yes he was a mess, but he got to keep the same onesie on! and the prefold and the cover just got tossed in with all the other dirty diapers to be washed later.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
fluffy bottom {saved again}
i am loving cloth diapers. the number one reason. i have never had to change little man's clothing because of a blow out. in the two weeks we used disposables at the beginning i changed his clothing two to three times a day thanks to leak and blowout issues. while we've had a little bit of leaks with the pocket diapers (which was because of fit issues), we have never had a full on blowout ever! and it not because little man doesn't have explosive poos because he does!
yes he was a mess, but he got to keep the same onesie on! and the prefold and the cover just got tossed in with all the other dirty diapers to be washed later.
yes he was a mess, but he got to keep the same onesie on! and the prefold and the cover just got tossed in with all the other dirty diapers to be washed later.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
fluffy bottom {the pocket}
the pocket diaper is the core of our 'daddy stash' or our daddy friendly diapers. i have a specific daddy stash bin to make it easier on hubby when he is doing a diaper change. he just has to pull from there (& sometimes add an extra insert) when changing little man. i take care of everything else.
the current stash consists of (left to right) one go green, two kawaii, one happy heiny's, two fuzzibunz, three bumkins & two thirsties (only one pictured). and the bin also contains a stack of various extra inserts.
pockets are as easy to put on as any disposable diaper, but require a little prep before using. inserting an absorbent insert into the pocket on the diaper. i am still figuring out which brands fit little man the best, so we have a handful of different ones.
clockwise starting at the 12 o'clock position: fuzzibunz size small, kawaii one size (OS), happy heiny's OS, go green OS, fuzzibunz OS, thirsties size one & in the middle bumkins OS
{one size diapers typically fit from 9lbs to 30+lbs. most will fit through potty training.}
every diaper is a little different looking and with that fits a little differently. after having played with various brands, i would recommend not buying all one brand of diaper to start. that brand might not be the best fit on your child. we are still testing each of these to see what works with little man as he grows and the best fitting diaper may change as he grows as well. i picked up most of these on sale or used. typically pocket diapers run $10 - $25. some are more, some are less, just depends on the brand and style. it may seem expensive, but remember you use that same diaper pretty much till they are potty trained. if you have a stash that consists only of pocket diapers you are looking at wanting to invest in at least 24 diapers, but i would recommend 36. if you do 30 diapers at $20 a piece (which is on the high end in my opinion) you are looking at $600. that is really all you need to spend. the issue is all the cute prints. it is so hard to keep from wanting to buy more.
{prefold cost : $2/prefold. $5-$20/cover. so 36 prefolds is $72, plus 6 covers at $15 is $90. so about $162 for a prefold set-up. which is pretty close to what we spent for ours visit my post on prefolds for more info about them.fluffy bottom {the prefold}}
every pocket diaper has a pocket that needs to be stuffed with an insert before being used. there are several inserts you can use. i do not even begin to have all the various options. typically pocket diapers are sold with an insert or two and may have an option for a hemp or bamboo insert instead of the standard microfiber insert. hemp and bamboo are trimmer and just as absorbent. i have purchased extra inserts to use as well.
2. fold the front over baby.
3. this one has snaps. (some have velcro or 'hook & loop' just like the cover i used in the prefold post.) pull the snap over on one side so it it tight.
4. pull the flap over on the other side and snap in place.
5. i do the leg snaps next, making sure they are secure around little man's legs. ensuring no leaks.
6. diaper in place. yes my little man has a muffin top. way too cute on my little chunky monkey.
7. check the fit around the legs.
pockets are a little trimmer looking than the prefold with a cover. at least when you only have one insert in the pocket. you can add 1-2 more inserts to help with heavy wetting or overnight to keep from diaper getting completely saturated, which can lead to leaks.
pockets are as easy to put on as any disposable diaper, but require a little prep before using. inserting an absorbent insert into the pocket on the diaper. i am still figuring out which brands fit little man the best, so we have a handful of different ones.
