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Mykayah's Things™Dressing & Diapering Baby |
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Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. ~ Psalm 127:3-5
When I began having children I never would have thought that an overwhelming majority of mothers would soon be putting their children in disposable diapers, especially not full time. In fact, that society in general would come to think it very strange if you didn’t use disposables, that even the poorest of people would think disposable diapers are a necessity!
All of my 10 children have been cloth diapered. With my first children, disposables hadn’t really become an option yet. I think perhaps they were becoming available, but you never really thought about using them, certainly not full time. With my last ones there have been times when I’ve been tempted to use disposables more (just like nearly everyone else), but I never stick with that long (even though I used the natural disposables). I always return to cloth soon.
It is great to see the resurgence of cloth diapering. If websites and personal questions I get are any indication, there are many coming home to cloth. It’s a good choice to make.
There are so many great benefits of cloth diapering. Health is my primary one. I have great concerns about putting chemically-laden (gels, dioxins, etc.), and chemically-based materials next to my baby's most sensitive body parts, then sealing them and their effects in with urine and feces with a "waterproof" cover, creating a breeding ground for Toxic Shock Syndrome, irritations, rashes, infections, and allergies, as well as who-knows-what long term ill-health effects. Add to this the thought of how I'd not like to wear wet paper underwear. Yuch, how uncomfortable.
Although I'm not an environmental fanatic, I do strongly believe that God gave us stewardship over this earth and expects us to use and care for it with wisdom, to keep it a safe home for us and our progeny. The amount of environmental waste and pollution created from disposable diapers is phenomenal - and I mean OUTRAGEOUS. (I need to double check this but it's something like 1 TON per child.) [I'm sure with the way the internet info has grown since this was written, you can find it in a search.] In addition to the amount of time the diaper materials themselves remain polluting the environment, because the human wastes are sealed up in them, this toxic waste also is not broken down, like it would in a natural (unsealed) environment. So this is another concern of mine for using disposables. Both a health and an environmental problem is the disturbing fact that many people do not dispose of disposables properly. Many do not remove the waste (dump the poop out of them) before throwing them away, as required and stated on disposable diaper packages. Did you know it’s like illegal to leave poop in a disposable? And many people don’t even throw them away in trash cans. You see them just throw out of cars along side the road and in parking lots all the time. That’s just plain gross and crude.
Cost is my third main reason for using cloth. Disposables will cost at least $1000 more for each child, and the savings add up even higher with each child that you are able to reuse the cloth diapers for, and depending on what method you use.
Through the process of our moves this past year (2 of them) I put my little one and my 2 bedwetters in disposables for a short time, thinking the convenience, during a very stressful period in our lives, would outweigh all my reasons for using cloth, temporarily. When I started adding up just the financial costs I put them back in cloth immediately. I have various friends who have a baby and toddler (maybe two) in disposables plus a bedwetter or 2 in pull-ups, and they've done this for years with many children. I seriously don't know how they can afford it. [Since this was written we have had 2 more babies. Now there are “natural” disposables – no gel, no dioxins/bleach. We have used them some, but still return to cloth. It is just plain much nicer! – more comfortable, softer.]
For most people convenience is the reason that trumps all the benefits listed above. Cost, environment, health, comfort are all trumped by convenience in our society. Yet the "inconvenience" of cloth diapering is very minimal. An extra load or 2 per week of laundry that is dumped into the washer, then dryer, then basket again takes just a few minutes (no need to even fold, etc.)
If you're one that has trouble just keeping up with getting the laundry into the washer and dryer before running out of things, you may have a concern here. I don't know what you do about your husband's socks, or your underwear. But, with disposables, when you run out you just run to the store for more. Well, you can do the same for cloth, if really necessary.
Although you may not have access to the type of diaper you like to use, available 24 hours a day in your community, pre-folds are usually available at Walmart, and a package of them cost no more than a package of disposables, AND you can reuse them if you run into another emergency, instead of buying another pack. (Just set them aside as "extras" that you only use in this type of emergency - instead of adding them to your everyday use and spreading your laundry days out further. You may want to keep a couple of pairs of plastic pants, or other cheap covers around for this purpose only too.) [Since the time this was written, your local Walmart may not carry pre-folds anymore. They do probably still have cotton “burp cloths” that could be used. And most definitely have cotton flannel receiving blankets that could be cut and used.]
