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Home » man of the cloth, pt. 1

man of the cloth, pt. 1

It’s been two months since I started cloth diapering, and after the first month of learning, the routine has been smooth and—gasp—even fun. I never thought I would say that about anything remotely connected to poop! To help me on my way, I had advice from some friends who CD’d, plenty of internet searches (lots out there, much of it contradictory), and good old trial and error. I’m going to try and share some of what I’ve learned for the interested newbies out there. Maybe it will save you some time and headaches.

1. Selecting cloth diapers

Modern cloth diapers aren’t your mother’s cloth diapers. They are shaped to fit the booty so there isn’t any crazy origami folding unless you still want to use prefolds (the cheapest option). The newer brands of diapers have wacky names like Happy Heinys [sic] and BumGenius. There are a lot of diaper types and brands out there, so look around if you want options.

My experience is with one type of pocket diapers called Fuzzi Bunz Perfect Size, which were highly recommended by a few friends. Some sites call them “the Cadillac of cloth diapers”; in fact, a recent survey ranked pocket diapers as the favorite cloth type, and Fuzzi Bunz as the most popular pocket brand. Pocket styles are a good choice for humid climates like Florida because you can separate the thick absorbent insert from the pocket part for faster drying. I went with Fuzzi Bunz Perfect Size, which meant I had to buy smalls, and then (very quickly, since Valor grew fast) mediums, rather than the One Size Fuzzi Bunz because the Perfect Size type got better reviews. Most kids won’t need anything bigger than mediums before they are potty trained.

I also like Fuzzi Bunz because they are easy enough for the GPs, husband, and hypothetical babysitter to use. Not rocket science. They also hold their resale value (see below). Here is Valor, now in his big-boy mediums:

2. Buying cloth diapers

It’s cheaper and totally reasonable to buy good-quality used diapers, which you can do on ebay or diaperswapper.com or craigslist. However, there’s always a buyer beware aspect to these transactions. I would ask these questions before you buy:

  • How many do you need? (this page has a chart) The more you get, the less frequently you do laundry. On the other hand, you want to make sure you like CDing before you get a huge stash.
  • Are they the size you want? (see here for Fuzzi Bunz’ sizing chart)
  • Are they stained? Can you handle it if they are?
  • Do they come with inserts or not? (note that polyester inserts can pill the fleece on the natural-fibered dipes, so you want to stick with non-synthetic inserts, even though they dry slower)
  • Are they new or old style Fuzzi Bunz? (old style has pointy tabs, less top stitching, and less elastic—new style is superior)
  • Is the elastic still springy (not crunchy or flat)?
  • Does the seller accept returns for a refund? (in case you get a really crunchy, flat set like I did once)
  • Is the PUL still sealed well?*

*I had an issue with the PUL (the waterproofed side) separating on three of the used diapers I bought on ebay (the seal peeled away from the colored cloth layer). The original owner emailed me her receipt and Mother of Eden replaced them with NEW dipes, even though the damaged ones were a few months out of warranty. They even threw in a couple free packs of cloth wipes! So I can attest that Mother of Eden/Fuzzi Bunz customer service is great, especially if you have an original receipt.

Your baby is going to be in size small a pretty short time (until about 6-8 mo. for non-Valor-sized kids), so getting used size smalls is a good deal—they won’t be beat to death by the previous owner. Once you get to the mediums you are more likely to find that used sellers have a set of really wiped out dipes, since their kid has worn them for 2-3 years. If you prefer to get a set of new dipes, this site has free shipping, and has provided Valor with a bunch of spankin’ new beautiful mediums (thanks GPs!!!).

3. Getting Started

I started Valor on cloth when he was just over 1 month old. The poop frequency dialed back about then, and that’s also about where I regained consciousness from the walking sleep of new parenthood. He was already well into the size smalls then. I got 15 small dipes to start with, and changed him after each feeding, about 8 times a day. I wash a load every morning because it takes all day for them to dry outside.

I still keep disposable dipes on hand for when we travel or go out for extended periods, although I asked for some little wet bags for Christmas so I can start using cloth on the road more.

