About to Give up on Cloth Diapers--seeking Advice

Have you tried double diapering?

L.

Hi K.,

How are you washing the diaper covers? It may be your laundry detergent if you are having problems with the diaper covers soaking through, especially after only a week or two!

I run a small cloth diaper business in Crystal Lake - if you would like me to help you trouble-shoot the diapering issues, just let me know! My website is at www.sunflowerbabies.com.

Good luck with the diapering, with your move downstate, and congratulations on your baby boy! :-)

Warmly,
J.

Hi! I have been cloth diapering since March of 1996 when my first daughter was born. I was 21 yrs. old. I am now 33 and I am cloth diapering my 4th baby. She is 16 mos. old. I have tried so many different kinds of diapers and covers.

The only ones I can absolutely without any hesitation recommend to you are "motherease" diapers. They are made in Canada. They have an adjustable "one size fits all" kind of diaper that is very cost-effective, and another diaper, Sandy's that have elastic around the waist and leg openings with snaps on both to adjust. Those are my favorite. The covers are cute, comfy and they work! ***Very reliable***

They are durable and I recommend them anytime a cloth diapering question comes up. I've have tried literally dozens of other brands, sometimes just to see if I would find something else I liked as much, and I always stick with motherease! www.motherease.com

They have great packages that come with covers and doublers as well, plus you can get them to send you a sample diaper and cover to see if you like them.

Take it from a cloth diapering pro. They'll pay for themselves.:)

We've mostly used prefold diapers from green mountain diapers (http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/diapers.htm) and for covers a combination of plastic Gerber diaper covers (I assume they don't breathe well, but we never had a problem with diaper rash...got them at Babies R' Us) and the Bummis whisper pant nylon pull on. We've had lots of luck with the latter, but to make them last you have to remember to let the covers air dry; the dryer will compromise the elastic. I had no luck using covers with velcro.

We also bought Fuzzi Bunz to use as our daughter's night diaper, with less that stellar results. Even though they have adjustable snaps, they never fit our daughter very well, and were either too tight on her mammoth thighs, or if we went to the next size, not tight enough. They also tended to retain odor more than the prefolds.

Oh! We use Charlie's Soap to clean the diapers. We buy it at Be By Baby in Chicago, but you can get it online. It was recommended by the company that sold us the diapers, and no matter what kind of diaper you end up using, I think this detergent is so clean rinsing it really helps the diapers & covers last and smell nice.

Good luck, with the move and with the diapering!

I use Bum Genius 2.0 one-size diapers and I couldn't be happier! I also know some other moms who use these and are happy with them. I wash my own and it's really not that big of a deal. We use Purex free and clear liquid detergent as it's the best mainstream detergent for diapers and babies' clothes. Never use fabric softener liquid or sheets as this will compromise the absorbency of your diapers (the sheets leave a residue in the dryer, so you shouldn't even use these for your other laundry). Distilled white vinegar is a great alternative in the washing machine. My daughter is 8 months old and we've been using our cloth diapers since she was born. We occasionally get leakage if we leave it too long before changing her, but you'd get that with disposable too. I agree that 3 hours is a long time to wait between changes. We did use a few disposables when she was first born - they were a gift and we figured we'd just use them up, but we had a horrible issue with poop shooting up her back, so we donated them to a children's home and have never looked back. I couldn't imagine using disposable again. Even when we travel, we stick with cloth. Our baby has never had diaper rash, and I couldn't bear the guilt of using such an environmentally disastrous product as disposables. Not to mention the money we save. You could go to pinstripesandpolkadots.com and e-mail Sarah with any questions or concerns. She was a great resource for me.