{one size diapers typically fit from 9lbs to 30+lbs. most will fit through potty training.}
every diaper is a little different looking and with that fits a little differently. after having played with various brands, i would recommend not buying all one brand of diaper to start. that brand might not be the best fit on your child. we are still testing each of these to see what works with little man as he grows and the best fitting diaper may change as he grows as well. i picked up most of these on sale or used. typically pocket diapers run $10 - $25. some are more, some are less, just depends on the brand and style. it may seem expensive, but remember you use that same diaper pretty much till they are potty trained. if you have a stash that consists only of pocket diapers you are looking at wanting to invest in at least 24 diapers, but i would recommend 36. if you do 30 diapers at $20 a piece (which is on the high end in my opinion) you are looking at $600. that is really all you need to spend. the issue is all the cute prints. it is so hard to keep from wanting to buy more.
{prefold cost : $2/prefold. $5-$20/cover. so 36 prefolds is $72, plus 6 covers at $15 is $90. so about $162 for a prefold set-up. which is pretty close to what we spent for ours visit my post on prefolds for more info about them.fluffy bottom {the prefold}}
every pocket diaper has a pocket that needs to be stuffed with an insert before being used. there are several inserts you can use. i do not even begin to have all the various options. typically pocket diapers are sold with an insert or two and may have an option for a hemp or bamboo insert instead of the standard microfiber insert. hemp and bamboo are trimmer and just as absorbent. i have purchased extra inserts to use as well.
clockwise starting from upper left corner: microfiber inserts that came with the diapers. thirsties duo hemp prefold. bumkins unbleached cotton prefold.
so what is this talk about 'stuffing the pocket'?
a pocket diaper has a pocket to put the inset in, or the place to put the absorbent material.
this one has two openings for the pocket, which makes it easier to insert and remove.
you slide the insert into the pocket. this one only has one opening, not two.
you can also stuff it with a tri-folded prefold.
what is a trifold?
basically folding the prefold into thirds.
got my prefold all ready, how do i use it?
it is simple. just like putting on a regular disposable diaper.
1. lay the diaper flat under baby's tush.
pockets are a little trimmer looking than the prefold with a cover. at least when you only have one insert in the pocket. you can add 1-2 more inserts to help with heavy wetting or overnight to keep from diaper getting completely saturated, which can lead to leaks.
who doesn't love a fluffy butt??
who doesn't love a fluffy butt??
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
fluffy bottom {the prefold}
in my process of deciding about cloth diapers i did a lot of searching for information about how to use the various types. there really is a lot of great resources out there to help with this journey. it also really helped me to get some hands on at our local store. got to see and try them out on a teddy bear. after all is said and done, my go to diaper is a prefold and a thirsties cover. in all honesty as easy as the pockets are to use, i really prefer to use my two step diaper instead. i have never had a leak using this method, where we have had a couple leaks with the pocket diapers. i think there may be some fit issues with our pockets. as little man grows, they should fit better. for now they are the daddy friendly diaper, until hubby gets good at changing the prefold.
so i got my prefold, snappi & cover (and my little one), how do i put all this on him?
i currently use the angel wing folding method. i will explain other methods as i use them in the future,
1. place prefold under child. because little man is still so little i have to fold down the prefold so it is not so long on him. i put the fold against his back. adjust as your child grows.
2. fold the front of the prefold, the two edges meeting in the middle.
3. fold the front over baby.
4. fan out the front so the prefold covers the front of him and the back corners will overlap.
5. pull one backside corner over the front side.
6. hook snappi into the flap and pull across him.
7. pull opposite backside over the front and hook with snappi. there should be tension on the snappi.
8. pull down the lower hook of the snappi while pulling up on the center top portion and hook snappi into the diaper. again, it should have tension. the snappi should make a "Y".
9. grab cover & place under child.
10. fold front of cover over child.
11. pull flaps tight over the front and secure.
12. check your cover. all cloth should be covered. none should show, period.
13. check the other side. oops, this side has cloth showing. adjust the covers flap to cover the cloth.
14. recheck your work. no more cloth showing.
