Every Monday, I will answer reader submitted questions, and ask you to weigh in your two cents.

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.

Edie says:

Hi Maria!
I began cloth diapering my daughter when she was 8 months, and started her stash with both pockets and prefolds + covers. Now that I seem to have figured out my laundry routine and resolved stink issues with the microfiber inserts I’ve found that I definitely prefer my perfect fit Fuzzibunz over the prefolds. So now I have a dozen and a half prefolds, a handful of covers, and a couple Snappis just sitting in a closet gathering dust. Do you have any tips and pointers on selling used diapers and specific sites that you prefer to use? Is there any cd selling etiquette that I need to know? I would love to fill out our supply of pocket diapers, but I need to sell some diapers first!
Thanks,
Edie

Great question!  I have only sold a few diapers myself, so I’ll give you what information I have, then ask others to weigh in too.

The first place that comes to mind is diaperswappers.  There is a Facebook page dedicated to fluff swapping, but of course the name has slipped my mind. (Fluff Swappers!  Thanks Tamara!)  I have done my selling through a cloth diaper group on Cafemom, and many online cloth diaper groups have FSOT (for sale or trade) sections.  Some diaper companies allow sale/trade posts on their Facebook pages, but check with them before posting!

The biggest hurdle to selling cloth diapers is that you’re an unknown seller.  Buyers/traders rely heavily on Feedback from other buyers to ensure that the seller will follow through, and items will be as expected.

To get the most for your items, and to make sure the buyer knows what they’re getting, be thorough and honest in your description.  Make sure your diapers are clean, then go over them inch by inch, noting any wear or damage.  Take as many photos as you can of the front, back, inside and outside of the diapers, the inserts, closures and close-ups of any damage or stains.

Be reasonable in your pricing, and consider pricing the diapers to include shipping costs.  It’s a great idea to include delivery confirmation when you ship.  You can easily ship first class online at http://www.paypal.com/shipnow and postage is generally under $3.00 per diaper.

Be sure to also package your diapers well.  I have received diapers that were mailed in a manila envelope only, and the envelope was torn (luckily the diaper didn’t fall out or get torn/damaged.

So how about you guys?  Give me your opinions on selling used diapers, and where to do it.  Both buyers and sellers perspectives are helpful!

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It’s Valentines Day, my Dad’s Birthday, and it’s Mailbox Monday! Every Monday (if I have received a submission), I will answer reader submitted questions, and ask readers to weigh in with their opinions.

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.

Melissa says:

Hi Maria,

I know you usually purchase your diapers but I was wondering if you have any advice for making your own cloth diaper. I am currently pregnant with my first so I am still a newby with all this. I have found several great templates with step by step directions online and they all recommend using flannel as their main material. I was wondering about using fleece for the layer that touches that baby’s skin, since that is what seems to be most popular with the name brand diapers. What is the difference between the fleece that I can purchase from the cloth store and microfleece? Is it really necessary to purchase microfleece?

Also, do you have a source for good wool soakers and longies?

Thank you so much for helping me wade through this world of cloth diapers 🙂

Melissa

You’re right that I don’t sew my own diapers!  I don’t have a sewing machine and while I thought about getting one, I don’t realistically think I’d have time to spend on that right now.  I think it’s awesome that you are a) going to cloth diaper your first baby (why was I such a chicken??) and b) sewing your own!

So, when I had my bright idea that I wanted to try to make my own diapers, I joined the group Sewing Diaper Divas on Cafemom.  There is lots of great information there on materials, patterns and techniques, though my membership lapsed since I wasn’t active there.  There are also a lot of talented WAHMs in the Cuties With Cloth Booties group on Cafemom, that can give you tips!

The benefit of fleece against baby’s skin is that it will wick moisture away from the baby’s skin into the insert or soaker of the diaper, while flannel will stay wet against the baby’s skin. 

Microfleece and fleece are both polyester, but microfleece is made of smaller, and more tightly woven fibers.  It is a lighter “weight” than something like Walden Mills Fleece (which can be used as the outer of night time diapers.)  Generally speaking, water will pass through the microfleece more easily, and it doesn’t get as pilly over time.

