Cloth diapers (updated)

To read my previous posts about cloth diapering, check out these links:

Why should I fool with cloth diapers?

What you need

Washing Cloth diapers

Oh, yes, cloth diapers. I wrote on cloth diapers shortly after I started blogging. Since then, I've learned more about dealing with washing issues, toddler poop, and having two kids in cloth diapers. Also, I've been doing cloth diaper consulting for a while.

I have a lot more knowledge about cloth diapering now, and I'd like to update myself a little here.

When Korban was born, I initially didn't think I'd have to buy any more diapers because everything I used on Izzy held up great. However, Korban has turned out to be a seriously heavy wetter, so I ordered him some more diapers and doublers to help us make it a little longer between wash days. All told, between diapering Izzy and Korban so far, I've spent maybe $500 dollars. Yeah, that's still a huge savings compared to disposables! (Plus the cost of washing/drying, however much that is.)

First of all, I don't do a "wet pail" anymore. I got a sprayer, and I'm really glad I finally invested in one. It makes cleaning the dirty diapers much less icky. They're not necessary, but definitely worth the extra $50 or so. *update - We moved to an older house, and there just isn't enough pressure for a sprayer here. Bummer As of right now, we're spraying with a hose in the backyard. It's not as bad as it seems, and the flowerbed looks better than ever :)

I also have found that cloth diapering is really not a "one size fits all" process. I personally love my prefolds and don't care much for pockets or anything with microfiber, but I have more than one friend who swears by pockets.

Diapering two at once is not really a big deal, I don't have to wash diapers more often, I'm just washing a bigger load each time, so there's a little more stacking (I can't really call it folding, it's easier than that).

I'm not going to lie, though. Toddler poop can be a challenge. With a newborn breastfed baby, there is no stink. No trouble getting things out in the wash. But toddler poo? Well, we deal with it. It helps to have the sprayer and the liners I mentioned in the "what you need" post above. Definitely not worth giving up over, as even the worst diapers still only take about 10 seconds to spray clean.

The other diapering challenge we faced for a while was washing. When we moved we changed from hard water to soft water. My wash routine was suited for hard water, and I had a few fits trying to figure out how to tweak my routine to make it work. I finally found that I need to use Charlie's soap and add about 3/4 cup of vinegar to my final rinse. I also strip occasionally with Funk Rock and I haven't had any problems since. *Update- I found that it is important that our water is hot enough, and we need to keep it at around 125 degrees to get things really clean. Also, I add 2-3 tablespoons of bleach with my soap. I haven't had a single stink issue in over a year with this routine.

A good place to go for diapering advice is the Zukababy cloth diaper 101 page. However, when I was first considering cloth diapering, it wasn't hard to find information on the internet, it was just impossible for me to sort through it all. Everyone had different opinions and I couldn't quite get a grip on what "pocket", "prefold", and "all-in-one" meant. Fortunately, I had both a diaper consultant and a great place to shop nearby, or I'd have never ventured into this cloth diaper thing.

Cloth diaper booty! So cute!

If there's one piece of advice I offer to someone trying to get started with cloth diapering, it's this:

If at all possible, talk to a real person about it before you start buying.

Like I said before, there are tons of websites with info on cloth diapers, and they all say something different. From what detergent to use to what diapers are best, it's not a one-size-fits-all ordeal. You need someone you can ask questions to and who can show you their system in action.

If you have a friend who uses cloth, go with that. If not, I'd be happy to help you out. I'm a trained cloth diaper consultant. I've tried all the major diaper styles out there and I've helped clients through a number of issues, from heavy wetting to "diaper stink." I'd love to answer any questions you have or help you get started. I don't charge for consults, I think they're fun. I do receive commission on orders placed from Zukababy using my consultant  code, though. (More on that later.*)

So, give me your questions. You can leave a comment on this page or email me at sellzey123@live.com. We can also set up a Skype consult, so I can show you the different types of diapers in action, as well as how my diapering system works (wet pail, sprayer, etc.). Or, if you don't have Skype and want to talk on the phone, that works for me, too!

