From Disposables To Cloth

[graypup]

For those of you knowledgable about cloth, perhaps you can lend your expertise...

I'm wearing disposables now, but recently I've decided to venture down the cloth diaper route. Shortly I expect a shipment of a few birdeye weave prefolds and a couple pairs of plastic pants, only to realize I have no experience wearing or maintaining cloth diapers (Of the two, I suspect the latter to be more challenging). I've read brand new ones need to be washed before wearing for maximum absorbancy, and used ones should be stored in a pail of water prior to washing. Any further information or tips you care to share would be appreciated.

I've been a reader of the website for quite a while- it looks like most people are wearing disposbles, but I've also noticed a few in cloth.

Thanks in advance- Graypup

[clothbaby]

All I have worn is cloth. Reason why,much cooler and great to wear year round.The best combination is Fetwear thick plastic pants,baby diaper pins and Mountainview cloth prefolds. I wear them day and night with no leaks.

[redneck diaper boy]

I have been using cloth diapers for most of my life. I am a child of the 1950's when that is all there was.

Here is some general information:

A good cloth diaper will out-perform any disposable

Always wash new diapers before wearing them. Only God knows who has handled them or what was put on them as a preservative. New cotton is usually soaked in formaldehyde.

Never use bleach on a diaper.

If diapers have a strong urine smell, use white vineagar in the wash. One cup works well.

Use baby laundry soap. Sented soap will cause diaper rash.

Get some large pins. Baby pins are cute but you don't want them to pop open while you sleep and stick yourself. (been there, done that)

Birdseye is good. Gauze is good. Flannel winds up on the dryer screen.

The diapers will outlast the plastic pants. Never put the plastic pants in a dryer.

Plastic pants are more comfortable with a loose fit. The loose fit will allow air to circulate. Tight fitting sealed pants will not compensate for a lousy diaper. If the diaper fails to absorb, your bedding or clothing will get wet.

Thicker is better. Rectangular diapers are the best. They bunch up between your legs but that is where you need the absorbancy. If one diaper doesn't work use two or more.

I hope this helps.

RDB

For those of you knowledgable about cloth, perhaps you can lend your expertise...

I'm wearing disposables now, but recently I've decided to venture down the cloth diaper route. Shortly I expect a shipment of a few birdeye weave prefolds and a couple pairs of plastic pants, only to realize I have no experience wearing or maintaining cloth diapers (Of the two, I suspect the latter to be more challenging). I've read brand new ones need to be washed before wearing for maximum absorbancy, and used ones should be stored in a pail of water prior to washing. Any further information or tips you care to share would be appreciated.

I've been a reader of the website for quite a while- it looks like most people are wearing disposbles, but I've also noticed a few in cloth.

Thanks in advance- Graypup

[Santiago]

Most say do not use fabric softener (it supposedly decreases absorption) - though honestly I have tried it both ways and never noticed a difference.

I disagree on not putting plastic pants in the dryer - most of the time I air dry, but every once in a while 5-10 mins in a hot dryer will bring new life to vinyl pants.

[kirababy]

Lots of good advice above. Cloth diapers are different, but if you can handle regular laundry, you can handle cloth diapers.

kirababy

[Vic]

If your diapers stain then I recommend oxyclean, it will take stains out in hot water, and is safer than bleach (use bleach and you ruin the diaper).

Just my two cents.

Peace,

Vic

[abrichiebc]

I too have used cloth diapers for many years here. Mine are mostly rectangular flat prefolds in flannel and birdseye.

After wetting the diaper, place it in a pail with water with either vinegar or peroxide, this will help with odor and as well whitening. I use my washing machine as my diaper pail. You can use bleach on diapers, but sparingly, use it on about every 6th load or so or when you notice that they are discoloring or turning grey.

Never use fabric softener as it leaves a film on the fabric surface which will inhibit absorbsion.

LLMedico has a good selection of plastic pants both solid and prints and good prices. Always follow the manufacturers instructions for care of plastic pants. Most of them you can put in the dryer on low heat or air dry without damaging them.

[babylin]

[quote 'graypup' knowledgable cloth expertise...

A cloth diaper can be an amazing tactile experinece. I prefer gauze to birdseye----gauze is softer. But for a freak fun: go to Wall-Mart and buy a square yard of white fleece and line your birdseye with it so the fleece is next to your skin.

Always double or even triple rince your diapers.........if you become committed to cloth, you can afford the washer and dryer in savings over the cost of disposables.

You feel the heat in tight fitting plastic pants over your cloth diapers just as you do while wearing disposables.. Choose a size or two larger in plastic pants for more comfort.

Web sites abound for tips on cloth diapers: rinsing, washing, drying, using vinegar, etc. Personally, I avoid fabric softeners.........lowers absorbancy.

Have fun!!

HAPPINESS IS WEARING COTTON DIAPERS

babylin

[graypup]

Thank you all to those who have posted with your advice so far.

