Starting a STASH with a 16 month old and a Newborn and have LOTS of questions

Callie - posted on 12/19/2011

This is the website I used to find detergent for my cloth diapers http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/de...
I'm considering switching to cloth wipes and have a couple friends who cut up old receiving blankets.

Jordan - posted on 12/10/2011

I have Econobums as well and would not recommend them for a newborn or infant. However, I do recommend the FLIP system for a newborn and infant. It is a much better cover in my opinion with more snaps to better size to your baby for no leakage and a much trimmer look. Also the microfiber inserts are smaller and much much trimmer than the cotton Econobum prefolds. I love the Econobum prefolds now that my daughter is a toddler, but when she was an infant, she couldn't fit them either. If you use the Flip System then both your babies will be able to wear the diapers.

We made our cloth wipes out of receiving blankets. I went and got 7 recieveing blankets and that made 85 wipes. I was just excited and made to many. Now we have enough for family cloth if desired, haha. If you wash every 2-3 days for one child I would think 20 would be enough.

The wipe solution we use is amazing. I use if for runny noses and it clears them right up as well. Here is the recipe: 2 cups of water, 1/8 cup of Olive Oil, and 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil , 5 drops of Lavender Oil. Whichever Oil you might have at your disposal you can use of the two. No less than 5 drops combined or separately and no more than 10. The oils in the solution have amazing properties that are healthy and good for you. They are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. The Olive Oil is really good for the babys skin too.

We have velcro and snap diapers. For many reason I prefer the snaps. Kids have a harder time pulling the snaps off than the Velcro, you would be surprised how early they can learn to take their diaper off. If you choose a one size fits all from the get go the snaps make it easier to get a snug fit and keep it that way. Also, Velcro wears out and needs to be replaced. The wash is much much harder on Velcro. Using both I don't think one is any easier than the other.

I do not know about the detergent you are using. However we use Eco's All Natural Lavender Laundry Detergent. Works great and is safe for the diapers and laundry. We use it on everything and you can find it at Sams, Walmart, and the Health food stores.

Amy - posted on 10/21/2011

We used BG pocket 3.0 from birth until 2y2m. I liked them for the full range because I could choose what insert to put in (which was the baby insert when she was little and two inserts when she was big).



I thought I wanted velcro, bought some snaps, and was really happy with the velcro choice! You have more flexibility in how to close them. Snap need to get closed where the snaps are, and I couldn't always figure out the right spot to snap them. My velcro lasted just fine for 2 years (no dryer though). I will change the velcro, though, for the next kid.



I also used flannel wipes. No extra work, since you just wash them with the diapers.



Here's a pic from about one month old in a BumGenius:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103218311049588797913/Milena#5251449206346848498



And another from almost two years old in a FuzziBunz:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103218311049588797913/MilenaS1#5496061380918797986



If you glance through the photos, she's in a BG in almost all of them (under her clothes). Pictures in exotic places, though, are disposables, since we never took the cloth on vacation.



Good luck!

Amie - posted on 10/19/2011

I use flip covers and inserts. I still use wet wipes I have been thinking about making my own with velour or flannel as for wipe solution there are several websites. This one has several different recipes http://www.zany-zebra.com/cloth-wipe-sol... Four your nb you will need at least eight covers and 18 inserts if your going to wash every other day. For you toddler I'm not sure because I didn't cloth diaper him.

Julie - posted on 10/18/2011

Jess - I think the type of nappy depends on your child. My strong preference was itti bittis, which have a series of studs in them. I did not like the velcro ones because they stuck to everything in the wash, even if you closed the velcro to wash, they came undone.

I used face washers at home instead of wipes, and used the same procedure as the cloth nappies - rinse off if necessary, and place in the same bin and wash with other items. This is why I didn't like velcro, because they kept sticking to the face washers! I had a system too, I used a very soft face washer for faeces, and just normal face washers for wetness. My son has eczema too, and it took some trial and error to work out which detergent to use.

What I would suggest would be try to buy a couple of different brands second-hand and work out what sort is best for your situation, and then stock up on that particular brand.

Hope this helps!