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Hello again girls! I am pregnant and due in January, and I'm going to try both small Sandys, which I received already, and OS, from the start. I am brand new at CDing, and am a little concerned about the fit of these 2 on a newborn, possibly 6 lbs (my first son was 5lbs9oz). I've read they will look huge, but won't leak-- what if he's so small the diaper, and cover, doesnt even fit snugly? Do some of you have to use posies in the beginning cause nothing else fits?
Also, question #2.. I have really hard well water, and have read about calgon. I've never used a water softener before, will I need to use one? Which one is recommended? Do you add it to the wash or rinse cycle? Does it create a buildup of some sort eventually?
Thanks in advance!  |
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My preemie was 5lbs 12oz at birth and I used disposables for the first few weeks. I got so sick of being leaked on that I thought I might as well try my cloth, since I hated throwing diapers away and it couldn't get much worse, and was pleased to find that at 6.5 lbs I didn't have any leak issues. Just wish I'd tried them even sooner!
If you are pretty sure you'll have a small baby and have the money, you could get some XS Sandys to put your mind at rest, but I think that as long as you are able to put up with some bulk, the diapers you have already may work just fine from a lower weight than they are sold for. Obviously I can promise that, but that's my experience!
I actually didn't think that the diapers were terribly bulky on my little guy. I'll look and see if I have any pictures that would show him in cloth at that point (think he's mostly swaddled, but I'll have a look). My e-mail is in my profile, and if you e-mail me, I'll send you some pics or a link to our website if I have anything usual. |
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Can't find any pictures that he's not covered in blankets (autumn baby), but I know that I was able to use cloth with 5-8 lbs clothes if that helps at all.
Even if the diapers don't seem quite snug, they might still work just fine; it's definitely worth trying! |
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With my first I started cloth diapering when she was a week old. She was 6 lbs 5 ounces and I used the medium cover. I ordered the medium just because I thought I would get more use out of them which I did. The did swallow her up a little but more so the cover did. The cover was always a little loose around the waist and legs but I never experienced any leaks unless there was operator error. My second baby was 1 lb heavier and I started cloth diapering her when she was 3 days old. This time I had the small covers so they were a little bit better but she has already grown out of them as she is 12 lbs 6.5 ounces at 9 weeks old. Oh since I didn't metion it I use the OS.
I think at first she looked a little funny just because she looked bigger around the mid section but I have since gotten used to the look and perfer it. It is all in how you look at it and you do get used to it. They tend to be in sleepers so you do not have to worry about how clothing fits.
The only thing I would suggest is wait until the muconium poop is done before you start cloth.
I did have plenty of leaks with disposibles that I have never had with my cloth and would never look back! |
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Thanks girls for your replies! Can anyone help me with the hard well water question? What do I need to add to the cycle, and when? If I don't add anything what will happen?
Thanks! |
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I haven't used Calgon myself, so I can't speak for it or how to use it. I think someone else on this forum has talked about using it with good success, though. Personally, I would probably wait until I saw a need for it before starting to use it or anything else regularly. It's best just to start with a simple washing routine, and see how it's working before you tweak it.
Most people just do something like pre-rinse, hot wash with a little detergent. Some people add an extra rinse.
Since you know you have very hard water, you'll probably want to be on the lookout for build-up issues. Funky smells, particularly strong ammonia when peed-on are common tip-offs.
Since the problem with hard water is that it makes it hard for detergent to rinse out all the way, I'd be very sparing with the detergent from the beginning (maybe 1/4 to 1/3 recommended?) and if you can get your machine to do a hot rinse, do it. You can add extra cold rinses until your water bill is horrible, but cold rinses only do so much when you really need those detergent-mineral bonds to be broken up.
Vinegar is a natural softener that can help (why you use it through the coffee maker sometimes) and, if you have problems, might be useful. Most people add it to the rinse cycle, but my DH (chemist) thinks it'd be more useful in the hot wash part.
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