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Disclaimer:
I don't get paid by any cloth diapering supplies
manufacturer--this is just my silly little hobby!
-Cloth Obsessed-
I
wanted to tell you about cloth diapers because I am
obsessed! ;)
And it won't hurt for you to read my take on it,
right? (BTW I don't sell any stuff so you know I'm
unbiased---in fact I'm all the way in Finland so I pay
horrible shipping charges to get my WorkAtHomeMom diapers
here but it's worth it!!!) Six months ago I knew
NOTHING about cloth diapering, but after many hours logged
on the net to find the most snuggly soft, and adorable
diapers that also functioned perfectly without leaks or wet
clothes, I think I know the basics. If you're new to
this, you'll enjoy benefiting from my net-research.
From what I understand, when buying
cloth diapering supplies, the internet is the only
place you can find quality stuff.
For the most part, products are either mass produced by a certain
manufacturer, or then they're handmade by a
Work-At-Home-Mom-...'WAHM'.
There's some great and some not so
great name brand stuff and there are some wonderful and
not so wonderful handmade items out there.
You have to decide how much money you are willing to put into it--it can be
as cheap or luxurious as you want.
Me, since I'm spending most of my day changing diapers or
breastfeeding, I felt the least I could do was get cute supplies
that I loved, to make the chore of changing my
newborn more fun. So
I decided to spend some money. But you don't have to.
Flats are the cheapest diaper. They're a huge rectangular piece of one-layer cotton
that you learn to fold many, many times to create a
diaper with most of the bulk in the middle:
http://www.angelfire.com/id/megnkatesplace/folds.html
(see 'oragami fold')
They run about less a dollar each.
Prefolds are the next cheapest diaper,
and they are softer, and thicker in the middle
panel, thinner on the side panels--all the other diapers
and folding demos on the above link are done with a
bleached prefold.
I have some unbleached prefolds that are quite soft.
Here is a link to more folding techniques for a prefold diaper:
http://www.dy-dee.com/html/Folding/folding.html
They run about 1.50 to 2.00 per diaper,
depending on the size.
I think flats are all the same size but prefolds come in preemie size, infant
sized, premium or large size, and toddler size. Check out Granitesmith's diaper store on ebay for
big selection and low prices: http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=12506048
Now, before I move on to the lovely
WAHM diapers that are known as 'fitted' or 'One Size' or
'All-in-one' I need to explain at this time that all
diapers have to have some type of cover.
Most of the time this is a separate layer that you fasten with
snaps or velcro around the baby at the end (or just
pull them on like little shorts or pants).
This is to keep baby's clothes (and you) dry!
There are lots of Alexis Featherlite brand and Prorap brand
diaper covers on the above link to Granitesmith's Diaper
store, and I have gotten good deals.
The Alexis covers are made of nylon, which is soft, durable, and
totally waterproof.
THe
Proraps are made of polyeurethene laminate, or PUL, and aren't as thin and soft, but
the 'classics' in white are softer and stretchier.
They are really waterproof as well IF you get every
last bit of the diaper INSIDE the cover--no little bit
sticking out of the edges AT ALL.
Most covers are made of PUL, as you will notice.
There
are also still pull-on-pants made of vinyl, known as 'rubber/plastic pants' from
the old days, but I've never seen those.
There are also wonderful covers made of
wool, which is naturally absorbent enough to be
considered waterproof, as well as naturally
resistent to bacteria and breathable!
So baby's skin is healthier.
When it gets wet you just let it dry
somewhere and use it again--every week you could wash it in
eucalan, lansinoh (which restores lanolin) or some kind of wool wash and every month,.
Ok, now that you get the basic concept
of cheap fold-em-up (and pin or use a Snappi-brand
fastener) diapers and the choices you have for
covers, you should know that for the past few years
some WAHMs have been perfecting their online
businesses selling 'fitted' diapers (they look like a
disposable in design, but are made of natural fibers
like cotton terry or sherpa or hemp jersey, or some
synthetic fibers like fleece) and covers, and
AIOs (All-in-Ones, which combine the diaper and the cover
into one unit, all sewn together and impossible for
inept daddys or babysitters to mess up!)
