Cloth Diapers?

[phoenixgirl]

Pancake, OK, now it definitely sounds like you have enough. Very cute that DH is getting on board!

I suddenly realized that I think I have enough too. [Whispers: and it makes me a little sad because half the fun is looking for deals!] Especially since I put diapers on my Christmas list, which has at least stopped me from going crazy buying more Mini One-Sizes. But assuming that the mini one-sizes will fit but be a little bulky at first, then we'd be fine. Here's what I have or know I will have (I'm 99% positive my mom got me a sampler pack I asked for):

18 newborn AIOs/pockets
13 mini one-size pockets
4 covers
3 fitteds
12 prefolds (6 newborn, 6 infant)

Sounds like enough, right? I realize that the number of prefolds I have is disproportionate to the number of wraps, but I'm thinking I won't really use those now except as backups.

I'll want more mini one-sizes, maybe 8 or so, to last from months 1 to 4 I'm guessing, but I think I'm fine to start.

 

[Puppmom]

PG, I can totally relate. In my circle of friends, there are 4 boys all born between 01/2010 and 04/2011. My nephew is the first, then DS, then two friends' kids. I get tons of clothes from my nephew and pass them on. Sometimes, I'm hesitant to pass nice stuff on to the next friend because they don't look so hot when I get them back then I'm kind of embarrassed to pass them on to the last one.

I'm always amazed at how WHITE most of my diapers are. They're seriously cleaner than DH's undershirts and all he does is sweat on them. It's crazy to think my kid POOPS on them and they're still white!

Pancake, that is one fantastic stash you've got going there!

Oh, Easyfits update - I like them! I washed them twice with my diapers before using them and haven't had any leaks. I'm still a little hung up on the fact that they feel wet when they're wet because I'm used to the fleece or microsuede but DS doesn't seem to mind. I enjoy not having to match up the diaper with the insert. I only have 3 and I'm not really in the market for any new diapers since my stash is at 26 which is plenty.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Pupp, thanks for the Easy Fit update. So it's aplix? Are you a fan in general? My only experience (weird FuzziBunz prototype) was bad, but I'm giving it a try with DD#2 with the Happy Heinys.

I don't know how my friend is getting her diapers stained like that. The stains are on the inside of the FB pockets - I have never had a stain on there, just on the inserts. (Not to sound all paid product placement or anything, but now that I use Tide, I don't have any more stains. And no more collar ring on DH's shirts. But anyway, when I did have stains, they were only on the inserts, were generally very faint, and they came out over time.) Hers are just big old gross brown stains. Shudder.

 

[pancake]

Puppmom - what is your secret to the whiteness? I am a newbie hungry for tips!

I am prewashing the organic part of my stash now - Bambooties, Loveybums prefolds, Flip inserts. The Dappies haven't arrived yet so they will have to be done later. Boiling my Bummis organic cotton prefolds. Sad and ridiculous, but I am finding this exciting! It is making impending motherhood feel so much more tangible, somehow.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Pancake, glad you are enjoying the nesting process! So much fun!

Yes, Pupp, please share your super white diaper secrets with us! I don't have any stains but my older (made in China) FuzziBunz have a sort of off-white color to them, which I think is the fabric. They're definitely not dirty, and it's only those diapers in particular.

So, one of my stupid bought off of Diaper Swappers diapers has bit it - the leg elastic snapped on one side. Argh, lesson learned. I kind of feel like I should make a few more small purchases on there, though, just so I can have good feedback when I sell them my Lil Joey stash for what I paid for it.

So I'm thinking I might replace that diaper with a Charlie Banana large just to try a different brand.

Speaking of, apparently the owner of FB is coo-coo. The founder of CB used to consult for her or something, and then they had a falling out at the woman founded CB, so the FB lady went nutso and sent this nasty email to everyone who sells her diapers bad-mouthing the CB lady. Um, hello, it's called a non-compete clause. It's your own fault you didn't have one. Then the CB lady obviously got lawyers involved and FB lady was all, "Oh, hee hee, just kidding . . .": http://thedramaofdiaperswappers.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/an-update-on-the-charlie-banana-vs-fuzzi-bunz-issue/ I've also seen crazy ranting responses to customer complaints from FB lady. Glad I've had a good experience with their customer service but there's also no reason not to see what else is out there . . .

