Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Cloth Diapering Addendum

You can read more about my cloth diapering experiences in my previous posts
Cloth Diapering Part I: The "Whys"
Cloth Diapering Part II: The "Hows"

Sly is almost eight months old, and we're still very happy with the cloth diapers! Introducing solid foods to his diet has made for a new kind of "number two", but we've been figuring out how to tackle these new types of poos (um, don't read that literally, because that would be pretty gross!)

My take on the different styles of diaper now: We've basically stopped using the Flips entirely (mostly since Tom hates them), and have purchased even more pre-folds to build up our supply. I think I've decided that my favorite diaper in terms of ease and effectiveness might be the Bumgenius 4.0's (of which we only own two). However, at almost $20 per diaper, we just can't afford to stock up on those now. Pre-folds are slightly more involved, but work just as well for less than $4 per diaper!

A few new products we've been using...

1. [prepare yourself for some poop talk!]
Well, this one isn't new, but I had mentioned in my second diapering post that we owned a diaper sprayer. This is a little contraption that hooks up to the clean water supply for the toilet. The idea is that when there is a poopy diaper, you can spray off most of the mess right into the toilet, and then flush it away.



At the time of my last post, I admitted that we had not found this to be very useful for us, as the poos we were dealing with were too liquidy, and just sort of soaked into the diapers. Well, as mentioned above, we're now dealing with a much more adult-style poo, and it is firm enough that we can blast almost all of it right off into the toilet! This is definitely good news for my washing machine, which I'm sure would cringe at the thought of the messes Sly happily makes for it. $40 well spent.


2. For a while, we were just using a small grocery bag hung on the changing table as a spot to throw all the dirty diapers.

Old system

This was okay, but after there were a couple in there, the room did take on a distinctive urine-odor. So we got a waterproof reusable diaper-pail liner (it has an elastic-y top), and bought a small garbage can with a lid.

New system

The can isn't entirely smell-proof, but it's definitely better than before. And it has a larger capacity too, which is nice. I would like to eventually get a second liner, so that when this one is in the wash (I toss it in every time I do a load of diapers), we could have another one in place. Also, a slightly larger can would allow me to go one more day between washes, which would be convenient. The cost of the liner was somewhere around $15.

3. We've picked up a few more diaper covers, all from the same brand - Thirsties. Wegot to try this brand briefly, when our friends kindly lent us some of their Thirsties covers after their son had grown out of them. But Sly himself only fit them for a couple weeks! (I think those were a different style of cover than the ones we eventually purchased)

We got the Thirsties Duo Wrap Covers, which come in two sizes. Usually I avoid sized cloth diapers (since I don't want to have to buy as many). But these covers are AWESOME, and we didn't buy ours until Sly was just fitting into size 2, anyways. This size should fit him until he's done with diapers entirely (they are labeled as 18-40 pounds).



Why do I like the covers so much? They are sturdy, come in attractive bright colors, and have a double leg gusset, which not only keeps messes inside better, but also seems to make them easier to "fit." As always, I recommend the ones with snaps, and not Velcro. Each cover cost about $12, and can be used multiple times before washing.

5 comments:

  1. We use and love Thirsties. I don't know why other companies haven't thought up the gussets yet-- they hold it all in so nicely. And I love all the colors when they're hanging on the clothesline. :)

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  2. thanks for all the helpful info! we are definitely planning to go the cloth diaper route when the time comes!

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  3. So. I'm set on cloth diapering, but my husband... not so much. He's absolutely convinced that we will need a small portable washer to wash the diapers in, because he believes that poop will get on his clothes if I wash his clothes in our regular washer after washing a load of diapers... ugh. Any ideas on how to convince him otherwise? Did Tom have that fear at all?

    My thought is to register for a bunch of Bumgeniuses and Thirsties, and see what we get (and buy something cheaper if we don't get enough). How many would you suggest we need to start with (obviously we would buy a few more down the road if #2 comes before #1 is out of diapers)? Should I ask for more Thirsties than BGs, since they can be used more times before washing?

    I'll leave this page open, so I remember to check back for your answers :-)

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    1. I've only heard of men having issues with this, but it seems like a lot of them do! Well, I would absolutely recommend getting a diaper sprayer to hook to the toilet. Explain that this will get off a lot of the initial "solid matter." Also, cloth diapers have a washing routine for the machine that requires a cold pre-rinse, a wash (with diaper detergent), and then another rinse afterwards. By that point, everything gross has been thoroughly washed away! And it's not like you'll be putting regular clothes in with the diapers....I would assume.

      Bumgeniuses are very easy to use, and are great especially for people who are a little wary about dealing with cloth. However, the microfiber they have inside is a bit more "fussy" than the natural fibers of pre-fold diapers. Thirsties are my favorite covers for sure. You'd put those over pre-folds (which aren't very expensive, so it's smart to register for the more pricey components).

      Personally, I would want at least 2 dozen diapers total for one baby. Don't worry about getting enough for another baby yet. Wait until you know what type of diaper you like, and then add to your stash as needed.

      But I have much to say about cloth diapers, so feel free to ask more questions, or ask for a full-out demonstration next time you visit (I spent over an hour going through EVERYTHING with Kim, and I *think* she appreciated it!)

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    2. Ok, maybe the second rinse will ease his worries :-)
      And I will definitely take you up on the cloth diaper lesson sometime!

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