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February 2012 Moms
SO cloth diapering
Please dont flame me, this is a genuine,ignornt question... Isnt it gross? As in..... carrying dirty ones in your diaper bag, how do you keep them from smelling? And when theres a MAJOR poop and you wash them..... I just imagine them being washed in poopy water, or is there some way to preclean?
The eiw-factor is what held me off, and I have the least crunchy family ever so it was never really brought up as a realistic option, but seeing the money going out the window for disposables is killing us, esp with me being a SAHM. Hearing so much about them is making me reconsider. We havent had any rashes or blowouts, so this is really all about the money saving aspect for us. (though I understand the draw for sensitive skinned babies.)
So... please. give me the down sides and dirty details so I know fully what I'm getting into before I start the battle with FI, and lay out the initial investment. TIA!
EDIT: another question as I research.... there are so many kinds of diapers! Can I get any of them in OS or is that a kind all its own?
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Re: SO cloth diapering
its actually quiet the opposite of gross...
what i do for a poopy diaper is i have a bucket in the bathroom and i spray off all the poop into the bucket and then flush whats in the bucket down the toilet.
then i just wash that diaper that's basically half washed already into the washer with all the other diapers.
as for day trip you have whats called a wet bag. it a pul(waterproof material) lined bag that you place the dirty diapers into and then at the end of the day you just put them into the diaper pail with the rest of the diapers. there's no smell at all that comes from the bag.
my son has never had a rash in the diapers, and i never need to lather him up as you do in a disposable. not to mention how adorable and stylish they are.
then there's the environment factor, its obviously much healthier for the environment. you not wasting tons of money on diapers, wipes, rash cream, garbage bags, etc.
the amount of "extra" money you spending on your electrical and water bill along with the cost of diapers will never reach the amount you spend on just buying disposables alone. someone told me there water bill went up $3 a month, that's to me is nothing compared to spending $100 a month on disposables
it took convincing myself to actually jump head first into cloth diapering but i am so glad i did. we've been cloth diapering about 2 months now and i wish i had just started from the hospital!
If "ew" is a big factor for you, then probably an all-in-one (AIO) diaper is best for you because you won't have to touch anything gross or take any extra steps. However, AIO diapers tend to be the more expensive option. But, they are so worth it IMO.
As for the stink...um, actually disposables diapers create more stinky situations than cloth, at least in my experience. You wash every 2-3 days, so it's usually not that stinky by then. And carrying in the diaper bag...well, you have a waterproof bag called a wetbag that you put the dirties in. No big deal really.
As for the cleaning. Yes, the first wash/rinse would be a poppy mix. Then that flushes out of the machine and new water is put in for the next cycle...just like washing very dirty clothes. They do get clean.
You should probably do some research before jumping in. Read blogs, go to the "Cloth Diapering" boards and read there too. You can also do a trial at DiaperDaisy or Granola Babies.
Its no different than if your LO had a blowout and you put the clothes in the washer. You wash those same poopy clothes with the non-poopy clothes, right? Also many people use a diaper sprayer and it gets all the solid poop out before you wash. You are really suppose to do that anyway with disposables as well. As far as carrying them, you use a wetbag and it contains the stink. The wetbag can be washed with the diapers.
If you are going for ease and affordability I would use pockets. The initial investment for me was about $300. I bought nothing full price but new, I shopped sales. I could have stopped there but I can't help myself. Anyway, all together I have spent probably $600. I have also sold what I didn't like and what no longer fits so I am making some of my money back and not throwing it away.
Honestly besides 2 extra loads of laundry a week, I don't see any down sides. It may be a little overwhelming at first when you are trying to decide a wash routine and which brand works best for your baby but I actually think it is pretty easy.
Besides spending money on disposables sucks, they are so expensive.
Everything the other posters have said is true. Just wanted to throw in that if you're baby is breastfed exclusively, the poop is water soluble - which means you don't even have to rinse it. Just put it in with the rest of the diapers and it washes off like yogurt. It's only when they start eating actual food or formula that you have to rinse the poopies.
Bungenius is one size, that is what I use. I also use the mio nappy diaper bucket to store dirty ones and it contains any smell right. Bum genius also has a shower head that you can attach to a toilet to spray off poopy diapers.
When traveling I use disposable inserts or simply use disposable diapers. Still saving a lot of money that way and less garbage but convenient when traveling or staying away from home.
Ditto everyone else! It doesn't smell. It's not gross. It saves money. It's good for the environment. It's good for baby's skin. It's CUTE. And most importantly, it's easy!
I hope you decide to try CD's. I work full time and had two in cloth until DS1 PT'd. It's 2-3 extra loads of laundry a week...that's it. It really simple and fun!
love is for every her, love is for every him, love is for everyone
This is true for EFF babies too. It doesn't change until they are eating solids - which, the LO in question, is (some cereal if I remember correctly).
My family is a Foreign Service family. Families like mine are posted in every corner of the globe. We live our lives away from family, friends and the conviences and comforts of home. We often live and work in dangerous places among those that misunderstand our intentions and purposes. Sometimes members of our ranks sacrifice our lives to further diplomacy. Please remember that we serve too. And I'm always open to questions.
We do cloth diapering about 50% of the time, but we don't wash the diapers. We have a local diaper service that does a pick up/drop off once a week. They don't even ask us to rinse or strip the diapers, just toss the dirty ones in the big waterproof bag they supply.
They also supply smaller waterproof bags, BUT they're the size of my whole diaper bag! I just can't imagine carrying those around, so when LO is at daycare or out and about with us, we use disposables.
We love CDing. I really feel like it is no extra work at all. we use Applecheeks which you can use as a pocket or an AI2. The best part is that if you stuff them the liner aggitates out in the wash so you don't have to touch it.
The only downside is I do feel that CDing on the go does take up more diaper bag space. I generally carry 5 liners, 1 cover and two wetbags (1 clean, 1 dirty), and it takes up about half my diaperbag.
The best thing about CDs is the lack of blowouts! DD has never had a blowout and she has had some pretty big 5 days worth of poop deposits. Also, they are adorable!
i keep hearing this, why do clean ones need their own bag?