sep. diaper and cover. Less leaking and much faster/easier.
-negatives: it is tough because their bums are SO big that its hard to fit into clothes. Also, you have to change the diaper WAY more often.
-we would rinse it right away and stick it in a garbage pail with vinegar in it. They need to be washed within a couple days though.
-Flushies are the best...they are flushable liners that take most of the poop away and make cleaning up way easier. Just like a type of toilet paper...get it at WalMart.
-We used fleece liners to absorb more and prevent leakage
-I used `Motherease' diapers and didn't love them. I know there are way better ones out there now.
-I found cloth diapers easier to clean etc. once they were on solids
Sorry, can't help you much!
I have tons to say but not enough energy tonight! Will add more later...will also ask my friend asheya to add her advice to the bunch, as she has cloth diapered 2 and ECd 1 possibly 2; her second baby was ECd from day one and I think she might do it at night sometimes...
ReplyDeleteHi Dana,
ReplyDeleteMelissa let me know about your questions, so I thought I'd pop on over! Congratulations on your pregnancy! I'm pregnant with my third too - due in July.
Cloth diapers (what I have found works):
For the first 3-4 months you should use a fitted diaper sized for your baby's weight and/or prefolds for your baby's small size. I have heard from other moms that fitted diapers that are great are Kissaluvs. You should have about 4-6 covers so that you have enough for poops on the cover and while you are washing them.
My personal favourite cover is the organic merino wool cover from Organic Caboose. I LOVE wool. I just discovered it with my 2nd baby. Wool actually will keep moisture away from baby's clothing, although it is not "water proof" in the sense that plastic is. What I love about the wool covers is that they allow baby's skin to breathe, reducing diaper rash. Especially if you are practicing EC, wool is the way to go, as you will want to be changing baby every time she is wet/poopy anyway. If you change her everytime she is wet then there will be no pee going through to the clothes. Because these are expensive, I would probably only get 2 of these covers and then have a few other plastic type covers on hand in case of messes.
When your baby is a bit bigger I would suggest switching to a one size diaper. These will last until your baby is out of diapers, so they are a great value. We have used the Mother-Ease brand which is fairly good, although they don't have elastic around the legs so they don't contain poops as well. The Mother-Ease covers are great though; we never had any leaks of any kind through the cover. The covers are not one size. You could also buy the next size up of fitted diapers and prefolds in the brand you have found works well.
Some really cute diapers are the BerryPlush by Jamtots. They are extremely soft on the outside of the cover (like a teddy bear!), and completely waterproof. You can use these with their insert, with a fitted diaper, or with a prefold. They are not that great at containing poops on their own, but with a fitted diaper they work well (and they are probably still on par with disposables at containing poops without a fitted diaper underneath).
If you are looking for a nighttime diaper or diaper that is very absorbent and wicks away moisture so your baby doesn't feel wet (sometimes can be useful for car trips or when you have your baby out for a walk in a cold climate and know you won't be able to change their diaper) then I suggest Baby Kangas one size pocket diaper by Jamtots, with their 3 layer insert.
You can view most of these diapers at my store at www.duenorthdelivery.com
I would suggest using a dry pail, and if you are finding you need a bit of soaking time for the poopy diapers then just toss all the diapers into the washing machine and put it on soak in cold water for an hour. Wash on hot with a scent free, dye free, phosphate free detergent (don't use Ivory, that is just marketing and it is not actually good for baby or the diapers). If you think there is too much soap residue you can always put it on a second rinse, but that's optional.
When I go out I always use cloth diapers, as they are much better at containing messes than disposables. I bring with me a wet bag made by Jamtots, or if I forget that then I just use a plastic grocery bag. Even if you are out shopping and have forgotten to bring a bag, you can usually get one from a store. When I have been completely at a loss I sometimes have just folded the diaper up so the least wet part is exposed and put it on the floor of my car or the basket of my stroller until I get home.
Thoughts on EC:
Get a potty bowl. This made EC'ing my infant so much easier. You can purchase them at my store (Canadian) or there is a US website that sells them too. I did EC at night while she was still pooping at night, because it was easier than cleaning a poopy diaper. My basic method for EC was just to pop her on the potty whenever she woke up, or if I thought she might need to pee or poo (farting, squirming). After the meconium passed I think we pretty much caught all her poos for a few months. It was pretty amazing how she would wait until she was on the potty to poop! I didn't try to catch all her pees, because I found this pretty much impossible, since as a baby she was peeing every 20-30 minutes. I wouldn't have been doing anything else except nursing and sitting with her on the potty! But I did change her diaper every time it was wet, and if I noticed she was peeing I would cue her with the "psssss" sound. I decided to stop doing night ECing when she stopped pooping at night because I wasn't getting enough sleep. At 3 months she started making a "pbbbbb" sound to let me know she needed to go to the bathroom. It was pretty amazing.
