Cloth Diapering Information

Transcription

1 Cloth Diapering Information Presented by Petite Bottoms Page 1

2 Diaper Styles All In Ones (AIOs) A diaper and a cover that is in one unit. An AIO can have Aplix/Velcro or snap closure. All In Two (AI2) This is a two piece cloth diaper with a cover and an insert that usually snaps into the cover. Contoured Diapers A diaper with an hourglass shape. These diapers do not require folding, have no closures and usually no elastic. These are easier than a prefold and less expensive that a fitted diaper. Covers All of the above diapers require covers to be waterproof. A cover is simply anything that "covers" the diaper so the urine doesn't leak out of it and helps to contain messes. A cover can be made out of PUL or TPU material, wool and specially treated cotton. Some covers are pull-on or wrap style that has to be closed at the front; they may have Aplix/Velcro or snap closures. Wool longies that are very similar to pant style are a very popular winter time cover. Fitted Diaper A fitted diaper is a step up from a prefold diaper. It has elastic at the legs and usually at the back for a better fit. It can have Aplix/Velcro or snaps to keep the front closed, some fitteds have no closure at all and these are called closureless fitteds. Flat Diaper A large square of fabric that needs to be folded and fastened with pins or a Snappi. Some people fold this diaper and lay it inside of the cover without fastening it. These are the old fashioned cloth diapers that our grandparents and their parents used. Some common ways of folding this diaper are the kite, origami and pad fold. Hybrid Diapers A hybrid diaper is a diaper that has a cover and a cloth insert that snaps or lays into the cover and has a biodegradable insert. You can use the cloth or biodegradable insert depending on your needs. These are a great diaper for traveling as you throw away the biodegradable insert. It also weighs less than a cloth diaper. Prefold Diaper A rectangular diaper with more layers in the middle than on the sides. Most prefolds have eight layers in the middle and 4 layers on each side. It is folded and sewn this way, hence the name prefold. There are two different types of prefolds, Indian and Chinese. Indian prefolds are usually thicker and unbleached, Chinese are usually bleached and thinner. These diapers can be folded to fit the child and pinned or Snappied. You can tri-fold them or fold in thirds and lay in a cover with no pins or Snappi. Pocket Diapers A diaper that has an opening at the back to place an insert inside of. This is a two piece diaper system. Page 2

3 Cloth Wipes and Wipes Solution I recommend using cloth wipes for a few different reasons. You will save money by reusing your wipes and not having to purchase disposable wipes. You aren't exposing your child to chemicals and fragrances that could irritate their skin. It is easier than disposable wipes because you can throw it in the diaper pail and wash it with your cloth diapers. There are many different fabrics that cloth diapers are made of: - Flannel - Fleece cotton, bamboo, hemp or polyester - Terry Cloth - Organic Cotton Sherpa or Cotton Sherpa - Velour - Bamboo - Hemp Cloth wipes are usually 8x8" in size and two layers thick, sometimes one. They can be a natural color, white, dyed colors, or printed fabrics. There are many two layer wipes that are combinations of the fabrics above. The easiest way to use your cloth wipes is to store them dry and wet with warm water as needed. You can use plain warm water for pee diapers and warm water and a wipes solution for poop diaper changes. You may need as many as four wipes for poop diapers. When you are done with changing your baby you can toss the dirty wipes in with the diaper into the diaper pail. If there is a lot of poop on the wipe you can wash it out in the toilet, wring it dry and then toss it in the pail. Diaper Pail Liners and Wet Bags A diaper pail liner is a large bag that is waterproof and lines the diaper pail or is used to store a large amount of dirty diapers. You need at least two of these. A wet bag is a smaller travel size bag that holds about 4-6 diapers. You will need at least two of these. Cleaning Solids or Poop Out of Cloth Diapers There are many different ways to clean the solids or poop out of your cloth diapers. It is trial and error sometimes as to what method works for you. If your child is exclusively breast fed (EBF), you do not need to clean the solids or poop out of the diaper until they start to eat food, usually at about 6 months of age. The poop will come out in the first rinse cycle. Dunk and Swish Dunk the diaper in the toilet and swish it around to get the poop off. Once you have most of the poop off hold onto the diaper very tightly and flush the toilet. This will give you a fresh bowl of water to clean the diaper better. Dunk the diaper again and rub it together to get any leftover bits of poop off. Wring the extra water out of the diaper and throw it into the diaper pail. Page 3