These handmade creations are generally expensive, which is why
Diaperpin is a blessing--there is virtually every
online product on their 'product review' page, and many
comments per product, so you can get a feel for what
customers who have actually bought and tried the item
are saying about the products.
http://www.diaperpin.com/diapers/diaperpages.asp
or go to www.mothering.com
and click on 'discuss' from the menu on top, and go to
Diapering, and then 'Diapering Reviews.' You'll get
slightly less warm-fuzzy reviews there than on Diaperpin.
there's also good info for newbies on
Diaperpin :
http://www.diaperpin.com/howto.asp
Speaking totally generally, it's better
to have your diaper and cover in separate pieces
because diapers need heavy duty and frequent washings,
whereas covers don't.
And they will break down and become less waterproof faster the more you wash
them, so AIOs become more expensive in two ways--the
diaper costs more to buy, because of the labor
involved with someone putting the whole thing
together into one piece and in such a way that the
waterproof layer really does keep moisture in and the
outer shell dry (or they try anyway!), and also because
your diapers won't last as long, so you'll have to
replace them faster (more of an issue with women who
want to use diapers through multiple children).
Plus, they are generally less effective in keeping
clothes and mommies dry because the place around
the waist and legs will get moist from the inner
layer coming into a bit of contact with the baby's
clothes---when you wrap or pull on a cover as a final step,
every last bit of the diaper is covered by the 'cover'
and the clothes are totally protected from wicking
moisture from the diaper, but it's harder to accomplish
that with an AIO.
Fitted diapers and AIOs (they look the
same but AIOs don't need a cover) usually come in
about 4 sizes, but some makers have pared their diapers
down to a one size adjustable diaper that you can
wear from birth to potty training, saving on costs because
you don't have to buy 4 sets of diapers--also there
are 'two size' diaper systems which are the best of
both worlds, in theory--the first size will adjust
nicely from birth without being bulky for a newborn,
until it's time for the second size which will adjust
nicely through a couple of toddler years.
Ok now that I've explained all the
concepts, I think, I'll make my recommendations. There are a lot of gorgeous WAHM creations out there, but
I am interested in the top quality ones that get rave
reviews, because ultimately I want to be thrilled with
my diaper stash, and enjoy using them on this and future
children. In my experience for the newborn sized
system I have now I made the mistake of going for
price only as an indicator of what I would buy, and went
with these fitteds: http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=36698306
the mom who makes these, Edyaris, is sweet
and sold me a dozen for 24 dollars, but boy do you
get what you pay for!
The outer fabrics faded and pilled after only one wash (they looked ancient), and the
inner layers of cotton bunched and shifted around.
The velcro was super scratchy and the workmanship was
poor. My baby was only able to wear them from 8-10
pounds, too.
My prefolds are nice and soft and
thick, but I have found prefolds to be too bulky after
doing all that folding in front, so that's why I want
all fitteds--for a trim fit.
So now that my baby is 10 pounds I am investing in the following
items--I decided (for economy) I preferred the concept of a one
size diaper (or two size), and I wanted only
diapers made with hemp, because it is more absorbent than
regular cotton for the same weight, so it cuts down a
lot on bulk...plus it's naturally
bacteria/mold resistent!
Growing Greens One Size Hemp Diapers by
Baby Greens
(http://www.littlesproutsdiapers.com/baby_greens.htm)
These are great--really trim without
the doubler, and really absorbent with it (since I have a
little front soakin' boy, I double the doubler and place it
all in front-the outside of the diaper doesn't even get wet
this way, although it's a little bulky).
Christensen Creations One Size Hemp
diapers. www.sosdiapers.com
---these are hard to get from Suzie, who makes them, because demand
is so high.
People have been waiting around for
months, and her diapers run about 16.50 to 18.00 new
and around 14-15 dollars used--but that excellent resale
value is another reason to buy them--you can get
your money back when you're done.
I got 4 from Suzie and 7 used from ebay--with shipping I spent 200
dollars on those 11.
