Lets have a cloth diapering roll call

ABColeslaw

Jillzy86 said:

Super excited to start CDing in May. My DH was the one who got me on board and is even creating an awesome changing station in our bathroom to make it easy! I put all my cloth diapers on my registry at Babies R US ( I know there are many other less expensive places to get them but this will be easier if people want to give them as a gift) so hopefully the start up cost won't be that high. Please let me know if this is a good stash to have. I know many people have the brands they love so let me know what works best? 1 box 40ct newborn gDiaper disposable inserts. 6 pack OsoCozy prefolds 10 pack Gerber cloth diapers 6 small gDiaper cloth inserts 6 m/l gDiaper cloth inserts GDiaper Newborn bundle -12 NB gPants - 8 small gPNts - 80 disposable inserts Covers 2pk medium gDiapers 2pk All in One bumGenius covers 2pk All in one Flip w/ 6 inserts 5 pack bumGenius 4.0 w/ 6 inserts, 1 wet bag and 3 flannel wips 6 Charlie Banana w/ 12 inserts I also registered for 2 diaper pail liners one for each bathroom and two wet bags. Did I go over board or not enough? Are these brands alright? Edit for spelling

If I were you, I'd try gpants on your newb before investing in a ton.  It is a system people either love or hate. Also Bum Genius AIOs aren't covers.  Just wanted to clarify that, they are a complete diaper in their own right. 

I'm being lazy tonight so I didn't count changes.  But you want to make sure as a general rule that you have 36 nb changes and 24 OS.  You might have that. 

ABColeslaw

ecinereb said:

Questions now that I've read through.

A few of you mentioned a bleach for used dipes. I'm got a few used ones so how would this work? Soak in bleach water, add bleach to the wash cycle, other??

Does anyone use wool? We're planning to do wool covers especially at night once baby is a bit older. I'm confused about lanolizing (sp?) for wool and if the wash routine is different.

I don't ever use bleach, so I'm no help   I use vinegar and blue dawn to strip.  Also when stripping, I find my washer doesn't get hot enough, so I boil a pot of water and throw it right into the basin.  Bleach is probably the best was to dissenfect, but because of Asher we literally don't use any bleach in any of our cleaning.

ABColeslaw

Okay I'm off to bed.  But I'll bump this post tomorrow if it gets lost so we can keep the convo going.  I'm glad we're all connecting and sharing

Allibob

@jillzy86
I've heard Gerber prefolds are garbage. They are meant for burp cloths, even though they're listed as cloth diapers. Skip those & get something else (more Osocozy maybe).

I have a personal bias against disposables inserts, especially with newborns. I invested in Flips thinking I would use them from time to time, but it really makes zero sense to me now. Newborn poop is going to get all over the cover, so now you have a poopy insert to dispose of PLUS a cover to wash. It's the worst of both worlds. I either use cloth, carry a wetbag & throw the whole damn thing in there, or if we're on vacation or somewhere I don't want to do laundry we just buy a package of disposables. The inserts aren't that much cheaper than cheap sposies. That's my personal experience though.
::steps off soapbox::

@ecinereb
I can't remember the exact recipe (maybe someone else does), but a typical bleach soak is 1/4 cup bleach for 1/2 bathtub full of cold water. Soak 30 minutes, then wash normally. Maybe an extra rinse to make sure you got all the bleach out. It's something like 2T per bucket if you only have a few. That will kill yeast & mold, but you can add some bleach to a wash cycle for a little extra sanitizer. Just remember to rinse it all out well.

Jillzy86

Thank you Allibob I'll take the Gerber prefolds off my registry and add more Osocozy. I have the newborn disposable for the two weeks we will be out of town with our newborn we are going on a family vacation only an hour away to a lake house but will not have a washer or dryer. I thought the disposable inserts will work for that short time .

Allibob

Jillzy86 said:

Thank you Allibob I'll take the Gerber prefolds off my registry and add more Osocozy. I have the newborn disposable for the two weeks we will be out of town with our newborn we are going on a family vacation only an hour away to a lake house but will not have a washer or dryer. I thought the disposable inserts will work for that short time .

They'll work but it will just be more hassle. If you're cool with hand washing poopy covers, no big deal. I would just use disposables & make it easier on myself. There is no right or wrong answer, just personal preference.

kshampeny

Just bought my starter stash today! Definitely excited to give it a go, not only for the cost benefit, but also for the environmental reasons as well. Thanks for starting this post.

