Some things have changed since I first wrote about cloth diapers here on this blog.
- I’ve discovered that the Kushies diapers WEAR OUT pretty fast. The waterproof outer part of the diaper begins to shred after a while. This is even on brand new diapers that we bought and used only with Cora. The hand-me-downs we have are all but shredded to bits!
- Even though they’re more expensive, the Bumkins All-in-Ones have held up well! I have several of them that diapered two children before we got them, so they are on child number three! They are holding up well. I will suggest that the extra wear you get out of these makes them worth the higher initial investment, especially if God blesses you with more than one child!
- Once your child starts eating solids, their poops begin to change. They are smellier, chunkier, and way nastier to wash. Don’t lose heart and give up cloth! They sell things called “Diaper Showers” that are easy to install (all you do is just ask your husband!) and are (almost) life changing! Lift the toilet seat, turn on the diaper shower, MAKE SURE ITS POINTING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, and spray the poops off of the diaper. Have your diaper pail handy (right next to the toilet) and use the pail’s lid to catch any drips. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and a poop will just shake/fall off the diaper into the toilet, but usually they stick – and with the diaper shower this is no longer a nasty problem.
Spraying off the diaper with the diaper shower pretty much removes the need to soak dirty diapers, so they can go into the dry pail for wet diapers. When the 5 gallon bucket is full, we now dump all the diapers into the washer, run a cold water wash first with about ½ cup vinegar, ½ cup baking soda, and a cold water rinse. When this is done, wash with as hot of water as you can make it with the small amount of detergent. When wash and rinse is done, run an extra spin cycle to remove more water, and dry diapers as usual after checking for freshness. - We’ve tried out a BumGenius all-size diaper. It’s a pocket diaper, which I do not prefer (stuffing the inserts takes too long and is annoying) but it has other really great qualities. The lining keeps the wetness away from baby’s skin, the Velcro tabs have elastic for a better fit, and it supposedly can adjust to fit all ages of babies. Haven’t had it for very long, but I do like it, all except for the fact that it is a pocket diaper. I will be interested to learn how long it compares to others as far as being long-lasting.
I will keep updating info on using cloth diapers as I learn more! Hope these tips help!
If you missed my post “Cloth Diaper 101,” here is a link: http://adayinthelifeofnicoleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/cloth-diapers-101.html
