A while ago, I blogged on starting out in cloth diapering. By way of update, the past couple weeks of cloth diapering Griffin have gone great! We have had less leaks and less diaper rash, and both mama and baby are quite happy with the switch. As I mentioned in my last post on the topic, I invested about $30 or so on the cheapest, old-fashioned bare essentials to get my feet wet and see if I could handle the extra work. I decided that if I could make it with the old-fashioned prefold diapers with pins and pull-over plastic pants, I could invest in some nicer cloth pocket diapers, velcro covers, and supplies. After a couple relatively easy weeks, I've determined that the switch to cloth is much easier than I imagined and have used a bit of our tax return money to purchase some diapers from kellyscloset.com. The package should arrive tomorrow or Friday, and I never imagined I would be so excited to get a bunch of diapers in the mail!
The routine goes as follows: I change Griffin at least every two hours. During the change, I pull off the plastic pants, turning them inside out, and then hang them to dry if there is no poo on them. Then, I put the diaper on top of the "diaper pail" (a small, plastic trash can with a pop-up lid) to take care of post-diaper change. After wiping off my babe's bottom, I clean it with California Baby's Diaper Area Wash and wipe it clean with a cotton pad. Once his little bottom air dries, I either put on the diaper or put a little California Baby Diaper Cream if there is a bit of pinkness. As for folding the diaper, I've tried several different folds and have found one that has contained every major poop blowout Griffin can throw at it. It's the twist fold: http://www.thediaperhyena.com/twist_fold.htm , and it creates a sort of pocket at the rear to contain messes. Once I pin it up, I put on the plastic pants, making sure no cloth is sticking out, and away we go!
As for the dirty diapers... I spray each poopy diaper with a mix of white vinegar and water and place it in the diaper pail, which I've lined with a pillowcase that I toss in the wash with the diapers. I wash the diapers every other day and begin with a cold rinse cycle with a smidge of Oxyclean. Then, I put them through a hot wash with 1/4 the normal amount of detergent and two rinse cycles. Normally, I then put them in the dryer, and they're done; however, today I noticed quite a few of the diapers had quite a bit of yellow staining from his breastfed baby poo. So, I did a bit of research, and determined that bleach was not the ideal solution due to bleach being a major skin irritant (and I know Griffin has pretty sensitive skin). I read on several websites that sun is the best remedy, and I hung the diapers out on the line to dry. I must say, I was shocked to walk out and collect all perfectly white diapers from the line after a couple hours basking in the sun!!! This is not only easy, but it saves the extra energy and water it would take to wash and wash and wash them white!
At this point, Griffin is cloth diapered all day and still wears a disposable at night. I plan to switch his nighttime diaper to cloth when the package of nicer, more absorbent diapers arrives. I'm sure I will blog about these new diapers after they arrive. I've ordered several different kinds...some BumGenius one-size pocket diapers, some FuzziBunz one-size pocket diapers, some Thirsties, Bummis Super Brite, and Flip diaper covers, some Bummis prefold diapers, some Flip inserts, and some BumGenius inserts. We'll see how each of these systems work out, and I'll let you know!
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