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Hi Everyone,
I'll be a first time mom in January and have decided on Mother-Ease One Size Diapers for our little girl. (Yah!) I'm trying to figure out what I should have before hand so I don't give up out of frustration and exhaustion.
I would like to sew as much as possible myself in terms of diaper pail bags, wet bags, and wipes. (I'll order PUL online) I'm planning on using ALL Free and Clear Military (my husband is in the Marine Corps so I have access to it at the Commissary on base).
My questions are:
1) What type of material do you prefer for diaper wipes?
2) What items do you find especially helpful? Sprayer on your toilet, flushable liners for BM's once baby is on solids?
3) Does anyone use All Free and Clear and have problems with the diapers smelling? I've seen a lot of information on the forum regarding soap nuts but will have a difficult time talking my husband into those. (I tried Charlie's Soap and it didn't clean our clothes very well.)
4) Has anyone else made their own wipes? Any advice on what worked or didn't? I was thinking a fleece material but would love more input if you found something that worked better.
Any other advice would be SO helpful!
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COngrats on the baby and congrats on making the decision to cloth diaper with ME!
1&4) I use baby washcloths for wipes, but since I also use fleece liners inside of the diapers I have occasionally resorted to those in a pinch. I would say that I definitely prefer something more like a washcloth material, since for me anyway, fleece gets a bit smeary. Some people use flannel, like old receiving blankets, and I believe I've read some mommas here have made their own wipes two-sided, with one side terry for being able to deal with the big stuff and one side something like flannel.
3) Haven't used All etc., but I believe that the military version gets better rankings by the cloth-diaper detergent gurus because it has fewer additives than the standard stuff.
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Hello and congrats!
I can't help you much as I don't sew and had to resort to buying everything :-( And it's a good time to stock up now, as we ended up buying stay-dry liners instead of making our own fleece liners (which is very easy and much cheaper) just because we figured we needed them when our son was 1 week old and we were in no state to start shopping for fleece and cutting it. So it's good to plan ahead!
But I will say that: to me, a diaper sprayer is a must! It makes things much, much easier, and when ours broke I all but had a nervous breakdown. Ok, I'm exaggerating here, but seriously, it made my life a lot harder! So I would definitely splurge for that, or you can apparently build your own. We tried, but here we couldn't find the right pieces at the hardware store. If you can, people say it's relatively easy.
Make sure your wet bag (for diapering on outings) is not bulky so it doesn't take too much space in your diaper bag.
Oh, and we tried flushable liners and gave up on them... Some people really like them, some don't. It depends on the kind of BM your baby has. Personally it didn't save us much work and we didn't like using something disposable (even though most of them you can wash once if they have only been peed on). But for some people they are very useful. So maybe buy just one roll so you don't waste too much if you don't like them.
Good luck and keep asking questions, there are some people out there that will be able to answer them. This forum is wonderful for that! |
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I just started using cloth wipes... they are really awesome as you are left with no stinky garbage at all. Everything goes in the diaper pail. I would suggest flannel and maybe velour. If you have a serger, you can make your own so quickly. I just serged together two pieces of flannel from an old crib sheet/receiving blanket. I mae them so that they fit in a commercial wipe container when you fold them in half.
I also have a diaper sprayer and love it. And I never really liked flushable wipes. I cut out pieces of fleece and they rinse off super easy!
I am not sure about the detergent... I use Tide.
Good luck.
I have a little one due in January too!
Julie |
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I just want to say Congrats! Also know that in the beginning- first few weeks, it will be difficult to use fitted diapers before the cord falls off- so don't give up! Also- my son was big at birth (over 8 pounds) and is 2.5 months old now (about 13 pounds?) and the one-size diaper is still a little too big. I have been using prefolds and a different brand fitted. I might try some sandies smalls at first.
I love flannel wipes with water for wiping.
I have also heard not to use Free and Clear. Not sure why. I use Trader Joe unscented, and it has been great. Good luck! |
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| I just wanted to give the counterpoint to the last post... I know that a lot of people find that OS diaper too big on their newborn, so it is definitely possible that you may feel that way, too. However, my son was 7 pounds and we used the OS right from birth, even before the cord stump fell. The first few times, I did wonder what I was doing wrong because it looked ridiculous and I thought it couldn't possibly work. But it worked just fine! I never had any leak and I quickly got used to how big his bum looked. And even though I also had XS Sandy's, I quickly switched to using mostly OS because we liked them better. But that is highly subjective as a lot of people swear by the Sandy's. Anyway, I just didn't want you to be absolutely discouraged from trying the OS from birth... |
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Hey there! I have a son due in January too! So I am new at all this too, and asking the same questions, but I can recommend a website. I use All Free and Clear (regular)on my laundry now, but if you read this website you may change your mind-- <A href="http://www.sunshinediapers.com/cloth-diaper-university/choosing-a-detergent/">www.sunshinediapers.com/cloth-diaper-university/choosing-a-detergent/</A> This girl seems to really know what she's talking about...but she is a big advocate of Charlie's...