The main "inconvenience" most parents don't want to deal with is their own child's waste. Yes, it's not pleasant, but it is a product of all of us. Dumping the waste into the toilet need not create any more of an attitude problem, than depositing our own waste there. Flushable liners or no-rinse methods of washing, make it just that easy. Cleaning the baby off is the far messier chore, and must be done whether cloth or disposable is used. The actual putting the diaper on and off is no longer any more of an inconvenience than disposables, now that new methods have come about. Also, an important point here that many may not heed, it is illegal to wrap poop up in a disposable diaper – it says so on the package. Even with disposables you are supposed to dump it in the toilet. Most people I know don’t, (which is just adding to the filth in our environment) but what I am saying is that you don’t need to do anything more with cloth than what you are suppose to be doing with disposables.
You put cloth on the same, clean up your baby the same, take care of the mess the same. The only difference is doing the same with them as you do all your and your baby’s other clothing. And save a lot of money, benefit your baby’s health, help reduce unnecessary waste, and make your baby much more comfortable.
In the not too distant past (like in my lifetime – hey, like in my mothering time!) you had 2 choices in diapering – pre-folds or large rectangles/squares that you folded yourself. Most people folded their own. You could buy them or make them yourself. I wasn’t real impressed with pre-folds, they took forever to dry and never quite shaped themselves aright on the baby. I liked custom folding my diapers to fit my baby. The same diapers were used for newborn to toddler/trainer. You just folded a bit different. Although folding took a few minutes, like folding towels, it was a nice feeling, handling these nice soft clothes that would comfort my baby. I soon found that nice double sided flannel squares, that I sewed up myself and “kite” folded, were much softer, fit my babies better, and lasted a lot longer than what I could buy. I’ve been sewing diapers ever since.
You also had basically one option for keeping the diaper on the baby – diaper pins. There were some “pinless” options such as clips, but they didn’t work real well. And you had 2 options for covering the diaper, plastic pants or nothing. “Nothing” worked just fine if you were at home or didn’t care much about slightly damp clothing. Plastic pants were used for those times you (or by those people who) didn’t want any dampness. Soakers had gone out of regular use before I had my children. I never heard of them until their more recent re-emergence.
Shaped diapers and “wraps” helped bring cloth diapering back into popularity. They made cloth diapering as easy as disposable. Though some commercial brands came out in this, most were designed and sewn by moms at home who sold/sell them to others. Their creativity and always looking for a more effective pattern brought about the many, many styles available today.
I bought a few shaped diapers when they first came out. There was only one basic shape back then, and no elastic was added for more shaping. They were basically a pear shape, but they fit nicely into the new wraps coming out (of which I bought more than a few). And I, like many others, began sewing and improving on these patterns and materials, looking to give our babies both the comfort and health of cloth with the convenience equal to disposables. No doubt the wrap design is much more convenient for cleaning up “blow outs” than pulling off pull on type covers.
I think I've tried nearly all the fancy design-types of diapers - all-in-one, pocket, butterfly, etc. Although they all have some “pros”/benefits, I always go back to the plain ol' shaped diaper, updated from the original pear design and with elastic added to the back and legs for better shaping. These seem best for rinsing out and washing and drying time, which is the “con” of many of the fancy designs.
I kind of liked the "butterfly" design (extra padding sewed in that folds up - like a doubler that is part of the diaper) but it wasn't as convenient for cleaning out. The pockets I had were a rectangle diaper that fit inside a wrap. Messes didn't stay in the diaper part, but got all over the wrap part. The AIO's just never seemed as practical as they should have been. The diaper part and wrap part really need different laundering. They took longer to dry and they didn't seem to hold up the same. The AIO doesn't really reduce time or convenience, IMO. The main problem with most "fancy" styles really is getting the messes out and laundering. Nothing beats a plain shaped diaper and separate wrap. It really isn't a problem to just lay the shaped diaper inside the wrap and hook them both around. Then separate them to different baskets/pails when you take them off.
I've tried velcro/aplix, snaps, pins, and nothing for securing diapers so they stay on and wastes stay contained. Velcro/aplix wears out much faster than the diapers do - and can create a real mess in the wash/dryer - all stuck together and lots of lint and stuff gathered in them. Snaps are ok, if they're positioned where you need them, and adjustable enough. (Be sure to get the right snaps used for diapers. Regular snaps you buy in the sewing department are not long enough and don’t hold up in diapers.) With this last baby I went back to adding nothing. In wraps you don't need anything. The wrap itself keeps the diaper secure. If I want to have them wear just the diaper only or some type of pull-on cover instead of a wrap, I just pin the diaper on - I shape them so they will work with pins. I don't mind pins, but since they aren't needed with wraps, I don't use them much.
