Wash Routine

Different people have different wash routines and I get tired of looking through everyone's opinions online about what works and doesn't. This page is dedicated to telling you exactly what I do and why. This won't work for everyone. A lot depends on the water in your city - and water hardness/softness can vary even then.

What to do with Pee and Poo Diapers
When baby pees, the diaper and insert are thrown into a wet bag (inside a trash can with a lid). If he went poo, then I rinse the poo out with a diaper sprayer down the toilet (many times the poo just falls off into the toilet without the sprayer). That poo diaper goes into my wet bag also.

Wash Cycles
You must wash your diapers at least every 3 days.
First, I do a cold wash/cold rinse cycle.

• This can be done with or without detergent. 
• Using hot water will lock the smell and poo stains into your inserts. 
• You want to dilute the pee out of your diapers. 
• In the least do a cold soak.

I followup with a hot wash/warm rinse cycle.

• Add detergent here. 
• The hot water cleans your diapers. 
• The warm water is great for washing away any extra stuck on messes.

Load Size
I don't overfill my washer. If I have a few diapers, I do a mini-load. If I have 3 days worth (which is still not too many because I only have one child in diapers), I do a medium load.

Detergent
I use a homemade detergent (suitable for cloth diapers, not regular laundry). If you don't want to make your own, do some online searches - most detergents shouldn't be used on cloth diapers. See if your regular detergent can be found on this chart that gives a detailed rating for cloth diaper friendliness. I use the recipe found on this mama's blog.

Drying & Fabric Softeners
I dry on medium...and I put everything in there together (you should really hang dry your covers though because the elastic will break down over time). DO NOT use fabric softeners. Instead get wool dryer balls, tennis balls, some other natural alternative or nothing at all.

Common Issues:
We just started solids and this poo isn't just "falling off" into the toilet like I read it would.
This is referred to as peanut butter poo. Buy a spatula from the dollar store and keep it by your toilet brush. Yum. This stage will probably pass quickly and soon you'll be able to just give your diapers a little shake.

My diapers are giving baby bad diaper rash. I don't know if they're really getting clean.
Strip them first (wash a bunch of times in super hot water - the first time with detergent and about 6-10 more times without). Be sure that you have enough water in your washing machine (front loaders are notorious for not adding enough water because they are trying to be eco-friendly, you may need to do it manually if you can't change the setting on the machine). Also double check that no fabric softeners are being used.

Can I use cloth diapers even in the first day when dealing with meconium?
Yes! As a matter of fact, if you exclusively breastfeed (no formula, no food), then you don't even have to rinse your diapers before tossing them into the wash. Woohoo for you, Natural Mama!

Types and Sizes of Cloth Diapers

Types of Cloth Diapers (CDs):

All-in-One (AIO) - Insert (the part that absorbs pee) is sewn between the inner and outer fabrics.

• Wrap, snap and go! Easy to put on right out of the dryer.
• They can take too long to dry, depending on how thick the insert is OR
• They need to be changed more often because the insert is so thin (faster drying = less absorption).

All-in-Two (AI2) - Insert sewn, snapped, or layed on top of the inner fabric.

• Normally stays put together throughout wash cycle so you can have a thicker insert, but it's still ready to go out of the dryer.
• Looser poo gets under insert and is messier to clean up. 

Pocket - Insert is stuffed into a pocket opening between the inner and outer fabrics.

• You can stuff a HUGE insert(s) into a pocket diaper for a long-lasting diaper.
• You have to stuff these every time they come out of the dryer - ummm...that's a pain.
• You can find these relatively inexpensive, and they are cute!

Prefold, Flat, Fitted - These must be covered with a diaper cover. They are NOT waterproof.

• Prefolds are the cloth diapers you get from the store and use as burp rags.
• Flats are large squares of fabric that can be folded any variety of ways to wrap up baby.
• Fitteds are diapers with elastic and all, but they don't have the waterproof layer.

