Washing

Washing your diapers can be as simple as an extra load of laundry, but when you run across a smell problem, where do you turn?


I've found a great site that helps to determine what detergents are best for your cloth.


Where I live, we have hard water, and tend to have problems with detergent building up on diapers. I have many times stripped my diapers and ultimately found one detergent that has been very good about not building up on the diapers.


I am currently trying two other soaps to see how they perform long term.


It's a good idea to rotate your detergent every few months as any detergent you use will ultimately build up some. By switching your detergent, the new one will strip the old from the fabric.


My favorite detergent is called Bi0Kleen All temperature or Free and Clear. I like the liquid form.

The main thing that you need to do is RINSE RINSE RINSE when your diapers start to stink like ammonia. You probably have detergent residue lingering in the fabric. If you have a fishy smell, then try using 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup white distilled vinegar along with your detergent when you wash.

Well, those are the thoughts coming to mind about washing.

My Favorite Diaper links

So in the last few years, I have researched like crazy about cloth since I use them, and thought I should put my compiled favorite sites in one place to share with friends. If you do cloth or are thinking of using them, these links would be helpful!

First I want to share my favorite options for cloth diapers. If you are trying to decide which diaper is right for you, look into wool covers and fitted diapers.
The wool is amazing in that it lasts through many babies and breathes so that your little will not get hot and will have very few rashes. I just love to use wool covers. They are very inexpensive to make too! If you are looking to just buy a wool cover, look here!

How to care for your wool covers:
I recently learned that when washing wool covers, that you don't actually need a special wool wash for them. For a long time, I special ordered my wash. You can use Johnson's baby wash in a tepid water bath to wash by hand. Gently hand wash without rubbing or wringing the fabric. You do not need to relanolize them each wash unless you notice wicking. Once the cover starts to wick, lanolizing is very easy!
Just take a squirt of Johnson's wash, then about a quarter size dot of lanolin, and mix in a small cup with water. Heat that cup (I use the microwave.) Stir it up, and you should end up with a milky consistancy. (You should not have clumps.) Pour this cup of solution into a room temperature water bath. I just soak the covers in there for at least 20 minutes, and then take them down to the washing machine and spin out the liquid. Then, I lay them or hand them to dry. I don't have to relanolize very often. If it's your first time to waterproof it, I would suggest doing it twice. It will feel tacky, but that will slowly go away.

Fitted diapers are a great choice because they hold everything in, and are easy to teach others to use when watching your child.

Check out these Basic informational websites:

The Diaper Hyena

Diaper Pin

Diaper Jungle

Dealing with stinky diapers:

Yahoo groups and forums:

Mothering.com

There's a sewyourowndiapers yahoo
Also, a woolsoaker group (more knitting), but good for learning about how wool works, and has good files to read.

Making your own stuff sites:
Where to buy fabric:

Wazoodle
VeryBaby This site also has diaper sewing tutorials.

How to make your own Wetbag:

Diapers & covers & costs:

How to make your own Longie Wool Pattern.

Make your own Wool Wrap cover:

Fitted Diaper Patterns: (2 links)

Fitted Diaper #1

Fitted Diaper #2

Knitting a Pull-Up style cover pattern (great for wool soakers or fleece)

Here is a tutorial on sewing your own cover.

More Knitting Patterns for wool covers.

Online Store I recommend:
http://thechangingpad.com/

Fleece...the wonder fabric of cloth

I have been testing out different cloth covers, and just can't believe how easy fleece is to care for and also how it just doesn't leak! My daughter is a heavy wetter at night, and so a Stacinator fleece cover was recommended to my to try. This cover is soooo cute, and didn't leak a bit all night long. I also can just throw it in my regular laundry with no worries or concerns about ruining it. I don't even need to use a special detergent. I like the fact that the fleece allows the skin to breath. A friend told me that if for some reason, I find that my fleece cover is starting to leak, to throw it in the dryer with a dryer sheet, and it will re-waterproof the cover. That's so easy! They also come in many cute colors and prints. It doesn't get much better than that.

Thirsties diapers and covers

Thirsties top the list of a great diaper and cover! The terry cloth is very soft and absorbant. The stretch makes it easy to fit right up to the baby's skin and around the legs. I recently have tried this diaper, and just had to get a few more as my youngest baby is getting to big for the current diaper he is in.
The Thirsties cover has a wonderful gusset that holds in moisture and prevents leaks. Once that baby is moving, those gussets are a must!
This cover does not wick moisture along the edges and really fits well around the legs. The velcro is GREAT, and has tabs to fold down for the wash. I also like the coordinating colors for the covers and diapers. Very cute!
If you don't have the fitted diaper, and prefer a prefold, just fold the diaper into thirds (long ways), and after laying the baby on the diaper, pull the top edge out around the hip and the front edge toward the hips also. You don't need a fastener to hold the diaper since the cover will hold it in place. If you like a snug fit, I would recommend a snappi. You can find these at my favorite online store called http://thechangingpad.com If I'm in a hurry, I'll even just leave it in thirds like a stip of cloth from front to back. Some people like to double it up in front for a boy or in back for a girl, but I generally don't find that it makes a big difference. I prefer to use a doubler for those areas if needed.