I have found that with mobility comes a whole different set of challenges in terms of EC - she won't stay on the potty, so I am concentrating on just trying to communicate with her about whether she is wet or poopy and change her right away.
I'm really enjoying that we can communicate about what she needs (even though right now that still means poopy diapers) and I hope it will lead to earlier potty independence, but we will see.
Other suggestions I have for making EC'ing easier is to dress your baby in a shirt or onesie, a diaper, and then leggings instead of pants. This makes it easy to whip off the diaper to get baby on the potty in time, and it also makes it easy for you to check the status of their diaper to change them frequently. Don't use sleepers as they are not useful (in my experience). You can also put a diaper on your baby without a cover, which will give you instant feedback as to whether they have peed.
Well, this is probably the longest comment you have ever gotten! Feel free to email me if you have more questions asheya (at) alumni (dot) sfu (dot) ca.
heya! I asked my friend asheya to check you out and offer her advice. She's a busy girl but hopefully she'll drop by.
ReplyDeletei've used nikkis, which are a flannelette, shaped diaper (not a prefold) with a polyester cover that comes seperately. they were nice, but the flannelette wears out quicker than fleece and takes a while to absorb pee.
I've also used terrycloth, which are nice especially for toddlers because they are towel like and absorb lots of pee pretty quickly.
The absolute best covers I've found are Bummis whisper wraps. Not impressed with Mother Ease.
Unlike my cousin Sara or Louise, I DON"T like the all in one with the cover attached, because the runny stinky poops tend to get trapped in the diaper somehow and are really hard to get the smell out of. If your kid doesn't have stinky runny poops, not a problem.
If they do, problem.
the diapers I have now are really nice. Fleece against baby's skin, and terrycloth on the side away from baby's skin. The terrycloth absorbs and holds the pee; the fleece whicks it away from Riley's skin. And on the outside I put a Bummis cover.
Apparantly pocket diapers are nice? They are all in ones.
I wouldn't go prefold if I were you. Lotsa work, not the best absorbency, and you're not poor as crap. So why bother? But of course you know yourself best. I just know it's already work to constantly launder, organize, and deal with the dirties for cloth diapers. Why add to your work by using prefolds? Especially with 3 kids?
My 2 cents on that one.
Also; if you want to EC you probably want to be able to get the diaper on and off in a hurry? Velcro would be fastest. Snaps are next fastest for removal, although slower for putting on. Velcro always gets full of lint after 50 washes or so, and thats irritating. i like saps on the diaper, and velcro on the cover (despite lint woes).
Also; important! the best way to make your cloth diapering life easier is to have tons of diapers. 60 or 70 will get you thru a week, i have 12 covers minimum (in each of the sizes, except large, I never need large even for 3 year olds--the all in ones are crap, they leak because theyre never the right size). 30 or 40 will get you through 4 days or so. 4 days' worth minimum, I would say. You can get by with less but will wind up in disposables more often as you really can't wash them all every day!
That's all I have time for now! Will come back later...crying baby!
im sorry, i meant the one size fits all covers are crap. they fold and snap for different sizes. ok really have to go!!
ReplyDeleteokay, back for more.
ReplyDeleteWet and dirty diapers:
with my diaper service I throw them all in the same 'dry bag' inside my diaper pail.
when I washed my own, I had two pails, both wet, one for pees and one for poops. I didn't know about dry pailing then, but I like it WAY better and it doesn't seem to stink any more than wet pailing.
When I wet pailed I had to wash the poop pail very often otherwise it would wreck the diapers.
For outings, I have two medium sized Bummis waterproof, nylon bags with drawstring. The reason I have 2 is because I use them all the time so I need to be able to wash one and use the other. Any type of reusable, washable, waterproof bag that closes will do; ziplock gets expensive after awhile, and the main reason I cloth diaper is for environmental reasons so ziplock isn't that great for the environment. Like Asheya, if I forget my waterproof dirty diaper bag, I use a plastic shopping bag (I always keep one tied in a small knot at the bottom of my diaper bag and another in my car), and if I forget that TOO, I have simply folded it either inside the cover or carefully placed on the floor of the car, or wrapped in restroom paper towel and put back in my diaper bag.
Another reason to have tons of diapers is that I keep my diaper bag packed all the time so I don't have to remember to pack it before we go out. If you don't have many diapers you will always be pilfering your diaper bag for a clean one!
It is quite a commitment. In the end, if you use cloth, you get used to the extra work and generate a system that works for your particular needs/baby and it doesn't feel like as much work once you get going! I really like not having a dirty diaper garbage to deal with. Those always stink no matter what system you use!
oh, and for overnights I use a bigger sized diaper than what they are in during the day, and put an extra pad or two inside. Then my kids seem to not wake up from the hefty pee, nor do the diapers leak.
ReplyDeletehope that helps!!
I am eating up the long and detailed comments!! Thanks so much ladies. Tons of wonderful food for thought!
ReplyDeleteI'm off to do some diaper surfing!