Covers - Use over prefolds, flats, and fitteds. This is the waterproof part.

• Normally one layer of PUL (the waterproof fabric).

Sizes of Cloth Diapers (CDs):

One-Size (OS)

• Snap adjustments are placed vertically (in columns) on the diaper.
• These are advertised as being for "birth to potty-training".
• They normally don't work for birth to potty-training, depending on your child.
• If they are small enough at birth, they won't be big enough at potty-training.
• If they are too big at birth, they'll probably fit through potty-training.

Duo-Size

• Provide more use of a diaper without looking HUGE (like the OS do at first on newborns).
• Newborn-Small: Pair this with a one-size diaper system (unless you have a whopper like my baby)
• Sizes vary depending on maker (i.e. NB-S, S-M, M-L, L-XL) 

Sized

• These diapers fit baby "just right", and (in my opinion) are cuter when you want to show off your baby's diaper to the world. :)

Cloth Diaper Quick Start

This page is here if you are looking for a simplified start to cloth diapering. This is what I would recommend if you don't want to do (what can feel like) never-ending research. This is also probably one of the most inexpensive ways to start CDing.

You'll need:
- 24 prefolds    (absorbs the pee)
- 4-5 covers     (keeps you and everything the baby touches from getting wet)
- diaper pail      (holds the diapers, can be a trashcan)
- pail liner        (keeps the diaper pail dry, made of same fabric as covers)
- wetbag          (like a pail liner for your diaper bag)
- Snappis        (fastener to keep the prefold wrapped around baby)

You can find all of these items new, here and used prefolds and covers, here. If you have a new baby, I recommend buying small (yellow-edge, if you're purchasing from these sites) prefolds. You can wrap and fasten them together with a Snappi and once they are outgrown, you simply trifold them and extend their use into the toddler years. Don't stress over finding "the perfect" diaper cover for your baby. Every baby is different, so you're just going to have to guess which one you want and hope for the best. Get a couple different brands.

Wipes
You can use disposable or cloth wipes. Surprise, disposable wipes can actually be thrown into the diaper pail with a dirty diaper, washed, and thrown away after drying. They don't disintegrate in the washer.

Cloth wipes can be extraordinarily good at getting poo off of a bootie - much more efficient than disposable ones. For cloth wipes you will need a wipes solution. You can use just water or (my favorite) a bottle filled with water, a tablespoon of olive oil, a squirt of baby soap, and a couple drops of tea tree oil.

Detergent
There is a lot of conflicting information about what detergents can and cannot be used. It all comes down to your water and your washing machine. Tide Original works for me. All Free & Clear works for me. A homemade mix of OxiClean, Borax, and washing soda works for me. I say start with the easiest thing and work your way through other detergent options if you begin to have laundry issues.

You basically want to steer clear of enzymes, brighteners, dyes, fragrances, softeners, and bleach (yes, I know that is all the good stuff that makes your clothes feel clean and happy on you). DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENERS ON YOUR DIAPERS.

Alright! I'm going to stop now or this is going to become a little deeper than a simple start for you! You WILL have more questions. Ask your friends, ask your mom, ask me! Thanks for letting me help you.

Cloth Diapering a Newborn

Over a year before my daughter was born I got a chance to sew a newborn stash for a Mama friend of mine. It was at that moment that I began looking forward to cloth diapering my own newborn. With all the zeal I had for cloth, I encouraged everyone I knew to give it a try, and a few did. Those that I knew didn't follow through - at least for the newborn stage. I had to wonder, why?

Fast forward to now (April 23, 2013 to be exact), to the birth of my beautiful, perfect, precious daughter, Cassidy Ann. A couple of the Mama friends that I helped sew newborn stashes for gifted their own back to me to use for my daughter. I didn't have to make her anything new. (Phew...I have to tell you that as excited as I get about sewing cloth diapers, it's a lot of work for me!) I decided that with all my other special requests at the hospital (re: eye ointment, Vit K, Hep B, and the vernix) that I wouldn't want to look any crazier and ask them to let me only use cloth. The plan was for Cassidy to be in hospital-provided Pampers until we got home. On our first night, I spent 20 minutes trying on different diaper and cover combos, only to finally give up on all the bulk and stick one of those Pampers on her (it's okay, it was leftover from the hospital, haha). This was when I realized the initial challenge that stands up against a new mom when trying to use cloth for such a small babe.