*Like I said, consults are free, I really do enjoy doing them b/c most people don't care to hear me go on about my opinions on pockets vs prefolds! :)
I am an employee of Zukababy, though, and if you are interested in ordering cloth diapers/diapering supplies, or you are looking into other natural baby/mommy items such as baby carriers, natural toys, bath supplies, natural parenting books and such, you can order them from Zukababy and support this blog!

Just remember to type "SE01" in as your consultant code when you place your order online. There is a $5 flat rate for shipping inside the U.S., so it's a pretty good deal.

Now, give me your questions! I'd love to help you out! This post was shared at Fat Tuesday, Frugally Days Sustainable Ways, Works for Me Wednesdays

How cloth diapering works part 2 - Washing

I realize that I was absent on Friday - I was getting ready for my cloth diaper party. We had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot! Many thanks to Erin for making the trip out here to teach us!

Also notable, yet unrelated - Izzy started walking this weekend! Yes, we are very proud, but I'm also sad to see my baby growing up!

Now, on to business. Washing your cloth diapers -

Waiting for wash day:

I keep 2 diaper pails, one by the changing table for wet diapers, and a small bucket by the toilet for "dirty" diapers. The wet ones just go straight into the big pail and wait for wash day. The dirty ones get rinsed out and put into the smaller pail to wait. (Those diaper liners I talked about last week really come in handy here.)

I actually still do a wet pail for my dirty diapers, but almost no-one does that anymore. A wet pail is just a bucket full of water and a little bleach or detergent to soak the diapers in. I can't seem to convince myself that I don't need to soak the dirty diapers...

Also, you can buy a sprayer that hooks up to your toilet to spray the poop off of the diapers. These seem great, but we haven't gotten one yet. They look like the sprayers that are on a lot of kitchen sinks.

Wash day:

It's best to wash diapers every 2 to 3 days, to prevent them from smelling. This may seem like a lot of washing, but it's really easy and there's not really much folding to it. Folding is my least favorite part of doing laundry anyway!

Tip: it's actually better to keep your diaper pail open, if possible. This allows air to flow through them and actually prevents stink. I can always tell when I accidentally left the lid down on my diaper pail because the diapers smell just like ammonia by wash day. It's not big deal either way, though. They still wash clean on wash day!

So, here's my routine:

1. Dump the water out of the wet pail and empty both the wet pail and the "dry" pail into the washing machine. Run a cold water wash cycle with "biokleen bac-out" as a prewash.

2. Run a hot or warm water wash with detergent

3. Do a final rinse with 1/2 cup of vinegar, just to make sure I got all the soap out.

That's it! Some people do skip one of those rinse cycles, some people may add another. When I lived in  New Orleans, I didn't do a prerinse, I just did a rinse after the initial wash to make sure they were clean. Now that we've moved, I find I need that extra rinse to get them really clean. It just depends on your water.

Also, it does matter what kind of detergent you use. Many detergents contain things that will build up in the cloth and make the diapers hold on to stink. Yuck! (This kind of makes me wonder what kind of buildup is in all of my clothes from using mainstream detergent!)  Fortunately, most diapers can be easily stripped if this happens.

Stripping you diapers can consist of simply rinsing them over and over in your washing machine several times or soaking them overnight in a little bleach water. There are many other options out there for stripping your diapers, too. Some women even boil their cloth diapers to strip them, I've read. At some point, most cloth diapers do need stripping.

Here's a great chart to help you decide what detergent will be best for you and your baby:

www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart

In New Orleans, I used All Free & Clear and it worked great. Since we've moved, I had to switch and now I use Country save. Both are cheap and will work great for all your laundry! When I run out next time, I'm going to try making the homemade laundry detergent some readers have asked me to test out for them!

I've been fortunate to have someone around to ask for help troubleshooting whenever I've had questions. There are (as I was reminded Friday night) a lot of options out there when you are cloth diapering, and it's easy to get overwhelmed! If you have any questions or need any help getting started, please comment, email or facebook me! I'd be glad to help you any way I can!

Also, I've started a Facebook page for my followers, so head on over and click "like" if you want to be a part of our conversations over there!

That concludes our cloth diapering series! I've got some great recipes to share the rest of this week!