Cloth diapers, absorbency, and DH

mejane123

So 7 months after we decided to CD and 4 weeks before of LO is due, DH decides he's changed his mind about CDing after seeing that they stay damper than disposables when you pour liquid on them.  I get why he wanted to compare, but he doesn't want to hear any argument about why we should CD now because he saw the CD stay wetter than the disposable. 

I know that they become more absorbent the more you wash them, but I'm having a hard time finding reasoning for that online.  Can anyone dumb that down for me?  Is it simply because any remaining chemicals get washed out?

Thanks! 

kkchisholm

I don't really understand... what do you mean stay damper? What is your main reasoning for wanting to CD?

mejane123

I wanted to CD for cost and waste purposes, and because I'll (hopefully) be able to use them for future kiddies.  My parents used them and swear by it, so I wanted to give it a shot to hopefully save money and cut down on waste.  Plus, they're adorable Obviously that's not a main factor, just a bonus.

As for staying damper, when we poured water on both, the disposable diaper dried up and the CD stayed a little wet.  From what I remember of the research I did, in general they're not supposed to be as absorbent as disposables which is why they get changed more often.  But because the disposable dried up and the CD stayed wet, he's all up in arms about how there's going to be a sticky wet diaper on our baby.  I explained to him that they need to be prepped, but he's still being stubborn.

cbrookegrow

mejane123:

I wanted to CD for cost and waste purposes, and because I'll hopefully be able to use them for future kiddies. nbsp;My parents used them and swear by it, so I wanted to give it a shot to hopefully save money and cut down on waste. nbsp;Plus, they're adorable : Obviously that's not a main factor, just a bonus.As for staying damper, when we poured water on both, the disposable diaper dried up and the CD stayed a little wet. nbsp;From what I remember of the research I did, in general they're not supposed to be as absorbent as disposables which is why they get changed more often. nbsp;But because the disposable dried up and the CD stayed wet, he's all up in arms about how there's going to be a sticky wet diaper on our baby. nbsp;I explained to him that they need to be prepped, but he's still being stubborn.

I'm still new to cloth, but have you prepped them at all and what types are you using?

mejane123

cbrookegrow:

mejane123:

I wanted to CD for cost and waste purposes, and because I'll hopefully be able to use them for future kiddies. nbsp;My parents used them and swear by it, so I wanted to give it a shot to hopefully save money and cut down on waste. nbsp;Plus, they're adorable : Obviously that's not a main factor, just a bonus.As for staying damper, when we poured water on both, the disposable diaper dried up and the CD stayed a little wet. nbsp;From what I remember of the research I did, in general they're not supposed to be as absorbent as disposables which is why they get changed more often. nbsp;But because the disposable dried up and the CD stayed wet, he's all up in arms about how there's going to be a sticky wet diaper on our baby. nbsp;I explained to him that they need to be prepped, but he's still being stubborn.

I'm still new to cloth, but have you prepped them at all and what types are you using?

No, I haven't prepped them because we just got them yesterday.  We received two Kawaiis, but will also be trying PFs, FBs, and Thirsties.  I told him they needed to be prepped still before he can really speak to the absorbency, but he's still acting like I'm trying to soak our child in it's own waste between changes.  I just want to be able to explain to him why they get more absorbent with each wash, but I can't find anything that clearly explains that online.  I'm guessing it's because of any chemicals that would be in the material, but I'm not sure.

giraffe54

It's because of the natural oils in the materials, not chemicals. A few washes and absorbency increases significantly. 

If you need help convincing DH beyond the cost and environmental reasons... in 5 months I've never had a poo leak. None of my sposie using friends can say the same. They talk about poo exploding out the diaper, out of the onesie, all over the car seat and I just laugh (internally of course). 

freezorburn

I don't know if you're going to be able to find anything definitive on this, but just from experience cloth diapers absorb differently than disposables. Disposables use some kind of hydrophilic crystals (any chemists out there who can chime in?) to draw moisture in to the diaper. That's why the "feel" drier. But you can oversaturate a sposie and end up with sticky icky crystals all over your LO.

