FAQ

TheUltimateStoneycakes · April 2014

The FAQs to this board were removed because they were full of terrible and outdated information. Currently @Nana_Osaki06 and the rest of the board members are working on an awesome blog full of helpful info, pics, and links, but until that’s ready, here are a few answers to commonly asked questions.

I’m interested in cloth diapering, but where do I start?

We recommend checking out the 7 part Cloth 101 Series on YouTube (link to part 1 of 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVo6SMebcX8) or the ObbsandLala YouTube vlog series on cloth diapering (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2CE681574C00E83D). Also, lurk this board for a few days.

What is the best way to cloth diaper on a budget?

Flats or prefolds in a cover are the most basic and economical option. You can also look for used diapers on sites like diaperswappers, craigslist, ebay, spotscorner, etc.

What are some of the benefits of cloth diapering?

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but here are a few perks to cloth that you don’t get with disposable diapers

·         Saves money—especially when used over multiple children and/or resold after use
·         Better for baby—fewer chemicals, better rash protection, improved potty training
·         Better for the environment—studies show that more resources are needed to make a disposable diaper than it does to launder a cloth one. And again, all of the chemicals used are awful for the environment too. Plus, do you know how long a disposable diaper sits in a landfill? 500 years. Ick.
·         Fewer leaks/blowouts—these just don’t happen in properly fitting cloth diapers
·         Super cute—check out the Flaunt Your Fluff thread on Fridays if you have any doubt of this

Where can I buy cloth diapers?

If you don’t have a brick and mortar retailer in your area, there are lots of great online sites to buy from. A few favorites of this board are sweetbottomsbaby.com, abbyslane.com, nickisdiapers.com, kellyscloset.com, greenmountaindiapers.com

My husband and I were both big babies, do I really need a newborn stash?

Yes. Unless you give birth to a 15lber, your one size diapers are unlikely to fit a newborn. Their legs are just too skinny. Newborn stashes are a great investment even though they are only used for a short time because of their excellent resale value. There are also newborn trial/rental programs you can check into.

Won’t poop get all over my washing machine?

Yeah, all cloth diapering families are walking around is poop covered clothes. *eyeroll*

No, before babies start solids breastfed/formula poop is water soluble. No need to rinse, just throw it directly into your pail and then into the washer on laundry day. Once babies are eating solids, you just get rid of the solid poop in the toilet (plop, spray, dunk and swish, scrape, whatever you fancy) and throw it in your pail until wash day.

Disposable diaper users still wash poop in their machines, they just wash it off of clothes, bedding, seat covers, etc. from blowout disposable diapers.

My daycare says they won’t accept cloth diapers. Is there anything I can do to convince them?

Try taking in a pre-stuffed pocket or all-in-one to show them. Many people still have antiquated ideas about pins and rubber pants when it comes to cloth. Often when they see that using modern cloth diapers is no different than using a disposable they can be swayed.

Look up your state’s regulations on diapering in day care centers. Go in prepared to tell them how you can meet those regulations without making any more work for their employees.

Some places allow cloth with a written prescription from a doctor. Talk to your ped. to see if this is an option for you.

Even if your daycare provider still refuses to use cloth diapers, many people use disposables at daycare and cloth at home. It is totally possible to cloth diaper only part time.

How should I wash my diapers?

A good routine to start with is cold or warm rinse, HOT wash with detergent and cold rinse, one more cold rinse. You can tweak your routine from there if your diapers are not getting clean enough. Make sure you spin out the water from your first rinse so that you’re not washing in poop/pee water.

Wash your diapers every 2-3 days. Going longer is likely to cause stink issues.

What detergent should I use?

It’s going to depend on your diapers, washer, and water type. There’s no way we can tell you that. As a general rule, stay away from liquid detergents as they cause build up. A well-liked detergent on this board is Original powdered Tide, but there are lots of great cloth diaper detergents out there that work well. Check out Pinstripes and Polkadots (https://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/Articles.asp?ID=262) to see how cloth friendly your detergent is.

How do I strip my diapers?

Usually a hot water strip (washing several times with not detergent in hot water) or an RLR/washing soda strip (soak diapers in RLR or washing soda then wash) will do the trick.

Do not use blue Dawn unless you are getting rid of non-cloth diaper safe cream, and even then, use a sparing amount and spot treat. There’s no reason to wash your entire stash in Dawn.

How do I prep my new diapers?

Natural fibers (hemp, cotton, bamboo, etc.) can all be prepped together to remove their natural oils. They should be washed 3-5 times before using and will gain absorbency the more they are washed. If you don’t have a large load of natural fiber diapers to prep at one time, you can wash with sheets or towels in hot with cloth diaper safe detergent to save on water. If the item you’re prepping doesn’t have any snaps, PUL, or elastic, you can also try boiling the item for 15-20 minutes then washing once.

