NAR- Cloth Diapering

silliestbunny

I am interested in CD'ing using a diaper service.

BFFs both say don't do it.  They didn't and think it sounds like a nightmare.

All the info I pull is extremely slanted one way or the other.

 Any of you doing it?  Thoughts?  Suggestions?  I could use some encouragement or unbiased opinions. 

 

Thanks!

Dr.Loretta

me me me!

And I consider myself fairly unbiased (we switch betwen CD and DD), so I'll give you my version of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good:

Not seeing another disposable diaper go in the trash can
Not having to fight over who goes out at 3am to get another pack of diapers because you ran out
Cute fluffy butts
Easier to clean up poo (I think cloth is just more absorbent and neater than a disposable)

The bad:

People telling you it's SO awful/hard/gross/etc.
Figuring out how to CD while traveling (we caved and go with disposables)
Figuring out which detergent to use (not an issue with a service) or how to deal with things like diaper rash (yeast rashes probably won't be an issue, but we had a diaper rash problem early on and it took me time to figure it out)
Figuring out which type of CD works best for your child (and that may change as your child does)
Having to switch back to disposables if your LO goes to a daycare that won't CD

The ugly:

Well, I can't really think of the ugly

We had some issues with diaper rash when DD was very small. She slept in 4 to 5 hour stretches, which is way too long to let a newborn go in a CD. She developed a wicked diaper rash, so we switched to disposables until that cleared up. Then I discovered the joys of diaper liners/doublers and we haven't looked back. We did prefolds early on, but now it's mostly AIOs/pockets (I love the last version of the Thirsties pocket diapers) and she's finally big enough to fit into one-sized diapers. I don't have a service, and I do CD laundry every other day. It's just one more load in the washer, and I haven't found it to be any harder/worse than disposables. Like I said, I go back and forth between CDs and disposables, and haven't had any huge problems.

PM me if you want to know anything else (after this novel, LOL!)

Dr.Loretta

LovedByHim316:

Thanks for posting this! We'll likely do CDing too and it all seems so overwhelming at first.

It is very overwhelming at first. There are way too many choices I took about 2 months to let it all sink in before I started feeling comfortable with it. Then it took another month of CDing DD before I felt like I had a handle on my options and what I was doing.

If you visit the EFF board, they have a ton of advice and will troubleshoot just about any CD issue you have.

silliestbunny

Thanks, Dr. L.

I'll be in touch (in a day or two....work is hectic right now).

Ranita

because we did IA and didn't want to take a full suitcase of CD's we did DD at first, and actually my son had a reaction of sorts and diaper rash was worse with those when he was little than with the CD's that we used as soon as we got home.  We always used DD's for night time because I didn't want him to wake up cold.  He's 17months now and we pretty much always use DD's just because I'm working again and though I work from home it also includes a lot of carting baby out and about and I did several months of CD's that way but didn't have a diaper service and just chose that unless I know we're going to be home for the day I'll use DD's.  Even writing htis, though, is making me want to go back.  I really prefered CD's with disposable liners. 

MayDayGirl

I don't use a service but I do them at home and love it. I have a whole blog about it:

 

cding101.blogspot.com

PSU-NCBride

We have CD'd since he was about 2 weeks. The only reason we didn't from day 1 was because of the uncertainty of laundry at our hotel and because of his circumcision. 

We love it. Takes a little more work to prep and wash but we haven't had any diaper rash issues. The folks at his daycare comment on how much healthier he looks down there than other babies. Once you get a system it is pretty easy.

Now with 2 about to come, it has saved us tons of money.  

Temp206787500007404

Both of the little girls I used to nanny were CD'ed and I did all of their laundry, including the diapers.  The worst part is the laundry.  I was fine if I did it everyday while it was fresh, but if there wasn't enough for a load and I had to wait a day or two, it was awful.  I have a super weak stomach though for any old stinky smells.

If you're using a service, no problem!

We would have CD'ed Payton, but there are no services in our area and as much as that sounds like a cop out, I totally didn't want to do my own CD laundry. 

mcmann05

This is for Dr. L, I have some questions for you.

1. What was the issue with dd getting a rash after sleeping for 4-5 hours at a time? Are children that are CD'd more prone to diaper rashes? And why? I would have thought the total opposite.

2. (GROSS Question alert)....does the poop completely absorb into the cloth? Do you scrap some off before laundering??

You would think after caring for children for close to 15 years I would have watched a child in CD's but I haven't. :-)

Dr.Loretta

mcmann05:

This is for Dr. L, I have some questions for you.

1. What was the issue with dd getting a rash after sleeping for 4-5 hours at a time? Are children that are CD'd more prone to diaper rashes? And why? I would have thought the total opposite.

CDs (especially without any inserts/doublers) don't "lock in" moisture like a disposable diaper will with the gel stuff they have. So if you have a nb who pees a lot and doesn't get changed for 4-5 hours, that moisture is sitting on their skin, increasing the risk fo diaper rash. Once I figured out that every 2-3 hours was the max I could have her in a CD, I haven't had a problem. I also added an insert/doubler to pretty much every diaper.

2. (GROSS Question alert)....does the poop completely absorb into the cloth? Do you scrap some off before laundering??

The poop doesn't absorb, it sits there. But with newborn poo, it's water soluble, even for formula fed babies. So you do an initial rinse of the diapers to get the poop washed off, then do a regular wash. When they start eating solids, you can use disposable liners, scrape or get a diaper sprayer, or do the old fashioned swish.

You would think after caring for children for close to 15 years I would have watched a child in CD's but I haven't. :-)

mcmann05

Dr.Loretta:

mcmann05:

This is for Dr. L, I have some questions for you.

1. What was the issue with dd getting a rash after sleeping for 4-5 hours at a time? Are children that are CD'd more prone to diaper rashes? And why? I would have thought the total opposite.

CDs (especially without any inserts/doublers) don't "lock in" moisture like a disposable diaper will with the gel stuff they have. So if you have a nb who pees a lot and doesn't get changed for 4-5 hours, that moisture is sitting on their skin, increasing the risk fo diaper rash. Once I figured out that every 2-3 hours was the max I could have her in a CD, I haven't had a problem. I also added an insert/doubler to pretty much every diaper.

2. (GROSS Question alert)....does the poop completely absorb into the cloth? Do you scrap some off before laundering??

The poop doesn't absorb, it sits there. But with newborn poo, it's water soluble, even for formula fed babies. So you do an initial rinse of the diapers to get the poop washed off, then do a regular wash. When they start eating solids, you can use disposable liners, scrape or get a diaper sprayer, or do the old fashioned swish.

You would think after caring for children for close to 15 years I would have watched a child in CD's but I haven't. :-)

Awesome, thank you!