Ouch! :) But
I can easily resell them on ebay if I ever need the cash back, and enjoy
the heck out of these top-of-the-line diapers in the
meantime. Here are the reviews of all One Size Diapers
off of diaperpin:
http://www.diaperpin.com/diapers/itemlist.asp?subcat=ONESIZE
--you
can see I chose two of the highest rated
diapers to invest in.
I also got the hottest fitted out
there--sugarpeas! -- www.sugarpeas.com
http://www.diaperpin.com/diapers/ItemDetail.asp?ID=352
is the reviews of the two size diaper
system she has.
They're
about 14 dollars each.
These are great except that without a
snug fitting velcro-wrap cover, they slide down since
they're so thin and soft. I like that they are so soft
to the touch, and so trim underneath clothes, so I don't
mind that they need a strong, snug around the hips wrap with
velcro closures--I found a wool cover made by a swedish
company, Imse Vimse (the Bumpy wool wrap) that works great,
and is SO thin underneath clothes. No leaks or even
damp clothes with this system and really trim.
As for which diapers contain breastfed
poo, I haven't had a problem with anything leaking
that out except my Happy Heinys.
Happy Heinys are a 'pocket diaper'--the one type I haven't mentioned--it's a
kind of AIO but without any absorbency layers--just a
waterproof layer and a soft inner layer to go against
baby's skin but with nothing in the middle.
YOU put something in the middle, as many layers as you want
(like a chinese prefold or whatever), to customize
absorbency. What
I hate about pocket diapers is that the
inner layer gets so dirty and the outer waterproof shell
doesn't get dirty at all, but they're sewn
together, so you have to constantly wash the heck out of the
pocket diaper because the soft inner fleece layer is
all poopy. Makes no sense to me, when when you
could have a detached cover that you need only hang
to dry and then can reuse in an hour. (or a couple
hours, if wool) Plus those pockets are awfully
expensive to not have any absorbency involved without adding
stuffers that you buy separately.
Now, for covers--if you want to go
cheap, getting someno-frills Alexis featherlites or
Proraps seem to be totally functional.
But I prefer wool or cashmere/wool blend for breathability.
I have tried an Aristocrats Wool Soaker, which soaks a TON of moisture
and therefore will never result in wet bedding for
overnight, but it's a bit bulky for a small baby. I have tried a Sugar Peas wool cover and it's also
great, but bulky for a little baby.
I got both used on ebay for 10 dollars each.
I recently got a cashmere/wool cover from Maria at Kiwi Pie
http://www.kiwipie.wahmweb.com/store/
and I'm soooooo
thrilled with it--it's the cutest (
kelly green with rainbow stitching) thing ever and soooo
soft. And itworks!
No leaks, no wicking, totally contains.
I also love the top of the line Lana
danish wool soakers that are so nice and thin under daytime outfits, and nice merino wool.
And the 2 Stacinator wool covers that are also trim under clothing.
I got these for a great deal from Jen at Cotton Babies (she has an
online store that resells items that other WAHM and
manufacturers make).
http://www.cottonbabies.com/covers/index.html
If you're still reading, I want to
caution you against not
changing often enough.
With a newborn, every 60-90 minutes is appropriate.
(I'm getting so good I can do it in about one minutes--my
guy hates being changed) I was going 4 hours between changes at first, and
that's bound to cause leaking with most diapering systems.
Also, rice paper liners wouldn't be
hard to find just running a search on ebay for them.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2353439805&category=26269
search
for flushable diaper liners or disposable diaper liners that way you can just dump and flush
the poop away without having to spray it or swirl it around
the toilet.
Also, if you want to keep baby's skin
dry, fleece liners work a charm.
But I get a teeny bit creeped out by him having polyester next to his skin.
And as for making the process easy on
yourself with soiled diapers, either get handy with
the disposable liners so you can toss the poopy in the
toilet and flush, and then toss your wet diaper in
a diaper pail to await wash day, or get a sprayer to
have by your toilet so you can spray all the poopy
off (I would never
dunk and swish a diaper in the toilet--ew!).
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