Part 2 of Cloth Diapers/Nappies/CD/MCD/MCN/You Get The Drift...

Okay, so, last time, I talked about what diapers we picked and why, along with a few negative things I've been told about using cloth.  What I really didn't do was go into much detail about what to do once your nappies have arrived.  So, here we go...

We decided to use disposables during the newborn stage, and we also needed Little Stevie to be big enough to fit in her cloth.  Babies need to be around 4 to 4.5Kg (9-10lb) to really fit BG.  Let me just say, I couldn't WAIT to get her in cloth.  We had more blowouts in those blasted disposables than I care to count!  It's 2 am, I'm trying to feed her in the dark, and I'm like "what's that wet spot?!?"  Yep, leaky diaper, and more often than not, it was poo.  It would come out the back, out the sides, and it didn't matter what size she had on...they leaked!!  We tried a couple of different brands, and still, they leaked.  See why I'm not afraid of rinsing used nappies?  Rinsing cloth isn't nearly as bad as snuggling your baby against you only to realize you're drenching yourself in baby poop.

Thankfully, the day arrived that we felt comfortable with the fit of her cloth. We knew how to put them on, but what happens once they come off?  Well, that's easy, and it depends on who you ask.  Again, everyone (you know who everyone is...the internet Cloth Diaper Guru Moms) has something different to say, but I go by the general consensus.  I do the following:  take them off, take out the insert, unsnap them, give them a good rinse, squeeze out the excess water, and pop the nappy into a dry pail.  A dry pail, well, my dry pail, is a plastic storage container that sits in my bathroom.  It has a lid that I put on, but I don't seal it.  I have nothing in the container....no water, no detergent, nothing.  On wash day, I tip the pail over my washer, pour everything in, turn on my washer, and clean my bucket.  Often, I'll set the container outside to air out and get some sunshine.  No smells!

You can also get a wet bag, which is what I use when we're out and about.  Some people find them to be a great option because you can hang the bag wherever you need it to be.  I find my dry pail more convenient because I have the perfect space for it to sit, and I don't have to unzip and bag.  I kinda just kick my lid off with my foot.  Here's the lowdown on wet bags.  Wet bags work like dry pails.  They're lined zipper/snap bags.  You store diapers the same way as a dry pail.  On wash day, pour the nappies in the wash, pop the bag inside out, toss the bag in washer, and turn on your machine!

Speaking of washing, there's a big hooplah over "the right way to wash".  Basically, here's what I think, if it works for you and doesn't ruin your nappies, go for it.  Again, be careful and go by your diaper manufacturers' guidelines.  You don't want to ruin them or void your warranty.  Other than that, it's variable based on your diaper, washer, detergent, and water.  I do the following: cold wash on the longest cycle with the most amount of water possible, extra rinse, hang outside to dry.  I use an eco friendly wash that's not harmful to nappies.  I use 3/4 of the recommended amount because nappies will get a detergent build up if you use too much, and they won't get clean if you use too little.  Build up prevention is why I do an extra rinse after the wash cycle.  Sometimes I pre-rinse in the washer, if for some reason she's been really rough on the diaper, but we do a good job of rinsing them when we take them off, and we've had no issues with my routine.

Some hot wash because it gets them cleaner, or they think it's more sanitary to wash in hot.  I'm fine with cold washing.  We have no smell or diaper rash issues, so I know my method is fine.  I can bleach them per BG with 1/4 cup once per month, but I haven't needed to.  I line dry in the sun, and if it's raining, I use the clothes horse.  Sometimes, the inserts get dried in the drier, but only if there's no chance of sun, or if they're just not drying inside and we're soon going to run out of nappies.  I never ever ever dry my shells in the drier.  It's not good for them, and again, if it is harmful to your nappies, just don't do it.  I really don't like drying my inserts in the drier either because I'm convinced it will wear them out if done long enough.  I don't think it really will, but I don't want to risk it.  Just to be safe, and because the sun is awesome, if possible we do all drying outside.

Clothes Horse Drying

Sun is nature's bleach, and each time they come in after being outside, they look brand spanking new!  Also, the sun works to kill the fungus that causes nappy rash.  Here's another little handy dandy sun fact.  If you have a little one that has a bit of a rash, or a stubborn rash you can't seem to get rid of, stick that little bum outside in the sun.  Use common sense here, don't let the little tush burn!!  If you lack common sense, just don't do this, continue to use your over-the-counter products and consult your doctor.

You can tell, washing and sunning are kind of a big deal.  I'm a bit anal over these two things because I want to continue to not have issues.  Yes, I will admit, I've been known to get so hung up on my washing routine that I have gotten a bit grumpy at Ben over not washing the way I want them washed.  He chunks them in, sets it on a quicker cycle, uses the amount of water that you would usually use wash a similar sized load of clothes, and then sets the washer for another rinse cycle.  I walk in, see this, and go Mommy Dearest on him.  You know Mommy Dearest?  The movie where Joan Crawford spazzes out over wire hangers?  Well, that's me except I'm all "No short cycle with low water!!!!"