Not totally diaper related, but my local diaper/fancy baby shop is calling in the Mountain Buggy Plus One for me to look at. They have the single version of the stroller and I was asking about it, and they said they'd call it in because they've had so many inquiries about it. So it's not like they are calling it in just for me or I've agreed to buy it or anything. Anyway, the price is $650, but I just found a site that has all their strollers 10% off with free shipping (mystrollers.com), so that comes to $585. With tax I'll be paying about $100 more to buy the stroller locally (and have to go pick it up myself rather than having it brought to my doorstep) and I don't even know if they'll assemble it. Sigh. But I do value shopping at local businesses and having a real person to go talk to about the stroller, plus I'm getting the chance to see it before I decide for sure. So WWYD? I'm not going to snake them and buy it online; I'll either buy it from them or not get it. And I'll tell them about the price I saw online and see if they can discount it, but they are really sucky at discounts and sales so I doubt it (Black Friday they had one measly table with hardly anything marked down). Still, though, $100 isn't chump change.

 

[Puppmom]

PG, I read that letter and, even if what she said is true, it makes her sound like a nut.

Fuzzibunz. The fleece lining just gets this overall dingy look about it even though there aren't any stains.

I've learned that stains aren't permanent EVEN if you've dried the diapers in the dryer. I switched to RockinGreen a while ago and HATED it. I had staining - on the PUL outer AND the pocket AND the microfiber insert. I tried rinsing more, rinsing less, washing twice, more detergent, less detergent, soaking, hand washing and stripping AND NOTHING worked. I thought maybe my diapers had just gotten to the stinky, stained point. Then I hunted down the original detergent I used (Dapple baby) and, after a few washes stains were gone and best of all, NO MORE STINKIES.

My current wash routine is:

- cold prerinse with a squirt or two of biokleen (it's weird and smells like lime but seems to be working)
- hot wash with dapply baby and sometimes i add a little oxy-clean
- cold rinse - sometimes I use too much detergent or biokleen bac-out (which must be rinsed thoroughly) and i subsitute a full short cold wash for my rinse

I'm no pro so I think as long as your washer is suitable and you wash frequently, you'll be fine. You may have to try a few detergents before you find one you're happy with.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey ladies, do all of you have front loading washing machines? I have top loading stacked unit (Chicago condo).

Thanks,
LC

 

[phoenixgirl]

Pupp, yeah, I thought I liked Rockin' Green but I was getting stains too. Now I'm just using regular (well, the new ultra kind) Tide.

LC, I do have a front-loader, but supposedly top-loaders are better for CDs since they use more water.

 

[Puppmom]

I have a top loader. I guess you could have an issue if your washer is apartment sized but that would just mean smaller loads.

ETA - I couldn't find regular TIDE anywhere!

 

[Puppmom]

Oh, and re: aplix. I thought I would love it because the snaps were sort of tricky at first. It's not that I don't like it, it just doesn't seem any better than snaps. The benefit is you can adjust the diaper a lot more but I find that I keep undoing and re-doing to get the perfect fit. With the snaps, I know exactly what snap I use on each diaper so I can snap them with ease. The laundry tabs are really good on them so they don't stick to the other laundry even though the aplix is super sticky.

 

[Loves Vintage]

puppmom - When you say hot wash, does that include the regular rinse cycle with that was. Curious how many rinses you are doing? If it's just the one rinse, then that's phenomenal! Maybe I'm misreading?

PG - On your stroller question, if I liked it, I think I'd just order it on-line. Yes, it's nice to support local businesses, but not an extra $100!! Someone else who does less research or who doesn't care to price compare will buy that stroller from the shop!! Save the $100 for a rainy day! I understand how you would feel obligated to purchase it due to their niceness and great customer service, but I guess I'd feel more guilty spending the extra $100 vs. not buying from the store.