15. ready to go!
so the clean one is on, what do i do with the dirty one?
i have a few ways of dealing with this. upstairs in little mans room i use a diaper pail. more specifically i have a diaper champ. love my diaper champ. the best thing about it is that you can use regular trash bags in it.
so i take the prefold, whether wet or dirty, and just put it directly in the pail. yup, that is all i do. if the poop is a little more on the solid side, i might shake it in the toilet before putting in the pail. for now this is all i need to do. both breast milk and formula are water soluble and do not require you to do anything prior to throwing in the washer. once they start eating solids, they require a little more prep prior to washing.
typically i can just rotate the cover. i wipe it out and lay it to dry for the next change. if poop happens to get on it, i throw it in the diaper pail as well. i wash my covers about once a week to twice a week in general.
downstairs, i have my large wet bag hanging from my pack-n-play. i just put the dirty diaper in the wet bag.
how do i wash my dirty diapers?
once i begin to run low on diapers, which for me it is about every other to every third day, i have to run a load of the dirty diapers. i take my trash bag out of the diaper pail, grab my wet bad and bring them to the laundry room. i dump all the prefolds and covers in the washer. and if the wet bag needs it, i throw that in too. just turn it inside out first. i set the temp to hot wash. i first run a rinse cycle, with no detergent. once the rinse cycle is done, i add my rockin green detergent (about 1 tablespoon of detergent) and run a full wash cycle. i separate out the covers and hang them to dry. drying them in the dryer can cause them to wear out. take the wet bag out too. i then throw all the cloth prefolds in the dryer on high heat at the most dry setting. i only dry my prefolds in the dryer, everything else i line dry. once dry, they are ready for use.
every person i talk to has their own system for diapering. this is just what i have found works for me. there are many ways to do everything involving cloth diapers. find what works for you and go with it.
i currently use the angel wing folding method. i will explain other methods as i use them in the future,
1. place prefold under child. because little man is still so little i have to fold down the prefold so it is not so long on him. i put the fold against his back. adjust as your child grows.
so the clean one is on, what do i do with the dirty one?
i have a few ways of dealing with this. upstairs in little mans room i use a diaper pail. more specifically i have a diaper champ. love my diaper champ. the best thing about it is that you can use regular trash bags in it.
downstairs, i have my large wet bag hanging from my pack-n-play. i just put the dirty diaper in the wet bag.
how do i wash my dirty diapers?
once i begin to run low on diapers, which for me it is about every other to every third day, i have to run a load of the dirty diapers. i take my trash bag out of the diaper pail, grab my wet bad and bring them to the laundry room. i dump all the prefolds and covers in the washer. and if the wet bag needs it, i throw that in too. just turn it inside out first. i set the temp to hot wash. i first run a rinse cycle, with no detergent. once the rinse cycle is done, i add my rockin green detergent (about 1 tablespoon of detergent) and run a full wash cycle. i separate out the covers and hang them to dry. drying them in the dryer can cause them to wear out. take the wet bag out too. i then throw all the cloth prefolds in the dryer on high heat at the most dry setting. i only dry my prefolds in the dryer, everything else i line dry. once dry, they are ready for use.
every person i talk to has their own system for diapering. this is just what i have found works for me. there are many ways to do everything involving cloth diapers. find what works for you and go with it.
Sunday, March 04, 2012
fluffy bottom {what's next}
prefolds. so now what? what did we need? how do i care for them? what did i get myself into?
well, i finally got hubby to go to the local store with me and he finally got to see it all broken down too. the sales lady took us step by step on how the diaper system works and how to care for them. i have to say it, cloth diapering is not hard. it is not gross. it is actually very easy. just has a learning curve like with anything else. after hubby got the information and saw it first hand, i think he realized this as well. it was not going to be hard. plus i had agreed from day one that i would take care of the cleaning/washing of the diapers. he would never have to do more than changing our little man, unless he wants to help. we ended up leaving zoolikins with one of their starter packages. it contained three dozen unbleached prefolds, six size one thirsties duo diaper covers and a few snappis. with this set up i am able to do wash every two to three days. we also got two size one thirsties duo pocket diapers to try out. figure those can be easy daddy diapers. plus some rockin green laundry detergent & a wet bag. basically everything we needed to get started.
i have to prep cloth diapers? this was the scariest phase for me. i was so nervous i was going to mess it up. it was harmless and easy. i was freaking for no reason at all. yes, you have to do a little prep work on your diapers before being able to use them. prepping them helps to maximize their absorbency. there are two ways to prep your diapers, i did a little of both.