In case you don't know about Mommy Dearest...here's the clip

Mommy Dearest No Wire Hangers Ever!!!!

Me Being Spaztastic Over The Washing Routine

He now uses the longer wash cycle, since I asked, but I'm still not sure rather or not he uses the water setting I prefer.  I make a point to not walk by the washer if he's thrown them in because I don't want to go psycho over it, and mainly, I'm just thankful he'll take the time to wash nappies for me.  I could be one of those women grumbling about how her husband never helps around the house.  Nope, I'm going to keep my mouth shut and be grateful for the chance to snuggle under the cover and sleep in a bit longer while he goes on nappy washing duty.

So, what are these horrible things I'm trying to prevent?  Detergent build up, ammonia build up, stink, and repelling.  You read a variety of causes and a variety of solutions.  Some people get worked up over the right way and wrong way to remedy each problem.  Again, I think the remedy is whatever works for you based on your nappies, washer, and water type.  I have no personal experience for dealing with any of these things, so I'm going to refrain from saying what does and doesn't work for each issue.  If we do have any of these issues, I'm sure you'll get to read aaaaaallll about it in a blog post.

There you have it.  My thoughts on washing and cloth problems.  We've been in cloth full time for two months now, and I really am pleased with our decision to use them.  I can't complain about BumGenius, and I would recommend them to anyone.  They're user friendly, and it's nice to not feel like you're asking for your family to put forth a lot of effort when they babysit.  We've had no blowouts due to diaper error, and only 2 or maybe 3 due to Mommy error.  I didn't stuff the inserts correctly a time or two, and another time I didn't put the diaper on her straight.  You know what happened!  The cloth still did a better job containing the blow outs than the disposables EVER did!!

I like cloth so much that I'm anxious to try the different types.  I really want to get my hands on a few prefolds and covers with varying blends of material.  Any other children we have will be in cloth from the moment a nappy is first put on their behind, so I think it would be wise to get accustomed to prefolds now, since they seem to be the best fit for newbie babies.  No, there's no newbie on the way, but it never hurts to be prepared!  I am also a bit curious about the absorbency of different nappy fabrics.  We don't have any complaints now, but again, for future reference it would be nice.

Any materials or brands you would recommend I try? 

Cloth Diapers/Nappies/CD/MCD/MCN/You Get The Drift...

What's all that cd/mcd/mcn mumbo jumbo?  That's cloth diaper world abbreviations for cloth diapers, modern cloth diapers, and modern cloth nappies (nappies = diapers in NZ, OZ, UK, etc).  The world of cloth diapers has its own language.  You get into things like ai1, ai2 (all-in-1's and 2's), os (one size), pockets, fitted, flats, prefolds, workhorses, pretties...  You also have brands: BG (Bumgenius), FB (Fuzzibums), RR (Rumparoo), GV (Grovia), and then you have MWAH nappies (mom working from home). The list goes on and on, and THEN you get into the fabrics they're made with: cotten, bamboo, microfleece, microfiber, minky, hemp, organic Himalayan silk (not really that last one, but it did sound good).  Once all of this is mixing around in your head, you're probably thinking exactly what I was...WTH!!!!  That's what the heck in case you didn't know, well, I said what the heck, but I'm sure there are other meanings.

What happened to the Gerber Birdseye diapers?  I just wanted to stick a piece of cloth on my baby's butt and be done with it.  In case you're wondering, the Gerbers are on the store shelf next to burp cloths, which is where they should stay unless you intend to use them for spit up rags.  Back on point, selecting cloth diapers...  Okay, so how did I decide which diapers to use?  The same way I make every other decision...I read and researched, albeit with a few tears and eye bleeds since I was trying to figure out what all that crazy lingo is about.  After countless hours, I finally decided upon a brand, much to Ben's pleasure.  I'm pretty sure he was sick and tired of hearing about all of it, and he probably would have used a plastic bag with leg holes cut out if it meant I would shut-up about all of it.

So, what did I choose?  Ta-da!!!!

BumGenius 4.0

I chose Bumgenius 4.0 with snaps, which are one sized pockets that have a suedecloth top layer and micorfiber inserts. Why did I choose these?  Simple...they're user friendly.  If I'm starting something new, I need it to be as painless as possible.  If it's too complicated, I'm not as likely to stick with it.  To use these, I make sure the cover and insert are snapped to the appropriate size, stuff the insert into the pocket, make sure the insert is correctly, and put it on Little Stevie.  It goes on like a disposable, but it snaps instead of velcro-ing (is that even a word?).