So what else do you need besides the dipes?

  • 2 large pail liners to fit an 13-gallon trash can (I used Wahmies, but there are many kinds); getting two allows you to wash one while you use the other
  • a 13-gallon trash can with a tight-fitting lid and a pedal mechanism for hands-free opening (Target)
  • eventually you’ll want to switch to cloth wipes (you can buy or make these yourself easily by zig-zagging some fleece or flannel; just make sure it’s not polyester so it doesn’t pill your dipes); I have 3 10×5″ and 12 4×5″ right now
  • I just wet the wipes with water and stack them in a plastic container, but you can buy special “wipes solutions” or cubes, or easily make some yourself
  • I spray 10:1 diluted California Baby wipes solution (available at Target) directly on his bum for tough dried-on poops (sorry, TMI). It soothes his skin and smells great
  • a lot of people like diaper sprayer or scraper toilet attachments. I haven’t gotten into that since V is still on breastmilk only, and his poops all dissolve in the wash; maybe later I’ll need one…

4. Change me booty

You have to wash the dipes before their first use (it actually takes 3 initial washes to get the inserts to max absorbency). When dry, stuff the insert into the pocket and tug at it until it’s flat. I usually do this before I store the dipes in the drawer, so they are all stuffed and ready to go.

Grab a fresh dipe and snap it on. Fuzzi Bunz have a bunch of snaps so you can choose the ones that fit your baby as s/he grows. I use trial and error (i.e. wet clothes mean it was too loose) to determine if the settings are right.

Once it’s snapped on, you are not done! Reach around the back and make sure the tag and the fleece are not hanging out the back of the dipe. Tuck it all inside. If you don’t, it will wick the moisture out the back of the dipe and get his clothes wet. If you have it on properly, leaks will be pretty rare.

Ready for a change? Unsnap the wet/poopy one, clean him up and snap on a new one. Then step on the pedal of the trash can (that you’ve lined with the pail liner) and shake, shake, shake the insert out of the pocket (without touching the poop). Drop the insert, pocket, and any cloth wipes you used into the can and you’re done.

Next time I’ll cover washing and drying the dipes. The routine has turned out to be much easier than a lot of the ones I’ve seen described.

14 thoughts on “man of the cloth, pt. 1”

  1. Very cool to learn about! I don’t have children yet, but I’ve always wondered about CDing. Good to see someone’s experience! Also, Valor is extremely cute and beautiful as usual. I just want to hug him!

  2. I’ve been cloth diapering since the 60’s. Loved those origomi fold up ones! Used prefolds for my own kids. Guess Im a old fuddyduddy at 44. I liked the pins and the plastic pants.

    Glad to see the younger generations have made some changes to the cd world.

    Peace be the journey

    Paja

  3. This almost sounds like a science, LOL!

    Is Valor excited for Christmas? 🙂 I know so many people whose babies are having their first Christmases, so I’m pretty much undergoing cuteness overload at the moment!

  4. I use BumGenius 3.0s, practically the same as FuzziBunz. I love them, and am also surprised at how CDing is not a big deal at all. My husband, who was very opposed to the idea at first, even says they are just as easy as disposables, and loves to tell people all about them. He even does the laundry, which is a real miracle, lol!!

  5. What an expert you have become! I am so proud of you! I wish I had started when Bella was a baby but we sure have saved a ton with Lydia’s cds.

  6. I’ve enjoyed following your blog. I think that it’s awesome that you are sharing about cloth diapers! I started following you at Sweet Baby James. You guys are awesome and so strong to have gotten though something like that. Do you guys still follow the Babywise book? I think you mentioned something about it in the past, so I thought this post would be something you would def. want to read: http://drmomma.blogspot.com/2009/12/babywise-linked-to-babies-dehydration.html Talks about how some babies are getting labeled Failure to Thrive as they are not getting their feeding needs met.