With Samweli being born at 9lbs, 7oz, he was never in newborn diapers. He went straight to size 1. That should tell you how big he was and why I never imagined that 2 tiny pieces of flannel sewn together could possibly look so huge on even the tiniest full-term baby. Day 2 at home brought it's own challenges - like having a big brother around. This made anything that was more than "basic" difficult. Luckily my amazing mom came and picked him up for a while, and I was able to work at re-sorting my stash. Now that I had a little one to size them up to I had a better idea of which ones would work best on her.

Here is a look at what's in my newborn stash:

I chose to do fitteds and covers for the newborn stage. Fitteds are just absorbent fabric so they need the waterproof covers to go over them. Covers don't really need washed unless they get poo on them so I let them air dry above the changing station on my "clothesline" between uses.

I have a variety of fitteds made from free patterns that anyone can access online. Most are just flannel, but in a few of them I included a stay dry layer or used a more absorbent fabric. Here's a breakdown of what I have pictured (there are more of the same kinds of these in the wash):

1. The column on the left are all QSFW (Quick Snap Flat Wrap) with elastic added. 
2. In the center column at the very bottom there are 2- and 4-layer flannel fitteds made with the "Arfy" pattern (I'm not sure that the pattern actually has a name yet, but that's the creator's screen name). 
3. Above those are extra diaper covers that were part of the "baby boy" stash I made. I don't plan to use these as much, but they are all different patterns and may fit better than the ones I have hanging at some point in time. 
4. At the top center is a row of 5 diapers; these are all EZDipes. I used extra absorbent fabrics on these and added a stay dry layer to the camo ones so I can use them at night time without worrying about Cassidy feeling wet if she sleeps a long stretch (which she does, so I'm glad I have them). 
5. The right column (starting at the bottom) are diapers purchased by another Mama second-hand so I have no clue what they are, but they are bulky, and I'm guessing pretty absorbent. I don't really have plans to use these unless I run out of my others. 
6. Above those are the Shar's Newborn Umbilical Scoop Pocket Nappies. I don't like pockets, but had included them in my "baby boy" stash so his Mama could get a feel for that diaper style. I'll use the two camo on top at night also because they have a stay dry layer as well. 
7. Not pictured are my 3 Bumgenius all-in-ones (for the diaper bag) and my wool longies (because they were being worn). BG's are not mama-made, but are easiest for out and about. These are one of the most popular type of diapers due to ease of use, but they're also expensive.

Cassidy in her wool longies. These were also made for the "baby boy" stash, but I'll be using them anyway. 
The greatness of wool deserves a blog post all its own...and one day it may get one. ;)

We've been home for a few days now, and I can't explain how happy I am to be in the swing of things with my cloth diapers (although the Vicodin may be able to vouch for that). We're still pulling out a Pamper here and there, but the majority of the last few days has been cloth. I love everything about my little Cassidy Ann - from her tiny squeals to the poo I get to wipe off her tushie. Love, love, love.

Cloth diapering is really more fun than you can imagine! For links to some of my favorite resources, click here.

Living Naturally - Just a Start

I'm always eager to learn a few easy steps to going natural and freeing myself of unneeded (and really, unwanted) chemicals, pharmaceuticals and waste in my everyday life. Most of the time I feel like it's kinda hard to find something that's cheap and easy though. I'm just beginning my journey, but I thought you may want to join me too!

