Cloth Diapering Question

Updated on July 13, 2008
C.D. asks from Austin, TX
12 answers

I just recently switched to cloth diapers a couple weeks ago and I am loving it! I have a 20 month old and 5 month old. I finally made the switch after reading all the wonderful answers given to someone's question a couple of weeks ago. I guess I was intimidated/ uninformed about how to do cloth diapers. Thank you to all the mom's who posted their responses and shared their experiences. I still have a couple more questions... I still have not been brave enough to do cloth at night because I don't want to change any diapers in the middle of the night. Any advice? I also am using wet wipes and would like to switch to cloth wipes. Do you just use regular wash rags or is there a specific brand of rags you like? Also, do you use a special rinse for the rags or do you use water? My last question is about the Fuzzi Bunz and prefolds? When I use the hemp prefolds inside the Fuzzi Bunz the diaper seems extremely bulky, am I doing something wrong? I like the microfiber inserts because they are really absorbant and not bulky but I only have a few for now so I switch between those and the prefolds. Any advice and answers would be greatly appreciated.

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C.F.

answers from Brownsville on

wipe question: I used wipes or cheap paper towels for the BM, but I used a spray bottle with water and baby wash on cheap paper towels away from home, but I just used wash clothes at home and washed them out with soap. I guess out of home you could still wash them out with hand soap and keep it in a baggie until you get home. Pampered Chef use to or still does? have a suds pump that I still use with baby wash to wash hand or etc in the car. I do not have babies any more.

Tip for Cloth at night: Buy water proof pads under babies bottom to keep sheets dry so that you do not have to change them every morning.

C.

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H.B.

answers from Houston on

Hi! I'm so glad you're loving cloth! I've been cloth diapering for most of the last 3.5 years, with my two youngest boys.

If you're using Fuzzi Bunz, you'll be good to go for night. I will use a Fuzzi Bunz during the day with just one insert, but at night I'll put 2-3. It will be bulkier, of course, but will get him through the night totally dry. I am definitely not one to change in the middle of the night! :) So try doubling or tripling your current stuffing and that should be perfect!

You can do a lot of different things for wipes. I buy cloth wipes specifically made for diapering, but some people like even the cheap wash cloths from the big box stores that are made for babies. I prefer thicker wipes generally. My favorite are from http://www.fussybutt.com/ though she uses some really plush fabrics that can be pricey. Another great spot to look for wipes is http://www.diaperware.com/ . She has a chart to help compare the various wipes she offers. I've used a few of those kinds from her and they work great! You can then wet them with plain warm water, or put them in a box or wipe warmer with a wipe solution. I love the wipe solution from http://www.earthybabes.com/ - and they're located in Katy, so I just go out there and pick it up. These days I mostly mix up the Earthy Babes solution in a plastic peri squirt bottle and then wet the wipes as I need it - great for on the go!

Hemp prefolds are definitely going to be bulkier, but they'll be much more absorbent than a single microfiber insert. In fact, when I have used hemp prefolds in the past, I'd use just one of those in a night time diaper, rather than 2-3 microfiber inserts. There's a lot more material AND absorption in the hemp prefold, so it's a great option for nights (when it doesn't really matter if it's a bit bulky!).

Hope this helps!

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M.H.

answers from Houston on

It is so good to hear that so many of you are changing to clothe diapers. Since my youngest was born in 1963, that is all that was available to me. We just used regular wash rags for cleanups and they worked fine. Now my children are all grown, raised their children and now one with a grandchild of her own and they all did great.

Congratulation to all of you that have switched to clothe.

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S.M.

answers from Austin on

I am glad to learn about the microfiber (auto) towels. I may start using those.

For wipes, I went to the fabric store and bought some sale fleece. I made 25 6 x 6 wipes (simply cut into squares and overcast the edges) for about $1.50. They are very soft! You can also make your own diaper wipe solution.

Good luck with cloth diapering and cloth wipes - they're more earth friendly, more economical, and better for your baby!

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J.B.

answers from Austin on

For nighttime cloth diapering we just double up. I usually stick 2 prefolds in a fuzzi bunz and it holds my 3 yr old and my almost 5 yr old all night. I used that on my 3 yr old from the time he was about 1. Not sure if I used it before then, I have tried it a few times with my 5mos old and it worked well.