Hi K.,
I use a combination of Fuzzi Bunz and Haute Pockets. Both are pocket diapers. Fuzzi Bunz comes in a variety of sizes while Haute Pockets is a one size fits all diaper. I have a 3 month old and whe I change the diaper I separate teh liner from the cover and throw both right into the pail liner and when I am ready to wash I dump the entire pail liner and diapers into the wash. I do one cold rinse and then a hot wash/cold rinse. You have to use more natural detergents like Charlies Soap. All others will leave a residue on the diapers and compromise the absorbancy. I use Charlie Soap for all my clothes. When my baby starts to have more solid poop I will be using a biodegradable liner that I will flush down the toilet. I have never had leakage issues or blowouts with these diapers and I LOVE cloth diapering.
Good Luck!!!

I'm looking to make the switch to cloth diapers myself and have been doing a lot of research. Go to www.lovebugsco.com Ann is the owner (in Chicago area) and you can talk to her personally, she's been awesome. www.cottonbabies.com is great too, it can take a while to get through their customer service but they do call youback and will answer all your questions. There are SO many diapers out there, we are trying all different kinds then choosing (prefolds, pockets, all in ones). Maybe they have build up? I read that you can srip them by using vinegar. I would check the websites and call someone. Hope this helps!

I have used both the BumGenius and FuzziBuns. I like the BumGenius for my boy and the FuzziBuns are fine for my girl. The FuzziBuns kept leaking for my boy. I have had absolutely no leak problems with the BumGenius. They are easy to use, easy to wash and work great. My husband likes them better too because they have the velcroe tabs instead of snaps. They are just like a regular diaper in that respect. They are one size fits all, so they last forever. I have been using mine for about 6 months and the velcroe is starting to show a little wear. I think this is mnostly from the times I left the velcroe undone when I threw them in the wash. My son has only had a diaper rash once and it was because I changed laundry detergents and possibly used too much. Get some advice on laundering before you start the process with whichever brand you use. Make sure not to use too much soap and good luck!!! I would be happy to answer any more questions you might have.

At that little, we were changing every 1-2 hrs unless she was asleep. We use Motherease Airflow covers and prefolds - NOT gerber...these don't have the absorbancy of CPFs. If you can afford it, get the ME one-size dipe and airflow cover with it. It is the best combo, but more expensive than we could afford. Here's a link for bamboo prefolds that are way cheaper than CPFs and I was told just as good if not better. http://hyenacart.com/onestore.php?vid=1761&category=6 I was also told that this was a great mom to buy from. I'm thinking about getting some myself. There's a great yahoo group about cloth diapering too.

H.

My son is 15 months old and we have cloth diapered from day one (w/o a diaper service) We use a pocket diaper, Fuzzy Bunz (sp?). While he was just breastfeeding, I'd say we changed his diaper every two hours atleast. Now that he is eating (drinking less milk) and has big boy poo it is every 2-3 hours. We haven't, knock on wood, had a diaper rash.

I love the fuzzy bunz becuase they are easy. You get in a rhythm with the laudry, about two or three extra loads a week, no problem. I stuff the diapers before i pile them up on his changing table which makes it easier to change him.

Because he was a heavy night nurser, and I needed my sleep, we do use disposables at night, but we didn't start that until I returned to work when he was six months old.

Good luck with your choice.
A.

we love pre-folds with dappi nylon pull-ups, now using on second baby. also very economical.

Hi, K.,

We use the bummis whisper wraps. The superbrites don't have the polyester knit, which I like because they aren't slick. You do need to wash them on occasion.

Also, what size covers are you using now? For a 3 month old, you might need to move up to a medium (especially if he's big). A diaper cover that is too small will lead to more blowouts and leaks.

You say that you are changing him often, but 2-3 hours during the day is actually a long time to wait for a baby that young. I would start to check him more often to see how often he's really peeing (at least if you aren't in the middle of something that would make that too difficult). If his diaper is the least bit wet, change him.

As for diapers - we use prefolds - I like greenmountaindiapers.com - she also has a lot of good information on her site. Another site to check out is diaperpin.com for advice and reviews of products.

K.,

I am in central IL and run PinStripes and PolkaDots. It may be that you need more absorbent prefolds for the amount of time your baby is in the diapers. If the prefolds are pretty saturated when you change then consider asking the service to go to the next size prefolds. At that age, you should still be using about 10 diapers a day. Changing about every 2 hours during the day and less frequently overnight. You would need more absorbency overnight though.