TaylorHam86

ErBear1010 said:

I may have missed this. What is stripping? Why do we strip? (I guess besides the daddy issues....) How often do we strip? 

I think stripping is for when you buy used dipes, to make sure they are really clean and disinfected, and for if you accidentally get something like ointment or diaper rash cream on them that isn't CD friendly and messes with the absorbency. Methinks.

Allibob

ErBear1010 said:

I may have missed this. What is stripping? Why do we strip? (I guess besides the daddy issues....) How often do we strip? 

Hopefully you won't have to. If everything works in your wash routine you have no need to. If you get Vaseline or non-CD safe grease on your diapers, you'll have to strip it with Dawn dish soap.

I have hard water & sometimes mineral deposits build up to the point that my diapers start to stink, get dingy, then leak/repel. I soak in RLR (a laundry additive, not an abbreviation), then rinse rinse rinse. Since continuing to tweak my wash routine (& adding a water softener with my detergent), I haven't had to do it in ages.

Arinias

ABColeslaw said:

We had a check in before everyone was like "A CD check in thats dumb"  But I really want to support the new cd'ers since it can be overwhelming. 

I was wondering why the check in stopped! I have liked having it, I have lurked a little on the CD board but I find it a little overwhelming.

ErBear1010 I am glad you asked about your washer, mine is ancient too and I don't think has a pre-rinse.

We are planning on CD. DH actually suggested it and I was hesitant until I did more research, now I am pretty excited about it. I am planning on 36 prefolds and 10 covers for a NB stash, I am up to 12 prefolds and 3 covers so its a start. Plus I have 7 NB used charlie bananas I got off cl. Currently I am shooting for 15 OS pocket diapers, I want to try out some different brands before we get more. I have a few bumgenious 4.0, and Alva, and some used Bellas Bottoms I need to buy inserts for, plus I just picked up 1 used Flip and 1 used Blueberry.

I have a couple questions:

1. This is stupid but how long do they typically wear the NB size? I am a FTM and have no idea on their growth rate. I wasn't sure if he would be done with them by the time he starts daycare or not (between 10 and 12 weeks) I know it varies baby to baby, but I would love a ballpark figure

2. I have a few different types of inserts, can I wash them all together? Does it matter what type goes into what diaper? If microfiber only needs one wash to prep should I wash themw ith everything else, then just do the rest by themselves for prepping? I know I have microfiber and some bamboo inserts, plus my prefolds and the diapers themselves

3. I have 8 OS diapers without inserts, any suggestions on types to buy for them? How many?

4. Many of my diapers came with 2 inserts, do you generally use two at once or is this for extra absorbency like overnight? They seem pretty bulky with both in there.

5. I just learned I couldn't use certain diaper products with them, but after reading more I think I will just do coconut oil anyways. But I do love Burt's Bees stuff, anyone know if their lotion or other products is ok?

I was also going to ask about bleaching but some one beat me to it!

I know I am late to the party, hoping some one sees this tomorrow. Sorry for all the questions, I feel like I still have a lot to learn!

daizijayne

I love CDs and am so excited for all the FTMs who are joining the club!  We started when DS was six weeks old (I was too scared to start earlier.  That was silly).  Baby girl will be in CDs from birth.  My OS stash consists of all sorts of BGs, Flips, and Thirsties duo wraps.  I've recently added some GMD workhorses and prefolds to create a NB stash.  DS potty trained at the end of a long battle with ammonia, so when we get back to diapers I will be experimenting with my wash routine and detergent.  Fun times.  Now on to my questions:

1.  To get me through until baby fits into OS diapers, I have a dozen of each of the following:  GMD newborn workhorses, GMD small workhorses, newborn prefolds and small prefolds.  Does anyone have experience using small prefolds on a newborn?  Am I mistaken to assume I can just fold down any extra material?  I know they will be bulky, but it will likely only be a few weeks before she outgrows the newborn size and I'd like to not buy more diapers than I will really need.  FWIW, I'm guessing she will be in the ballpark of 8 lbs at birth, and I wash my dipes every other day.