LC - They say the more water the better when it comes to washing CDs. I've heard that people will add water to the high efficiency machines in order to get better results. It seems everyone adjusts their wash routine to what works best for them as they go along. A more compact machine may require an additional cycle, or maybe it won't, but it wouldn't concern me enough to prevent me from CD'g.

Re: staining -- I think staining may result from not washing as frequently? Perhaps also from an unwillingness to use products like oxyclean?

 

[phoenixgirl]

Pancake - I came across this site. I assume you've seen it? They carry a lot of the brands (Blueberry, Happy Heinys, Lil Joey) that I'm trying out. http://www.clothmybot.com.au/catalog/nappies-newborn-suggestions-c-81_174.html

Pupp - how old is your LO? (I know I've asked before . . . sorry!) I'm venturing into aplix with my newborn diapers, but I'm worried with a toddler I might have self-diaper-removal. That happened once with a poopy diaper and I don't want to repeat that again! But my mom has difficulty with snaps, so I want to have some aplix ones on hand. Plus I figure it's harder to fit a newborn in general.

OK, tell me these aren't TDF: http://www.thelittlebeeco.com/store/diapers?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_new.tpl&product_id=35&category_id=1 They look an awful lot like Lil Joeys. The price is the same (but I think you have to pay shipping), but they also donate a diaper to an orphanage in Africa or Asia each time you buy. So cute, right? (Bella, I'll resist the urge to buy one if you will!)

LC, I just read a review the other day where a woman was describing using a mini portable washer for her diapers with no problem. I really don't think a small drum is an issue - that just makes it easier to cover them all with water. In a small condo you're probably not aiming to go several days between washes anyway. You should be fine to go up to every other day. I had the smallest stackable washer (whatever the compact one is that only fits one set of sheets at a time) in my condo, and I'm positive it would have worked fine for the size of my diaper loads. They're pretty small since babies and toddlers themselves are pretty small.

LV, thanks for the perspective re the stroller. I'll just have to see if I like it. I do know that rent is high in the shopping district, and I really appreciate the ability to go and gawk at their diapers from time to time (even though their selection of sized/small diapers isn't the best, and I already have a one-size stash). But $100 is a lot.

 

[Puppmom]

PG, those diapers are so cute. I guess anything is cute in newborn size though! Nolan is 16 months. He doesn't bother with his diaper much but he could probably get the EasyFits off if he tried. Summer will be the true test since he's clothed head to toe all of the time these days. I'm actually looking forward to the warm weather again because I'm a sucker for a toddler in just a diaper - especially a cute cloth one!

LV, my wash cycle comes with a rinse and then I do another so it's a second rinse. On occasion, if I use too much soap or have a bigger load, I'll run a whole extra wash with no detergent. I'll use a short wash - I think it's called Delicates on my washer? A good judge for me are my hanging bags. If they have any signs of soap on the lining, I rinse again. I definitely agree about the wash frequency, if I go to 3 days, I split the load into two. I try not to put more than 15 or so diapers in a single load.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Pupp, re Tide . . . I *think* I'm correct in saying this . . . the DiaperSwappers ladies are all gaga over the regular Tide because they figured out their wash routines with it. The new Tide Ultra is more concentrated, and (I believe) has a slightly different formula that is more environmentally-friendly. Some surfactants can be troublesome, and I think they've switched to less toxic ones. It's still not as clean as a "green" detergent, obviously, but from what I read as long as your water treatment plant is doing its job, there shouldn't be any environmental impact and the surfactants will biodegrade. So anyway, I think all the DS ladies are all rah rah rah because they had their wash routines down and possibly it washed slightly better due to the less environmentally-friendly ingredients. But I still find Tide Ultra to wash waaaaaay better than Rockin' Green. I don't have any stains any more.

