Cloth Diapers?

[Puppmom]

This thread is moving and I can't keep up!

LV, we do love our TotBots. We're not in the market for any diapers at the moment but, if we are in the future, they're high on the list. My only problem is they take a while to dry on the line but I hate to run the dryer for just a few diapers, you know? That's not really an *issue* so much though. The fit is great. The leg elastic is the stretchiest of all my diapers and the aplix is as good now as it was on day one.

PhoenixGirl, ah! I love those little newborn diapers! If we have another, you've definitely convinced me newborn diapering is doable.

Pancake, I think OS diapers say they start at 10lbs usually but I would say they'll probably still be a little big - especially around the leg.

So...I think I may have to retire our Fuzzibunz soon. Nolan has plumber's butt when he wears them. I also have the leg elastic loosened so much that it's not even stretching anymore. We've yet to have a leak so we'll stick it out as long as we can. I definitely don't see them lasting until potty training. Speaking of potty training - Nolan is just becoming familiar with the potty and has peed on it (by total coincidence) a few times. The cloth diapers are great because I can pull them up and down.

Not much else here, still loving our diapering system. We haven't had a leak or a blowout in FOREVER. The waist elastic on most diapers ia really good at holding in poo. I can't even tell you how many times this kids poops right to the edge of the waist or leg and it never comes out. My nephew and friend's son are constantly exploding out of their disposables.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Hmmm, so my trusty Tide routine does not completely eradicate EBF poop stains. But they do sun out super easily. Interesting, right? Today I tried cutting the load in half to see if I was just overfilling it, but the EBF stains were still there. But they are completely gone after a short time outside in the sun. Why is that?

 

[lliang_chi]

Pupp, I agree about the lack of blowouts. I'm really happy we haven't experienced that. Did you get extra elastics from Fuzzibunz? Maybe you can order them? If the diaper itself is still good, bu the elastic is worn out, it might be an easy enough thing to just replace the elastic?I've found the TotBots dry pretty well in my dryer. We've had some warm days but I haven't done any outside drying just yet. I also only have northern exposure so I don't get a ton of direct sunlight.

PhG how long are you going between washes? I wash every day (not sure how well this system will be when I go back to work) and I get all but the barest of stains for EBF poop. But now that I think of it, I also use fleece liners though because we use diaper cream (BalmX) for Ethan. So nevermind.... I'll shut up now. I *love* the pictures of Alice in her new diapers.

Pancake, I'm putting Ethan in some of my regular OS diapers. They're MUCH bigger than the NB ones but they still work. Maybe I just have a chunky-monkey though. He's just over 11lbs.

Questions for you mamas:

1) I notice Ethan is getting some red marks on his back where the elastic from the diapers hit. Am I putting the diapers on too tight?
2) Sunning diapers: do you need direct sunlight? Or indirect will work also? My balcony only has northern exposure so I get all of 15 secs of direct sun.
3) Diaper creams: What do you guys use? Do you use liners too? I've been using BalmX with fleece liners to protect the diapers. But Ethan's diaper butt (little red flecks on his skin) was starting to come back with just BalmX. I also have a small sample of CJ's BUTTer, so I've been doing a little layer of CJ's on the diaper butt part, and then smear the BalmX on for barrier. I'd love to hear what you guys are doing.

 

[mayerling]

LC, I know I haven't actually used CDs yet , but from my research I think I can answer the first two questions:

1. From what I've read, read marks are okay (I'm not sure which website I read this on - maybe Nicki's diapers - but they used the analogy of how socks leave red marks on us but those marks are not a problem).
2. Direct sunlight isn't necessary. Even on an overcast day you could still get the sun's rays peaking through and helping get rid of stains - just like how you should still use sunblock even on a cloudy day because the sun can still get through.

 

[Kunzite]

lc - It sounds like you have a nice little stash going there! I never wash my BG more than twice before using them. We just got two new BG4.0 in the mirror color a few weeks ago because I found that I was always having to dry one or two covers to have enough ready to go for daycare the next day, so I got two more diapers so I wouldn't have to dry the covers unless it was an emergency. I just threw them in with the normal diaper wash a few times before using them. O will often have red marks on his back (but not front or legs) and I just attribute it to his super pale skin or him moving a lot. It's never an indentation or super red though. We use California Baby diaper cream, but don't use it often. I don't think we've ever actually had diaper rash to be honest so I'm not much help there. Good luck! Oh, and my Flips are coming today, so excited.

