Cloth Diapering

Not so complicated, after all...

Sometimes I read about people stripping their diapers like once a month, or having totally convoluted, over the top wash routines to deal with stink. I find myself pretty frequently saying that CDing really just shouldn't be that hard, and there is usually a much more simple solution. I wonder how many newbies and lurkers think that CDing is super time or energy consuming. I remember being a newb and feeling totally overwhelmed. ON fitteds, hemp, bamboo, and wool? CD safe detergents? Ammonia and barnyard smells? Repelling? It seemed like everything was way more intense than I was prepared for, especially as a FTM. I was shocked when it turned out to be really easy.

So what do you do that makes CDing seem more difficult or complicated than it really is (or would be for most people)?

What do you do that makes CDing less burdensome than it may appear (I'm looking at you, Tide users!)? 

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Re: Not so complicated, after all...

  • More complicated:

    I use only natural fiber inserts. I see people with newborns, or who are still pregnant, posting sometimes and worrying about using microfiber inserts. While I use, prefer, and love my natural fibers, a ton of people happily use MF for the duration of their CD experience.

    I soak my ON inserts to prevent ammonia stink because I found it helped get the inserts truly clean.

    Less complicated:

    i dryer dry my shells on low sometimes.

    i never (or at least very rarely) have problems like leaks, rashes, repelling, or stink. I've only had to strip when I had to switch detergents, which was once.

    I don't do ON fitteds OR wool. We've always just been fine with inserts and a pocket or cover. 

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  • Hmm... I think my problems right now are caused by having a baby with super long skinny legs. I have to be really careful how I put the diapers on her to avoid leaking.

    Also I now have newborn diapers and preschooler overnight diapers. I had no problems for 6 months when washing overnight diapers with other laundry and a full scoop of Tide. Washing with just diapers and less detergent was causing stink problems in the overnight inserts. I never knew I should be soaking the overnight inserts separately before washing.

    But other than those two things, I think cloth diapering has been really easy. The extra laundry hasn't been a big deal at all, and stuffing pockets isn't even that time consuming. I do mostly dry everything in the dryer. I also only do pockets or AIOs because I have no desire to try to figure out a prefold or a system that needs a cover.

    Annalise Marie 05.29.06
    Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
    Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
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  • imageAngela814:

    Also I now have newborn diapers and preschooler overnight diapers. I had no problems for 6 months when washing overnight diapers with other laundry and a full scoop of Tide. Washing with just diapers and less detergent was causing stink problems in the overnight inserts. I never knew I should be soaking the overnight inserts separately before washing.

    If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Wink
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  • CLLDLLCLLDLL member

    More complicated - I was trying to make every diaper I purchased work for my baby.  Once I just sold the ones that didn't fit and bought more of what did, I've been happy. 

    Also we were trying so hard to make the one detergent we could get at our Target/Walmart work and it just doesn't with our hard water.  Turns out the CD safe kind that our local CD store sells isn't that much more expensive and it works great.

    Easier - I've recently realized that I just love fitteds and prefolds.  Why didn't I just buy all of them and not mess with anything else.  I mean I do have the AC love, but wow so much easier to take care of prefolds.  And they never leak.  Ever.

    I quit worrying about stains & just sun when I get time & nice weather.

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  • I have only just started, so my answers are very newbie...

    What kept me from starting sooner was how overwhelmed I felt by needing to make the 'right' choices.  After (probably too much) research, I started with pockets and prefolds and I'm quite happy (one week in) with both.  I've found I like the pockets a little more because they're faster, but I'm sure once I get used to the prefolds, it won't be that much different, time-wise.

    I was also really turned off by the cleaning process... cleaning out the poop (which is actually stupendously easy) and washing something with poop on it in my washing machine (which gets done after blow-outs anyway). 

    I haven't found many tricks yet, but laundering every day or every other day isn't that big a deal... I do that anyway to keep from having a mountain of it.  I prefer laying them outside to dry, which takes no time at all.

    It was getting over the hump of how scary it 'seemed' and just going for it that proved to me how easy it can really be.

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  • sarenu1sarenu1 member
    I'm lazy. I've only striped twice and used bleach once.

    The only complicated thing I have is overnight diapering and spraying the prefolds down the next day.

    I hang all my covers and stretch my wash routine to two days. One to wash and one to fold.

    If I wait 3 days to wash, I usually do a warm prewash.
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  • More complicated:

    I bought all these pockets (BG and Kawaii) with aplix for daycare and now have had a ton of stink issues with microfiber.

    Less complicated:

    My Peachy Green AIO and Babykicks 3G pockets with natural fibers wash up amazing and NEVER smell.

    Hmmm....maybe I should just get rid of all of my MF and replace with joey bunz.

