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Monday, October 27, 2014

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Dealing with Dirty Diapers

Poopy diapers are perhaps the most intimidating part of cloth diapering, and my least favorite thing about using cloth, but there are many ways to deal with it.

Is your baby exclusively breastfeed? Good news! You don’t have to do anything; his or her poo is water-soluble. Your soiled diapers will get clean in the wash without having to be rinsed first. You might get some staining, but some sun and lemon juice should keep your diapers looking fresh and smelling clean.

Has your baby started eating food? Here are some suggestions to help you get rid of the solid matter before you wash your diapers:

Diaper Sprayers – These handy gadgets attach to the pipe next to your toilet and you can use them to spray off any solids after the baby goes to the bathroom. I personally recommend a Spray Pal if you plan on using a diaper sprayer, because it cuts down significantly on nasty water spraying all around the bathroom. You just clip the soiled diaper, spray down into the toilet, and squeeze out all the extra water. If you don’t have the funds for a sprayer you can DIY with parts from a local hardware store or use a detachable showerhead if your shower is close enough to your toilet.

Dunk and swish – Don’t want to invest in a diaper sprayer? You can dunk your soiled cloth diapers in the toilet, swish around until the solid matter is in the toilet. I recommend wearing plastic gloves, as this can get a little bit yucky depending on the consistency of the poo, but many people just hold the clean edge (assuming there is one).

Flushable liners – These are really great if your baby is a predictable pooper. You place a liner in the diaper, and once they soil it you simply remove it and flush it down the toilet. Depending on how active your baby is, the liner may bunch up or move, but it makes traveling with cloth a lot more manageable since you don’t have to worry about finding a way to clean the poo off before washing your diapers. Viva paper towels can make great liners as well, but depending on your septic system it’s not recommended that you flush them unless you want a clogged septic system.

Plastic grocery bags – Plenty of people re-use old plastic bags to pick up dog poo, so why not do it with baby poo? Just grab it and turn the bag inside out. Then you can walk over to your toilet and turn the bag out again so you can flush it. This is a great alternative way to get your more solid poops in the toilet with relatively little mess.

Polp it – If you are lucky enough to have completely solid poop just shake it off over the toilet and flush! Unfortunately for most people, this is a relatively rare occurrence that usually doesn’t happen until your baby is eating regular meals of solid food, but it is worthy of celebration if you’re lucky enough to get a plop-able poop!

By Justine


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1 comment:

arborhillhomesteader said...

I have found practicing elimination communication I have not had a poopy diaper since my little boy was 1 week old. It has made washing cloth diapers very easy :)