If you are looking for easier diapers, I would highly recommend looking at the BumGenius One-size diapers. They have a pocket version as well as a newer All-in-one organic version.

Many people are cloth diapering without leaks so don't give up.

Don't give up! First and foremost - If you don't have one, invest in a diaper sprayer. We certainly would have given up if not for that.

We are using Bummi's Whisper Wrap and the plain flat-fold diapers. Yes leakage is a big problem especially when they're that young. We experimented with folding techniques until we finally found one that worked for us. It's hard to explain w/o a visual aid but it was basically like doing a little origami/accordion fold length-wise on either side of the diaper in the space that went between the legs, and then wrapping it snugly around her leg.

I also recommend more frequent changes. Hope this helps!

We cloth diaper and wash at home. I hope you'll stick with it for lots of reasons - the environment, health, comfort to name a few. Our experience has been that we just have leaks sometimes. It isn't all the time - but it does happen. My recollection from my paper diaper days is that it happened sometimes with them too. We use a variety of different diapers. Our son is 2 1/2 and potty training now. I used preofolds early on, and with them the secret is a good cover. I like the Bummies wisper wraps. As for all in ones or pocket diapers, I find the bum genius or fuzzy buns to be just about as good as it gets. When you put it on, be sure that the fleece lining isn't hanging out - you kinda-have to run your hand around the leg. Hope that helps. Check out greenmountaindiapers.com for some good suggestions.

As far as washing yourself, I use only charlies soap - nothing else at all. I use it for all our clothes. It a big investment for the huge tub of it (about $120) but I'm sure mine will last a year. I've had it many months and hardly made a dent in it washing probably over 10 loads a week of laundry.

I use fuzzi bunz and wash them at home. It is SO easy. If you live in Chicago, you can buy the diapers and all the supplies at "Be By Baby". There is a small hose that attaches to the toilet to wash out the diaper and then you just throw them in your wash. They don't stain and they are cute, too. If you don't live in the city, then go to their website. Good luck!

We find that it's best to change more often, as they are cloth anyway so you're not losing money, and we do NOT tuck in the diaper on the top or back. On the sides, I've been careful to kinda open the tri-fold so the middle is open to catch any liquids.
As for washing the Bummis (and the ProRaps), we handwash in our sink and hang to dry over the shower rod. They're dry relatively quickly. For washing, I just get a lot of handsoap (glycerin lavendar from Whole Foods) on my hands and suds it up, scrubbing by hand. So far, they are lasting well.
If you buy the white Bummis, they're also like $5 cheaper.

As for washing at home, be sure to only get so many of each size. Which you probably already knew...
Good luck moving!

Don't give up...I try to time it and use disposables, yet have plenty of blowouts too...

I personally don't know much about CDing but the ladies here do....they have some great guide topics at the top telling about the different types and will guide you through whatever you need.

http://preg.twoweekwait.com/community/modules.php?name=Fo...

I gave up on cloth diapers because of similar reasons and because we are an EXTREMELY active family. It got a little old having a diaper bag full of nasty cloth diapers to take home! I now use G-Diapers because they are a very happy medium. We don't have leaks and blow-outs anymore and they are better for the environment. I tried disposables a couple of times and the kids instantly broke out with diaper rash. You can buy G-diapers online at www.gdiapers.com or www.drugstore.com or at Whole Foods or Unique Bowtique in Naperville.

I used Motherease and loved them. They are one size, so you don't have to buy more than one set and I loved their covers too. I used them for 3 years, same set. I did have some wet problems, but it was always because of over wetness or diaper hanging out. I had just as many, even more problems with the diposable with first child. I had the poop come up the back with disposable. I also washed myself, if you have more questions I would love to support this venture. I actually gave my whole set away on freecycle, because I really wanted someone to use them who needed them. I would really consider staying with the cloth. There are so many positive aspects to cloth diapering. Good luck and don't hesitate to e-mail if you need more help.