I have done it. I like making my own scents and I know what's going into them. Plus you use less and they work a whole heck of a lot better. Not to mention super easy.
I made (and bought) cloth wipes, and I actually love them. They were very easy to sew, and I stack them so they still pop up out of the warmer like disposable wipes. DS has eczema that is aggravated by scents and chemicals in some wipes, so cloth is just a lot easier for us. Like PPs, I just use water to wet mine.
@funnibunni80 - The CD board is a good resource, but the FAQs got unpinned for updates recently. We're hoping to get a good blog up and running with better FAQs soon.
Wipes were often too much for DS (bad rashes) so I used baby oil and a soft cloth. Used water too. The hosp. just had dry disposable cloths, we wet them before use.
I plan on cutting up some of the littler receiving blankets into wipes. I also bought some when I got a bunch of cloth (new) diapers from craigslist.
I wish I could find them on Craigslist. In my area the CD selection isn't that great. But i did score 7 NB AIOs Kissaluvs brand diapers on spot's corner.
Curious question for those that CD and/or use cloth wipes, how much more laundry and water is this making you do/use? I know it may be hard to get an accurate comparison to "pre-baby" usage as you're already doing extra laundry just for baby's clothes, etc..., but clearly this also requires it's own cycle to get clean One of the things that has me really hesitant to CD is adding the additional laundry to the process. I think laundry is one of my least favorite things, ever, and is one of the biggest things I miss about living in NYC (we just dropped our laundry off before work one day each week and would pick it up at the end of the day all clean and folded...Heaven!).
I have a few sheets that have holes that I plan to make into wipes. I just haven't gotten that far yet
So, I'm going to recommend NOT using sheets for cloth wipes, unless they are flannel. Runny newborn poop will seep through thin cloth in a hurry. If you want to keep your hands cleaner while cleaning baby's bottom, use something thicker, like flannel, terry, or bamboo.
I use a wipes warmer, cloth and water. No need to add anything to it - you just risk irritating baby's bottom.
Curious question for those that CD and/or use cloth wipes, how much more laundry and water is this making you do/use? I know it may be hard to get an accurate comparison to "pre-baby" usage as you're already doing extra laundry just for baby's clothes, etc..., but clearly this also requires it's own cycle to get clean One of the things that has me really hesitant to CD is adding the additional laundry to the process. I think laundry is one of my least favorite things, ever, and is one of the biggest things I miss about living in NYC (we just dropped our laundry off before work one day each week and would pick it up at the end of the day all clean and folded...Heaven!).
We do 2-3 additional loads of laundry a week due to the cloth diapers. Our water bill hasn't noticeably increased, however.
I made a few dozen cloth wipes from some flannel remnants I picked up cheap at the fabric store. Super easy to do, but in the end, we don't use them as much as the other cloth "wipes" we bought - the dirt cheap, $5 for 5 white washcloths you can get at Target. The washcloths are holding up better than the flannel ones even though they get 4-5 times the wear, and they're much better at getting her clean.
As far as a solution, we just wet them with water and put them in the warmer. I tried fancy solutions a few times, but it wasn't worth it to me.
Curious question for those that CD and/or use cloth wipes, how much more laundry and water is this making you do/use? I know it may be hard to get an accurate comparison to "pre-baby" usage as you're already doing extra laundry just for baby's clothes, etc..., but clearly this also requires it's own cycle to get clean One of the things that has me really hesitant to CD is adding the additional laundry to the process. I think laundry is one of my least favorite things, ever, and is one of the biggest things I miss about living in NYC (we just dropped our laundry off before work one day each week and would pick it up at the end of the day all clean and folded...Heaven!).
I wash diapers every other day, so it adds 3-4 loads per week.It sounds like a lot, but it doesn't feel like it bc they are so easy to stuff/fold and put away.
I use flannel wipes (bought from Jillian's drawers) and when I first had DS I bought a little spray bottle of Bumgenious bottom cleaner. When that was empty, I just refilled it with a tiny squirt of baby wash and water. Spray butt, wipe off. We send unscented disposable wipes to daycare along with our cloth diapers. We also use disposable wipes when traveling.
@jnnfrrose6 We wash diapers about every 3 days. When we have the new baby, I'm sure it will be more like every other day. I have a well, so no water bill. I don't really know if my electricity bill went up or not because after DS was born we started keeping our house warmer so that made the bill go up already. There are two extra rinses involved with each load, but my washer only does cold rinses, so at least the hot water heater isn't running. We have to stuff the pocket diapers, but we don't even fold prefolds or wipes anymore and just put them in a basket.
I have a few sheets that have holes that I plan to make into wipes. I just haven't gotten that far yet
So, I'm going to recommend NOT using sheets for cloth wipes, unless they are flannel. Runny newborn poop will seep through thin cloth in a hurry. If you want to keep your hands cleaner while cleaning baby's bottom, use something thicker, like flannel, terry, or bamboo.
I use a wipes warmer, cloth and water. No need to add anything to it - you just risk irritating baby's bottom.
@Huahine --- I have a couple flannel and a few "jersey" material, do you think that would be okay? I thought it might be a good fabric to use.
*SIGGY* Baby G born 6/6/14, 37 weeks 1 day due to preeclampsia. 5lb12oz 19" #2 due Christmas 2016.
We CD (I've done it exclusively- this will be our 4th child) and we've always used just regular baby wash cloths and plain water. Now in my purse I carry a very slender small spray bottle (bought from Green Mountain Diapers) and that has water with a drop or two of tree tea oil to keep it fresh. Also, I've always been in the habit of wiping my child's tush down with coconut oil after poop changes because its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.