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  • imageInto+the+Kitty:
    imageAngela814:

    Also I now have newborn diapers and preschooler overnight diapers. I had no problems for 6 months when washing overnight diapers with other laundry and a full scoop of Tide. Washing with just diapers and less detergent was causing stink problems in the overnight inserts. I never knew I should be soaking the overnight inserts separately before washing.

    If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Wink

    True, but then it broke. :-(

    Annalise Marie 05.29.06
    Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
    Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
  • Complicated: I didn't realize that OS diapers don't truly fit most NBs, and since the OB had me convinced that I was having a 10 pounder, I bought an all OS stash (except for 4 JBs). I spent several weeks trying out the OS every few days to see if they fit yet, and it was rather frustrating.

    Easy: I save my Freetimes to use when we are out of the house so that I don't have to unstuff pockets when I get home. 

                 

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  • imageunaveragejane:

    Easy: I save my Freetimes to use when we are out of the house so that I don't have to unstuff pockets when I get home. 

    Ooh, good tip.

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  • My probs were with the fit bc DD is small. CD is somuch easier than i thought it would be and it actually makes me WANT to do laundry
    Ive only stripped used diapers.

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  • Making it hard:

    My stuffing strategy has gotten past the point where DH can do it. I think it's easy (1 MF + 1 bamboo per daytime dipe... until I run out of those and then I have to double up with something else... and the night time ones have 1 MF, 1 hemp doubler, 1 bamboo insert, and sometimes something else).

    Making it easy:

    All I use is pockets. I wash with Tide F&G. I either hang it all or dump it all in the dryer on low.

  • I think I'm super simple when it comes to cloth.

    -I use Tide, and I've washed with Dawn maybe 3-4 times ever (not because of stink, just as a sort of "preventative" I guess)

    -My stash pocket stash is pretty much all Alvas. I have 2 RaRs but I only use them because I bought them so I figure why not. I have some bamboo inserts but also stuff with my prefolds.

    -My prefold stash is simple bamboo prefolds. I have a snappi but almost never snappi. Even when she was a newborn I did a simple angel wing fold which was just held together with the cover, no snappi cause I couldn't make it work right for me.

    -I wash every other day. Dry out in the sun when the weather allows and in the dry when it doesn't (or when I feel lazy).

    -My overnight is an Alva pocket stuffed with 2 of my bamboo prefolds. Easy-peasy.

    I can't really think of anything I do that is complicated when it comes to this. My DH who forgets everything, knows how to wash our dipes properly. It's just that simple.

    ETA: tokenhosers post reminded me. I let DH wash, but I hate when she stuffs the pockets. I like it done a certain way. I use her cow print dipes as her overnights to stuff with the pockets, one of the Alvas (the blue zoo animal print) gets stuffed with a CB insert because it's awkwardly narrow in the crotch (manufacturing defect) and that's the most absorbant insert to fit. My one Bumkins diaper has a hemp insert, the rest have 1 MF+1 bamboo for the day at daycare and some are just 2 MF (cause I don't have enough bamboo to go around) and then in the drawer I put nightimes on the left, MF+B in the middle and MF+MF on the right. That's probably far more complicated than necessary but I'm just compulsive like that. It also makes me twitch if he stuffs a dipe and I can feel a bunch in the insert. I have to unstuff and re-stuff before I put it on her.

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  • keziaskezias member

    More complicated- I love the feel of sloomb longies so I want to use fitteds and longies for days I am home and at night. 

    Less complicated- I started using Charlie's and I was having problems with repelling, started using Tide and we are smooth sailing. Have done a bleach strip on inserts twice, but not since switching to tide.

    i wash on Tuesday, Thursdays, and Sundays. Sometimes I put them away the same night, sometimes I wait until the next night.  

    I set up 2 custom washes on my washer, the first one a cold soak and spin, then diaper wash 2 with a warm wash and extra rinse.  DH knows how to select appropriate wash and start washer in case I'm gone. 1/2 the time I dry everything in the dryer, lets be honest, if they wear out it gives me an excuse to buy more!  

    Alpex pockets are stuffed and ready for daddy and daycare.  We haven't used a sposie in months and don't even have any that would fit LO.  

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  • imagecandlequeen:
    CD is somuch easier than i thought it would be and it actually makes me WANT to do laundry

    This. I look forward to doing CD laundry... I thought it was just me being crazy :)

    More complicated: I like everything unsnapped when do laundry.

    Don't have an easier yet, but it is really ALOT easier than I thought it was going to be. 

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  • I am fairy new to CD. Logan is only 5 weeks, and the first week we were in the hospital, so we were in disposables.

    Complicated: He was too small for the newborn prefolds to fit trim enough for my liking so I ordered preemie ones. I lived them. He is just now growing out of the absorbency.