2.  I've noticed that the elastic on my used-for-two-years BG pockets and Flips covers is loose compared to brand new diapers, but I can't decide if it is bad enough to warrant having the elastic replaced before baby arrives.  Has anyone else decided to replace elastics on diapers before using them on a second (or more) child?  How bad were they when you made the decision?

daizijayne

Scotty138 said:

We plan to cloth diaper.  We will be using prefolds and fitteds for our newborn stash.  My question pertains to cloth wipes.  Do you use a wipe solution?  Buy or DIY?

There are tons of recipes for DIY wipes solutions online.  The ones I've seen all seem pretty easy.  Personally, I'm lazy and just use good old tap water.  I keep a stack of wipes by the bathroom sink and wet one or two on my way to the changing table.  We keep a water bottle filled in the diaper bag for when we are out and about (the peri bottles the hospital gives out for post-partum self-care are great for this). 

Mwyld

We are going to CD! Planning on using the Thirsties brand. I have a friend who swears by them and practically wrote me a manual.

Kate070

Just wanted to chime in (super late) and say that we're planning to CD (despite everyone telling us "Sure, you'll do that for a week and then switch to disposable" ...Uh huh.).  I'll definitely have to save this thread to read later.  

spacepotatoes

Arinias said:

I have a couple questions:

1. This is stupid but how long do they typically wear the NB size? I am a FTM and have no idea on their growth rate. I wasn't sure if he would be done with them by the time he starts daycare or not (between 10 and 12 weeks) I know it varies baby to baby, but I would love a ballpark figure

They tend to go by pounds but like a PP said, I've heard a lot of people say that the weight doesn't mean much. It's all about the actual size and shape of your baby, especially in the thighs.

2. I have a few different types of inserts, can I wash them all together? Does it matter what type goes into what diaper? If microfiber only needs one wash to prep should I wash themw ith everything else, then just do the rest by themselves for prepping? I know I have microfiber and some bamboo inserts, plus my prefolds and the diapers themselves

This I'm not sure about.

3. I have 8 OS diapers without inserts, any suggestions on types to buy for them? How many?

If you have prefolds, those can be used as inserts.

4. Many of my diapers came with 2 inserts, do you generally use two at once or is this for extra absorbency like overnight? They seem pretty bulky with both in there.

Usually one at a time, but you can add another for extra absorbency.

5. I just learned I couldn't use certain diaper products with them, but after reading more I think I will just do coconut oil anyways. But I do love Burt's Bees stuff, anyone know if their lotion or other products is ok?

I don't know for sure but as long as it's not something that's petroleum or other grease-based lotion, I think it should be fine. The problem with products like Vaseline is that they create a seal that doesn't allow the cloth to absorb anymore. With CDs, you end up making the baby's skin worse because you're not letting the diaper do its job and you ruin the cloth itself.

I was also going to ask about bleaching but some one beat me to it!

I know I am late to the party, hoping some one sees this tomorrow. Sorry for all the questions, I feel like I still have a lot to learn!

I answered what I could, just from what I've researched so far, in bold.

ABColeslaw

Okay, so stay dry materials such microfiber, microfleece and reg cotton inserts like terry can be prepped together. One wash and one dry should do it.  They will get more absorb as you use and wash. Natural and organic materials like hemp/bamboo/and organic cotton need to be washed sep from the others (but can be prepped together)  It is going to take boiling, drying, boiling, drying OR washing and drying for like 5 cycles before they are ready.

chknma

We're planning to CD! Luckily my initial interest hit during a period of insomnia so I got a lot of research done during that time! I also went to a local shop for a CD 101 class and thought that being able to touch different types/brands was helpful.

Our NB stash is mostly done and half my naturals are prepped. Planning on PF, flats, fitted and a few pocket/AIO options. I did purchase some Kawaii pockets that I'm hoping will help our daycare with the transition and be useful while we figure out what else we like for our OS stash.

this is my favorite WAHM OS cover that I bought:



I like the idea of pockets for our OS stash because they are so adjustable and seem to dry faster, but without experience who really knows!

touching microfiber is quickly grossing me out. I'm hoping to use our PF/flats and beef up our hemp and bamboo collection as LO gets bigger. I also have a strong interest in wool and fleece.

I also ordered two big fluffy mail fabric packages to try my hand at some sewing. I botched my first cover, but learned a lot (I haven't sewn in years!) and my second is almost done. I just need to add the snaps. Hoping to work on some fitteds this weekend. And I keep reminding DH that he will likely be buying me a serger for my birthday this summer.