Diapers need to be made out of a fabric that is strong and highly absorbent. A good strong cotton fabric is best. (Use no synthetic fabrics/blends - they aren't absorbent). I prefer a high quality double faced flannel. You can also use terry inside the diaper for extra padding. (Some people use old towels or such, but these are usually worn out, so won't be very absorbent). Don't use terry on the side that faces baby - the poop will really stick to it. Cotton is one of the most heavily, chemically sprayed crops though, so I prefer organic cotton when it’s available and affordable. Obviously commercial cotton, chemically sprayed and all, is better than completely chemically produced fabrics or disposables.
The new Hemp fabrics are great (but a bit more expensive). Hemp is very strong and also mildew resistant, so it’s a good choice. It is usually blended with organic cotton, so this makes a great diaper, for absorbency, strength, etc. The last I made were out of a double-faced organic hemp/cotton - smooth on one side, terry on the other; it had a bit of stretch to it too. They were VERY NICE diapers! I love them.
I also make doublers for extra absorbency/heavy wetters/nighttime - just a rectangle pad to lay in the center. You can use either several (4-8) layers of flannel, or outer layers of flannel and 1 or 2 inner layers of terry.
When using cloth diapers, also use cloth wipes. Disposable wipes are actually more of a pain to use with cloth diapers. Just throw the cloth wipes in the pail/basket with the diapers, rather than having to sort out the disposable ones to put them in the trash - which is gross when they are just thrown in the trash without the disposable diaper wrapped around them. For my wipes I do 2 layers, one of flannel, one of terry - approx. 5" x 8" (I think. Maybe a little smaller. I based the size so when folded in half, they fit my container.). I also do double layer flannel ones, especially for newborns. And also single layered flannel for wiping little noses, washing little faces, and such. I even tie a knot in single layer flannel as a soft "teether" to chew on.
Speaking of newborns - and you can do this with older babies too - I make single layer flannel liners that I use in those first diapers of meconium stools. The meconium is so hard to get off and stains so badly. It’s easier to get off the one layer and then I don’t bother washing, I just throw those liners away. You can also use liners all the time just make liners the same size and shape as the diapers. This way poop doesn't get on the diaper, but just the liner. It is easier to rinse out the single layer of cloth, and your diapers won't get as stained. I generally don't use liners though, except those first ones. I have used flushable liners occasionally. You may want to have some on hand to use occasionally, especially when traveling if you don't want to carry poopy diapers around with you.
Even if you sew, you may want to buy 1 each of a few pre-mades you want to try, just to see what you like. Then you can either buy patterns of the same style, or figure out a pattern off of the pre-mades. Otherwise you can just experiment when sewing, making different kinds to try, then doing a bunch of what you really like.
Babies come in all different shapes as well as sizes. Different diapers work better with different babies. That is the one drawdack to shaped diapers. With a foldable diaper you can always adjust it to custom fit your baby. With a shaped diaper, and especially one that claims “one-size-fits-all”, they don’t. You need to find both the size and shape of diaper that works best on your babies. The more adjustability you have, the better. Plan on needing at least 3 different sizes of the ones you like best -newborn, medium, and large – and perhaps in-between the newborn and medium, a small. It depends on how fast your baby grows.
You will need at least 2-4 dozen diapers, depending on how often you wash diapers. 4 dozen may last you close to a week. With 2 dozen you will need to launder 2-3 times a week. When you look at prices, this may seem like a big outlay. Remember, you will not be re-spending this amount week after week like you do disposables. This is a one-time investment. (Well, perhaps 3 time investment for the different sizes.) I am still using the newborn and small diapers that I made 6 children and 16 years ago. If you don’t end up having a large family, pass them on to give someone else the gift of cloth.
If you sew (or have a friend or relative that will do it as a labor of love for you) you will save tremendously. If you are given a baby shower, indicate that you will be using cloth and what style/brand you would like. The internet is full of ideas for diaper showers. Even if you don’t sew, don’t have much money, and no one gives you baby gifts, that is no reason to not use cloth diapers. Buy some flannel and a pair of pinking shears and cut and fold your squares. It works, is cheap, and is easy.
Though there are “pretty pants” covers made just to cover a diaper attractively, that isn’t what we are talking about here. We are talking about covers that keep the wetness of the diaper from soaking out onto baby’s clothes – and the clothes of the one holding him – some kind of “water proof” cover.