    Easy: Everything else. H can even trifold and put a cover on. Logan's poo wasn't explosive enough to need a snappi until a few days ago. Super simple!
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  • lbonga1lbonga1 member
    imageCLLDLL:

    More complicated - I was trying to make every diaper I purchased work for my baby.  Once I just sold the ones that didn't fit and bought more of what did, I've been happy. 

    This is one of my more complicated things too. I keep clinging to the LGBs I bought because my fiance really wanted more aplix, but no matter what we do if DD has an explosive poo, it comes out the legs. I've mostly convinced myself to sell them, but I don't know what other aplix dipes I want to replace them with yet.

    My other more complicated thing is that I got a gDiapers newborn package before I did a lot of research. They seemed really easy, and although I did like the small size until DD fit into her OS pockets, she only fit into the tiny g's for like a week, always got deep red marks with them, and I was really irritated when I found out the cloth inserts don't fit right in them. 

    Less complicated- We keep all the stuff to change DD in storage drawers in the living room since we spend most of our time there anyway. I figured there was no reason to take the baby to the bedroom 10+ times a day just to change her diaper. 

    I also dryer dry all of our pocket dipes. The only things I hang dry are the wet bags, PUL covers, and the snap-in liners for the gDiapers. 

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  • TJ1979TJ1979 member
    More complicated: I fold my Freetimes and snap them obsessively. Everything goes in the drawers in a specific way, I'm totally OCD about it.
    Less complicated: I use tide, I dry everything. Sometimes we don't put clean dipes away, just fold and stuff in daycare bag for the next day.
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  • More complicated... I am obsessive about stains and spray all the dirties with bac out before washing so I don't get stains even though I know they are just diapers and that they would eventually fade anyway.
    Less complicated... I have only ever used tide. We have never had any issues with our wash routine although I was so scared to do the very first prep loads!
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  • More complicated:

    - having to stuff pockets with specific combos for specific times - daycare, first morning pee, rest of the time. I've only had to start doing this about a month ago though.

    -  having to rinse DD's overnight dipe in the morning. I found that we had stink issues if I didn't do it. Stupid toddler pee.

    Super easy:

    - washing them. I kinda just winged it from the beginning and have only had to strip once so far (been CDing 18 months) and that was when we switched to a HE frontloader. I think people imagine getting them clean to be waaaaay more complicated than it is.

     - getting rid of stains. The sun is magic and makes this a no-brainer.

    - getting rid of poop. I love my diaper sprayer. I actually found using liners to be way more of an issue (clogged our pipes and didn't even catch all the poo).

    - overnight cloth diapering. We have never had an issue. Ever. She leaked once using pockets at 6 months, then we switched to fitteds and coves and never had an issue since. DD isn't a super heavy wetter, but does nurse all night long some times, so the diapers have to be able to hold a lot and they do.

    - convincing daycare to use them was a breeze. I needlessly worried about this

    - using cloth while working fulltime is nbd at all. I don't know why so many people seem to think it should be. 

     

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  • I love this...very helpful to read everyone's experiences

     more complicated:

    sometimes I read too many posts about diapering products that I've not tried...and feel compelled to buy them.  We were really lucky to get a great newborn and OS stash right from the beginning-no need to add a hundred different things to what was already working.

    buying a ridiculously expensive "diaper pail" and attempting to make that work instead of just a regular step pail with a liner.  The diapers don't even stink! I still don't understand the point of a diaper pail. We've since graduated to a small step pail with liner-and don't even put the lid on!

    less complicated:

    I'm a Tide user! I read for days and DAYS about the type of detergent I should use and decided to just take a chance and do Tide.  So far, after 4 weeks, the diaper wash routine is perfect!

    I line-dry diapers whenever possible. The sun is amazing for stains. I also don't feel bad when I throw them into the dryer on low.

    We have enough diapers to do an every-other-day wash. Sometimes I feel like we need more dipes because before they dry we get down to just one or two left...wait-we should buy more JUST BECAUSE :)

    I do diaper laundry.  No sense in trying to explain it to husband.  I know the way I want it done, so I just do it. 

    ALSO-a prefold and cover for overnight...NEVER LEAKS!  

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  • takmjstakmjs member

    A few months ago, I would've said CDing was super easy and the only thing more complicated was writing on our calendar which days we need to wash our diapers (every other day). However, my daughter has had several diaper rashes on and off since then, and we've tried changing several things and just can't figure out why the ammonia smell is sooo overwhelming every time we change her (we think it was ammonia burn last time), and the poop stink is not coming out of the CDs after washing.

     I still feel overwhelmed by all the possibilities of diaper types, insert types, wash in cold/hot, rinse before and after?, detergents, bleach/Dawn/RLR, etc.

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