I am excited but kind of nervous too! Does anyone have any tips for me to help with washing and just keeping everything under control? I am kind of intimidated by the whole thing. I am planning to work into it slowly, I bought 2 samplers of 4 pocket diapers, Bumgenious, Happy Heinys, Happy Heinys O/S and Fuzzy Bunz. Also, 12 indian prefolds, 6 bummis super whisper wraps, a 3 pack of Snappi fasteners and 6 fleece liners to try out. I'm hoping it won't take too much of a learning curve and that I will be able to figure out what works best for me soon. The amount I bought already cost $350.00!! I know I will save money though. Then I will know what to invest in. I must admit, it has been so fun looking at all the adorable diapers! Wish me luck!! :laughing:
Yeah! I wussed out on CDing. I did so much research when I was pregnant and talked to lots of people who used CDs. But in the end we still use disposables and I feel terrible filling the landfills... but at this point the investment wouldn't be worth it. From all the people I spoke to who use CD, they love it! Oh and there is good resale value for many of the diapers if you sell on EBay or Craigslist. GL!
We don't cd but I did some research because I was thinking about it. Use white vinegar in the rinse cycle (a cup?) to disenfect. Also, dry diapers in the sun to get stains out. I do this when they have a blowout and am amazed that w/ no special treatment, the sun makes poo stains go away! Have you checked out diaperswappers.com? I make our own wipes - cut a Viva roll in half. Remove cardboard roll. 2 cups water, 2tsps baby shampoo, 1 tsp baby oil into a tupperware, shake to mix. Add papertowels, let it soak up liquid. Turn upside down for at least 10 minutes. Voila, wipes!
We are cloth diapering and yes, it is a mental adjustment, but WELL WORTH IT! for tips and info, try www.diaperswappers.com --- be warned, the ladies there are highly over-dramatic and can be very catty!!!! I only go there for info - stopped chatting there because of the drama. I am doing prefolds with covers. Right now I wash them all together - and I've seen a lot of different info about how to wash, but I use my washer's 15min. soak in hot water (I've read to use cold), and I put about 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar in the rinse agent cup holder (where you would add downey, etc). You can use a drop of tea tree oil, too - but watch out because oils can cause pockets to wick and leak. Once that load is washed, I wash it on a regular setting with hot water cool rinse. I also use Charlie's soap, but will probably start using Cheer Free after I run out. There are ups and down with every different kind of cloth diaper. My only opinion on CDing is the bulk issue. My girls look SO bottom heavy! But I don't mind since we are saving a TON of money! Hope this helps!
We are a cloth diaper household! Our son is 2 1/2 years old and I have been cloth diapering him since he was 5 mos old. We started out with covers and prefolds. It was the most economic system for us. I have since ventured into pockets, fitteds and AIO (All In Ones). I don't have a particular type that I like. My stash is a mish mash of types. I like them all! I am already saving money for the newborn stash for when the twins come. I will also need a small stash as my son was in mediums when we started cloth diapering. I can't wait to start buying my stash for the twins!!! I second the diaperswappers. Wealth of info over there! I have learned so much there and from a friend that owns a cloth diapering web site. Feel free to pm me if you need some info or help
I cloth diaper too.. I think you'll find it's not too much extra work. We wash ours every other day, in cold water (pre-wash and then regular wash). I make my own laundry detergent, too, and use that, and then hang to dry (if you can hang the diapers in the sun it's great- gets rid of a TON of stains). There is the extra bulk issue- we use disposables when travelling and I have to keep an extra bunch of pants on hand that fit their skinnier "disposable" bums, but the boys don't seem to notice either way. I also made my own wipes by cutting some washcloths in half- I wash those with the diapers and it also saves a ton of money. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you have any questions!
QUOTE(Leighann @ Jun 26 2008, 07:47 AM) [snapback]846787[/snapback] Yeah! I wussed out on CDing. I did so much research when I was pregnant and talked to lots of people who used CDs. But in the end we still use disposables and I feel terrible filling the landfills... but at this point the investment wouldn't be worth it. From all the people I spoke to who use CD, they love it! Oh and there is good resale value for many of the diapers if you sell on EBay or Craigslist. GL! Us too. I sure wish we could make it work for our family. I have lots of guilt about the landfills. To the OP: Good for you! I hope you find what works best for you.
YAY!!! I am so happy for you. Welcome to the world of CD'ing Here is how I wash Put all diapers in the machine and do a hot wash first. I add Charlies soap (this is the best because it leaves no residue at all) http://www.momsmilkboutique.com/CS.html I also add Borax Once I run through the cycle I go back and do a cold rinse adding 10 drops of pure lavender oil and 10 drops of tea tree oil You don't want to use fabric softeners or most laundry detergents because they will start to build a residue and either A) give your LO a diaper rash or B) kill the absorbency of your diapers and you will have awful leaks. Every so often I strip my diapers using Dawn. But I really haven't had to do this since I started using Charlies. I dry all the diapers for 30 min med then hang dry them the rest of the way. You don't want to dry them all the way it will kill your elastic, and since you are using mostly PUL diapers, it will ruin the PUL as well. I dry my Prefolds all the way though. Don't forget to check out DiaperSwappers. I have a big garbage can next to the changing table with a large wetbag inside. You will definitly want some sort of diaper pail and wetbag. When you go out you shoudl have a smaller wetbag. If you are using cloth wipes, you can just stick them in a wipe container and cover them with your wipe solution. Here is my wipe soloution recipe 2 squirts of lavendar baby wash 5 drops of pure lavander oil 5 drops tea tree oil 2-3 cups warm water Overnight diapering is a little different than during the day. PM me if you have questions, I would be more than happy to give you more tips!!
QUOTE(JediMom @ Jun 26 2008, 10:22 AM) [snapback]846951[/snapback] We are cloth diapering and yes, it is a mental adjustment, but WELL WORTH IT! for tips and info, try www.diaperswappers.com --- be warned, the ladies there are highly over-dramatic and can be very catty!!!! I only go there for info - stopped chatting there because of the drama. I am doing prefolds with covers. Right now I wash them all together - and I've seen a lot of different info about how to wash, but I use my washer's 15min. soak in hot water (I've read to use cold), and I put about 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar in the rinse agent cup holder (where you would add downey, etc). You can use a drop of tea tree oil, too - but watch out because oils can cause pockets to wick and leak. Once that load is washed, I wash it on a regular setting with hot water cool rinse. I also use Charlie's soap, but will probably start using Cheer Free after I run out. There are ups and down with every different kind of cloth diaper. My only opinion on CDing is the bulk issue. My girls look SO bottom heavy! But I don't mind since we are saving a TON of money! Hope this helps! That is funny that you say that. I never did any chatting on DS till just recently, and you are right. There is some cattiness in there for sure. I just stick to the FSOT and that is all I am really interested in anyhow. But besides that, I am still a die hard DS girl