option one : boiling
i used this for all my prefolds. it may take a little time to do. i broke up the task over a couple days. using a large pot, bring water to a boil. place 4-6 diapers in pot (depends on how big your pot is). let boil for 30 minutes. remove diapers and place in washer machine. add a diaper friendly detergent and run on a hot wash cycle. i ran my load when i had at least a dozen diapers in it. once washed, run them in the dryer till dry. i run on high heat on the very dry setting. once done, i pulled one diaper to test out. lay diaper flat & pour 1/2 cup water on diaper. all the water should absorb in the diaper, the water should not sit on top at all. if you are not happy, run though the wash and dry cycle again.
i did this with my pocket & AIO diapers. place in washer machine. put in diaper friendly detergent. run on a hot cycle. i line dry my pockets & AIOs (as well as my diaper covers) to help make them last. but if you opt to put in the dryer, run on a low heat setting. once diapers are dry, repeat the cycle 3-4 more times (do not need to add detergent after the first cycle). again you can test your diapers by pouring 1/2 cup water in them.
what is a wet bag? it is a cloth bag with a waterproof liner that you can use to put the dirty diapers in. it is especially helpful for when you have to rinse the diaper prior to throwing in the washer. (we will get to that in part three.) i currently use my large wet bag downstairs in the house. i hang it on the pack-n-play so i have a place for the dirty diapers when i change little man there.
well, i finally got hubby to go to the local store with me and he finally got to see it all broken down too. the sales lady took us step by step on how the diaper system works and how to care for them. i have to say it, cloth diapering is not hard. it is not gross. it is actually very easy. just has a learning curve like with anything else. after hubby got the information and saw it first hand, i think he realized this as well. it was not going to be hard. plus i had agreed from day one that i would take care of the cleaning/washing of the diapers. he would never have to do more than changing our little man, unless he wants to help. we ended up leaving zoolikins with one of their starter packages. it contained three dozen unbleached prefolds, six size one thirsties duo diaper covers and a few snappis. with this set up i am able to do wash every two to three days. we also got two size one thirsties duo pocket diapers to try out. figure those can be easy daddy diapers. plus some rockin green laundry detergent & a wet bag. basically everything we needed to get started.
i have to prep cloth diapers? this was the scariest phase for me. i was so nervous i was going to mess it up. it was harmless and easy. i was freaking for no reason at all. yes, you have to do a little prep work on your diapers before being able to use them. prepping them helps to maximize their absorbency. there are two ways to prep your diapers, i did a little of both.
option one : boiling
i used this for all my prefolds. it may take a little time to do. i broke up the task over a couple days. using a large pot, bring water to a boil. place 4-6 diapers in pot (depends on how big your pot is). let boil for 30 minutes. remove diapers and place in washer machine. add a diaper friendly detergent and run on a hot wash cycle. i ran my load when i had at least a dozen diapers in it. once washed, run them in the dryer till dry. i run on high heat on the very dry setting. once done, i pulled one diaper to test out. lay diaper flat & pour 1/2 cup water on diaper. all the water should absorb in the diaper, the water should not sit on top at all. if you are not happy, run though the wash and dry cycle again.
unbleached prefold prior to prepping on left, prefold after prepping on right.
boiling the prefolds.
option two : repeat washingi did this with my pocket & AIO diapers. place in washer machine. put in diaper friendly detergent. run on a hot cycle. i line dry my pockets & AIOs (as well as my diaper covers) to help make them last. but if you opt to put in the dryer, run on a low heat setting. once diapers are dry, repeat the cycle 3-4 more times (do not need to add detergent after the first cycle). again you can test your diapers by pouring 1/2 cup water in them.
diaper friendly detergent? yes, i use a different detergent. i have read up carefully on this and i chose my detergent based on my research and advice from fellow cloth diapering moms. this website was extremely helpful. http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html i decided to use rockin green after many saying it was great with our arizona hard water. when running a load i use a little over a tablespoon, not much is needed.
what is a wet bag? it is a cloth bag with a waterproof liner that you can use to put the dirty diapers in. it is especially helpful for when you have to rinse the diaper prior to throwing in the washer. (we will get to that in part three.) i currently use my large wet bag downstairs in the house. i hang it on the pack-n-play so i have a place for the dirty diapers when i change little man there.
i actually have three wet bags total. the large one, above, plus two others. a small and a medium. i keep the small in my diaper bag. it hold two dirty diapers. the medium i bring in my diaper bag if i know it will be a long outing, it hold about six diapers.
next time... getting onto actually using the diapers! please feel free to ask questions in if you have any.
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