In my cloth diapering experiences, I have learned a few things which make the process much easier. Currently, I have a semi-potty training 2 year old boy. There has been a learning curve to this cloth thing. These are the things I have found out the hard way…
1. Diapers with Aplix (Velcro) are good and bad.
Good: These diapers most closely resemble a traditional disposable diaper, making them easy to use for out of the home childcare providers.
Bad: Aplix is BAD for toddlers. Many times we have entered the room of our sleeping toddler to find him completely undressed from the waist down!! The Velcro is fun for him to remove. Also, waking a toddler up from a dead sleep to reapply a snap closure diaper is bad news no matter which way you look at it.
2. Hemp is your best friend.
I keep lots of hemp in our stash, it is thin, compact and holds much more than you can imagine. It is a great addition to any diaper all hours of the day, especially for heavy wetters. Hemp Babies is my favorite, it comes in many different sizes and is very affordable. Shockingly hemp may hold ten times its weight in fluid, and it holds it too! It takes forever to dry in a dryer, so I found that the fastest and most economically friendly way to dry hemp is air-drying. It is much quicker, but may need some dryer time because it dries very stiff.
3. Storage is Key.
Having your diapers properly stored away in a manner that is most sufficient and efficient is the key to successful cloth diapering. I use storage bins categorically arranged on the changing table shelves for inserts, wipes, liners, and prefolds. I keep the covers and stuffed pockets in the top dresser drawer beside the changing table.
4. Wet Bags are a Must!
This statement is true. Having them in multiple sizes is key. I use a large PlanetWise wet bag in the bathroom next to the toilet where the diaper sprayer is at. After spraying them off, we just toss them into the bag, easy! LESS WORK =HAPPIER MOMMY.
5. Toddler urine smells BAD!
Be sure to spray all inserts off before putting them into to the wetbag or pail. Toddler urine is very strong and only marinates when left for 24 to 48 hours. It can kill small animals, I am sure. If they are not rinsed immediately run an extra rinse cycle before washing.
6. Moderation is the key on spending.
Do not buy every cute print available, or you will be broke! But if you want a new print, sell some less used diapers to get the new one - this is of course after a real stash is built up.
7. Air Drying is Amazing.
I wash my diapers every other day, so there can be several in a load but I quickly learned that using my collapsible drying rack is the best. They dry without sun in less than 24 hours. I try to sun the diapers when possible, but being a full-time working mom and living in a home surrounded by trees, sun is nearly impossible.
8. Be open to new cloth brands.
Having several different brands or types of diapers makes life a little more confusing for dads and childcare providers, but it helps you find out just what fits your baby/child best. It will also help to establish a better fit with trial and error for subsequent children.
9. Cloth Wipes are a great.
If you choose to CD, why not use cloth wipes too? I began with an over abundance of baby wash cloths as wipes using a homemade solution of baby oil, baby wash and water. That didn't work; it mildewed in a matter of 2 days and didn't help with diaper rash at all. So, I changed the solution to 2 cups of warm water, ¼ cup of 100% aloe gel and 2 drops of tea tree oil. Tea tree oil has amazing anti-fungal properties and has helped with diaper rash dramatically. I keep pre-moistened wipes in an old Huggies container and a spray bottle of the same solution with dry wipes. Drying his bottom after using the wet wipes helps keep funkies from growing too.
10. Finally, KELLY'S CLOSET is AMAZING!
They offer great prices for diapers and accessories all things cloth. I would have to say that 95% of my stash is from KC without a doubt. They have amazingly fast ship times for impatient mommies like me and great customer service. The free diapers and constant supply of coupons is fantastic!
Hopefully these help you out in your efforts to cloth diaper!
I am Tabby, a full-time working mommy to a wonderful 2 year old boy, and wife to an amazing husband!
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10 comments:
These are great to know for myself who has a potty trained 3-year-old and hopefully will be pregnant soon with a baby I will cloth diaper for the first time! :)
I have found all of your things true in some ways for us too. And number 10 is a must. Kelly's Closet IS THE BEST cloth diaper store and The Cloth Diaper Whisperer is THE BEST advice blog for CD moms!
This is all so true! But any advice on stained diapers other then sunning them? I live in an apt complex where I'm not allowed to hang my wet clothes outside to dry. Some of my diapers now have stains on them -which I don't care too much about but Id rather them not be there (obviously)
This is such a great post! It's so straight and to the point. I really want to try hemp!
Nicole- I read that you can sun your diapers to remove stains through the window. I haven't tried it, but it's worth a shot for your situation!
When I know I can't be home to allow my diapers sun time, I will put them on a drying rack in the sun and it works too, just not as well as direct sunlight, but great option!
I have a question, hope someone can help me! I am pregnant with our 3rd and we just got our cloth diapers in the mail yesterday. We are going to "test" it out on our almost 2 year old to get a good grasp on it before baby comes. I made homemade cloth wipes last night and I went on the internet to check on homemade cloth wipe solution and I found a lot of information that pregnant and nursing women should not use tea tree oil, one of the ingredents I had intented to use for our solution. There is a lot of information going both ways. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)
Ahhhhh...perhaps I need to start looking into some hemp inserts. Our 1.5 yr old is now a soaker...he's going through diapers almost as fast as he did when he was a newborn! My stash is almost gone by washing day...yikes!
Thanks for the tips!
I'm just building my registry now -- definitely going to make sure to add some hemp inserts after all the good things I've been reading lately. Thanks for the great list!
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