My question for our CD experts:  Thoughts on leg types...gussetes necessary?

ABColeslaw

chknma said:

We're planning to CD! Luckily my initial interest hit during a period of insomnia so I got a lot of research done during that time! I also went to a local shop for a CD 101 class and thought that being able to touch different types/brands was helpful.

Our NB stash is mostly done and half my naturals are prepped. Planning on PF, flats, fitted and a few pocket/AIO options. I did purchase some Kawaii pockets that I'm hoping will help our daycare with the transition and be useful while we figure out what else we like for our OS stash.

this is my favorite WAHM OS cover that I bought:



I like the idea of pockets for our OS stash because they are so adjustable and seem to dry faster, but without experience who really knows!

touching microfiber is quickly grossing me out. I'm hoping to use our PF/flats and beef up our hemp and bamboo collection as LO gets bigger. I also have a strong interest in wool and fleece.

I also ordered two big fluffy mail fabric packages to try my hand at some sewing. I botched my first cover, but learned a lot (I haven't sewn in years!) and my second is almost done. I just need to add the snaps. Hoping to work on some fitteds this weekend. And I keep reminding DH that he will likely be buying me a serger for my birthday this summer.

My question for our CD experts:  Thoughts on leg types...gussetes necessary?

They are nice for covers for sure.

ABColeslaw

I didn't know bamboo was considered synthetic, live and learn.

mmks

Ok, I've got like 10 mins before Jake and the Neverland Pirates is over....
Some thoughts about the questions:
- stripping: I never had to do this until DS started solids and then his pee was like an animal's in a zoo.  Tried the Dawn and tons of rinses, but it didn't cut it.  All that worked was bleach.  I do this with already clean diapers - take out all the covers and anything with PUL or elastic in it, add 3/4 c of bleach to warm water and run a wash cycle.  Keep running rinses until I can no longer smell a strong beach odor.  Takes the horrible ammonia smell away for awhile.
- replacing elastic: I did this with my FuzziBunz, BGs, and RaR (inner gusset only). I NEEDED to do this as there was almost no pull on my elastic.  It was totally shot.  Found a good tutorial on youtube that was great and it was actually pretty easy once I did it a couple of times and SO worth it!
- gussets: Love my RaRs for the double gussets.  I feel like they really help keep in the runny poops of BF babies.  Plus help to keep clothes dry a little longer.
- different types of fibers:  I just wash them all together.  Everything gets thrown in the wash, never had any issues.
- wipes: we just use plain water with a few drops of tea tree oil in it

LunaBug924

Dumb question....what is PUL?

ABColeslaw

LunaBug924 said:

Dumb question....what is PUL?

It is the waterproofing sealing material.  If you pick up one of you covers, run your hand on in inside, the smooth plasticky part is PUL. It is like laminated cotton. 

ThereBeDragons

ABColeslaw said:

I didn't know bamboo was considered synthetic, live and learn.

Interesting factoids from a fiber nerd...

99.99% of products made of bamboo are rayon that is made from bamboo. Rayon can be made from many different things each of which can give it a slightly different hand feel- so its not a complete lie to advertise it as bamboo. But all rayon from bamboo products share care instructions with all other rayon products.

The very very rare products made from unprocessed bamboo have a very very different hand feel- its much more similar to linen. The manufacturing process to produce yarn from bamboo without converting it to rayon is expensive and labour intensive. Also- because most consumers expect the hand feel of rayon from bamboo, unprocessed bamboo is often a disappointment.

ArmyMedic7588

Ok I think I got a question no one asked!! And if someone has and I'm blanking... sorry!

I know that different fibers/fabrics absorb at different rates, like cotton vs. hemp vs. microfiber... So some are better to use as a top layer when you double up at night as they absorb quicker than the bottom does... So my question is can anyone kinda lay out the absorbency for me? Like what soaks up quicker and what takes longer?? Thanks!!

ArmyMedic7588

Awesome! Thank you @Mapleme!! That helps me pick what kind of inserts I wanna go with then!!

kshampeny

I've heard lots of talk about the sprayers used for cloth diapering.  Maybe I missed it, but how exactly do they work and where would one buy one? 

spacepotatoes

kshampeny said:

I've heard lots of talk about the sprayers used for cloth diapering.  Maybe I missed it, but how exactly do they work and where would one buy one? 