 

[Kunzite]

pupp - On your rec. I ordered a ton of Dapple Baby today to try out! All of this talk about how RG isn't all it's cracked up to be has me wondering if I could be getting my diapers even cleaner! I didn't mean to order so much, but Diapers.com had it buy one get one 50% off, and I didn't notice until after I ordered that it was actually a 2-pack! So I guess I'll have 4 bottles to try out. Tell me more about using the Biokleen. Do you spray every diaper? What about the oxyclean, do you just add a little every now and then?

I also try not to wash more than 12-15 diapers at once, so even though our stash is big enough to go three days, we still wash every other day so the load doesn't get too big. Now with the prospect of three in diapers...... oy! For the first few months that's going to add up to like 20 prefolds and 6 pockets in one day. I hope everything gets clean because I refuse to do two diaper loads in one day!!

 

[Puppmom]

That's a great deal on Dapple! When BRU stocked it, they were charging $10 for one 50oz jug. Diapers.com was out of stock forever so I got it from site called Abe's market (I think?) and I ended up with four jugs by accident too. Oh well, it'll get used!

I don't put the Biokleen bac-out right on the diapers. I just store my diapers dry in the hanging bag (unless they needed to be sprayed off). I start the cold rinse and put like 2 or 3 squirts of bac-out in then add the diapers. I add the Oxyclean during the wash cycle every few washes. It seems to help keep the diapers white. Then again, I only really had issues with stains when I was using RNG.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I do spray BacOut on the poopy diapers, but I started doing it because of the stain issue when I was using RnG. I wonder if I really need to now. It just makes me feel better about the poopy residue sitting in the diaper pail to know I treated it, somehow. But I know enzymes are supposedly bad for some fabrics like hemp, so it might be a bad thing, IDK. I do have use hemp doublers overnight and wash them with the other diapers.

So I had an epiphany about my friend who wants to borrow the Lil Joeys, if anyone cares to hear. I don't think it's so much the thought of lending them out, but it's the kind of borrower she is. Example 1: she borrowed my maternity clothes (she got pregnant right after Claire was born), and then after she had the baby asked me if I'd like them back or for her to store them. I said I'd like them back, but not in a forceful way. So . . . she stored them. In her teeeeeny tiny house up in the attic. So then when I got pregnant, I had to ask for them back.

Now she's pregnant again too, due four months after me. I loaned her my ovulation predictor, and now I have a friend who is TTC and could use it, so I asked for it back. She gave it back to me but said, oh, she had been waiting until the end of the first trimester to return it (she's 12 weeks now), you know, "just in case." Which is fine, but I loaned it to her when I was still in the first trimester. I didn't keep it and not lend it out "just in case."

After I got the maternity clothes back, she said something that made me realize that she had been hanging on to them in case she got pregnant again. But the thing is, she knew I was TTC, and she hadn't even gotten AF back because she was still nursing. She was still hoping she would wind up pregnant and told me she thought that she was pregnant twice. But . . . they were my maternity clothes. It's not like it was a race to get pregnant and the winner got to keep the clothes. Same thing with the monitor . . . if you want to hang on to my monitor for months on end when you're not using it, then you should buy your own monitor. I guess I don't like feeling like I have to ask permission or make a big deal to have my things back.

I've loaned her plenty of other things - a stroller, a jumperoo, toys that Claire has outgrown - that didn't have any weirdness associated to them. I know TTC and pregnancy are emotional things and I understand her desire to be pregnant and her fear of having a m/c. But I guess what I'm realizing is that if something is important to me and I'll want it back in a timely manner - which I guess diapers are [sheepish grin] - then she isn't a good person to loan them to. And I could totally see her saying, oh, I already loaned them to so and so when I ask for them back.

Plus, let's face it, your kid poops in the diapers. I don't think I'm ever going to be the person using somebody else's diapers. So that settles it - the diapers will have to be sold, not loaned. I'll offer a price which is what I think I could get on DiaperSwappers less shipping, and if that works for her, great, and if not, then I'll sell them to someone else.

Thanks for listening! I totally didn't put all of this together until this week when I asked for the monitor back. Glad to know what was really bothering me.

