11 – Cloth Diapers & Daycare

Jun 27,2011 / By Maria / 6 Comments

Do you need cloth diaper advice? On Mondays, I answer reader submitted questions, and ask my other readers to give their opinion.

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Anna says:

My son will be going back to day care this fall after taking a few months off during the summer. The lady that will be watching him agreed to do a trial of cloth diapers, but warned me that they might not work.

I’m trying to think of ways that will make it the easiest for her. I’m buying AIO’s and pockets that I can stuff before hand with aplix already. I’m stuck on the storage of the used diapers though. I looked at the state regulations and I can only find “wet and soiled diapers must be placed in an air tight container.”

Any ideas would be great.

Thanks

For someone just changing and storing cloth diapers (not washing them), they are really not much different than disposables. I really wonder what she thinks/knows about cloth diapers that makes her think they may not work! Rules about cloth vary based on state/area, but the closed container rule seems to be pretty common. Here is a helpful link to state childcare licensing regulations.

We’ve all heard that you are “supposed to” dump solids from disposables in the toilet before discarding the diaper, but I’m pretty sure no one actually does that! I’d suggest providing a zip closure wet bag or a cloth pail liner. Many pail liners have elastic or drawstring closures, allowing them to be used in just about any diaper pail or lidded trash can. Your daycare provider can simply place soiled diapers in the pail or wet bag, like any other dirty diaper. Of course, this would mean a little extra work for you, since you would have to dump solids and rinse diapers when you get home.

I’d suggest pre-stuffed pocket diapers or all-in-ones with a sewn in soaker and velcro/aplix closures. They are most similar to a disposable, and we all know that snap closures and soakers that need to be folded can be intimidating to those not familiar with cloth.

You might also consider sized diapers for daycare, or one-size diapers that adjust via hidden leg elastic. Though they wouldn’t need to be re-sized, seeing all the snaps on the front can seem complicated, and I know that I still occasionally pop a snap open when pulling the rise of the diaper snug!

Make sure you send along cloth diaper safe rash cream, and explain that only a thin layer is needed if rash cream is to be used. Also know that they may accidentally throw away a cloth diaper! Totally heartbreaking, but certainly not intentional.

I really think cloth diapers can be just as easy to change as disposables, and your provider may be surprised to see what you mean when you say “cloth diaper.”

I know some of my readers have successfully sent cloth diapers to daycare. Can you weigh in with some tips for Anna?

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Cloth Diapers Mailbox Mondays

Mailbox Mondays 6/20/11-What Will I Do When My Son is out of Diapers?

Jun 20,2011 / By Maria / No Comment

Do you have a cloth diaper issue? Have a burning question for me? On Mondays, I answer reader questions, and ask my other readers to give their advice too (for cloth diaper questions.)

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Callista says:

I was just curious what you plan to do when you don’t use cloth diapers anymore, when your kids are bigger. Do you see yourself blogging about cloth diapers for a long time still?

That is a great question, and I’ve thought about that a lot since I started the blog. I have tried to sprinkle in other “green” subjects like natural personal care/household products and food, other reusable products etc. I actually struggled a lot when I chose my domain name!

I feel like cloth diapers are more than just diapers to me-beyond a hobby even-and I hope that I’ll stay involved in the diapering community even when my diaper days are over. I definitely have lots of cloth diapering ahead of me, but I realize that at some point, I won’t have an actual model to try diapers on, or to test fit/absorbency. I’ve noticed other moms/bloggers getting involved with cloth diaper companies almost as PR reps helping with product launches and advertising. I think this is fantastic, because they/we know the subject so well! However, I know that it would be difficult for me to “break into” that.

I really love getting to see, touch and photograph different diapers, and I think/hope my readers like all the detail I put into my reviews. I truly enjoy doing it, and I don’t do it for the “free stuff.” When my son is out of diapers, and I can’t really form an opinion on the absorbency/fit etc., I’d love to still be able to photograph and review diapers as a resource to my readers. Even if that means returning the diapers to the company after photographing them, or bringing in some help to test the diapers and provide action shots for me!

That was probably more than you wanted to know, but I’d love to keep blogging about diapers, but also blog about more (since my current readers won’t have babies in diapers forever either!) The weirdest thing is that the idea of being “done with diapers” makes me sad, and I never would have said that when I was using disposables!!

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Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 6/13/11 – Night Time Diapers for a Super Soaker

Jun 13,2011 / By Maria / 3 Comments

Have a cloth diaper problem? On Mondays, I answer reader questions, and ask my other readers to give their advice too.

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Suki says:

Hi Maria, I had left a comment on your wall about my daughter potentially having diabetes. Well, it turned out that she doesn’t. She just hit that toddler stage where she pees a ton more. What I’ve done to keep up is to double stuff everything. That works during the day and diaper changes are about every two hours.