4 Sprayer Method There are diaper sprayers that attach to the plumbing of your toilet. You hold the diaper just over the water in the bowl of the toilet and spray off the poop with the water that comes out of the diaper sprayer. You than wring out the diaper and throw it in the diaper pail. Wipe Off Method You can use toilet paper to wipe the poop off of the diaper. This is best done holding the diaper over the toilet. Diaper Liners There are two kinds of diaper liners, disposable and reusable. The disposable kind you take out of the diaper and flush down the toilet or throw in the trash. The reusable kind you clean the poop off of and wash in with your diapers. It is a personal preference as to why a person chooses one over the other. Basic Wash Routine A basic wash routine is this. - Warm rinse - Long or heavy soil wash with detergent - Warm rinse You may need to adjust this wash routine based on your machine or detergent type. It is best to wash your diapers every other day. Detergents You should use a cloth diaper safe detergent to prolong the life of your cloth diapers. Cloth diaper safe detergents are enzyme free, clean rinsing and free of fragrances and harsh chemicals. Commercial detergents, bleach, Calgon, Dawn dish soap, and fabric softener are full of chemicals that pollute our environment and can leave residue on your diapers. These same chemicals can be exposed to your child and cause irritation. All of these chemicals are harsh on your diapers and may void the manufacturer s warranty on your diapers. There are many cloth diaper safe detergents on the market, below are a few examples of great ones. - Redemption Soap - Tiny Bubbles - Thirsties - Rockin Green - Penguin Sport Wash Page 4

5 Ammonia vs. Stink Ammonia smell in cloth diapers is normal. The more that your child pees, the more urine that there is to break down. Ammonia is the product of urine breaking down, more urine equals more ammonia. Some children have more potent urine than others. Toddler urine will smell more than baby urine, usually boy urine smells more than girl urine. Stink is beyond ammonia smell and is more of a barn yard smell. It is a good indication that your diapers may not be getting clean and you may have bacteria in the diapers. In this case it is time to strip your diapers. Stripping Cloth Diapers Stripping your cloth diapers is the equivalent of deep cleaning them. You need to strip your diapers if you have "stink", they are repelling urine, or they don't smell clean after being washed. You will know that the cloth diapers are repelling if the insert or inside of the diapers are not getting wet when your child pees in the diaper. Penguin Sport Wash is a very effective and easy way to strip your cloth diapers. It is gentle on your diapers and the environment. It works with top loading and HE or front loading machines. It is free of harsh chemicals, dyes and fragrances. It biodegrades and doesn't require numerous extra rinses like Dawn dish soap does. To strip your diapers, start with clean diapers, put the diapers and the Penguin Sport Wash in the machine and wash on heavy. You only need one extra rinse and dry as normal. Prepping Cloth Diapers When you bring your new cloth diapers home you will need to prep them before you use them. The process of prepping them is different depending on the fabric that your cloth diapers are made of. Below is a good guide to prepping your cloth diapers. Cotton needs to be washed and dried at least 3 or 4 times before you can use it. Some cotton like organic cotton may need to be washed and dried 8 times to become fully absorbent. A prefold and flat diaper can be washed and dried as little as 3 times before use. Bleached cottons can be used after one or two washes since their natural oils have been bleached out already. An AIO organic cotton diaper will need to be washed and dried 8 times. Hemp and bamboo will need to be washed and dried 7 or 8 times before it is fully absorbent. Synthetic fibers like fleece, microfiber, suede cloth and micro fleece only need to be washed and dried once. Your synthetic fiber diapers will last longer if you line dry them. Page 5

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