Friday, November 2, 2012

Tips and Tricks for Cloth Diapering: Week 1


Cloth Diapering Week 1

This is a lot easier than I was expecting.  I washed all diapers on Monday, and didn't have to wash them again until Friday...  That is 5 diaper covers (2 lined with fleece so you can't really reuse them and 3 that aren't so you can wipe them down and reuse them), 13 tri-fold organic inserts, and 7 microfiber "stay-dry" inserts, and 12 wipes.  There were inserts and wipes left over, but the covers really needed a washing.

I figured there are probably a lot of you out there who kinda want to try cloth diapering, but have no clue how to go about it, what you need, and what to do with the poop.  That is why it took me so long to get started, so I thought I'd blog about it.  Give advice from things I've learned along the way.

First things first:  There are 2 types of closures I've found so far: snaps and velcro (also called hook and loop?).  I only have 1 snap diaper right now.  The problem I have found with velcro is that if there is any gunk left on a dirty diaper when you throw it in the wash it is bound to get stuck in the velcro.  Velcro, as you know, sticks together.  As the diaper is rolling around in the washer, the velcro finds other velcro and sticks, trapping any gunk inside.  For that reason any additional diapers I buy will be snaps.... (I ordered 3 off of zulily.com and I'm super excited to get them).  Has anybody else come across this problem and/or have a solution?  Right now I'm thinking I'll just have to get a diaper sprayer.

So, here are my supplies so you can get a glimpse of what they look like.  

From left to right you've got the tri-folds, the microfiber inserts, the velcro diapers, and the organic re-usable wipes (which I LOVE).

Second things now: How to choose a type of insert.  I prefer the organic tri-folds personally.  There are a couple reasons for this: 1, I don't like the way the microfiber feels on my hands.  It seems to catch on every little piece of loose skin.  2, the microfiber doesn't seem to be as absorbent.  You have to use 2 or 3 microfiber inserts in one diaper for it to last more than an hour or 2, let alone overnight.  You can get the gist of what they are above.  Here is a picture of an unfolded tri-fold: It's essentially 3 inserts in one so you don't have to dirty 3 at a time.

If anybody has any questions or advice on cloth diapering, please feel free to share!!!