I have made 20 cloth wipes already, one side terry (from Jo-Ann), and the other side flannel, 8"x8". I saw some on Ebay, and have asked around, and that is what I decided I wanted to try. I bought one yard of each, and they were not on sale, so it ended up costing $11 to make 20. You could buy 20 baby washcloths for that price. Anyway, I hope they work out! I also have a wipe warmer which I hope to still use, cause I LOVED it, and my first son didnt mind a diaper change at all with a warm wipe.
Good luck to you!  |
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| I believe the military version of All is different, though . . . and what works for one person doesn't work for all, so in general I say go with what is working for your clothes, only don't use very much (like 1/4-1/3), and don't worry about finding the perfect detergent until you have problems. Always good to be aware, though, and know what's out there. |
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I have our first due any time now, so I can't give advice from experience, but did want to note that I've read a lot about using 1/2 cup vinegar in the rinse cycle (put in the fabric softener cup or a Downy ball) in terms of making detergents "work" for cloth diapers. I hear that the major problem with some detergents is that they leave a buildup and therefore reduce absorbency (which is the same reason you don't want to use fabric softener with your cloth diapers), and the vinegar can really help with that. SO... for whatever that's worth.
Also, I bought and hooked up a diaper sprayer that actually goes on the sink faucet instead of the toilet (but in our bathroom easily reaches the toilet)... so you can adjust both pressure and temperature. I'm planning to use it for myself as well post-partum as I hear warm water for your sensitive areas can be a real plus. I spent $40 at jamtots.com, but the sprayer is VERY high quality (doesn't leak a drop, has a nice long hose so it even reaches the bathtub, and is so easy to hook up it can be portable for trips) and I already feel it's going to be worth it.
Good luck! |
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Hi there,
I am new to cloth diapering as well (about a week into it now) with DD #4, whom is 2 wks old today. I made my own diapers by tracing a size 1 disposable. Little too big for mine at 7 lbs 5 oz. So using prefolds right now. I have folded the fronts down on the ones I made, and that worked well. They are more absorbant then the prefolds, and have leg elastic.
I made my own wipes, using left overs of flannel from the diapers. Just 1 layer of flannel, edges folded over one time, zig zagged. Recommended size, 8" x 8". However, I have some smaller and some 10 x 10. I did 1 layer because a friend that cloth diapered said she had used 1 and 2 layers and prefered the 1 layer. I love mine. No need for 2 layers really....I would think too thick. I only have to use 1 wipe per change. I made one of fleece, but didnt like it.
Also, I use All Free and Clear, non military version and havent had a problem. I do a cold rinse with baking soda, when it drains/refills, vinegar. Then do hot/warm long cycle with a smidge of All, rinse with vinegar again. Then line dry. CD friend said with the detergent, take whatever you think you need to use, then only use 1/4 of it. The soap can build up and cause stink to stay in diaper.
Good luck and congrats!!
Kristi |
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Hi,
I haven't made my own wipes, but I've used the terry cloth wipes from Mother-ease. At first, I purchased some cheap wash cloths (AAFES brand) from the PX (the army version of NEX), and they were about 10 for $5. They worked just fine. I lived off post and the apartment I stayed in did not have washer or dryer hookups, so I needed to purchase extra wipes due to the availability of washers and dryers in our complex. I must say, that the ME wipes are way better, but the regular wash cloths were just fine too. I commend you for being money-wise in wanting to make your own wipes and wet bag.
I also used Free and Clear from the commissary and it worked out great for my diapers. I didn't have any stink issues when using that particular detergent. However, I did rinse my diapers after every wet diaper because the apartment's washers did not come with a pre-wash option. After poopy diapers, I rinsed the diapers, and washed them with antibacterial hand soap and made sure that they were thoroughly rinsed. I also soaked my diapers in 1/2 cup of borax for around half an hour before adding detergent to the wash. I did not have any stink issues at all. Prewashing the soiled diapers with antibacterial soap did not wear down my diapers (had them for 2 years), nor did they cause irritations for baby, but it could differ with each person. I've also used Arm and Hammer powder detergent and Borax and the diapers came out smelling clean and fresh too. Right now I'm using regular Tide from Sam's Club and it works fine, and no stink issues.
Now that I have on base housing, I do use the pre-wash option with our washer.
I'm currently in search for a detergent that is more environmentally friendly, gentle on the baby's bottom, thoroughly effective in getting the dipes clean, and most of all, affordable.
Good luck on gathering information, and congratulations with your new baby! |
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