Largest Size Setting

Smallest Size Setting

Diaper Unstuffed With Insert On Top

Both Inserts

If you find snaps too difficult, there is a velcro option, but I didn't want to risk it wearing out before I was finished using them.

Velcro Option

See?  Cloth diapering made easy!  Everyone, and by everyone I mean all the cloth diaper guru momma's on the internet, said to start out with a couple of different brands to try.  You're able to more accurately determine what will or will not work for your baby and life style.  There are trial packs you can buy, or you can demo used diapers.  There are a couple of different options to help you decide what you like.  I decided to take a risk and go with BG.  I had read both good and bad reviews, so I knew what I was getting into.  For me, the pros outweighed the cons, especially when I checked out the New Zealand price.

Here, you're looking at over $30 per diaper.  Back in the U.S. I could get them buy 5 get 1 free, which came out to $14.35 per nappy.  As an added bonus, I got FREE shipping!!!  Remember I'm a tightwad!  Yes, money factors into my decisions.  So, armed with my knowledge, I bit the bullet and ordered the diapers in the U.S. before I moved.  I figured if I didn't like them, I could sell them and try different brands once Stevie was born.  I packed them into a suitcase, and they came over on the flight with me. 

Here's what a suitcase of nappies looks like.

Suitcase Full of Nappies

 You may be wondering why I didn't just wait until I was in New Zealand, order from the U.S., and have them shipped here.  Well, for one, shipping costs ALOT, and for second, BG won't allow international shipping in order to be fair to your local stockists.  I'm okay with that.  I could have had them shipped over by some of my family, but I don't exactly trust the postal system.  A box of my belongings took a tour of New Zealand before it arrived at my door.  It somehow made its way from Auckland (northern part of the the North Island) to Dunedin (southern part of the South Island) and finally, back to Hamilton (northern-ish North Island).  It arrived a little over a month after I shipped it, but I'm not complaining.  It arrived...could have been worse!!!  That's why I brought a suitcase of nappies with me.

So why did I decide to go through this "hassle"?  New Zealand is really pretty, so I want to do my part to keep it that way.  The bigger reason, I'm a tightwad!!    For less than $350 Little Stevie will be diapered from birth to potty training.  That's including her wipes and liners (diaper topper to make clean up easier).  Yes, there are a couple of added expenses such as laundry detergent and a slight bump in power consumption, but that cost is minimal in the grand scheme of things.  Here is a pretty good cost breakdown.

We decided that since we were going to be doing laundry, we might as well use reusable wipes and liners.  They're much easier than worrying about throwing away wipes or flushing liners before doing a diaper rinse.  We rinse it all at once and we're done.  In case you're wondering, we bought the baby wash cloths to use as wipes.  Fold them in half, and they fit perfectly into a regular disposable wipes container.  We simply put water in there with a couple of drops of tea tree oil, and Voila!  Baby wipes!!!  As a bonus, the tea tree oil is a natural anti-fungal that helps keep rash away.  The liners are made from microfleece that I bought and it's cut down to size.

Some think it's gross rinsing diapers.  Who wants poo all over them?  Well, nobody enjoys poo being all over them, but don't think you're immune if you choose disposables.  I've had more disposable blow outs than I care to think about.  Besides, you don't have to play in the diaper to rinse it.  Oh, and did you know, you're actually suppose to dump the nasties out of disposables?!


Proof!!

"If nappy is soiled, empty contents into toilet"

 I've been bombarded by people claiming I'm making the wrong choice by cloth diapering.  "It's expensive!" No, it is an investment up front, but it's much cheaper long term.  It's gross rinsing diapers.  Again, I don't play in it.  I've also heard all kinds of other reasons for not using cloth.  My favorite..."Who has time to sit around and wash diapers all the time?!"  Ummm...yeah, cuz that's what you do when you cloth diaper.  You sit around and wash diapers day in and day out.  Actually, we have a whopping 2 to 3 extra loads of laundry a week.  We wash them every 3 days, and it literally consists of dumping and starting the machine.  We're not using a washboard or anything.  Yeah, we take a bit of time stuffing them, but no more than it takes to go purchase diapers.  "It's too much work!" I'll admit, to begin with, it takes a bit of work to figure out what works for you, but by the first or two, you'll get a routine, and it's gravy from there!!

Yes, I like my cloth diapers, if you can't tell.  I'll get into some of the ins and outs such as washing, some problems that may arise, and a few other tid bits in part two.  For now, I'll leave you with this, and another reason you should consider cloth if you haven't.  There are no disposables that can compare to PRETTIES!!!!!!

Mini Muffets Click here for more info.

Scrumptious Nappies Click here for more info

Scrumptious Nappies Click here for more info

Those are reason enough to choose cloth over disposables!!  That's a few pics from some of our local MWAH nappies.  There are tons more out there.  Do you have any favorite nappy brands?