pg - Awwww, such cute pictures! You make me covet some BG NB diapers! I could never justify the expense (especially since I already own the prefolds and covers), but boy is it tempting. I'm glad to hear everything is working out for you. Did you have any trouble before her cord fell off? That's the only time I'm unsure of for the twins, we didn't have to worry about it for O because he was still in the hospital. I'd hate to spend the money on disposables for the first few weeks until they fall off, but I'd also hate for my covers to rub on them. Hummm. I've read that BM poo nearly always stains regardless of the wash routine. We always rinsed ours to ward off stains, but we still had some.

pancake - We started with our OS at around 11 pounds. I had read that 12 pounds was best, but we got impatient! O is super slim and tall too, so depending on S's build you could start earlier.

pupp - The more I read about FB, the more it sounds like most people are unhappy with them. In the beginning it seemed like they got the best reviews and I felt like I must be doing something wrong to dislike them so much, but it sounds like the tide is turning! We never have blow outs either unless O is sick and he's in his overnight diaper. It's stuffed so full that with a giant (and I do mean giant) poo there isn't much hope around the legs! I think we have four inserts in them! So yeah, no hope!

 

[pancake]

LC, I don't worry about the marks too much - S has red marks all over her all the time from lying down on her clothes, leaning her head on my shoulder, etc etc. She definitely gets indents from her disposable nappies (which we do not fasten tightly!) so I don't worry about it.

I am not using any creams at all as so far S hasn't had any rashes (touch wood). I just clean her with Curash wipes or with warm water and cotton wool, and that's it. I use Imse Vimse liners, don't know if that makes any difference. We do change her quite frequently - she would rarely go more than 2-3 hours without a change.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey ladies,

Thanks for the answers. I guess I'll try laying the diapers out on the balcony. Sad our gorgeous unseasonably warm and sunny weather has swapped back to the ugly grey Midwest "Spring" (I call it Late Winter). It's raining today (of course) so no diaper sunning today.

Kunzite, do you use your California Baby cream to pre-rash, during redness to nip it in the bud? We haven't gotten full blown rash yet (touch wood), but redness and some broken skin. I'm trying to work out a system to prevent this.

Oh and last but not least a picture: this weekend Quizas found a new pillow. Guess she approves of Ethan's cushy diaper butt.

 

[Kunzite]

That picture is too cute!! DH uses the cream when O starts to look pink, I don't. Since DH changes 99% of the diapers these days then I guess we do now! He'll usually clear right up just by changing his diaper, which is why I don't bother. You can't tell that to my worrier of a husband though!

 

[pancake]

PG, I forgot to say - what is your washing routine again? I have heard about the miraculous stain-removing properties of the sun, but to be honest we actually haven't had any stains coming out of the machine yet. I don't know if I overdo the washing - I do a cold rinse, then a warm wash with half a scoop of enzyme-free detergent, then I run an extra cold rinse cycle. I do rinse off the poo before washing, and if there's any poo stuck in the elastics I flick it off with an old toothbrush.

On another note - I am loving our Applecheeks! I've been putting S in them for the last couple of days and I LOVE how soft they are on her skin, how they have both front and back elastic, and that they have two rows of snaps so that the fit around the leg is adjustable. I only have 4 of them though... thinking of getting some more but I have to have the shipped from the US as you can't get them here (and if I could they would be ludicrously expensive).

I have just washed my stash of medium sized AIOs - 6 Itti Bitti and 12 Bambooty - think we we could probably put S in them now, although she's still wearing smalls. Excited!! (yes, I am a CD tragic)

 

[Loves Vintage]

Hey ladies,

Thanks for the answers. I guess I'll try laying the diapers out on the balcony. Sad our gorgeous unseasonably warm and sunny weather has swapped back to the ugly grey Midwest "Spring" (I call it Late Winter). It's raining today (of course) so no diaper sunning today.

Kunzite, do you use your California Baby cream to pre-rash, during redness to nip it in the bud? We haven't gotten full blown rash yet (touch wood), but redness and some broken skin. I'm trying to work out a system to prevent this.

Oh and last but not least a picture: this weekend Quizas found a new pillow. Guess she approves of Ethan's cushy diaper butt.

LC - This is just TOO CUTE!!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Hmmm, so my trusty Tide routine does not completely eradicate EBF poop stains. But they do sun out super easily. Interesting, right? Today I tried cutting the load in half to see if I was just overfilling it, but the EBF stains were still there. But they are completely gone after a short time outside in the sun. Why is that?

PG - That is so weird! I never had any issues with MBF (the M is for mostly!) causing stains. It all seemed to come out so effortlessly. I will say that I tried two different tides, and didn't have the miraculous results that I had hoped for or that the DS ladies seem to promise. Also, S did fine with the soap. Then, I run out of my cherished Charlies Soap (for the first time since having in on autodelivery), and used some All free and clear. Used it on her clothes too. S wound up with a minor rash all over her back and diaper area. So strange!! I've got plenty of Charlies now, so rash is resolving. It's no wonder CD mamas are always talking about detergents. There is SO much to talk about!