They are like little shower heads that connect to the water supply for your toilet. I've seen them sold where cloth diapers and CD accesories are sold. You can use them to help get poop into the toilet. I've been curious about how necessary they are.

BumGenius makes one:

ABColeslaw

kshampeny said:

I've heard lots of talk about the sprayers used for cloth diapering.  Maybe I missed it, but how exactly do they work and where would one buy one? 

You can order them online or you can get one at the hardware store. Some people even make them. They hook up to your toilet like a bidet. When a diaper is soiled you spray the crap off and into the toilet before throwing it into your wetbag or pail.  I also use a spray pal, which you can look up on amazon. It keeps spray from getting all over my toilet and makes for an easy way to hold the dipe while spraying.

mirdamae03

I don't @kitchencolors but if you follow her on Facebook you can get early notice about any sales.

kshampeny

@spacepotatoes and @ABColeslaw Thanks!  That definitely helps.  I had heard they hooked up to your toilet, but wasn't quite sure how that would work. 

One more question, if you use liners, is there still a need for the sprayer?  And is the sprayer just for solids, or do you need it for exclusively BF babies too?

RachelCA29

Has anyone seen this toilet "washboard" thing? Or used it? Is it useful?

https://scrubadoozy.com/

I kind of want to go with a sprayer, but my husband is on the liner side of things. I'm okay with liners but I don't want to flush them, since we have an old house (1922)  with old plumbing (and have had roots in our basement outflow pipe causing clogs before).

I saw this scrubber thing and wondered if it might be a bit easier than a sprayer? Less messy? (My husband is worried about the spray getting everywhere since our upstairs bathroom is kind of small with no tub, only a shower stall.)

kshampeny

@kitchencolors Thanks!  Just trying to decide what else I need to get before babies get here, and what I can wait to get a little later.

ABColeslaw

RachelCA29 said:

Has anyone seen this toilet "washboard" thing? Or used it? Is it useful?

https://scrubadoozy.com/

I kind of want to go with a sprayer, but my husband is on the liner side of things. I'm okay with liners but I don't want to flush them, since we have an old house (1922)  with old plumbing (and have had roots in our basement outflow pipe causing clogs before).

I saw this scrubber thing and wondered if it might be a bit easier than a sprayer? Less messy? (My husband is worried about the spray getting everywhere since our upstairs bathroom is kind of small with no tub, only a shower stall.)

that looks kinda cool, I'm just not that into putting my hands in the toilet. I know alot of people "swish" dipes...it just isn't for me. 

I have this. Spray gets nowhere 
https://www.amazon.com/Spray-Pal-Diaper-Sprayer-Splatter/dp/B00B2AZJH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392825287&sr=8-1&keywords=spray+pal

RachelCA29

@kitchencolors I will look into that! It does look like it would solve the spray mess problems

chknma

for wool or fleece.....when did you start using? when LO reached a certain size, started sleeping longer through the night? thoughts??

I've read about people using it during the day. how does that work when you are changing so frequently? do they just have enough to change the cover every diaper change?

ABColeslaw

chknma said:

for wool or fleece.....when did you start using? when LO reached a certain size, started sleeping longer through the night? thoughts??

I've read about people using it during the day. how does that work when you are changing so frequently? do they just have enough to change the cover every diaper change?

I don't use wool because Asher is sensitive to it.  I do have a fleece cover.  The thing is, pee doesn't seem to affect it at all.  I'd only change it if it had poop on it. 

apinkpelican

I honestly never considered CD until reading your posts. Not sure it crosssed my mind as an option as I haven't known anyone that uses them.   Last night all I did was dream about CD!  All night!   I will probably start looking into to it though to see if its the right thing for us.  Thanks for the info!

likeabel

FTM here and we'll be using CDs! No questions (yet?) just wanted to say hi to you all!

It took some time to get DH warm to the idea of it but once he found out you don't use actual safety pins anymore, he was a lot warmer I haven't had too many negative reactions from family/friends. I haven't told my mom yet though. My SIL used CDs and my mom flat out refused to acknowledge their existence. That's a whole different bag of issue though!

Arinias

MaplemespacepotatoesABColeslaw,

Thanks so much!! This thread is awesome, I am stashing a bunch of this info.

runningyogimama

kitchencolors said:

@RachelCA29 I think this kind of thing would be less messy than the thing you linked to.

The spray pal is more trouble than it's worth. I used it for a day and a half and then sold it.