Week two of stuff diapering a newborn

We are on our mo calendar week of textile diapering babe #4 too it is going great! Seriously. I don't know how long nosotros are going to textile diaper-- nosotros receive got gone into this amongst a real opened upwards mind-- but my married adult man too I both concur that if it continues to become every bit it has been, nosotros are going to endure textile diapering for a long time!

I wrote a weblog post a footling piece agone titled "Cloth diapering budget." That post added upwards the damage of textile diapering versus disposable diapering. We've had a few expenses added to that listing since then. We had non yet ordered a sprayer. We ordered a OsoCozy Cloth Diaper Sprayer from Amazon for $39.95. I also started having a difficult fourth dimension amongst babe #4 leaking through his diapers at night. He was going 4-5 hours betwixt feedings too the hand-me-down Gerber prefolds weren't doing the trick. I bought novel Gerber prefolds too had the same problem. I went dorsum to my local babe shop too explained my problem. She recommended that I purchase Bummis Organic Prefold Diapers, the organic prefolds she sells inwards her store. She said the organic diapers are to a greater extent than absorbent too that many of her customers volition come upwards inwards too country their Gerber diapers are leaking. I was a footling skeptical. How could the organic prefolds endure that much meliorate than the Gerber prefolds? I bought 5 at $2.50 a slice ($12.50 total) merely to travail out-- BIG DIFFERENCE! I tested the diaper out too he went 5-6 hours without leaking inwards the organic prefolds, without whatever extra lining. I went dorsum to the babe shop too bought 10 to a greater extent than organic prefolds ($25 for 10 + the $12.50 of the other 5 = $37.50 total for fifteen organic prefold diapers).

My total damage inwards the "Cloth diapering budget" post was $290.54, adding inwards the fifteen organic prefolds brings it upwards to $328.04, addition the diaper sprayer brings it to $367.99. (Worried that all my Gerber prefolds volition become to waste? Nope-- nosotros role these every bit burp cloths!)

Now that the numbers are out of the way, how receive got nosotros been textile diapering???

For the newborn stage, nosotros receive got decided to role the organic prefold diapers too the Thirsties diaper covers. We receive got a diaper changing station all set upwards to brand textile diapering at home as tardily every bit possible, addition an awesome well-stocked diaper handbag which makes textile diapering on the become thus much easier.

 

Here is our diaper changing station:

 

And our diaper pail, which is merely a Rubbermaid footstep trash tin strength out from Target, amongst a Planet Wise diaper pail liner:

 

 

After much consideration, nosotros decided to role textile wipes at home. Logistically, it merely makes sense. When y'all are textile diapering, y'all are already throwing textile diapers into the diaper pail... Where would y'all throw the disposable wipes? So for straight off nosotros are using textile wipes. I had a large give-and-take amongst the gal at my local babe shop too she stores her textile wipes dry out instead of mixing upwards the solution too storing them wet. I decided to also shop ours dry. I mixed upwards a solution too pose it inwards a spray bottle. Looking for a textile wipe solution? Check out this link: "Cloth Wipe Solution Recipes" at Zany Zebra Designs. I went amongst the Castille lather solution but amongst to a greater extent than tea tree crude oil too to a greater extent than H2O since nosotros receive got such a large spray bottle; we've been happy amongst it.

 

 

To protect babe #4's modesty (and because I dubiousness he would receive got liked participating inwards this photograph session), our "baby" is Peter Puppy, our oldest son's favorite stuffed animal. Peter Puppy has been through a lot since he is commonly quite busy playing amongst our five-year old.

 

 

Before I opened upwards up the diaper, I similar to set out the supplies I volition need. You exercise non demand to alter the Thirsties diaper comprehend every fourth dimension y'all alter a diaper. I similar to lay out the prefold too receive got it folded, educate to become inwards the diaper cover.

 

 

I made most of our wipes past times cutting upwards quondam receiving blankets. This is the size of the wipe I receive got currently cut. I crimp it into fourths too and thus saturate i side amongst the wipe solution.

 

 

I spray the wipe earlier I start changing the diaper.

 

 

I too thus lay everything out overnice thus that I tin strength out start on the diaper too won't receive got to rummage inwards the diaper caddy for anything. I too thus describe dorsum the Thirsties diaper cover...

 

 

...and comprehend the groin expanse amongst a textile wipe. If y'all receive got always changed a newborn boy's diaper before, y'all know why I exercise this.

 

 

The newborn diapers aren't commonly real messy to construct clean upwards too I've mostly solely needed i wipe, sometimes folding that wipe inwards one-half if I demand to.

 

 

Since the wipe commonly isn't all the means wet, I use it to alternative upwards the prefold too pose it inwards the bin.

 

 

 

When I kickoff went into my local babe shop to speak to the gal most textile diapering, she told me that for a lot of the newborn/breastfeeding "stinky" diapers she didn't fifty-fifty demand to rinse them because they weren't that messy. I was real skeptical too didn't actually believe her... but it actually is true. Some of the diapers exercise require to endure rinsed. Now that babe #4 is 2 weeks quondam too growing a lot, he doesn't receive got a stinky diaper every fourth dimension nosotros alter him. Most of the diapers are moisture or solely a footling messy. For the actually messy diapers, it is commonly most the fourth dimension to alter the Thirsties comprehend anyways, thus I'll describe the whole matter off babe #4 too set to the side piece I re-diaper...

 

 

...and since our changing station is conveniently inwards the large hall bath nigh the toilet, I role our nifty diaper sprayer to rinse it off.