 

[phoenixgirl]

You know, I haven't been rinsing the EBF diapers or spraying them with BacOut or anything because I read that you don't have to. So I'm just throwing them right into the dry pail and washing every 48 hours. So I'm guessing that's why. The stains are all gone by the time I re-stuff them so I'm not too worried about it.

Just tried the Blueberry Mini Deluxe for the first time. It fits OK - definitely bulkier than the exclusively newborn diapers, but working fine on my 8 pound baby. So probably the most economical option is to go with mini-one sizes from birth and then regular one sizes for the rest of the diapering days. I just wish more manufacturers made mini one-size options.

Somebody asked about the umbilical cord being an issue - it fell off at 8 days, and we didn't use CDs until day 3, so there was not a long period there, during which we mostly stuck to our diapers with snap-down rises. That said, most of the other diapers have a low enough rise that it wasn't an issue anyway (FuzziBunz XS and Happy Heinys Minis were fine). The exceptions are BumGenius and Imse Vimse. We used the BG anyway, and it seemed fine, but I only had one at the time so it's possible it would cause irritation if used exclusively.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey ladies, quick question, what heat do you dry your diapers on in the dryer? High heat or medium? I have Medium Heat "Auto dry" or timed high heat dry.

Thanks,
LC

 

[pancake]

Medium or low - apparently high heat delaminates the PUL and on many nap pies it voids the warranty.

But for cotton prefolds, flats and fitteds, I don't think it would matter.

 

[Kunzite]

I hang dry my covers unless I need one right away. Inserts and wipes get dried on medium but I think high would be fine too.

 

[Puppmom]

I do the same as Kunzite, hang the covers unless I'm in immediate need. Then, I dry on low. I dry inserts on high. I think too much drying in the dryer contributed to my Applecheeks elastic cracking.

 

[Kunzite]

I want to take back my recommendation for California Baby rash cream. I've read that they recently changed their formula (they added some cheaper chemical ) and a lot of people are having trouble with it burning their baby's bottom. When we're done with our old bottle I might give coconut oil a try.

And..... we switched to Tide about a month ago and LOVE it. No stinkies, no new stains, appears to be rinsing well. I used to strip my diapers all the time because they would start to smell. I only wish we'd switched sooner!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Kunzite - Which tide are you using? Have you decided whether you will CD the twins? Oh, they sell coconut oil at TJ's. Not sure if you were aware of that, or if you even have one near you, but I noticed it was a new item shortly after I purchased coconut oil from Amazon. I personally don't think CO is all of that, though plenty of DS mamas swear by it. I do like CJ's butter a lot more. It's much easier to apply. You sort of have to melt the coconut oil in your hands before applying. It's messy and hard to judge how much you need, plus it didn't really work for us, but S has had some bad rashes, which even CJ's isn't enough for, so we use Aveeno and a fake diaper (aka disposable). You know, I am also super-sensitive about this kids, so I should say, the CJ's would probably work in 24 hours or so, but I notice the aveeno works right quick, so I do use it, perhaps more than I really need to.

**********

Soooooooo, one of my pail liners (I think they are planet wise ) delaminated. On occasion, I soak in hot water after a pre-wash. I wonder if that's what did it? Looking into buying a cute WAHM one. The two that I have now are white, so looking for a cute print.

 

[bobbin]

I thought I would pop in and share a photo of my newborn - small stash

L-R:

On puppy's face: dappy shop prefold (x6 of these), kissaluv fitted NB (x5)
1st row: Bummis NB wrap froggy, Bummis NB wrap bloom, Thirsties size 1 wrap hoot, thirsties size 1 wrap warm stripe.
2nd row: Bummis sm wrap celery dot, Bamboty SM Easypeasy AIO dino, Bambooty Sm easy peasy AIO safari, Bambooty Sm easy peasy AIO hooty booty, Kissaluvs Marvel AIO NB (x2).
3rd row: All AI2 small unknown brands. 2 x black and white, 2 x strawberry (I think from a WAHM).

I will supplement with disposables if I need to until bubs gets into medium/one siz fits all kind of size range.

 

[lliang_chi]

Bobbin if you get some more prefolds, you could probably do all cloth until your bubs gets big enough to use OSFM diapers. Prefolds are pretty cheap and if you don't like it you can always use as spit cloths or whatever.

