Worried about diaper rashes or detergent sensitivity? There's a great post over on the Knickernappies blog about just that!
Beware of Bad Cloth Diapering Advice
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Diaper Type Video
Along with the "Cloth Diaper 101" video series that was linked a little while back, here's another great video that explains the different types of cloth diapers for those that are just starting out or are a bit overwhelmed.
The video goes hand in hand with this blog post from the Eco-Friendly Family (a great resource for all things green!):
Cloth Diapers: So Many Choices!
The video goes hand in hand with this blog post from the Eco-Friendly Family (a great resource for all things green!):
Cloth Diapers: So Many Choices!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Cloth Diaper Rules
This is a fantastic article that re-iterates much of what we've said on this blog before!
______________________________________________________________
A Cloth Diapering Addict's Rules
Originally featured at The Cloth Diaper Whisperer (check out their weekly Fluff Friday giveaways!).
I began cloth diapering my now seventeen-month-old son, Sullivan, a litle over a year ago. What started out as an attempt to rid him of horrible diaper rash created by disposables has becoming an all-consuming obsession. As odd as it seems, cloth diapering is now a huge part of my life. I write about it. I dream about it. I stalk diapers on second-hand sites. I have become good friends with many cloth diaper company owners and fellow cloth diapering mamas. Choosing to use cloth on my son's bum has been one of the best parenting decisions I've made. It's also one big, endless learning experience. I've dealt with every stone cloth can put in my path: leaks, rashes, ammonia stinkies, empty PayPal accounts, and occassionally having to explain to my husband why I absolutely, positively, NEED that new diaper RIGHT. THIS. MINUTE. But through it all, I've been able to help other mamas on their paths to choosing cloth. Through my trials, I've developed a few rules that help guide me with my cloth journey.
1) Nothing is a rule is cloth.
I know, confusing, right? Here I am, laying out my rules, only to tell you there are no rules! But it's true. What works awesomely for one mama is going to be a disaster for you, and vice versa. Some things, you have to figure out as you go along. Read reviews, read blogger's opinions, and talk to other moms about what works for them. However, in the end, remember that cloth is a "to each their own," adventure.
2) Don't purchase an entire stash of one brand of diapers...unless you're 100% positive you will always love them no matter what.
A second half of this rule could be, "Don't sell off any of your diapers unless you're 100% positive you'll always hate them." I started with an entire stash of Grobaby diapers, only to find out they didn't work for us. I read reviews. I researched. I went with what I thought was the best brand for us, and I was wrong. So I had to sell off every one of those diapers in order to rebuild my stash. It was a pain in the heiny. On the other end of the spectrum, I can't tell you the number of times I've sold a diaper I just didn't think would work for us, only to find that a few months later, it would fit my son perfectly. Children grow and change, as do their diaper needs. What works for you in the beginning is probably not going to work at two years into cloth diapering. So keeping a variety of diapers in your stash is a great way to ensure you always have what you need to diaper. You don't have to spend a fortune. Having some prefolds, a handful of All-in-Ones or pockets, and a few fitteds and covers won't cost you a ton, especially if you look for good sales and second-hand diapers. But a bunch of different types of diapers will keep you from having to desperately search for a nighttime solution because your old stand-by suddenly fails.
3) Be careful with second hand purchases.
I love buying diapers second hand. I can give new life to a diaper someone else previously loved. More often than not, I end up with a high quality diaper at 50-70% the cost of retail. But sometimes, I get a real dud. The problem with second hand is that the seller determines the condition. "EUC" or "Excellent Used Condition" can mean a wide spectrum of diapers depending on who's deciding. Be sure to read the seller's feedback. Be sure they use tracking and delivery confirmation. Always pay with PayPal to keep your money safe. And have fun!
4) When you find a great wash routine, STICK WITH IT!
It's so easy to be lured into the world of cloth diaper detergents. Many work-at-home-mom detergents are proclaimed as the best for your diapers. To some people, Tide is the enemy and must be avoided at all costs. To others? Tide is the only thing that works. Enzymes must be used. NEVER use Enzymes! Everything you read is going to be conflicting. Ultimately, you have to figure out a routine that will work best for your diapers and your water. If you ever move, you'll have to figure out a whole new routine (possibly). You may end up with ammonia or stinkies at some point. Remember these basics; it's better to use too much detergent than too little. Build-up is not as bad as not removing nasties from diapers. Rinse, rinse, rinse. An occasional stripping does everyone some good, and sun is your best friend. After that, anything goes. Once you find what works for you, don't change your routine until you experience problems. Otherwise, you'll end up with diaper issues, and it can be too hard to pin point your problem.
