While we are on the subject of cloth diapers..

For those of you that use/used cloth diapers...

What did you use to wash the diapers? (what detergent)

And those that use/used cloth wipes...

What do you use for your wipes-do you by wash cloths to use, or do you make your own, etc?
Do you use soap and water or just water, what?

We are just getting started in all of this and those are a couple things I've been wondering about. I am wanting to switch to cloth wipes but DH isn't too keen on the idea. I'm trying to make this as painless as possible for him (and me).

 

I have a HE machine, so I can only use HE detergents. I use either Tide HE or All "small and mighty" concentrated HE, both in versions free of perfumes and dyes.

The last thing is what really matters - no perfumes, no dyes.

I bought cloth wipes at http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/. They have a kind that's about 4"x6", terry cloth on one side, flannel on the other. The terry side is good for big messes, flannel is good for just freshening up after a pee. Unless there was a very, VERY stinky and sticky poop, I just use plain water. I have a small electric kettle on the changing table - heats water up fast, so there's always warm water handy. Too much soap can really mess up baby skin. (Same for all the alcohol/perfume/etc in disposable wipes!)

Tell DH that it is much easier to clean up poop with cloth wipes. Disposable ones are so thin and flimsy. With cloth, it is much easier to avoid getting gunk smeared all over your hands!

 

Thank you!-Oh, right now I am using Dreft-should I be okay sticking with that?

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Sep 7 2007, 04:43 PM) [snapback]397530[/snapback]
Tell DH that it is much easier to clean up poop with cloth wipes. Disposable ones are so thin and flimsy. With cloth, it is much easier to avoid getting gunk smeared all over your hands!


I told him this, but it just thinks it's 'disgusting'. I told him that I'm the one that does the laundry so he shouldn't worry about it. I will just have to switch and not give him an option of disposable or cloth.

 

Dreft should be ok. If it's ok for regular baby clothes, it should be fine for diapers & wipes. The main thing is not to irritate their skin.

Men are so funny sometimes, eh? Does he not have a problem with cloth diapers but still have a problem with cloth wipes???

 

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Sep 7 2007, 06:10 PM) [snapback]397640[/snapback]
Does he not have a problem with cloth diapers but still have a problem with cloth wipes???

Actually he is not happy at all about switching to cloth diapers, but the girls have both been having a reaction to disposables. So, we really have no choice. (Which is fine with me, because I wanted to do cloth from the very beginning.)

Anyway, thank you for help.

 

Sorry, didn't see this till just now. I wouldn't recommend dreft, since it's a true soap product and can build up on your diapers. We use Purex Free and Clear and it's been GREAT. The website pinstripesandpolkadots.com has a great info sheet on different laundry detergents and their comparisons. PM me if you can't find it.

Definitely go with cloth wipes! You can just use the ones that are sold as baby washcloths (but don't get the 100% polyester ones 'cause they repel water). I keep a squirt bottle of water by my diaper changing table and squirt water on the wipes (actually, I use my peri bottle!). Disposable wipes are a PITB with cloth diapers and just cost you extra money. Like PP said, they are MUCH better than disposable wipes because you don't touch or feel the poo in any way. Cloth wipes are no more gross than cloth diapers, right?? I mean, there's poo in the diaper also. When I have an especially poopy booty to deal with, I'll use a few kleenex to do an initial cleanup, then the kleenex can get flushed in the toilet with the poo, then clean the rest up with a cloth wipe. If you buy Huggies or Pampers wipes, you can't flush them, so then you've got poo in your trash cans. YUCK!

 

Another question...
What do you use for a wet bag; when you're out, and when you're at home?

 

What did you use to wash the diapers? (what detergent)
We use BioKleen...its a powder detergent, no dyes or perfumes. NO FABRIC SOFTENERS EITHER!!

What do you use for your wipes-do you by wash cloths to use, or do you make your own, etc?
I bought mine from Fuzzibunzstore.com. Like pp said, the ones with flannel on one side and terrycloth on the other are GREAT especially for messes!! I also have some washcloths that we got at a baby shower that work great, but the flannel ones are super nice

Do you use soap and water or just water, what?
I use water with a few squirts of J&J baby soap in a square plastic container we got from the hospital It sits right next to the changing table.

What do you use for a wet bag; when you're out, and when you're at home?
I also got mine from Fuzzibunzstore.com...I have two large bags that I rotate for the trashcan/diaper pail in the nursery and one smaller bag for on-the-go in the diaper bag. I was able to use this smaller bag when we flew from SE Alaska to Los Angeles and was able to fit six diapers in it (just the amount we used)!

As a sidenote, we are still BFing and haven't really needed these yet, but...we have ImseVimse diaper liners for when the poo gets more solid. You put the liner between the baby and the diaper and when it 'fills' up you just dump it in the potty before dumping the diaper in the pail! They are bio-degradable and can be flushed!!

I love using cloth!! We even use them away from the house and when we travel and it is GREAT!! Way to go for 'going cloth'!

 

QUOTE(RondaJo @ Sep 9 2007, 10:33 PM) [snapback]400570[/snapback]
Another question...
What do you use for a wet bag; when you're out, and when you're at home?


I have a wetbag from Happy Tushies. They have the cutest wetbags!
I also keep a few gallon size ziploc bags in my bag to use as a wetbag if my other is in the wash (or, more likely, if I've forgotten to put it back in my diaper bag after washing it).

P.S. At home I have a Swadlebees bag downstairs and a bummis bag upstairs.

 

QUOTE
What did you use to wash the diapers? (what detergent)


I used Sport Wash/Sensi Clean. I bought it at the local outdoor sporting supply store (Academy) for $3-4 dollars and I used 1/2 oz per load. It rinsed out REALLY clean so my diapers didn't have any residue build up (which can make them stinky and can let the pee just roll right off the cloth). It was completely fragrance free and really gentle on the kids too, since it rinsed so clean. Occasionally, I would toss in a TBSP of bleach (many CD mamas would tell you that's a no no, but it never damaged our seemed to cause extra wear to our diapers). If the diapers were a bit smelly that day, I would toss in 1/2 cup of ammonia in a Downy ball. It's counter-intuitive since ammonia is stinky, too, but it really did a fantastic job of cleaning out any smells.

QUOTE
And those that use/used cloth wipes...

What do you use for your wipes-do you by wash cloths to use, or do you make your own, etc?
Do you use soap and water or just water, what?


We went through phases. We actually started with our own wipes before we ever considered cloth diapers b/c the boys' skin was SO sensitive they just couldn't handle the wipes. At first, we used paper towels and a home-made solution. When we switched to cloth diapers, we started to use cloth wipes (mostly just baby washcloths) and the same homemade solution. Then we made the solution using Baby Bits (little soap pieces that you dissolve in water and use as wipe solution) and a spray bottle. Then we just used water and pretty much stuck with that. We would just wet the washcloth when we needed it. From time to time we'd add a dab of baby wash if someone was really icky, but nothing fancier than that.

QUOTE
We are just getting started in all of this and those are a couple things I've been wondering about. I am wanting to switch to cloth wipes but DH isn't too keen on the idea. I'm trying to make this as painless as possible for him (and me).


You might point out to him that if you use cloth wipes, you can toss EVERYTHING into your pail, just like you do now. If you keep using disposables, he would need to take those to the trash. So cloth is easier Of course, truth be told, he could toss disposable wipes in the pail and the wipes would just go through the wash to be thrown away later. Good luck