Traditionally pull-on covers were used. In times past “soakers” were used (such as made out of wool – that are making a come back), but in my lifetime it was plastic or vinyl pants. These plastic products were cheap, but not very good for the baby nor convenient for cleaning up. (Back then synthetics/petro-products were the great answer. We didn’t know the problems that they would cause long term.)
If you want to make cloth diapering as convenient as disposable, wraps are the way to go. You just lay the diaper in the wrap and wrap it around the baby and hook it, just like a disposable. You can lay out diapers inside wraps ahead of time for anyone else that may be changing your child (such as a nursery worker or babysitter) - so it's just like the disposables they are used to changing. When it comes to "blow-outs", which are a mess in any kind of diaper, it is much easier to clean up with a wrap that you can unhook and open out flat, than pulling down a cover (of any kind) that has poopy in it.
Many fabrics can be used for wraps. It just must be sturdy and water-proof/resistant. For me, it also must be safe for my baby and last a long time. That generally means a “natural” product. This leaves out the PUL and other synthetics which are basically the same as plastic. They don’t leak, but they hold heat and wetness totally in (as long as they retain their waterproofness), which means they aren't as cool for baby and can breed bacteria and such sealed in that heat. Both the pre-mades and the ones I made out of thee types of materials also lost their water resistance after a while. They didn't seem to stay waterproof as long as I needed them. I know now you can get re-waterproofer stuff, but it is just more chemicals. Many people love the PUL wraps, and they are certainly an improvement over disposables or plastic pants, but I have a better choice below.
Fleece also has become very popular. (From what I've read the Malden Mills does have differences that make it “better”.) It supposedly helps wick wetness away from baby, but doesn't leak through. But I don't use it, primarily because I don't want a synthetic. I did make a couple to try for a short while years ago with a couple bed wetters. Its performance didn't impress me.
But I LOVE WOOL! It’s what I've used with our last 3 children.
Wool wraps are the greatest! We are talking SUPER soft wool here. These are not scratchy at all. Wool is breathable, so it’s great in both summer and winter – hot humid climates as well as cooler ones. Wool covers are much cooler than disposable diapers, or plastic pants over a cloth diaper. These wraps do require a little special handling, but nothing time consuming or difficult at all. Just don't throw them in the diaper pail with the diapers.
Wool is naturally water-repellent, from the lanolin in it. So in the care of wool covers you do have to re-lanolin-ize them occasionally to keep it from being washed out. Wool also will also absorb up to 30% its weight before feeling wet - so no leak-throughs even with its “breathability”. (Yes, they “both absorb and transmit moisture simultaneously”. Something no synthetic can do.) It also is naturally disinfecting - don't know if that is the precise term, but anyhow you can just hang them to dry if they get a bit damp. You don't have to wash them every time. Unless they get soiled, you only need to wash them about every 2 weeks. So you can have less of them than regular wraps, which you need a new one with almost every diaper change.
The wool is natural. You can always re-"waterproof" it naturally. It holds up forever - well almost. It's breathable - cooler. It's so soft. But, yes it is more expensive. It is definitely worth it. You don't need as many wraps - only 2-4 in each size. To clean, you use special wool wash w/lanolin (Eucalan - not Woolite, or something like that. Those will strip the lanolin, and un-waterproof them.). Add extra lanolin (Lansinoh) to their wash when they seem to have lost their waterproofness. You basically just soak them in this wash, squeeze through them a few times - the lanolin is great for your skin too! - then squeeze the water out, and hang to dry.
I came across a video online on their care the other day: http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/lanolize.htm It's pretty much how I do it. You can also do it in the washing machine, soaking them in warm water with the Eucalan/lanolin in it. Don't agitate. Don't rinse. Then hand squeeze the water out (no wringing) and then roll them in a towel to remove excess water, and hang to dry. You can also spin them in the washer on your wool/delicate cycle, but this will wear them out faster than hand squeezing the water out. Here’s another online article I came across on wool wraps, from a more scientific perspective. http://www.cutofcloth.com/article_wool.asp
I’ve bought several wool covers. I’ve really like Bumpys and Bio-Bottoms wraps (older brands - like ImseVimse). I’ve also bought a couple homemade wool wraps that were good. For pull-ons I’ve bought a couple Aristocrats and a couple other homemade “butt sweaters”. I don’t think I’ve been disappointed in any of the wool covers I’ve tried. There was one “sweater” that was very thick and somewhat impractical to use under clothing.