5) Don't give up.
Even the most experienced cloth diaper mamas and dads run into issues here and there. It can be so frustrating when you just can't figure out what your problems are with cloth. Maybe night and naptime diapering is a struggle. Maybe your little one has gotten yeast or heat rashes. Maybe you're dealing with leak or repelling problems. Just remember, mamas that use disposables deal with problems, too. Every time your child grows, you'll going to have to make adjustments. Reach out to the cloth diapering community. There are thousands of moms and dads that would love to help you solve your problems. It may take a little while, but more often than not, the problem is a simple one with a simple solution. Once it's solved, you can enjoy a fluffy bum again!
Sally is a full-time SAHM of a seventeen-month-old son, Sullivan. She is married to an Army Officer, and they are currently expecting child number two due in August. You can check out Sally's writing and cloth diaper reviews and giveaways at Exploits of a Military Mama.
______________________________________________________________
A Cloth Diapering Addict's Rules
Originally featured at The Cloth Diaper Whisperer (check out their weekly Fluff Friday giveaways!).
I began cloth diapering my now seventeen-month-old son, Sullivan, a litle over a year ago. What started out as an attempt to rid him of horrible diaper rash created by disposables has becoming an all-consuming obsession. As odd as it seems, cloth diapering is now a huge part of my life. I write about it. I dream about it. I stalk diapers on second-hand sites. I have become good friends with many cloth diaper company owners and fellow cloth diapering mamas. Choosing to use cloth on my son's bum has been one of the best parenting decisions I've made. It's also one big, endless learning experience. I've dealt with every stone cloth can put in my path: leaks, rashes, ammonia stinkies, empty PayPal accounts, and occassionally having to explain to my husband why I absolutely, positively, NEED that new diaper RIGHT. THIS. MINUTE. But through it all, I've been able to help other mamas on their paths to choosing cloth. Through my trials, I've developed a few rules that help guide me with my cloth journey.
1) Nothing is a rule is cloth.
I know, confusing, right? Here I am, laying out my rules, only to tell you there are no rules! But it's true. What works awesomely for one mama is going to be a disaster for you, and vice versa. Some things, you have to figure out as you go along. Read reviews, read blogger's opinions, and talk to other moms about what works for them. However, in the end, remember that cloth is a "to each their own," adventure.
2) Don't purchase an entire stash of one brand of diapers...unless you're 100% positive you will always love them no matter what.
A second half of this rule could be, "Don't sell off any of your diapers unless you're 100% positive you'll always hate them." I started with an entire stash of Grobaby diapers, only to find out they didn't work for us. I read reviews. I researched. I went with what I thought was the best brand for us, and I was wrong. So I had to sell off every one of those diapers in order to rebuild my stash. It was a pain in the heiny. On the other end of the spectrum, I can't tell you the number of times I've sold a diaper I just didn't think would work for us, only to find that a few months later, it would fit my son perfectly. Children grow and change, as do their diaper needs. What works for you in the beginning is probably not going to work at two years into cloth diapering. So keeping a variety of diapers in your stash is a great way to ensure you always have what you need to diaper. You don't have to spend a fortune. Having some prefolds, a handful of All-in-Ones or pockets, and a few fitteds and covers won't cost you a ton, especially if you look for good sales and second-hand diapers. But a bunch of different types of diapers will keep you from having to desperately search for a nighttime solution because your old stand-by suddenly fails.
3) Be careful with second hand purchases.
I love buying diapers second hand. I can give new life to a diaper someone else previously loved. More often than not, I end up with a high quality diaper at 50-70% the cost of retail. But sometimes, I get a real dud. The problem with second hand is that the seller determines the condition. "EUC" or "Excellent Used Condition" can mean a wide spectrum of diapers depending on who's deciding. Be sure to read the seller's feedback. Be sure they use tracking and delivery confirmation. Always pay with PayPal to keep your money safe. And have fun!
4) When you find a great wash routine, STICK WITH IT!