Wraps

I've tried several wraps and definately find that they are great for newborns especially!
I have tried Prowraps, thirsties,bummis whisper wraps and kushies.
The only wrap that I've had some issue with is the bummis. It lacked the gusset feature and would hold a smell after washing. It took quite a bit of work to get the smell out. They also had issues with the velcro raveling over time.
I prefer to use wraps with newborns since their little bms tend to go all over and leak easily no matter what diaper you use. Fitteds plus a wrap seem to be the best solution that I've found so far. Many times, the all in one or pocket diaper will not be as adjustable around the legs to hold everything in. Once the baby gets bigger and becomes chunkier or just larger in size, the other diapers work much better!

Caring for your wool cover

Wool covers are very low maintenence in my opinion.
Hand wash in a tepid waterbath. I mix a little Johnson's baby soap and gently clean soiled areas. You can use a stain remover on spots if needed. I don't think that Eucalin wool wash is necessary unless you just like it. In my experience, it didn't lanolize adequately alone.
To Lanolize, just take a tube of lanoline and squirt a dot about the size of a large marble into a pan or glass. Add a little johnson's wash and as much water as you'd like. Heat the mixture and mix until it has a milky consistancy. There should not by any clumpy spots.
Dump this into your tepid waterbath for the soakers. I soak them at least 20 minutes.
You can either roll up the cover in a towel to extract the water, or run it in the spin cycle in your washing machine. Lay out to dry.
I only wash my covers if they start to smell after drying or if they get soiled.
I lanolize maybe once a month when I notice moisture wicking.
Your cover will smell when taken off the baby, but once it dries, the smell should be gone.
I like to make sure the cover is "tacky" to the touch after relanolizing. I think it is a tell-tell sign that it is waterproofed. This feeling will go away once you start using it.

The Amazing wool cover

Wool covers just amaze me at how waterproof they are, and yet are sooooo breathable and durable to last for generations. I have used plastic covers on my first babies in cloth diapers, and have switched to wool in the last year. They make such cute covers too!
The wool actually will absorb quite a bit of moisture before "breathing" and still not wicking onto the baby's clothes or blanket. If your wool cover is leaking, check to make sure you are using more layers if the baby is not being changed for a while. Also, try relanolizing your cover. If you still find that the cover is wicking moisture, consider felting the cover a bit to allow the fibers to tighten up a bit. WARNING! If you felt your cover, it may shrink considerably. Keep this in mind before you do this. It should be last resort.

Which type of cloth diaper?

I regularly have people ask which cloth diaper is the best one. I personally it depends on which system you would like to use. Decide what price range you are willing to pay. Do you want to go more natural with less synthetic fibers or do you want the traditional bleached cotton? I believe this is a good place to start in finding the right diaper for you.
I personally prefer a fitted diaper over a prefold, pocket or all-in-one diaper.
I find that many covers can be used over and over before being washed, and the fitteds tend to prevent leaks over other types of diapers.
When an all-in-one diaper gets ruined for whatever reason, it is a much more expensive loss than just a single fitted diaper.
I recently have tested hemp and bamboo diapers. They absorb great! The bamboo was particularly impressive b/c it was cool to the touch and did not irritate the baby's skin after being completely wet. It is VERY soft too. I think it was the softest diaper I have tried so far.
Pocket diapers are a good option to keep the wetness away from the baby's skin. The fleece is a great way to keep that skin dry. (I use a fleece strip or a doubler with fleece on one side when I am not using a pocket diaper.
My Kushies All-in-ones are very absorbant and fit well, but they try to rip where the velcro strip is sewn to the diaper. I tend to be very careful with these diapers when putting them on an taking them off the baby.
So to answer the question, which diaper do I like? I prefer a fitted diaper with a wool cover. If my child is due to have a loose bm, I will use a cover with pul fabric. Gussets are a plus on my covers too!
My babies mostly wear wool covers over a fitted, and when we go out and have other people changing diapers, I keep my easiest to use diapers in the diaper bag (such as an all-in-one.)

Welcome and our first Post!!!!

After spending several years learning more and more about cloth diaper options, and troubleshooting common problems, I realized it's time to share what I've learned with you!
Welcome to Everything Cloth Diaper. I hope to be helpful as you run into questions about cloth diapering your baby. Feel free to contact me with questions, and I'll do my best to share any knowledge that I have.
~Rachel~