Advice on cloth diapers

Melissa - posted on 05/12/2010

before u put ur diapers in the bucket wash them out first in just a bit of cold water, let em soak over night at the most is what i do then wash them straight up in the morning. my son wears alot of shirts with his cloth nappies with pilchers over the top. i use them only when im at home and if i need to go shopping then i use the disposable ones. now that its getting colder tho i will start having trouble soon during the day the cloth nappies and him fitting into his winter stuff. if i figure that one out ill let u no, the only way i think of is another size or so up in clothes coz u can always roll the sleeves and stuff up i guess. im sure if he is uncomfortable he will let u no

Majaliwa - posted on 05/11/2010

Christy, to answer your questions:

1. FREQUENT CHANGES
If baby is 0 to 3 months its recommended to change them every 2 hours. In fact, one of the reasons babies get diaper rash more often in disposables is because they are so absorbent people don't change them every 2 hours like they should. So while it may seem to be a pain, you're actually changing the baby as often as you should for baby's health. This will go down once baby hits the 3 month mark.

2. BULKY DIAPERS
Not all cloth diapers are bulky. FLIP diapers are one-size diapers - meaning they can be adjusted to fit baby from 8 lbs to 40 lbs. The good thing is that they'll last your baby until potty training, the bad thing is that they're bulky in the beginning until baby hits about 12 to 15 lbs. To avoid that you have two options: (a) buy newborn sized diapers and then switch to one-size diapers when baby hits about 12 lbs or (b) buy a trimmer fitting one size diaper.

Here's a list of best newborn diapers and the trimmest one size diapers.

http://www.pootersdiapers.com/best-cloth...

3. BUCKET BACTERIA
There are three ways you can handle you dirty diapers - (a) move your diaper pail, (b) buy a zip-close hanging wet bag, or (c) use an enzyme. First I can tell you that bacteria getting loose in your baby's room shouldn't be a concern, but since it bothers you I would recommend the following: (a) keeping your diaper pail in your laundry room or some other place that makes you feel more comfortable about the bacteria, (b) purchasing a hanging diaper pail with zipper closure to keep the odor and bacteria in or (c) spraying each diaper with a enzyme. I recommend BioKleen Bacout Odor and Stain remover (you can find it a WholeFoods or online). This is a live enzyme that once sprayed on the diaper literally eats the live bacteria and cultures on the diaper. If you choose this option, be sure to run an extra rinse cycle after you wash your diapers to make sure its rinsed completely out of the diaper - if not, it will irritate baby's bum.

Hope this helps! You made a good choice to choose cloth. I'd hate to see you give up on it.

Dena - posted on 05/11/2010

so sorry to hear you're off to a tough start. it helps to be really informed about the diapers, in order to be successful. so here are some facts about cloth diapers.

- Yes, you need to change more frequently than disposables. That's because cloth diapers do not have the harmful chemicals that disposals have - the chemicals that make them super absorbent. That being said, it doesn't make sense that you are changing more often than every 2 hours. How old is your baby? Make sure that you have the right size diaper. When they get small on your baby, then you will have more leaks, and that's a sign that it's time for the next size. It also may be the Flip diapers - I don't have experience with them, so I can't vouch for them.

- Yes, cloth diapers are bulkier - again - because of the lack of chemicals. Chemicals - including carcinogens and chemicals that have been illegal to put in tampons since the '70s! - are what make disposables so thin.

- Regarding dirty diapers - I throw mine in a wetbag and do laundry every 2-3 days. We have no smells in our home or even the room.

http://www.wahmies.com/
This is a link to the wetbags I use.

http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/
These are the diapers I use. Currently using the Duo Diapers.

http://www.amilkyway.com/item/Bummis-Bam...
I also use these Bamboozled with covers from Thirsties.

send me a message if you have any more specific questions.
Another good resource is The Birth Boutique. http://www.birthboutique.com/
That's where I bought everything from. They are really helpful.

Good luck! Using cloth diapers is not only good for your wallet and the environment, but for your child's health as well. Once you get into the routine - which shouldn't be too hard if you start off right - it becomes super easy!