I have been the owner of cloth diapers for a week now and am still using them. Part of me was a little worried the novelty would wear off and I would just slowly shift back to cloth. I have even managed to bring them in the diaper bag with me. This might not seem like a big deal, but it is hard to ease yourself off the comfort and ease of disposables.
Here are my thoughts at the moment:
- I am a big fan of the wet bag. I love just unzipping the bottom and emptying it all into the washer without any mess.
- The bum genius are great. They really keep her dry and prevent leakage. We've only had one minor leak versus daily leakage/explosions with the disposables. Even after a long night, no leak. Her bottom is also less irritated.
- Air-drying the bum genius is a minor annoyance.
- I like the Kawaii diapers. They are incredibly cute and can be thrown in the dryer. I wish the snaps were a little simpler.
- Cloth diapers look cute under dresses, especially when paired with some baby legs leggings.
- I need more than just the 12 I bought if I don't want to do diaper laundry every night and want to keep one or two in the diaper bag.
- I am still a sucky laundress.
Really, my only complaint is the laundry aspect. They take longer. More frustrating, I can't get the poop out without running the offending diapers at least 3x and with using dreft spray. Currently, I first run the load on cold. Then I run it a second time adding 1/4 the regular amount of detergent and using hot water. I also do an extra rinse. I was led to believe if I did all this, I would be golden. Right now the only thing that is golden is a couple of diapers and inserts. I'm frustrated. Also a little worried. If I can't get them clean now, what about when Eileen starts solids in about two weeks? I do not want to spend 4+ hours on one load of laundry. I have other laundry to do. I even have a little bit of life outside of laundry.
I'm not going to let this stumbling block derail my venture into cloth diapering just yet. I welcome insights into fixing this problem. But I must admit, if I cannot get them clean, my cloth diapering days may be numbered.
Here's the thing: it actually gets better with solids, as far as stains go. And I have found that often if the stain doesn't get totally out, it is still clean enough to use and fades over time. Also, I was amazed by how well it works to hang stained diapers in the sun. I was skeptical but they faded like magic in many cases. Try doing your cold soak overnight with no soap, if you aren't seeing results you like. Then wash on hot with the regular amount of soap, and an extra rinse if you like. And it is definitely nice to have enough diapers to only was them every other day. After that, the smell gets to be a bit much, in my opinion. Also, you can always put cloth liners in the diapers if you want to extend their life (I cut up pieces of fleece to help keep moisture away from skin). If the inserts get horribly stained, just throw them away! But I haven't had to do that.
ReplyDeleteBeth's right, it gets better with solids. Also, setting them out in the sun does wonders. You don't have to do it every time, but when there is a sunny day line them up to bleach in the sun. Ooh, and add some vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser on your washer. Works great.
ReplyDeleteI throw my Bum Genius in the dryer and have so for the last year. No problems so far. My sister in law does as well.