Cloth diapers hold moisture in their fibers. Again, maybe some of our more scientifically-minded moms can explain this better than I can. Some diapers will have a layer of fleece next to baby's skin (or you can add your own liner) with a more absorbent layer inside, which works on the same principle as the chemicals in sposies, but maybe not as efficiently, at least not IMO. If a cloth diaper is saturated, baby's skin will be wet. You will want to limit baby's contact with a wet diaper by changing more frequently. I change DS's diapers as soon as I know he is wet (he lets me know), since his skin is very sensitive. I don't wait until the diaper is saturated.

cbrookegrow

mejane123:

cbrookegrow:

mejane123:

I wanted to CD for cost and waste purposes, and because I'll hopefully be able to use them for future kiddies. nbsp;My parents used them and swear by it, so I wanted to give it a shot to hopefully save money and cut down on waste. nbsp;Plus, they're adorable : Obviously that's not a main factor, just a bonus.As for staying damper, when we poured water on both, the disposable diaper dried up and the CD stayed a little wet. nbsp;From what I remember of the research I did, in general they're not supposed to be as absorbent as disposables which is why they get changed more often. nbsp;But because the disposable dried up and the CD stayed wet, he's all up in arms about how there's going to be a sticky wet diaper on our baby. nbsp;I explained to him that they need to be prepped, but he's still being stubborn.

I'm still new to cloth, but have you prepped them at all and what types are you using?

No, I haven't prepped them because we just got them yesterday.  We received two Kawaiis, but will also be trying PFs, FBs, and Thirsties.  I told him they needed to be prepped still before he can really speak to the absorbency, but he's still acting like I'm trying to soak our child in it's own waste between changes.  I just want to be able to explain to him why they get more absorbent with each wash, but I can't find anything that clearly explains that online.  I'm guessing it's because of any chemicals that would be in the material, but I'm not sure.

I'm not sure what types all those brands are, but pocket diapers and diapers like that have material that whisks away moisture from baby, so while the inserts are soaked baby doesn't feel it. Now, prefolds don't have that ability so the moisture will sit next to the babies skin one reason I didn't like them as well as others, but you can get a liner that whisks moisture away to put on the prefolds. Another thing I've heard is CD kids are easier to potty train because they are used to feeling the wetness.

ElizaSquan

Disposable diapers have absorbant gel crystals and a that hold the liquid.  It doesn't make the diaper any less "wet", it's just holding the moisture differently.  Your baby is still sitting in a diaper of his or her pee until you change them.  A disposable diaper lets them (and you) know they are wet sooner so the diaper gets changed more often.  

You can ask him why does he want your LO to sit in a dirty diaper longer than they have to.   

tjkdlhb

Do you know why disposables stay dryer than cloth?  Because they have the same chemical in them that causes toxic shock syndrome.  There are also chemicals that are well known to cause cancer. Prep them properly and if you want a stay dry feel, get some fleece liners.  This was not my first reason for choosing cloth, but since I learned about it, it's definitely my biggest reason for staying with it. 

Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S..¹

Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.²

"Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome by increasing absorbency and improving the environment for the growth of toxin-producing bacteria.³

In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.¹⁸

https://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

GdAsAu

tjkdlhb:

Do you know why disposables stay dryer than cloth?  Because they have the same chemical in them that causes toxic shock syndrome.  There are also chemicals that are well known to cause cancer. Prep them properly and if you want a stay dry feel, get some fleece liners.  This was not my first reason for choosing cloth, but since I learned about it, it's definitely my biggest reason for staying with it. 

Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S..¹

Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.²

"Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome by increasing absorbency and improving the environment for the growth of toxin-producing bacteria.³

In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.¹⁸

https://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

yes to ALL of this! 

sosoph

to answer your question:

yes, cloth diapers made with natural fibers (cotton, hemp, bamboo) get more absorbant the more you use/wash them because those fibers are coated with natural oils that wash away. they will, however, always be wet when peed in

Synthetic material diapes (fleece, microfiber, suedecloth) do not get more absorbant but will wick moisture from the skin so they feel dry (like performance athletic wear does with sweat)