  7. Thank you so much for sharing about cloth diapers! My first baby is due in April, and I have been contemplating using CD’s. Your details have made me more comfortable with the idea, but I still have one large concern: would I be able to get them clean (and not just clean, but not smelly, either) using a front-end washer? I’ve read that I wouldn’t, but, like you said, there is conflicting information out there (and in most cases, this isn’t even mentioned). I wondered if you or anyone else would be able to answer that?

    I also wanted to say that I have been following your blog since the Cake Wrecks post about James’ cake…the faith that the two of you have exhibited over the years is encouraging to me. And of course, Valor is adorable!!

  8. Karla – I have a front load washer and CD, and you’re right – there is conflicting information, and not much info to be found WRT front loaders.

    The main issue is that front load washers decide for themselves how much water your load needs — but cloth diapers absorb much more water than the thickest item the designers assume you might launder, so the washer won’t add enough water to get the diapers well cleaned. I therefore end up with ammonia build-up from residual urine in the diapers, which smells vile. The poop washes out just fine, because that is mostly a surface issue, and front loaders are great with that kind of cleaning.

    I use prefolds (from Green Mountain Diapers), and I love them both because I strongly prefer natural fibers against my baby’s bum, and because they are a frugal choice. We use Snappis instead of pins & mostly Thirsties covers.

    In retrospect, however, I should have either gone with a tradional washing machine when we recently bought our new washer, or I should have gone with pocket diapers (giving up on my desire for natural fibers) like those the Gjertsens are using. I have talked to a couple of friends who have front loaders and have successfully CD’ed with pocket diapers, because the inserts are thinner than prefolds are. This makes them less absorbent, meaning that a front load washer is more able to clean them effectively. It also means if you have a kid like mine you need two or three inserts at a time, but they work just fine that way.

    With my prefolds, I add a few buckets of water to every load of diapers after the cycle starts. I wash them a total of 3-4 cycles, the latter two without any soap (so it is really for extra rinsing). This cuts the ammonia smell to a reasonable level, although it still seems worse than with our old washer. I have also read that adding a heavy towel or two may do the trick with some brands of washers. I have a Samsung, and I have gotten absolutely nowhere with their customer service when I have tried to inquire about how to get the washer to add more water.

    The one benefit of front loaders is that they get the diapers much drier in the spin cycle, so it is quicker to dry the diapers once they are clean.

    So in a nutshell – you will probably be fine CDing with a front loader if you use a pocket diaper system (no all-in-ones or prefolds), but you will have to experiment with your washer to figure out how to make it work best for your CDs. You might want to stick to microfiber inserts (not hemp or cotton), but you could certainly experiment with all 3. Go for it!

  9. Juliana, THANK YOU so much for your response! It was extremely helpful. I love my front-loader (I have no idea why I said “front-end” before!) precisely because it doesn’t use so much water (which now, I see is the problem with the CD) and because it gets the clothes drier on the spin cycle (a plus for CD).

    I think I will definitely try the pocket diapers. I don’t know about the other two, simply b/c I can’t imagine that I would stick to CDing if I have to do that much extra washing – seems like just as much of a waste too me. My reasons for CDing are more economical than ecological, although I do have ecological reasons, too! 🙂 (Plus, I’ve also read that CDing helps with potty-training later!)

    Again, thank you, Juliana, for your response, and thank you Gjertsens for posting about this in the first place and for posting Juliana’s response!

    God bless!

  10. Hi Abby,

    Thanks so much for writing this all here. I am going to CD too and I feel like there isn’t a good central website to explain “how” to do it. Love your recommendations and “how to”.

    Glad everything is going so well for you!

    Sharon

  11. I CD’d both of my babies. I used prefolded regular diapers, and from your description I think it was WAY easier than what you’re going through with the fancy new stuff. They wore the same size their entire diaper-age lives. I used the same ones on the second that I had used on the first. I still have some of the same diapers that my kids used to perform nultiple household cleaning jobs. My kids were born at a time when breastfeeding was discouraged (?!?) so I had to scrape a few, but no big deal. Oh, by the way, my girls are 38 and 42. Years!

  12. Pingback: man of the cloth, chapter the last | House of Gjertsen

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