-Graypup

[Angela Bauer]

1964 when I was born was the dawn of the modern disposable era. After WWII some paper diapers were sold as convenience when traveling. Late in the 1950's a scientist with P&G started inventing Pampers. Subsequently a whole lot of research and corporations have gotten into the baby and adult diaper business. Still, my extended family was diaper-friendly, but until 1981 only used pinned gauze diapers worn with separate vinyl panties.

Consequently I grew up being taught how to maintain classic Curity gauze diapers and Gerber vinyl panties. Quality cloth diapers and waterproof panties can be super comfy, effective and a good investment, so long as they are washed and dried appropriately.

The first step is to find out details of the fabric used to make the cloth diapers as well as the panties, since the care of these is hardly a "one method fits all" deal. Take what today is the most commonly used plastic pants fabric, vinyl. There are many versions of vinyl. For institutional use there is a robust form of vinyl called "boilable" that not only can be washed in scalding hot water along with cotton diapers, it works best when washed this way. Up to 1991 a firm called ProHealth made boilable vinyl pants in bright colors. It was so convenient to toss diapers and panties into the same pail. Bummer that late in 1991 a fire at their factory melted all the ProHealth panties and they went out of business. Still, several makers today offer boilable. Visit their sites and ask them if you are interested.

Gerber adult vinyl pants became VIP, using the classic vinyl, which cannot stand being washed in water hotter than your hand can stand. Nor will it withstand normal diaper detergents. While it is not necessary to use cold water, better to warm it slightly, then only use a trace of dishwashing detergent and whash that sort of vinyl panties by hand, turning them inside out during the process. After washing shake off excess water and let them gently dry at warm room temperature on plastic hangers away from sunlight. Once the outside is dry to the touch turn the panties inside out to finish drying. Even the elastic should be dry within 4-5 hours, a bit longer on a damp day.

When ProHealth burned I started wearing panties made of the Gerber-style vinyl designed by my friend Crissy Penn, which were made by Gary Manufacturing in San Diego. Gary is mostly a wholesale contractor making various vinyl products on order for retailers. After Crissy left the business in 1994 I started wearing Babykins thin pull-on vinyl panties, which I still wear at home. Babykins provides a valuable tip to keep their panties from getting stiff and cracking. This works well for me: Wash the panties as I described above as soon as practical after wearing, since body oil and lotion attack the vinyl. Then once a week gather all the recently worn vinyl panties into an all-cotton pillow case. Tumble that along with a load of clothing in a dryer, but only for 10-20 minutes. The other clothing and the pillow case protect the vinyl from being scorched by the hot metal of the dryer. Once the bag of vinyl panties is removed from the dryer, gently shake each and place it on a plastic hanger, stored away from sunlight.

Virtually all cloth fabric is treated with "sizing" while being manufactured. That keeps the thread sturdy enough to withstand the weaving process. Imagine the delays when a thread breaks on a loom! The sizing normally used for cotton is a mix of starch, water and a bit of formaldyhide, or a substitute. To render cotton soft, absorbent and to reduce irritation, the sizing must be carefully removed. For Birdseye and diaper-weave gauze, what works for me is to give new diapers a first wash in hot water using a gentle detergent, such as Ivory Snow. Since you do not want the sizing on anything else, wash new diapers the first time by themselves. The second wash requires no detergent, and it is not necessary to dry the diapers between washings. I wash diapers 4-5 times a week, so my washer is seldom full. I save the dried new diapers and include them with wet diapers for their third washing. After they all dry I fold the new diapers as well as the veterans, then I start adding the new ones to the rotation as older ones fall apart. The thing about gauze diapers is the older they are the better they feel and work, until they are so frail the shread.

My family never went in for using water in the diaper pails, since with several people in gauze diapers a load was washed daily, sometime 2-or 3 loads. Should gauze diapers get soiled they were scraped clean immediately, rinsed in a toilet, then only those were pre-soaked in warm water with a little borax. The goal was to wash the messy diapers within a couple of hours.

Birdseye and gauze diapers dry quite fast. The heat of a dryer helps, as does line drying in bright sunlight. Flannel works best dried with moderate heat on a gentle cycle, and really is improved with line drying in wind and sunlight. Terry cloth can withstand high heat and normal cycle. The downside to fleece is it requires exceptionally gentle washing and drying. Cold water is ideal, but hot water is more effective at getting rid of urine by-products. Be careful because it is those remaining by-products of stale urine that cause rash. Fleece needs to be dried with hardly any heat, on gentle cycle, or best line-dried in the shade when there is little wind.

Be suspicious of garments that combine a waterproof outer covering with absorbent inner material. Almost always the absorbent material needs high heat when drying, but the waterproof fabric needs limited heat. This means the boundry where the waterproof fabric touches the absorbent material stays damp a long time, risking mildew.