It's so easy to be lured into the world of cloth diaper detergents. Many work-at-home-mom detergents are proclaimed as the best for your diapers. To some people, Tide is the enemy and must be avoided at all costs. To others? Tide is the only thing that works. Enzymes must be used. NEVER use Enzymes! Everything you read is going to be conflicting. Ultimately, you have to figure out a routine that will work best for your diapers and your water. If you ever move, you'll have to figure out a whole new routine (possibly). You may end up with ammonia or stinkies at some point. Remember these basics; it's better to use too much detergent than too little. Build-up is not as bad as not removing nasties from diapers. Rinse, rinse, rinse. An occasional stripping does everyone some good, and sun is your best friend. After that, anything goes. Once you find what works for you, don't change your routine until you experience problems. Otherwise, you'll end up with diaper issues, and it can be too hard to pin point your problem.
5) Don't give up.
Even the most experienced cloth diaper mamas and dads run into issues here and there. It can be so frustrating when you just can't figure out what your problems are with cloth. Maybe night and naptime diapering is a struggle. Maybe your little one has gotten yeast or heat rashes. Maybe you're dealing with leak or repelling problems. Just remember, mamas that use disposables deal with problems, too. Every time your child grows, you'll going to have to make adjustments. Reach out to the cloth diapering community. There are thousands of moms and dads that would love to help you solve your problems. It may take a little while, but more often than not, the problem is a simple one with a simple solution. Once it's solved, you can enjoy a fluffy bum again!
Sally is a full-time SAHM of a seventeen-month-old son, Sullivan. She is married to an Army Officer, and they are currently expecting child number two due in August. You can check out Sally's writing and cloth diaper reviews and giveaways at Exploits of a Military Mama.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Newbies and Newborns and Poop, Oh My!
A great round up of videos and articles at Dirty Diaper Laundry - articles for those new to the CD world, newborn vs. one-size comparison, even an article on the different types of poop and how to clean them!
(Update: She changed the way the articles are listed, so below are links to the tags involving newborns.)
Newborns
Newborn cloth diapering
One-size diapers and newborns
(Update: She changed the way the articles are listed, so below are links to the tags involving newborns.)
Newborns
Newborn cloth diapering
One-size diapers and newborns
Monday, March 28, 2011
How many diapers do I need?
Here's a great article on the number of diapers you need for each diapering age:
How many diapers do I need?
Below is a helpful chart that they created - but note that their estimates are on the low end. For example, a newborn goes through about 12 diaper changes a day, so you would want a minimum of 12 diapers to do laundry daily, and more like 14 or 16 to be safe. I'd use the maximum that they list (i.e. 12 for the newborn daily washing) as the minimum number to get, rather than the high end number. How many is too many? Well...you can never have too many!
How many diapers do I need?
Below is a helpful chart that they created - but note that their estimates are on the low end. For example, a newborn goes through about 12 diaper changes a day, so you would want a minimum of 12 diapers to do laundry daily, and more like 14 or 16 to be safe. I'd use the maximum that they list (i.e. 12 for the newborn daily washing) as the minimum number to get, rather than the high end number. How many is too many? Well...you can never have too many!
| Age | Daily Wash | Every 2 Days | Every 3 Days |
| Up to 6 mos | 10-12 | 20-24 | 30-36 |
| 6-12 mos | 8-10 | 16-20 | 24-30 |
| 12-24 mos | 6-8 | 12-16 | 18-24 |
| Potty Learning | 2-4 | 4-8 | 6-12 |
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tell me about diaper trials!
When you're considering cloth diapering, you'll often hear people caution you not to invest too heavily in any one specific brand or type of diaper (read the "building your stash" posts for more information). One way to test out a bunch of different types of is to try a diaper trial. In a diaper trial, you pay a certain amount of money and receive a number of different diapers. Once the trial is over, you can return all of the diapers and get most of your money back (most place only put you out $10-20) - or you can purchase all or some of the diapers!
For a list of some of the trials available, click here and scroll to the very bottom! Each trial contains different items, so it's important to compare and contrast to find the one that's best for you!
There are a few things to remember about trials:
One downside to a trial is that there aren't enough diapers in the trial to cloth diaper full-time, so you can fill in the gaps with prefolds/covers (super cheap!) or (gasp) even disposables.
Keep in mind that just because you don't like the pocket (or fitted, or AIO, etc.) that is included in the diaper trial doesn't mean you won't like ALL pockets (or fitteds, or AIOs, etc.). When evaluating the diapers, try to determine if it's something about the system itself you don't like (i.e. you hate stuffing pockets, or you hate the two-step system of fitteds and covers) or if it's something about the diaper itself you don't like (i.e. the fit, the closure, not absorbent enough, etc.). If it's something just about the diaper itself that isn't working for you, a different brand in that type could still work, so consider not dismissing them entirely.
