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I'm prego right now and interested in cloth diapers. After doing research, I've decided to go with ME. Yay! But I'm a bit overwhelmed.
I'm going to do the One Size. What's the difference or opinions in one size and one size dry?
How do I get started? How many diapers should I get? Snap In Liners? Air Flow or Rikki? How many covers?
Opinions on wet pail vs. dry pail? Exactly how do you wet pail?
I know I have a lot of questions, but I'm just trying to get a handle on it all. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I go along.
Thank you so much for your assistance. I love reading on this forum. It's a great community.
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Hi there,
Welcome to the board and congrats on your little one and your decision to use cloth! You won't regret it and especially not with ME! I'll take these one at a time:
One-Size vs One-Size dry
Maybe someone else can talk more from experience here as I've never used the 'dry' diapers but basically the only difference is that the 'dry' diapers have a liner sewn into the diaper that helps keep baby dry by wicking moisture away (basically the same thing as in a disposable). Opinions vary, you can look up past threads on this. I've never bothered because it just didn't seem worth the extra expense when most babies don't need the 'protection' in every diaper and you can accomplish the same thing much cheaper with homemade fleece liners (just get any old polyester fleece and cut to size, fleece doesn't unravel so no sewing needed). Usually most babies only need the protection when they'll be staying in a diaper for a longer period of time (ie nighttime usually). At that point you'll usually have to boost the absorbancy with a liner which will cover the stay-dry lining, rendering it useless (it needs to lay against the skin to work).
How many diapers, liners and covers...
That varies depending on how often you want to do laundry but 24 diapers and 4-6 covers is about average. You can get by with less and wash more frequently or indulge in more to allow for line drying or maybe an extra day between washings. Figure that a newborn goes through 10-12 diapers a day and that diminishes as they get older till they reach about 5-7 later in toddlerhood. Then also figure that you shouldn't go more than about 3, maybe 4 days between washings (longer than that and odors can get difficult to remove).
How many liners depends but this is something you won't have to worry about for at least a couple of months after baby is born. Newborns are changed so often, even at night, that they never get a chance to need that much absorbancy. Most people only ever need 1-3 liners per nighttime diaper (considering maybe 2-4 nights worth). Some moms of heavy wetting toddlers using the One-Size (the lg Sandy's is a little more absorbant) find it helpful to use a liner with each diaper. But I wouldn't worry about that now, this isn't all babies and not usually till about a year or so...
Airflow vs Rikki
Totally personal decision... I love the Airflows but others may prefer the Rikkis. I can't stand velcro so the snaps on the Airflow are way better for me. But then the Airflows are a pouffier cover... They may fit different babies differently but they're both excellent quality covers.
Dry pail vs wet pail
Dry pail all the way! Way less trouble and there's no significant advantage to the wet pail (it may lead to a smidge less stains but there's other ways of dealing with that if it really bothers you). Wet pails are messier to get the wet diapers into the washing machine, heavy to lug around and more difficult to clean (with a dry pail you can get a 'liner' of some sort, like a large 'wet bag' that will line the pail and keep it pretty clean). Plus they can be safety hazards for curious toddlers. If you do decide to go with a wet pail, it's not very complicated, just a pail with just enough water to cover the diapers. Don't add detergent, bleach or anything like that. Maybe some baking soda if you really feel the need, but that's it.
Feel free to ask all the questions you want, we've all been there and know how overwhelming it can all be...
Karen.
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Hello,
Karen covered most basis, just thought I'd add something about dry diapers... I have never used them either, but I heard that they are harder to wash and more prone to build-up. If you get a build-up of laundry detergent in the stay-dry lining, it could affect the absorbency of the diaper. You can also get a build-up in your fleece liners, but those are cheap and easy to replace if you can't manage to strip them, whereas stay-dry diapers would have to be stripped and it could be a lot of work. But then again, maybe that's just hearsay and they're not actually that much harder to care for? Anyway, they are certainly not essential and I would recommend using a separate liner, but maybe you'll hear different from other moms.
As for snap-in liners, if you are thinking of getting a package of diapers, it will come with a few liners which you will not need for boosting absorbency in the beginning, as Karen said, but they can be quite useful. I used to carry them all the time in my diaper bag for spit-up or to cover my little boy while changing him and therefore prevent fountains... So I wouldn't buy any extra, but if you get a package that comes with them, take advantage of it!
Good luck and keep the questions coming! |
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Oh, that's a good point! I used to keep mine beside my bed and used them while nursing to absorb leaks on the side the baby wasn't nursing. I didn't leak very much so I didn't really have much need for breast pads but I would leak when baby was nursing on the other breast so the liners were useful for that...
Karen.
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Amen ditto on using those absorbant liners to prevent fountains. They work pretty well at at deflecting and also are great for mopping the changing pad! :-)
I have one stay-dry diaper but mostly the regular. I would agree that for me it's not worth getting the stay-dry. I like using a fleece liner with solids; although poop does come off the stay-dry more easily than the terry, if you use a fleece liner, I actually think it's a little easier to get poop off that than the stay-dry. You also have two other advantages:
a) If you end up with a baby like my first, he might poop (solids)five minutes after being changed. If it's only on the fleece and the diaper is otherwise clean, you can just change the fleece (don't think most babies are like this, my second isn't, but it sure was handy with #1!)
b) When it comes time to PT and you *want* baby to feel wetness and to be more aware of when he goes, you can just stop using fleece liners (or other stay-dry liner). If it's built into the diaper, you don't have this option. |
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Thank you ladies so much!
I spent some time yesterday after I posted just reading and reading on this forum.
I'm getting very excited about using the cloth diapers. I can't wait.
Any washing tips other than what's on the website? Detergent? Etc. |
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Well, if by website you mean ME's official instructions, I'd say to take those with a grain of salt. They may work for some people but they're not what the majority of us do.
One thing that I think is really good to know is if you're planning on breastfeeding exclusively. If you are, then you don't need to rinse poopy diapers at all. Just throw them in the pail totally as is and then just do a pre-rinse. Breastfeeding poop is water soluble and hardly stinks...
Karen. |
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I agree that ME's instructions are outdated, esp. their recommendation to put some detergent in a wet pail; since today's detergents are designed to stick around so much more than the used to be, this can create real problems.
So anyway, in terms of washing, keep it simple, and only add things if you feel like something is wrong. Basically, most of us just do a pre-rinse, then a hot wash. Some people add in an extra rinse, but you don't have to feel like it's something you need to do without cause.
Washing routines and detergent preferences vary, with water type seeming to be a big factor. (Hard water creates more of a challenge than soft water, but again, I wouldn't worry about it until you have a reason to).
There's no one perfect diaper detergent because of water types, skin sensitivities, etc. Stay away from things with bleach or fabric softener. Whatever you use for detergent, use very little, like 1/4 to 1/3 of the recommended amount (which is often less than most people use, since the marketing/packaging gurus include a scoop that is twice the size of the recommendations so that people will use more).
On a different note, I'd like to encourage you to line-dry your diapers if you can. Maybe you're already planning on it, but if not, give it some thought. A simple collapsible drying rack can work all winter (and summer if your HOA prohibits clotheslines), and you save a lot on drying costs (as well as reducing the environmental toll). |
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