For cloth wipes I use the Mother of Eden Wonder WIpes and love them. They are thick and soft. Some of the wipes I bought got rough after a few washings and some were very thin. These I like hte best. I have heard of a lot of people using baby washcloths too. Not sure how though I have never used them.

Good Luck!
J.

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R.F.

answers from Austin on

Hello C.!

I'm glad you brought up these questions, as they are very good. I'm currently using either Fuzzi Bunz w/ extra inserts at night or a fitted diaper with a wool cover. (That's a whole other ball of wax, so you can email me personally if you have questions on that one :)

I usually use either 2 of the microfiber or a combo of 1 microfiber and 1 hemp insert when I do the FuzziBunz. I have never used a hemp prefold, but I would assume that it would be a bit bulkier, but VERY absorbent. I've bought some BumGenius microfiber inserts, and there good and not so expensive. You can usually find some inserts on www.diapperswappers.com under the inserts, doublers and other accesories forum. So, that would also be a good way to get some extras.

With regards to the wipes, I just started to switch and so far it has gone really well. I purchased some Mom-made wipes of flannel and bamboo velour and they work awesome!!! You can usually find these also on DS or also on Ebay. The usual price is anywhere from $1-2 per wipe. There are many wipe solutions on the web, but I'm using the basic one that I found on Diaper Jungle, mainly because I had all the ingredients at home already:
(http://www.diaperjungle.com/diaper-wipes-recipes.html)

If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me.
Good luck and congrats on the switch!!
-R.

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S.B.

answers from Austin on

We use 2 microfiber inserts for our 11 month old son and it lasts him through the night (12 hours).

As far as wipes, we were given a ton of baby wash cloths so we use those for wipes and we keep a container of water (we use a lg. plastic one that wipes come in) up high on a shelf. We just throw them in w/ the diapers.

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E.K.

answers from Houston on

I remember those days! My daughters are all teenagers now, though..cherish the time you have when they are little because it goes by SO fast!!! Cloth diapers...I used them some as well. If you want to use them at night, you can always put a good coat of Vaseline on baby's little booty before diapering...and also, double up on the diaper itself. That will help the baby stay dry and they will sleep longer.

Good luck and happy diapering!

~K

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S.T.

answers from Houston on

I got my wipes from www.emibeans.com. I love them! Look on her clearanced section as she often has wipes on there. the sherpa ones are great for cleaning off stubborn poo. The velour ones are very nice and soft.

I like to mix a tiny bit of tea tree oil with my wipe water. You can also put baby soap in it but I just use the tea tree oil. When I wash my diapers and wipes I put a few drops of tea tree oil in the rinse cycle too. It disinfects and deodorizes.

I stuff my diapers with microfiber towels from Walmart's auto dept. I get a huge bag of them. One towel absorbs about 2 cups of liquid.

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R.H.

answers from Austin on

I am so happy to see more and more moms switching to cloth diapers. I have been using them for over a year with my 15th month old son and my 2 yr old son. I found with using fuzzi bunz, you will need to double or triple the inserts at night. I agree with most of the mom's reponses that it will be bulky but, I didn't have to get up a change them. It did the trick.

As for the cloth wipes, I bought fannel ones and used wash cloths as well and made my own wipe solution. I just threw the wipes along with the diapers when washing.

I hope this helps and good luck to you.
R.

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L.F.

answers from Austin on

hi,
nighttime diaper requires about 3x as much stuffing as daytime. the diaper will be bulky, but it should be ok for the whole night.
I use a spray bottle with baby soap and water and some washcloths

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.D.

answers from Houston on

Yay for making the switch to cloth! I love cloth diapers WAY better than sposies and I'm happy to see so many moms giving it a chance.

Anyhow, in answer to your questions I use Fuzzi Bunz and I can't stand to stuff them with prefolds. I use microfiber towels all the way! You can pick up a pack at Target or Walmart for like $10 or less for 8 or 10 of them. They are in the auto department. And for nighttime with my first son he was a heavy wetter and I just used 2 microfiber towels in a Fuzzi Bunz. It was bulky but effective! No leaks at night and no changing either. My second son is not a heavy wetter and one mf towel lasts him all night.

Hope that helps!

M.

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