 

 

Since I solely receive got 2 hands, I couldn't quite larn a moving-picture demo of asset the sprayer. I merely angle the diaper downwards into the john too spray it off-- no touching or scraping or whatever required. Just spray it off. I know that textile diapering is often frowned upon past times people, "Ew, I could never do that." I receive got to say, amongst this beingness our 4th child, I receive got cleaned upwards far worse amongst the other three (and they all wore disposables). Taking consummate assist of approximately other human being-- fifty-fifty a small, newborn one-- is a real hands on experience.

 

 

I similar to crimp the diaper upwards later on spraying it thus it doesn't drip when I become to throw it inwards the pail.

 

 

When I larn the diaper dorsum over the pail, I similar to permit it autumn inwards slice past times slice thus it doesn't become through the laundry all folded up.

 

 

After changing the diaper, stinky or wet, it is fourth dimension to re-diaper. I lay the construct clean prefold inwards the Thirsties cover...

 

 

...and crimp dorsum the move past times thus that it is most absorbent inwards areas that it needs to be.

 

 

 

Then I comprehend the prefold amongst the Thirsties comprehend too snap it closed.

 

 

 

It is actually of import to cheque the leg holes to brand certain that the prefold is completely covered past times the Thirsties cover. Since the prefold is what is absorbing everything, if it sticks out of the cover, y'all volition receive got leakage. This is the prefold sticking out of the Thirsties cover...

 

 

...and this is what it should expect like.

 

 

Now nosotros receive got a happy Peter Puppy inwards a construct clean diaper! :)

 

 

Obviously textile diapering at dwelling occupation solid amongst a changing station is convenient. How tardily is it out of the house? When nosotros exit the house, I role disposable wipes too diaper sacks. I maintain the diaper sacks inwards the exterior pocket of my diaper handbag side past times side to the diaper pad. I similar the changing pad to endure handy too the diaper sacks accessible since I role them thus often.

 

 

 

Inside my diaper bag, I maintain 4 prefolds, 1 Thirsties diaper cover, my disposable wipes, too my wet bag.

 

 

 

To alter a diaper piece out, I actually similar to receive got everything set out too accessible. I exercise non desire to endure earthworks inwards my diaper handbag piece my babe is on a changing tabular array inwards a world restroom, textile diapers or not. The babe would endure on my changing pad, but these are the things I demand when changing a textile diaper out of the house: moisture bag, diaper sacks, disposable wipes, too a construct clean prefold.

 

 

I opened upwards up all the bags thus I don't receive got to when I am changing the diaper too lay out the prefold, merely similar I exercise at home. (The prefold is nether the moisture handbag inwards this picture.)

 

 

I too thus receive got off the dingy prefold too pose it inwards the moisture handbag too set the moisture handbag aside.

 

 

I role disposable wipes piece out of the occupation solid because it is the most convenient for me for now. I similar having disposable wipes on me also because moisture wipes are real handy when y'all are out amongst toddlers (sticky hands!). I driblet the used wipes into the opened upwards diaper sack.

 

 

 

From there, it is pretty much the same to alter a diaper piece out of the occupation solid or at home.

 

 

When the diaper is changed, I throw the diaper sack amongst the used wipes away too zip up the moisture handbag amongst the dingy prefold inside. I crimp upwards the moisture handbag every bit much every bit I tin strength out too pose it on move past times inwards my diaper bag. When I larn home, I empty the moisture handbag into my diaper pail. Since I am merely changing newborn diapers, which aren't real stinky, I receive got non needed to launder my moisture handbag later on each use. Eventually I mean value I volition demand 2 on-the-go wetbags. For now, i is working too the times I receive got needed to launder it, I receive got been able to exercise it inwards the eventide later on nosotros are dwelling occupation solid for the night.

 

 

 

The laundry enquiry comes upwards often when textile diapering. Here are the answers to the 2 most oftentimes asked questions:

 

Don't y'all receive got to exercise a lot of laundry?

This is our kickoff fourth dimension textile diapering whatever of our children, but this is our 4th child. As a occupation solid unit of measurement of six, nosotros exercise a lot of laundry. Since nosotros already exercise 1 or 2 loads a day, this actually hasn't changed our laundry pattern. I brand certain to exercise a charge of whatever is inwards our diaper pail each twenty-four hours too that has worked out great-- haven't run out of diapers yet! :)

 

Isn't that...gross?

No. As I said before, taking consummate assist of a human being-- fifty-fifty a small, newborn human being-- is a hands on job. You tin strength out run into from the pictures that I am non elbow deep in, um, waste while changing a textile diaper. Honestly, what bothers me to a greater extent than is burping our footling guy too him spitting upwards inwards my hair... yuck! :P I don't know if it is because this is our 4th kid too thus diapers merely actually don't bother me, but sometimes when I exercise a charge of diapers from our pail, I merely throw the diapers into the launder too don't describe out the moisture handbag liner. Sometimes, if it is exceptionally total or we've changed many stinky diapers, I describe out the whole liner too empty it direct into the washer, pulling the moisture handbag liner within out earlier tossing it inwards too. Since the diapers aren't messy too I rinse the ones that are, I've had no issues amongst a messy washing machine. Our washing machine is, however, total of testify from his older siblings: K'Nex, Legos, Matchbox cars...

 

I'll endure certain to maintain y'all all updated on our adventures inwards textile diapering! So far, thus good. :)



Share this post