 

[pancake]

PG, that is a useful realisation about your friend that you made there. I agree that you are better off not loaning things to her - I wouldn't, although I can see why you might feel a little uncomfortable about "denying" her. But it comes down to the fact that it's your property and you get to choose what you do with it.

Thanks for the cleaning tips, ladies - much appreciated. I have prewashed all my smallest nappies, prefolds and inserts (well, the ones that have arrived) with Ecostore detergent, which is a New Zealand-made product that many of the CD companies here recommend. We'll see how that goes when the time comes...

Does anyone here use a mesh laundry bag? The idea appeals to me - I can toss the used nappies in the dry pail lined with the mesh bag, and then just shove the whole thing in the wash. But would be interested to see if this works for anyone else.

I have just ordered 4 Applecheeks size 1 envelopes, and that is the end of my purchasing for now! Still have 6 Charlie Banana 1 size and 18 bamboo prefolds and flats to come, so that is more than enough of a stash!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Pancake, good job on the stash!

So there will be nothing between the pail and the mesh? I just throw my pail liner in the laundry with the diapers. Mine doesn't have the drawstring but I use something like this (it's waterproof-ish, except for the time the power went out in the middle of a wash and I threw the sopping wet diapers in my spare bag until I could rewash - it leaked then): http://www.clothmybot.com.au/catalog/swaddlebeesblueberry-laundry-bagbin-liner-prints-p-694.html

I have a stainless steel trash can with a removable plastic tub inside (just happened to have one already - probably would have bought a simple trash can instead) as my diaper pail, and every time I remove the diapers, there's some moisture on the underside of the lid and some general odor/moisture all around (I always do a wipe down/air out while the diapers are in the wash). But I know some people don't regularly clean/air out their pails, and in that case, I would worry that the mesh would make the pail even grosser than the waterproof liner. But if you'll be wiping either way, then I guess it could work. But what if poo/grossness gets through the holes in the mesh?

You definitely want some kind of liner/bag in the pail, but I'd go with something that won't let the ickies through personally.

ETA: This is the one I have: http://www.nickisdiapers.com/planet-wise-diaper-pail-liner.html

 

[phoenixgirl]

I should add that some people do not go for the closed lid and have an open pail. To me personally, that's grosser. I used the bucket part of the trashcan with a towel over it at my mom's, and I definitely noticed the smell whenever I went near it. With the closed lid, I don't smell it unless I open it, and that's just for a second. Since I always clean it and air it out, it doesn't develop a permanent funk. *But* I know some people feel that a closed lid would be the grossest thing ever and prefer it to be open. So maybe you are envisioning more of an open system with the mesh liner. Still, though, I think I'd go for waterproof/mess containment on the bottom and let the airflow happen just at the top.

 

[pancake]

Nope, we will have a closed pail with a liner and THEN the mesh bag! Obviously the liner will also go in the laundry each time we do a wash.

 

[phoenixgirl]

OK, so will the diapers have to agitate out of the mesh bag in the wash? And if you have aplix, it might attract the tabs. Those are the only issues I can think of. I have a front-loader and it is a little tricky to get the diapers out of the liner without touching them . . . so you might be on to something here!

 

[pancake]

No, I think the idea is like a laudry delicates bag - something like this but bigger: http://www.autumnz.com/autumnz-laundry-mesh-bag-medium-p-121.html

I assume the main thing would be making sure that there was plenty of slack in the bag so that the diapers can still float around freely in the wash.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Well, since they seem to market/make these cloth-diaper specific I assume they must be useful, but I'm kind of dubious. I think with a top loader, you'd risk the drum getting unbalanced, and with a front loader, you'd hear a thumping sound as the bag hit each time. Either way I can't imagine the diapers would be moving as freely as they would otherwise, so they presumably wouldn't be getting as clean. I don't think it's worth the convenience of not having to jiggle them out of the liner into the washer yourself. Are there other pros I am not thinking of?

