Nickis Diapers

Thursday, May 17, 2012

I have my new cloth diapers, now what?


After you purchase your new fluff, there are some things you now need to do.

First of all, you need to prep your diapers.  This is easy.  If you have microfiber or minky inserts, you just need to run the inserts and shells through a wash cycle and dry them.  Make sure all the detergent is rinsed out before drying.

Now, if you have natural fiber inserts, you will need to do a much longer prep.  These need to be washed at least six times before use.  I wash mine ten times.  With each wash they become more absorbent.  The very first wash of natural fiber diapers needs to be with towels or by themselves.  Sometimes the diapers have natural oils on them that can transfer to your synthetic fibers.  This won't ruin them, but will cause extra work for you.

After the prepping is finished, all diapers can be washed together.  Like I said, I use the following routine.  A more complicated wash routine sometimes is harder on you, and sometimes doesn't work as well.

My diapers are prepped and ready to go on my baby.  Anything else I should know?


When you put your new fluff on your baby, know this first.  Diaper creams are not needed and in fact can harm your diaper and void your warranty.  If you need a cream for some reason,  coconut oil works wonders, and washes out in the hot wash cycle.  If you use it and your diapers are still under warranty, use a cloth wipe or flannel liner in between your diaper and baby's bum.  When you do your wash, launder these liners separately.

Before washing, all breastfed solids are water soluble.  No rinsing needed, just drop the diaper in your wetbag or dry pail and wash every 1-2 days.  If you formula feed or have introduced solids, you will need to dump solids into the toilet (I love a diaper sprayer for this), then put the rinsed diaper in your wetbag or dry pail until wash day.

In my HE washer, this is what I do, your routine may be a bit different.


Step 1:  Cold wash - no detergent.  This removes any solids left.

Step 2:  LONG Hot wash with pre-rinse and extra rinse after  - 2 TBS Rockin Green Classic Rock unscented detergent (formula may be different depending on your water type, test it first)

Step 3:  Remove unlined shells and pail liner, hang to dry

Step 4:  Regular hot wash cycle - no soap, check to make sure there are no suds left.

Step 5:  Hang dry or tumble dry on low


After all the diapers are washed and dried, you can take the time to stuff the diapers.  I recommend taking off your rings to do this so you don't snag the PLU lining in the diapers.

My son loves to try and help put the diapers together.  This makes a great learning opportunity!  I show him how the snaps work, and describe the diapers colors and prints.   

Now, occasionally you will find "funk" when your diapers are wet.  This is usually caused by soap build up.  Ammonia can also happen for the same reason.  Here is a GREAT chart on combating issues with cloth diapers from Padded Tush Stats.

Help, my diapers stink!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Modern cloth

 Modern Cloth Diapers Don't Need Pins

 When I got pregnant in 2010, I knew there would be a lot of decisions in front of me.  Breast or bottle, cosleep or room share, sleeping routines, introducing solids and the multitude of other decisions a mom makes on a daily basis.

One thing I knew for sure was that I did not want to use disposable diapers.  Reports of chemical burns frightened me.  I knew that my skin was already super sensitive, I didn't want to imagine what would happen if I used a chemical laden diaper on my child's bottom for years on end.  The other issue was the cost!  Keeping a baby in disposable diapers is expensive.  Just compare the cost here!

Much to my delight, I found cloth diapers weren't just flats and pins any more, and that I could diaper my child from birth to potty for under $500.  This is a huge savings!

Then, much to my dismay, I found that the world of modern cloth diapers is HUGE.  Snaps or aplix?  Fitted, AIO, AI2, flats and covers?  Covers and inserts or pockets? Hemp, microfiber, cotton, bamboo, minky, flats, or prefolds for stuffing? What about diaper creams? What else did I need?

Then the decision on laundry routine!  Store purchased detergent, or a special cloth detergent?  What is stripping and how do you do it? 

I spent a good portion of my pregnancy learning about different diaper companies, detergents, laundry routines, stripping routines, and most important, learning what diapers I wanted to use.  Like most moms, I wanted to get the most "bang for my buck" so I decided that a one size system would work best for me.  The downfall of these systems was my fear, a baby too small to use them right away.  I have since learned that you can get around this with covers and prefolds on a newborn, but there are now some great companies coming out with newborn diapers that fit really well!

Much to my delight, I learned that cloth diapered babies rarely have diaper rash.  Even better, because they can feel the wetness, many potty train much earlier and easier than their disposable diapered counterparts.  

When I tried to share my new found love of cloth diapers, many told me that I wouldn't last a month.  That the laundry, leaks, stains, and old school problems found in cloth diapering would make me quit early on, but this made me even more determined!  Now when people see the cute fluffy bum on my baby, the same people are impressed with modern cloth.  

Through this blog, and favorite blogs of mine, I hope to share my love of modern cloth with other people out there who are facing some of the same decisions that I've already gone through.