Man-made materials (microfiber, suede cloth, fleece, etc.) can just be washed once using your normal diaper washing routine to get all the factory junk off of them.

If they used diapers that you want to clean before using, we recommend diluting 1/4c. of bleach in water and adding it to your first wash cycle. Rinse, rinse, rinse until all the bleach smell is gone.

My diaper pail stinks. What can I do?

Open the lid. It sounds counter-intuitive, but the more air flow your diapers can get, the less they will stink.

My diapers are coming out stained. What am I doing wrong?

Usually nothing. As long as they don’t smell funky when you take them out of the wash, they’re fine. Stains happen. Put them in the sun when they’re wet and the stains will disappear.

People make rude comments and/or take bets on when I’m going to give up cloth diapering. Is it really that hard?

Nope. People are just dumb.

I’m having an issue with stink or a rash.

Post a question on the board. Be sure to include what type of diapers you use, how old your LO is, what your wash routine is like, what detergent you use, what kind of washer you have, and your water type if you happen to know it. If it’s a rash question and you can include a picture too, that’s always helpful.

Why do you call @chickypoo2468 “MK”?

Yeah, like I’m really going to tell you that!

Into+the+Kitty · September 2014

This is the easiest DIY Challenge ever. We're going to be making the most basic type of one size insert. Why would you want to make your own inserts? Well, for one thing, if you buy seconds diapers, they don't typically come with inserts. Or maybe you just don't like microfiber, and would prefer natural fibers. Or if your kid is a heavy wetter, you might be looking to make some hemp doublers since the $4+ price tag for a single hemp insert seems a little ridiculous to you! Or maybe you just made your first pocket diaper and don't have the extra insert to go with it (hint, hint).

I'm going to be making mine out of three layers of regular weight bamboo fleece today. (As an aside in terms of gauging your absorbency needs: I normally make them out of three layers of heavy bamboo fleece, and most frequently use a two layer hemp fleece doubler behind it. This combo can go upwards of four hours of absorbency for us. I would say that A is not a heavy wetter, but is a pretty moderate wetter.)

First, you're going to want to wash your material in hot water and dry in the dryer. I actually iron the edges of my fleece after, since it will roll, and I don't like wasting any of the material. Today I'm making the inserts 4 by 14 inches because I made new narrower pockets.(I typically make my inserts 4.5 by 13.5 inches. A BG OS insert measures 5.5 by 16 inches.)

I have made inserts before by cutting each piece for each layer individually, and it sucks not only have to cut them, but having to align and pin them all. Instead, I just cut one big piece now, so I cut a piece of fabric that is 12 by 14 inches. If one of your sides is not even, fold that side in four inches (or however wide you cut your inserts to be) and fold the nicely cut edge over that edge. Line up the edges of the insert, and pin.

If the width at the bottom and top of the inserts is uneven, you can trim it here, or wait until after you've sewed the insert. Using a heavyweight ballpoint needle, sew around the insert as close to the edge as you can using a wide zig zag stitch, backstitching at the beginning and end. You'll want to set your stitch length to about 2.5 or 3 so that the insert doesn't pucker and distort while you're sewing (make your stitches longer if the insert is puckering). After you're done, you can trim any mess around the edges, just make sure you don't cut the stitches.

You can stop here if you want, or you can add snaps to the insert if you have a press/pliers. I added some snaps that are 3.75 and 5 inches from the first set of snaps.

(From left to right, the new insert snapped down to the first setting, a heavy bamboo fleece insert I previously made, and a BG insert)

Here's my thoughts on the types of fabrics for inserts (I've used a lot, haha)...

Hemp fleece is great! It actually absorbs quickly enough for us on its own, and I've made a few inserts out of 3 layers of it. I like it the best as a two layer doubler.

Heavy bamboo fleece is my favorite. All of my inserts are 3 layers of bamboo fleece. With a heavier fleece like the hemp or heavy bamboo, you're not really going to want to add more than 3 layers because otherwise it will take forever to get dry.

This is the first time that I've used regular weight bamboo fleece and I haven't actually used the inserts yet, so I can't speak to how much I like it, but with a regular weight bamboo fleece, I would say you could use 4 layers and still not go overboard with drying time.

I like hemp/bamboo jersey. I have some that are made out of either 8 or 10 layers, and while they are my most absorbent inserts, it is way too many. After two full cycles on the dryer they are still damp and have to get air dryed after that. I would say that 6 layers would be ideal for a jersey.

Flannel was alright, but compared to the other materials, the bulk to absorbency ratio just sucks imo.

I haven't used any terries, so if anyone has any thoughts on that, please weigh in here!

I haven't had any coffee yet, so if there's any clarification needed, please ask -- I won't feel bad!

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