I have also made many wool covers - mainly wraps. I really like the wool knit. The “Little Beetle” brand I recently came across looks much like what I’ve made the most of. Rumpsters appear to also use this type of fabric, but in a different style wrap. I've also made wraps out of soft wool flannels and felted like the Imse Vimse. These are nice wraps too. Wool pull-ons can also be easily knitted or crocheted or easily made from old soft wool sweaters - like ones that have been shrunk in the wash and don't fit anymore. :-)
The final point that needs to be made about covers is securing them. With pull-ons you must use pins or some other fastener on the diaper, but the pull-on itself usually has elastic in it or ribbing to keep them on. For wraps, which will also be holding the diaper secure, you can use snaps or Velcro/aplix. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The Velcro/aplix has more adjustability. The snaps (should) hold up longer. The velcro/aplix isn't as much of a problem in the wraps as in the diapers though. Because of the gentle laundering it holds up very well. You could also use diaper pins to secure the wrap with the diaper in it.
Is your image of cloth diapering a lot of dunking and rinsing with your hands constantly in a filthy toilet bowl? Many have gone to "no rinse" methods of handling diapers, just dump what falls off into the toilet like you would with a disposable (see above), and throw the diaper with what is left stuck on into the diaper pail/basket. I have done that and it does work. But I'm so old school, I grew up - both with little brothers and my own older children - with dunking and rinsing to get it all off. So though it isn’t necessary, I'm a "neat freak". If I had many childbearing years left, I would get a "diaper shower" - like a small hand shower/kitchen sink sprayer that attaches to your toilet water line, that you can spray off the diaper into the toilet. I haven't researched all the brands but this is the way to go if you feel squimish about either dunking or the no-rinse method.
Then just throw the diaper into a dry pail - add a bit of baking soda if needed to deodorize. I find it better to use NO lid. The lid makes a build up of smells, with no lid they never get smelly – as long as you wash regularly. You may want to rinse out any wet diapers that smell strongly of urine.
On wash day dump the diapers into the washer. If you use the "no rinse" method, run them through a cold wash first, and then your normal hot wash. If you rinse, you just need one hot wash. I highly recommend a non-petroleum based, natural detergent. If you use a commercial detergent, be sure it has no additives -free and clear - no whitening enzymes, no fabric softener. These things will break down your diaper fabrics and make them non-absorbent - the free and clear is for your baby's sake, to help prevent rashes and infections. You can add a drop or 2 of Tea Tree oil to the wash to help disinfect them. And white vinegar to the rinse to help remove all traces of detergent as well as kill any remainder of ammonia smell. You can double rinse if you feel you need to. With natural detergents, I’ve never needed to.
Then line or machine dry. This heat will also help sanitize them. Hanging out in the sun will also help remove staining. You can also use a natural stain remover, like Bac-Out or something if you need to. You shouldn't really need to if you pre-rinse them off, but if you use the no-rinse method you may want to. The sun drying removes most stains. Some use an oxygen based "bleach". I've heard "oxy-clean" types will eat through/wear down your diapers though.
With the new shaped diapers and wraps there doesn’t even need to be any folding, unless you want to fold them in half. You can stack them neatly in a drawer, on a shelf, or in a diaper stacker. Or you can just throw them in a basket or drawer.
With disposables you can generally just “dispose” of your baby’s diaper wherever you are. With cloth you will need to transport it home. A water-proof bag is all that is needed. You can make or buy a wool one if you want nice, natural and non-smelly, or you can make or buy a synthetic one (PUL or some other type). You can put a drawstring, zipper, or snaps on them. You can also just throw wet or soiled diapers in a plastic bag. Just remember sealed plastic of any type, is going to build up smells.
For your wipes, if you want to take them pre-wetted, you can wet them and put them in some type of sealed waterproof container, like Tupperware or even a zip lock baggie. Adding a drop or two of tea tree or lavender essential oil helps prevent bacteria growth and is good for baby and for cleaning messes. You can also add a bit of aloe and /or vitamin E. Don’t leave wet wipes like this (even with these natural additives) in your bag for a long time though, they will grow bacteria and/or mold if left sealed in there. You can also take your wipes dry and either wet them where you are, or carry a small squirt bottle of water (mixed with any of the above, if you choose) to spray baby’s bottom before wiping it or to wet the cloth itself.
I hope to get some pattern recommendations, and EASY make-your-own ideas for those that sew, on the Mykayah's Things™ Resources & Recommendations pages. (I also sell our patterns, but those that do sewing can probably get by without them.)
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