AFM, I think Ethan will be growing out of the TotBots TiniFits soon. It's good until 12lbs, and he's 11lbs and change. I guess I'll have to start building a regular OSFM stash. DH calls the regular diapers "fat man" diapers since they're gigantic, but they do fit him. I got the Flips that Kunzite posted, the covers were only $9. Now I just need to get some inserts and I'll be good to go For my OSFM stash I have 1 Fuzzibunz, 2 Bum Genius (one snaps, one aplix), 2 Kissaluv Marvels, 1 Blueberry pocket, 1 Happy Heiny, 2, Size 2 Thirsties (He's still to small for them), 1 new brand called Imagine and 3 Flip covers.

Does any one use pre folds in your flip covers?

 

[Puppmom]

I want to take back my recommendation for California Baby rash cream. I've read that they recently changed their formula (they added some cheaper chemical ) and a lot of people are having trouble with it burning their baby's bottom. When we're done with our old bottle I might give coconut oil a try.

And..... we switched to Tide about a month ago and LOVE it. No stinkies, no new stains, appears to be rinsing well. I used to strip my diapers all the time because they would start to smell. I only wish we'd switched sooner!

Yes! A few pages (well more than that since this thread is hopping these days), I think I mentioned our issues with it. We put N in disposables that my brother had given us because we were warned the antibiotic he was on could cause diarrhea. He got a rash from either the diapers or the poo but we put on the California baby and he SCREAMED! I thought it was just us because the online reviews were so good. I've been afraid to try a natural cream since. Fortunately, N hasn't really had any rash. Daycare is sort of hypersensitive and apply cream now and then. We just use Desitin with a liner.

 

[MerryMary]

LC - my friend who CD her daughter used prefolds with her flip covers and loves them. She is planning to do the same for her second child later this year. She just modifies the fold for the size of the baby.

 

[yellowducky]

I want to take back my recommendation for California Baby rash cream. I've read that they recently changed their formula (they added some cheaper chemical ) and a lot of people are having trouble with it burning their baby's bottom. When we're done with our old bottle I might give coconut oil a try.

And..... we switched to Tide about a month ago and LOVE it. No stinkies, no new stains, appears to be rinsing well. I used to strip my diapers all the time because they would start to smell. I only wish we'd switched sooner!

i was actually keeping tabs on the CB facebook page a while back when there was a big brouhaha that erupted once their reformulation was more publicly acknowledged. (i used and continue to use some of the older formulation products for my personal use.) IMO, what i witnessed was messy and their handling of the situation was not very professional to say the least. if you're interested, someone created a "california baby complaints" group page, where there were some screen captures (of CB's totally inept management of the issue/potentially dishonest communication) last time i checked. not surprisingly, i'm no longer a CB fan.

ETA: it sounds as though they actually began reformulating some of their products last fall, but CB wasn't very forthcoming about this until earlier this year. tsk, tsk.

 

[lliang_chi]

Mary, thanks for the input. Good to know. I've also used fitteds as liners for my Flip covers.

Kunzite and Ducky, that's a bummer that California Baby changed their product. I ordered some CJ BUTTer plus for any rash/pre-rash issues for Ethan. I'm hoping that will be enough. The regular CJ Butt was pretty good, but I used to still put BalmX down as a barrier cream.

 

[megumic]

So, it has taken me SIX whole WEEKS to read this whole thread. LOL. I finished it last night at 2:30am when I couldn't sleep. It is amazing how much there is to know about CDing - it makes me nervous I'll mess it up from the start!

I know you can get CDs at a lot of places, but DH's family lives near Ithaca, NY, where Jillian's Drawers has a retail store. Worth the trip? Or just buy online?

Now that I'm caught up, I will be following closely along. I hope we are able to CD and intend to start out that way. We are unsure of the childcare situation once LO arrives, as my clerkship ends Sept 1 so I will be looking for a new position just as soon as I'm ready, which may be in 4 months or maybe a year...who knows!

Any CD beginners tips are appreciated!

 

[Puppmom]

Meg, if you're in the area anyway, I say Jillian's is worth a visit. I didn't buy my entire stash there and they're priced pretty much the same as everywhere else but they were SO helpful. I've talked to two reps there (they're not a huge operation so there may only be two people!) and they were both beyond helpful. They shared wash routines and pointers and pros and cons of different styles of diapers.

Yellowducky, interesting about the California Baby. I don't have a facebook account but I'm off to google what the heck happened!

 

[pancake]

We have broken out the OSFMs! Sylvie is currently in a bumGenius with snaps; I actually prefer the hook/loop now that I've tried them but I only have one of those. Going to put an Elemental on her next. The Charlie Bananas are in the machine being prewashed and I am hoping for good things from those because of the adjustable leg elastics...

