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Monday, February 13, 2012

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I Once Threw Out A Wet Prefold

The first time I tried cloth diapers, I used a Gerber pre-fold with a snapi under a size one Thirsties cover. It worked perfectly. There were no leaks and changing was no big deal. What I was not prepared for was the wet prefold. I know it sounds silly, but at the time I was at the changing table with a wet prefold and nowhere to put it. Like many of us, I am a “googler”. Yet for some reason I did not turn to it to answer this question. Was it baby brain? All I knew was that my mother used disposables. My mother in law used a diaper service and I remembered her stories of hauling a wet pail downstairs. I did not like the idea of having to produce a wet pail that instant. I thought: “What is a wet pail? A bucket of water and soap?” In any case, I changed my baby into a disposable diaper and I wrapped the wet prefold in a used grocery bag and threw it out. Yes, people. Guilty as charged. In my defense, I washed the Thirsties cover.

Fast-forward one year and I am pregnant with baby number two. Due to many breastfeeding problems and hormonal issues, I know baby number two will be formula fed. Baby number one is a toddler under two years old and not potty trained. I will have two babies in diapers and one that needs formula! The idea of spending that kind of money every month was just terrifying. I started researching cloth diapering in earnest. Paying most attention to what to do with the poop and the wet diapers. Thankfully, the wet pail is mostly a thing of the past (phew!) and a dry pail is just fine. I bought a Planet Wise liner and a “tall” plastic trash can with a lid. Now I would not throw out a wet prefold! The poop is not a problem, since a toddler’s poop rolls out of the diaper into the toilet. No need to rinse most of the time. I am sure this will change with a newborn, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

A local store stocks cloth diapers. After much pondering, I bought two Flips with stay dry inserts and three Econobums with hemp inserts. I went home and prepped the diapers. By the time I was done, it was nighttime. We were having a lot of trouble with my son’s disposables leaking overnight. In fact, we were using disposables a size larger and yet sometimes he would soak through the diaper! I read everywhere that hemp absorbs very well so we tried it. Why not? I was dealing with leaky diapers at least once a week. Another one would not be a big deal. That first night, my son used a Flip cover with a stay dry insert over an Econobum hemp prefold. The next morning I had a happy toddler that had not leaked! And to my surprise he was dry. I could not believe that the stay dry insert actually stayed dry! Call me skeptical, but I just could not believe that cloth could do that. The inserts went into the dry pail (not the trash). I wiped the Flip cover and put on another hemp prefold. I was back in the store that day and bought more Flip stay dry inserts. I have even added cloth wipes!

I quickly supplemented my growing stash with new bumGenius pocket diapers and bought some used Happy Heinys. This way I don’t have to wash every day. The dry pail does not smell like I thought it would. Pregnant ladies out there, you know how the nose changes! I cannot smell a thing with the lid closed. My husband does most of our nighttime routine therefore, we use the bumGenius pocket with two inserts overnight. I have no leaks to report. Gladly, by now I know I could also use a Flip or an Econobum with two stay dry inserts get no leaks either.

I find cloth-diapering fun and I wish my son was younger and that the weather was warmer so that he could run around in his cute diaper. Soon a new addition will come home and I will be able to do just that! That reminds me I need to get her some coordinating baby legs!

Bio: Sofia M. is currently a SAHM to a toddler and is expecting her second child.

1 comment:

dannyscotland said...

I highly recommend a diaper sprayer. When your new little one arrives with messier poop, you will find that this is a great way to get that stuff off without having to do the old dunk and swish (I did that with my first daughter, who was formula fed, and when she was put on Nutramigen, her diapers were beyond reasonable to deal with. Got a sprayer, and it was a lifesaver!).