Curious question for those that CD and/or use cloth wipes, how much more laundry and water is this making you do/use? I know it may be hard to get an accurate comparison to "pre-baby" usage as you're already doing extra laundry just for baby's clothes, etc..., but clearly this also requires it's own cycle to get clean One of the things that has me really hesitant to CD is adding the additional laundry to the process. I think laundry is one of my least favorite things, ever, and is one of the biggest things I miss about living in NYC (we just dropped our laundry off before work one day each week and would pick it up at the end of the day all clean and folded...Heaven!).
I do an extra 1 to 2 loads of laundry per week for the diapers. It uses more water but not much. We don't have to pay for water by the gallon, just a flat rate per month.
13 yr old boy with ASD, ADHD and PICA, 11 yr old boy, 3 yr old Girl, & baby Girl.
This is all really encouraging to me because we are going to CD and I'm a FTM so I have no experience.
How often do you guys strip your diapers?
We've never had the need to strip our diapers. Honestly, I think that's overdone. Our dipes still absorb just fine, don't have stink.... the biggest problem we're having now is the aplix is wearing out, but even with that, I'd still do it a million times over.
This is all really encouraging to me because we are going to CD and I'm a FTM so I have no experience.
How often do you guys strip your diapers?
We've never had the need to strip our diapers. Honestly, I think that's overdone. Our dipes still absorb just fine, don't have stink.... the biggest problem we're having now is the aplix is wearing out, but even with that, I'd still do it a million times over.
Did you do the initial strip of the diaper (if you purchased new)?
This is all really encouraging to me because we are going to CD and I'm a FTM so I have no experience.
How often do you guys strip your diapers?
We've never had the need to strip our diapers. Honestly, I think that's overdone. Our dipes still absorb just fine, don't have stink.... the biggest problem we're having now is the aplix is wearing out, but even with that, I'd still do it a million times over.
Did you do the initial strip of the diaper (if you purchased new)?
We prepped according to manufacturer's instructions. For our AIOs and inserts, that was 5 washes. For the pockets, one wash.
This is all really encouraging to me because we are going to CD and I'm a FTM so I have no experience.
How often do you guys strip your diapers?
We've never had the need to strip our diapers. Honestly, I think that's overdone. Our dipes still absorb just fine, don't have stink.... the biggest problem we're having now is the aplix is wearing out, but even with that, I'd still do it a million times over.
Did you do the initial strip of the diaper (if you purchased new)?
We prepped according to manufacturer's instructions. For our AIOs and inserts, that was 5 washes. For the pockets, one wash.
I have to say I am totally stoked about cloth diapering. Like I will be very sad if it doesn't work out. I will feel more fail than if boobfeeding doesn't work. (I think I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself over it).
I have a few sheets that have holes that I plan to make into wipes. I just haven't gotten that far yet
So, I'm going to recommend NOT using sheets for cloth wipes, unless they are flannel. Runny newborn poop will seep through thin cloth in a hurry. If you want to keep your hands cleaner while cleaning baby's bottom, use something thicker, like flannel, terry, or bamboo.
I use a wipes warmer, cloth and water. No need to add anything to it - you just risk irritating baby's bottom.
@Huahine --- I have a couple flannel and a few "jersey" material, do you think that would be okay? I thought it might be a good fabric to use.
Haven't CD'd yet, but as a lifetime sewer and having worked in a fabric store, I would NOT use jersey for wipes. Flannel sounds fine, but jersey has a version of elastic/spandex built in and when things stretch (ie, wiping with some tension against the skin), they get thinner- I can't see that working well. Flannel or fleece should be great.
Re: Make your own diaper wipes?
@funnibunni80 - The CD board is a good resource, but the FAQs got unpinned for updates recently. We're hoping to get a good blog up and running with better FAQs soon.
Baby G born 6/6/14, 37 weeks 1 day due to preeclampsia. 5lb12oz 19"
#2 due Christmas 2016.
I made a few dozen cloth wipes from some flannel remnants I picked up cheap at the fabric store. Super easy to do, but in the end, we don't use them as much as the other cloth "wipes" we bought - the dirt cheap, $5 for 5 white washcloths you can get at Target. The washcloths are holding up better than the flannel ones even though they get 4-5 times the wear, and they're much better at getting her clean.
As far as a solution, we just wet them with water and put them in the warmer. I tried fancy solutions a few times, but it wasn't worth it to me.
I wash diapers every other day, so it adds 3-4 loads per week.It sounds like a lot, but it doesn't feel like it bc they are so easy to stuff/fold and put away.
I use flannel wipes (bought from Jillian's drawers) and when I first had DS I bought a little spray bottle of Bumgenious bottom cleaner. When that was empty, I just refilled it with a tiny squirt of baby wash and water. Spray butt, wipe off. We send unscented disposable wipes to daycare along with our cloth diapers. We also use disposable wipes when traveling.
@jnnfrrose6 We wash diapers about every 3 days. When we have the new baby, I'm sure it will be more like every other day. I have a well, so no water bill. I don't really know if my electricity bill went up or not because after DS was born we started keeping our house warmer so that made the bill go up already. There are two extra rinses involved with each load, but my washer only does cold rinses, so at least the hot water heater isn't running. We have to stuff the pocket diapers, but we don't even fold prefolds or wipes anymore and just put them in a basket.
Baby G born 6/6/14, 37 weeks 1 day due to preeclampsia. 5lb12oz 19"
#2 due Christmas 2016.
13 yr old boy with ASD, ADHD and PICA, 11 yr old boy, 3 yr old Girl, & baby Girl.
CDing suuuuper easy and if you are like 99% of people I know you will fall in love with it!
I strip our diapers maybe once in the winter, but more in the summer and we travel a lot.