 

[Loves Vintage]

Megumic, I'd totally go to Jillian's. It's helpful to see cds in person!! Plus, I agree with Puppmom. I called JD's once, and they were so superhelpful!! I'm sure you would find it very educational to go there. They may even have beginner classes! Plus, if they are located in or near the Commons, you could find a nice lunch spot and have some yummy food for baby too!

Yellowducky, Nice to see you again! Is the CB shampoo and body wash junk now too? That's what we've been using since the beginning. Is Burt's Bees better? I should just ask you what you plan to use since I'll venture to guess you've already researched it!

Bobbin, Nice stash! Some very cute prints in there!

**************

I just got some cute swim diapers for S. Dumb question: am I supposed to put a whole bathing suit over these? They are too cute to do that! So, I have to somehow find tankini tops to match these. Uhhhh, that's not going to be easy!! Grrr.

I'm also looking into some new CDs. Tots Bots is taking forever to release their new diapers to the US. Err, anyone in the UK have them yet? So, I'm looking into some AIOs, maybe the Osocozy's.

And, also wanted to say, if you've ever considered switching to Mama Cloth, ohhhh, just order some and try it out. Wow, it is so much nicer and more comfy than plastic-y always and the like. I think I'm hooked!

 

[yellowducky]

Megumic, I'd totally go to Jillian's. It's helpful to see cds in person!! Plus, I agree with Puppmom. I called JD's once, and they were so superhelpful!! I'm sure you would find it very educational to go there. They may even have beginner classes! Plus, if they are located in or near the Commons, you could find a nice lunch spot and have some yummy food for baby too!

Yellowducky, Nice to see you again! Is the CB shampoo and body wash junk now too? That's what we've been using since the beginning. Is Burt's Bees better? I should just ask you what you plan to use since I'll venture to guess you've already researched it!

Bobbin, Nice stash! Some very cute prints in there!

**************

I just got some cute swim diapers for S. Dumb question: am I supposed to put a whole bathing suit over these? They are too cute to do that! So, I have to somehow find tankini tops to match these. Uhhhh, that's not going to be easy!! Grrr.

I'm also looking into some new CDs. Tots Bots is taking forever to release their new diapers to the US. Err, anyone in the UK have them yet? So, I'm looking into some AIOs, maybe the Osocozy's.

And, also wanted to say, if you've ever considered switching to Mama Cloth, ohhhh, just order some and try it out. Wow, it is so much nicer and more comfy than plastic-y always and the like. I think I'm hooked!

Hi LV! to you too. It's been a while. I've been transitioning away from CB and have been (or plan on) phasing in Earth Mama Angel Baby and Bubble & Bee into my (and my family's) personal care regimen once I deplete my CB stockpile. I do know that Burt's Bees is now owned by Clorox if that is at all a red flag for you and some of their labeling is a bit too ambiguous for my preference. (I try to avoid all non-essential oil and synthetic fragrances.) It may really depend on which of their particular products you're using and whether there is any cause for concern. Bubble & Bee's creator, Stephanie, maintains a great blog that I think you'll find interesting. HTH!

 

[mayachel]

LC!-OMG I can't get over how adorable Ethan and Quiza's photo is.
Yellow Ducky-We use the swim diapers on their own, with an SPF swim shirt. Miss. J also has a one piece with a built in swim diaper. I had a hard time believing it would all work out, but it did!
Meg-While there are tons of places to shop on-line, if it made sense for me to get near one of the B&M diapper meccas, I'd be all over it! Plus Jillian's has great deals on like new, gently used diapers.

We have made the transition to aio swaddlebees and aio grovias and are loving them both. The grovia seem better suited for overnight at this stage, though the swaddlebees have a pocket that's easy to add in a booster with. I have 12 of the above plus some Imse Vimse, old

The prefolds we have are making great everything cloths, something to wipe her up with whrn she spits up, something to throw under her with messy diapers or if I want to air her out a bit, and now she likes to mouth them too. I remember wondering why people would say they were so handy to have around, no I say the same.

While we weren't having much issue with stains yet, we switched to Charlie's Soap, from RNG as it was one of the ones recommended by grovia and I didn't want to risk voiding their warranty. I'm impressed so far by how very very little, is truly enough to clean a full wash of diapers. We never have smells any more, and no issue with staining. We are drying everything on medium heat for one cycle, and then hang drying. Most will dry over night, straight from the wash if I hang them, but I'm only just realizing that. In the summer, if it doesn't get too humid (we don't have ac) I might line dry them most of the time.