There are a few things that you can start doing that don't cost tons of money. You may not like every suggestion I have for you, but even if you take just a couple here or there you'll end up making a big impact on your life! Here are a couple tips to get you started living naturally:

1. Begin using "unpaper towels" in your kitchen and/or bathroom.
2. Take 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every day.
3. Switch your toothpaste to something fluoride-free.

Unpaper Towels

     I have some fabric that I've been meaning to serge into unpaper towels (basically cloth squares) for months now. I just never seem to find the time to do it, so we still have paper towels for big messes in the kitchen and the hand drying towel (that in reality only gets changed about 2-3 times a week, please don't get too grossed out) in the bathroom. <---This is dirty. Germs live in places that stay wet. That's why having something to use once and throw in a laundry bin is soooo much better.

     Ultimately I would love to make my kitchen unpaper towels with terry cloth on one side, quilter's flannel on the other, and strategically place my little plastic snaps on the corners so that they can unroll just like a real paper towel! BUT that would require me to actually choose a fabric, cut and sew. That just isn't happening fast enough. My ideal fabric (at least I think it is) for my bathroom napkins (I really don't know what to call them, that was the best I could come up with, sorry) is birdseye, also called diaper cloth at Jo-Ann Fabrics. After using a single-use napkin, you can wipe up the counter to keep it dry. Did you know that the germiest place in your bathroom is the sink because it stays wet? At least that's what the internet says. :P

     Fortunately, Walmart has a wonderful, quick fix for me. There is, and has been for the past couple years, a package of 18 washrags for $4 - all white or white and multi-colored, you choose. I finally bought some, and you can too. Easy peasy and not too hard on your pocketbook (although I bought 3 packs, hehe).

Apple Cider Vinegar

     This vinegar reportedly helps with soooo many ailments as well as weight loss. Just google it, and you'll find tons of information. There's, of course, not much scientific proof to back up anyone's claims because there's just not that much money in making vinegar, but read all the testimonies online and ask around to see if your friends have ever heard about it. I'll bet you can find someone you trust that gives it due credit.

     For general health the most common "prescription" I've found in my searching is to take 1 tablespoon per day diluted in 8 ounces of water. It's also been suggested that you drink the required amount of water you need for each day in order for your body to process correctly while taking it (64 oz. on average, but it's really based on your lifestyle). 

     You don't want to take ACV straight because it can ruin your teeth or burn a hole in your esophagus (please believe me - I took a shot of it straight the first day and really thought I might catch on fire). Another important note is to buy a good brand. One that you can see "the mother" in. Bragg's is the most recommended by far.

Fluoride-Free

     I don't know much about fluoride, but I know it's been at the center of some great debates, and I don't really want to get into all that now. I do know that the majority of people who "live naturally" do so without fluoride, so I figure there's probably something to that. Also, fluoride is added to my water already, so I don't really need it in my toothpaste, right?

     So here are your options:  1) this is not the option for you because you loooove all that fluoride that you every-once-in-a-while accidentally swallow while hollering at the kids with a toothbrush in your mouth, 2) can buy a fluoride-free toothpaste for a good bit more money from the grocery store, or 3) make your own toothpaste just because you want to be a little crunchy (that's just modern day hippie-talk which means natural).

     I chose option 3. So here's the recipe I'm giving a try from my new online natural role model, Crunchy Betty (and please don't give up trying natural alternatives after just a couple days, there's an adjustment period to everything). 3 tablespoons coconut oil + 3 tablespoons baking soda + 25 drops peppermint essential oil. You can also use just coconut oil (which is what I've been doing for a few days) or just baking soda and water or you can go all out and add a packet of stevia to the mix to sweeten it up! 

Give it a whirl. Try just one of these easy ways to change up your routine and live more naturally. I think you'll find that you enjoy it. If there's any more information you want, just ask. I may have already scoured the internet myself, but just didn't want to bore you with any more details if you weren't interested.

And, as always, I'm not promising anything, but maybe next week I can give you another new tip to keep you coming over to the "crunchy" side of life along with an update on how these are playing out in my own!