Also, a trial only lasts a few weeks, and it can take time to get comfortable with cloth diapering. It can also take time to experiment and find what works for you and your child (i.e. diaper/insert combinations, fit, wash routines, etc.). If you haven't figured it out by the end of the trial, it could simply be that you need more time to play around, or that the specific diapers in the trial aren't a good match for you - not that all cloth diapers won't ever work for your baby.
Finally, diaper trials have great stuff in them! But they don't have everything. Most don't have wool covers or hemp inserts, for example - two things that many people have great success with. They all have a very limited number of brands, and as we've mentioned over and over, different brands work differently for different babies.
All that said, though, trials are a great way to give it a shot and see what you think for almost no risk! They are highly recommended by nearly everyone!
For a list of some of the trials available, click here and scroll to the very bottom! Each trial contains different items, so it's important to compare and contrast to find the one that's best for you!
There are a few things to remember about trials:
One downside to a trial is that there aren't enough diapers in the trial to cloth diaper full-time, so you can fill in the gaps with prefolds/covers (super cheap!) or (gasp) even disposables.
Keep in mind that just because you don't like the pocket (or fitted, or AIO, etc.) that is included in the diaper trial doesn't mean you won't like ALL pockets (or fitteds, or AIOs, etc.). When evaluating the diapers, try to determine if it's something about the system itself you don't like (i.e. you hate stuffing pockets, or you hate the two-step system of fitteds and covers) or if it's something about the diaper itself you don't like (i.e. the fit, the closure, not absorbent enough, etc.). If it's something just about the diaper itself that isn't working for you, a different brand in that type could still work, so consider not dismissing them entirely.
Also, a trial only lasts a few weeks, and it can take time to get comfortable with cloth diapering. It can also take time to experiment and find what works for you and your child (i.e. diaper/insert combinations, fit, wash routines, etc.). If you haven't figured it out by the end of the trial, it could simply be that you need more time to play around, or that the specific diapers in the trial aren't a good match for you - not that all cloth diapers won't ever work for your baby.
Finally, diaper trials have great stuff in them! But they don't have everything. Most don't have wool covers or hemp inserts, for example - two things that many people have great success with. They all have a very limited number of brands, and as we've mentioned over and over, different brands work differently for different babies.
All that said, though, trials are a great way to give it a shot and see what you think for almost no risk! They are highly recommended by nearly everyone!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Cloth Diaper Finder
Trying to figure out what diaper brand and type you should try? Looking for a diaper that meets your very specific needs?
For instance...you want a diaper that is one-size, pocket, with snap closure, PUL outer, that's made in the USA? Now there's an easy way to find it! Enter your requirements into The Cloth Diaper Finder created by Dirty Diaper Laundry, and it will spit out a result! For those search parameters, the results are BabyKicks, Knickernappies, and Icredibella [I've never even heard of Incredibella...yet another diaper to look into!].
A one-size pocket under 13 bucks? Kawaii!
A newborn all-in-one with aplix? bumGenius or Smartipants!
It's not perfect yet: for instance, I put in dual-size pocket with aplix made in the USA, and got no results, but I thought Thirsties met those requirements. However, when I dug deeper I found out it's because they have Thirsties classified as a "sleeve" diaper versus a pocket diaper. So you may want to try your search a few different ways to ensure that you're finding everything that meets your needs.
It looks like they are searching a database of 136 diapers and growing! It's really fun to play around with.
UPDATE: They now have user reviews as well!
UPDATE 2: They simplified their categories, so Thirsties is now listed as a pocket.
For instance...you want a diaper that is one-size, pocket, with snap closure, PUL outer, that's made in the USA? Now there's an easy way to find it! Enter your requirements into The Cloth Diaper Finder created by Dirty Diaper Laundry, and it will spit out a result! For those search parameters, the results are BabyKicks, Knickernappies, and Icredibella [I've never even heard of Incredibella...yet another diaper to look into!].
A one-size pocket under 13 bucks? Kawaii!
A newborn all-in-one with aplix? bumGenius or Smartipants!
It's not perfect yet: for instance, I put in dual-size pocket with aplix made in the USA, and got no results, but I thought Thirsties met those requirements. However, when I dug deeper I found out it's because they have Thirsties classified as a "sleeve" diaper versus a pocket diaper. So you may want to try your search a few different ways to ensure that you're finding everything that meets your needs.
It looks like they are searching a database of 136 diapers and growing! It's really fun to play around with.
UPDATE: They now have user reviews as well!
UPDATE 2: They simplified their categories, so Thirsties is now listed as a pocket.
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