What materials you use will depend on what you want to make.  It’s not a bad idea to just start out with some extra, or inexpensive flannel receiving blankets, and get some practice before buying materials.

I have three wool soakers: a Little Beetle Little to Big Cover, a Kissaluvs Kissa’s Wool Lover Diaper Cover and a Mobums Wool Interlock Night Night Soaker.  Wool longies/shorties/skirties are often stocked in The Cuties with Cloth Booties Congo and The Bliss Congo, both of which are stuffed full of talented WAHMs!

I don’t own any wool other than what I listed above, largely because wool is just out of my price range.

I think the readers would be better qualified to answer these questions this week!  How about you all?  Do you make your own diapers?  Do you have a favorite place to buy wool?

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Every Monday (if I have received a submission)I will answer reader submitted questions in my Mailbox Mondays post, and ask readers to weigh in with their opinions.

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.

Naomi says:

hey Maria,

thanks,
Naomi

OK so, I’m reading this.  I’m reading, reading, then I get to this: “I’ve been using All Free & Clear happily for a year, but want to try something new.”

Cue ominous music…

In all seriousness, for the love of Pete, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!  Switching from a detergent that is working well for you could cause a long process of stink, stripping and endless rinsing.  Take it from me, don’t do it.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system…optical brighteners are chemicals that bind to the fibers of your laundry.  While they don’t actually make your laundry any cleaner, they absorb ultraviolet light, and reflect back blue light, making your laundry appear whiter.  Interestingly, military approved detergents do not contain optical brighteners.  Clothing washed with them could potentially make soldiers visible to night-vision, and therefore vulnerable to attack.  If you buy All Free & Clear in a commissary, it will likely say that it does not contain optical brighteners.  I’m not in the military, so I’m not an expert, but I believe the uniform care instructions may have been relaxed in some branches to allow optical brighteners.

The concern with optical brighteners and cloth diapers is first, that they could potentially cause repelling since they have to bind to the fabric in order to work.  In addition, they could potentially be irritating to skin.

I haven’t been able to find any “safe” detergents locally.  However, some that have reportedly been found in grocery stores are: Allen’s Naturally, Country Save and Charlie’s Soap.  Standard A.K.A. “no-no” detergents that work well for a lot of people include Arm & Hammer Essentials, Arm & Hammer with OxyClean and Tide Original Powder. 

While I haven’t personally used these, a few “green” detergents have been used with mixed success, and may be available locally.  They include Ecover, Planet and Seventh Generation.  Generally, “green” or biodegradable detergents will not contain optical brighteners, but check with the company to be sure.

I really think that if a detergent is working of you, keep using it, “rules” be darned.  However, with something like brighteners, it can take long-term use for buildup to cause issues.  I would think after a year of use, you’re in the clear, but who knows, right?

Now that I’ve told you way more than you wanted to hear…

Edit 5/17/12: In case anyone else finds this post. 🙂 Like the commenter below, I had been unable to find any evidence that optical brighteners damage your diapers, or somehow permanently attach to fibers. I try to be cautious since I don’t want to be the black sheep in the cloth diaper world, but this sort of thing (recommendations without science behind it) were what fueled my washing survey and washing cloth diapers post. I have been using a detergent with enzymes, brighteners & the like for more that two years with no issue. I’ve been using a touch of Oxi Clean Free in every load for more than a year & no longer need to use bleach on my microfiber.

A true laundry expert assisted with an RDIA Laundry Science Webinar and explained that if diapers are rinsed well, enzymes will not harm diapers or baby. Any damage may be due to a reaction when chemicals react with heat from a dryer.

Following the webinar (in March I believe?) I suggested that we look into the idea that optical brighteners build up & damage your diapers, and I really hope we do. Thank you for the link!!

5/24/12 I wrote another post about this.

Cloth diaper care recommendations have been repeated so much, and while the theories make sense, the science and real world use just doesn’t support them. As always, carefully follow manufacturer instructions, I am not responsible for damage and so forth.

How about the rest of you?  Do you use a standard detergent or one that is known to contain optical brighteners?  Did you have any problems?  How long did you use the detergent before you started having problems?

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