What I’m having trouble with is nighttime diapering. She is almost 18 months and drinks 16 – 32 ounce of milk each night and so I have to change her diaper once or twice at night or I get leaks. She’s a super duper heavy wetter at night.

I’ve tried a Super Do with a Loopy Do and that lasts maybe half the night. I’ve tried a combination of hemp and microfiber inserts (as many as I can without the leg opening gaping!). I don’t want them to be too bulky so I thought maybe some hemp flats?

I’m willing to spend some money but I want to increase my chances of something that would work.

Thanks!

I’m so glad to hear she doesn’t have diabetes! That much fluid intake will definitely soak a night time diaper! Since the Superdo (and a Loopydo, wow!) didn’t cut it, my next suggestion would be fitteds with wool. Fitteds are great because the whole diaper is absorbent.

When I was searching for really absorbent fitteds, I found the Guerilla Fluff Utilitarian. I had mine made with all the extras, like added Zorb in the soakers, and a wool precision doubler (I don’t believe she uses wool anymore though.) If you can do it without a leg gap, try adding a natural fiber (like a hemp blend) insert, doubler or prefold inside as well. Top it with an extra-thick, well lanolized wool cover. In the winter, I also used fleece PJ pants for an additional barrier!

If that doesn’t do it, you may need to continue to change her at night, until she is old enough to limit her fluids a bit before bed!

So how about the rest of you? Have you dealt with an epic super-soaker? What worked for you at night?

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Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 6/6/11 – Cloth Wipes

Jun 6,2011 / By Maria / 11 Comments

Have a cloth diaper question? On Mondays, I answer reader submitted questions, and ask my other readers’ advice too.

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or Fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Sabrina says:

I am expecting my first child at the beginning of July, and am so excited to cloth diaper! I would also like to use cloth wipes, but I am overwhelmed with the options. Should I just buy washcloths from Wal-mart, buy actual cloth wipes from a cloth diaper store, or what? And should I pre-moisten them or use a spray bottle? How long can you keep them pre-moistened? How many will I need?? Sooo many questions! I hope you or your readers can help!

Hi Sabrina, congratulations on the baby (and deciding to cloth diaper!) Cloth wipes are the logical choice when you are cloth diapering of course. Plenty of people use baby washcloths as cloth wipes with no trouble. I didn’t care for how small/thin they were, and they tend to roll up on me.

I’ve used a few brands of cloth wipes, but when I started I just used some gerber burp cloths that I found too thin to use as burp cloths. I cut them, doubled them over, and zig-zagged the edges.

I knew that cloth wipes would “pay for themselves” eventually, but they just seemed to expensive to me! After trying a few things, my favorite wipes have ended up being the GroVia wipes. A dozen wipes is under $11, and while they’re not super fancy (just plan white) they are really soft and have held up really well to repeated washings. They’re also 2 layers thick and are my preferred size, 8″ x 8″. This is also the perfect size to fold cloth wipes to pop up in a wipes case!

I use wipes solution in a spray bottle. A little goes a long way and it seems to last forever! I make my solution with bottled distilled water instead of tap water; it seems to keep it fresher longer.

If you are pre-moistening the wipes, I would probably not pre-moisten more than a day or two’s worth of wipes at a time. Most wipes solutions (purchased or homemade) usually have something like tea tree oil in it to help keep your wipes from getting musty though. You can also keep solution (or just water) in a peri bottle or even warm it and keep it in a thermos.

I would recommend at least 1.5 wipes for each diaper in your rotation. So if you’re planning to have 24 diapers in your stash, I’d get at least 3 dozen wipes. If you’re using smaller/thinner wipes, you may need a few more.

So, how about everyone else? What is your wipe of choice? How do you moisten them? If you pre-moisten, how long do they stay fresh? How many wipes did you find you needed?

FTC compliance: The GroVia wipes mentioned were purchased by me at normal retail prices. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Mailbox Mondays

Mailbox Mondays 5/30/11

May 30,2011 / By Maria / 2 Comments

Do you need cloth diaper help? Have a question about types, sizing or washing? Every Monday I answer user submitted questions, and ask readers to add their opinions too.

Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or Fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

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I haven’t gotten any Mailbox Mondays submissions! If you have a question you’d like me to answer (cloth diaper related or not) send it my way! If I don’t receive submissions, I’ll just put Mailbox Mondays on hold for a while!

As always, questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related. If you have a question about another “green” topic or product, a blogging question, or just any old question for me (keep it nice though please, LOL,) submit it!

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Category : Mailbox Mondays

Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 6/27/11 – Cloth Diapers & Daycare

Mailbox Mondays 6/20/11-What Will I Do When My Son is out of Diapers?

Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 6/13/11 – Night Time Diapers for a Super Soaker

Cloth Diaper Advice – Mailbox Mondays 6/6/11 – Cloth Wipes

Mailbox Mondays 5/30/11

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