[snugglekitty]

just another tip we dont use fabirc softener with ours for the reasons stated as they are supposde to effect absorbancy however i do use the dryer balls they fluff and help them stay soft without the worry of messing up absorbancy and we use oxyclean in all our laundry...also we tried the snapez4life cloths as there is all in ones and pocket ones to change absorbancy and now in the process of making some...but they have pull up style or snap style which to me is much easier than pins would never want to hurts me baby with pins or have a sleeping accident with them as previously mentioned

[Newroad]

And as my Mommy/Wife just posted I will too. I like them. We are still getting used to them as I just recently came out to her and have only had 2 weeks together during the past year do to my job being on the other side of the world. But they are cery comfortable and seem to be much better comfort wise at night.

[graypup]

Thanks to everybody for your helpful advice!

The diapers arrived a few days ago. After having a chance to wash the preservative/sizing off of the fabric I've had a chance to try them out. They're comfortable, absorbent, and I've been pretty happy with them. The extra laundry is worth it.

[lynniehyde]

For those of you knowledgable about cloth, perhaps you can lend your expertise...

I'm wearing disposables now, but recently I've decided to venture down the cloth diaper route. Shortly I expect a shipment of a few birdeye weave prefolds and a couple pairs of plastic pants, only to realize I have no experience wearing or maintaining cloth diapers (Of the two, I suspect the latter to be more challenging). I've read brand new ones need to be washed before wearing for maximum absorbancy, and used ones should be stored in a pail of water prior to washing. Any further information or tips you care to share would be appreciated.

I've been a reader of the website for quite a while- it looks like most people are wearing disposbles, but I've also noticed a few in cloth.

Thanks in advance- Graypup

I have to say, if you can afford the initial expense of cloth, they are definitely the way to go. Comfort, look, absorbancy, economy and style. I've tried flannel, gauze and birdseye weaves. Flannel is great, if you're going for thickness. Gauze is great for comfort (especially in summer), but lacks the durability that flannel or birdseye offer. That is to say, after repeated washings. The only time absorbancy is in question, is if you don't wash them first before wearing. After the first washing, absorbancy should be no problem. Just don't use softener. That kills their absorbancy. Try using vinegar if you find the softness lacking. Bleach also can degrade the fabric, but I've found it necessary for sanitary reasons as well as esthetic. If you have your own washer/dryer, things can be managed better as far as cloth diaper care is concerned. I had to use public laundrymats when I first started and the washers tore the hell out of my didees. As far as durability and feel, you have made a wise choice with birdseye weave. Also, always buy a size larger than you think you need.

Plastic/rubber panty care is another thing altogether. Hand washing is the recommended, but if you have a delicate or hand washing cycle on your washer, you can spare yourself some dirty work without degrading the panties that much. Air dry them. Don't hang them in the sun. If you use a diaper rash ointment, use it sparingly. Most all ointments are petroleum based. This kills panties.

Cuddles,

--heidilynn

[willnotwill]

If you're going to use the all-in-ones (and it doesn't hurt capacity wise for the traditional diapers), one of the new HE washers that has a really powerful spin cycle will get things sufficiently dry that you don't have to bake them forever in the dryer (or worry about the trapping some residual dampness...been there done that).

[katieindiapers]

I've been thking about trying out cloth diapers too....I ordered some pre-fold diapers....I hate to say this but I'm not really sure how to put htem on....like how many folds? won't the diaper pins be touching my skin?

Any advice? or website with instructions? I can't seem to find any

[Angela Bauer]

Hi Katie,

The babykins website has some pinning instructions, as do the sites of other manufacturers of cloth diapers.

First, be sure to wash your new prefolds carefully to make then soft by removing all the sizing used during maunfacturing.

The idea of a prefold is that you can use it as it comes, assuming you ordered the correct size. Most prefolds have the soaker going from waist to waist, so it is not practical to fold-over the long part to shorten the diaper.

The basic idea is that the side flaps of the back are brought around you toward the front, so those flaps are on the outside. Pull br flaps or wings snug at a point just above your hips. Do not worry if excess diaper extends above that point.

I have been pinning my own cloth diapers since 1976 and always use ordinary baby-style diaper pins. Today they are not as widely sold. Anyway, find a place just above your hips where you can pin flap to flap. Avoid pinning into the thicker soaker zone. If you have the correct size prefolds the soaker is narrow enough there should be 3" or more between it and your sides in front.

One diaper pin on each side is often enough, but once the primary set of pins is holding the diaper snug, you could add a higher set at the top of the diaper. Some AB also use a third set to form leg holes. My own gauze diapers are made for me, so very little extends above my primary hip pins. So I only use one pin per side. An advantage of gauze diapers is it is stretchy, making a snug fit easier and longer lasting.

Happy diapering!

I've been thking about trying out cloth diapers too....I ordered some pre-fold diapers....I hate to say this but I'm not really sure how to put htem on....like how many folds? won't the diaper pins be touching my skin?

Any advice? or website with instructions? I can't seem to find any