 

[phoenixgirl]

PSA: As of yesterday, CottonBabies and Blueberry/Swaddlebees had both stocked their clearance/seconds.

So . . . you know what's coming . . . I ordered 3 more Blueberry Mini Deluxe and 3 Swaddlebees Mini Nappis for $8/each. They didn't come with inserts but they were clearance (discontinued prints), not seconds. These diapers need inserts no longer than 10 or 11 inches - most "small" sized inserts start at 12 inches long - so I wasn't going to buy them because I had the hardest time finding anything that would work with them, and every time I found something it would be $$$$ with shipping. But then I found that DivaDiapers (my source for all those cheap Lil Joeys) had the Happy Heinys X Small inserts for $2 each (regularly $3.50). Since I have these I was able to check and make sure they'll work. They're wider and a tad shorter than the Blueberry ones, but they'll work fine. Plus I got free shipping and $2.50 off my order from cash back from my previous orders. So that came to $10.70/per diaper (Blueberries are $18 regularly, Swaddlebees are $22). But . . . I confess that I'm a little worried that since I asked for diapers and everyone knows how obsessed I am with them, maybe I"ll get a bunch of diapers for Christmas. Now I have 19 mini one-size diapers. So let's say I get 6 for Christmas, then will that be overkill? A one to three month old needs to be changed more often than a toddler, right? I can't remember! And what if I get more than six for Christmas? And what if I don't like these on DD#2? Oh well, it just seemed like a really good deal once I figured out the insert issue. I had told myself (and DH) that I would wait to buy more when I saw what I liked, but these don't seem to go on sale very often. Oh well, I think it will be kind of fun to resell on DS when I am done with them or if I don't like them, and since I'm getting everything at used-prices, I can't go wrong, right?

OK, speaking of used diapers. Last night in bed DH was sweetly asking me about diapers (he asked if there would be a gap between when these new baby diapers fit and when our regular stash fits - good question!), and I started talking about how I do.not.get why people will pay (or at least ask) just a few dollars less for an old, used diaper than they could pay for new? You see people all the time saying, "VGUC. These are $18 new. Asking $15ppd." Why do people think they can use something and have it get pooped on for months or years and then resell it so their actual cost was only 1/6 the price of the diaper? So I was joking about what it would be like if people scoured the internet to buy used underwear. "Ooooooh . . . these are HANES . . . and the description says they were only pooped in occasionally . . . and they're $2 cheaper than at Target! Score!" Totally got myself laughing hysterically at the thought.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Phoenix, I am CRACKING UP!!!! Ooohhhh....Hanes! hardly pooped in!!!!

 

[Puppmom]

PG, that is hilarious. I never understood why cloth diaper resale is so high - especially since they can only be used so many times before they bite the dust. AND there are so many reasonably priced options. Do you ever go to the thrift store? They have undies hanging on hangers usually. Yuck!

re: dirty diaper storage. I use a Planet Wise hanging bag (I think LV and Kunzite do too) and we don't usually even zip it and it doesn't smell at all. In fact, it's much better than the sposies in the closed pail. Now, when I go into friends' houses and they have babies, I notice the poopie stink! I do spray my poopie diapers so that might make a difference.

 

[pancake]

Oh dear. Think I just bought some Weehugger covers. But they are so CUTE!!!

Puppmom - I like the look of the Planet Wise bags, but are they hard to wash properly? I would worry about trying to get smells and residue out of the corners.

PG - on second look, the bags I am looking at are indeed designed for the nappies to agitate out of them in the wash. We have a front loader so that should be no problem I think.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

We have the Fuzzibunz hanging bag and love it (you can unzip the bottom and it makes it easy to clean and for the diapers to go into the wash (we just unzip and hold over the sink, rinse, and then put in the washer).

We also have a Plantewise one that we use for travel and when we 're doing laundry (it's convenient for travel b/c it also has a pocket for dry diapers). We like it too, but LOVE the Fuzzibunz bag.

 

[pancake]

Oooh Bella, I hadn't looked at that one. Does the drawstring seem to keep the smells in ok?