My family and I are planning on going on vacation this week. This will be the babies first vacation. Since I am using cloth diapers I wasn't sure if I should use them when we go on vacation. I recently read an article discussing traveling using cloth diapers and the article mentioned the Gro Baby disposable inserts. I decided to buy the shell and disposable inserts system to use while on vacation.
When I started to make my own cloth diapers I found it very hard to find PUL and some other materials I needed at my local fabric store. I came across Very Baby on the internet and it's a great resource for cloth diapers. You can find a variety of diaper patterns, all the fabric you would need for the diapers, and notions like snaps and size tags. It's everything a cloth diaper mommy needs in one place!
I recently did a post on how to make your own cloth diapers and I wanted to give everyone an update. I haven't had a chance to finish my diaper, work has been very hectic nowadays, but I have made good progress and I wanted to share what I learned. I decided to make the all-in-one diaper. First off I got all the fabric I needed at my local Joann's store except for the PUL. I could only find PUL on ebay. They have lots of different colors online and the price wasn't bad, I paid $10 for one yard. I used 1 layer of knit fabric for the outer layer along with 1 layer of PUL. Joann's sells fabric to make cloth diapers it's cotton and it's similar to the old style cloth diapers. I used 1 layer of this fabric to make the hidden inner layer. For the soaker I decided to experiment a little. Joann's sells bamboo batting which is made of 50% bamboo and 50% organic cotton. They sell this in bags and I bought the craft sized bag since I was just experimenting. It is a little pricey $15 regular price but it was on sale for 50% off the day I bought it. I used 4 layers of this material for the soaker. I then used1 layer of the thinnest fleece I could find. Joann's doesn't sell micrfleece but the fleece I found was fairly thing but a little softer to the touch. It's an important note that I bought a yard to two yards of every fabric, depending on the width. Based on what I have cut so far I estimate I can make around 3 large diapers with all the material I bought. I decided to use velcro instead of snaps because they are easier to fasten while my daughter is squirming around. You will probably need 1 yard of velcro per diaper if you plan on having laundry tabs and double sided tabs. I decided to make my soaker much wider then what the pattern called for. I liked the shape of the soaker the pattern provided but I felt it was to thin towards the middle and top. So far I have been following the picture instructions without any problem. I am new to sewing and it hasn't been challenging for me at all. I will post pictures and another update when I have made more progress.
I came across the AppleCheeks pocket diapers when they were listed on Baby Half Off and I decided to give them a try.
When I first was interested in using cloth diapers I was a little overwhelmed on how to properly clean the diapers. I thought it would take a lot of work and time to get them clean but I was wrong. Cloth diapers need lots of room to agitate and lots of water to get clean. Only a very small amount of detergent is necessary. Use 2 tablespoons of detergent or for HE washers use less than 1 tablespoon. Fill your washer no more than half-full but run it as a full load. It is EXTREMELY important that all of the detergent is rinsed out of the diapers. If the detergent isn't removed your diapers will retain odor, perform poorly, and in worst case scenarios irritate your baby's bottom. Look in your washer on the final rinse and see if there are any suds. If so you need to run the rinse cycle again. When your diapers come out of the washer, they should smell like water. If they smell unclean, then use a bit more detergent. If they smell like your detergent, use less detergent and rinse more. Choose a detergent with no fabric softener, no optical whiteners or brighteners, and no enzymes. Do not use chlorine bleach, there is one exception to this BumGenius products can be treated once per month with 1/4 cup of bleach in a full load of wash. You need to read the labels of detergents you are considering. The fewer the ingredients, the better! Biodegradable surfactants should be the main ingredient and preferably the only ingredient. I use Eco Nuts natural soap for my cloth diapers.
Cleaning Instructions for Cloth Diapers and Diaper Covers
1. Wash cold cycle - You don't need to use detergent as this cycle is only a presoak.
2. Wash hot cycle with detergent - For HE washers, you might want to run 2 short hot washes instead of 1 long
3. Wash with rinse cycle - Don't add any detergent
4. Dry in drier on medium-high or line-dry.
I really love my cloth diapers and I would never switch back to disposables. I am using the Flip cloth diaper system during the day and the Thirsties AIO diapers at night. My daughter has been growing so fast that she has outgrown her diapers. Since the AIO are so expensive I decided to look into making my own cloth diapers. I am no expert at sewing but I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I found some great free cloth diaper patterns. Little Comet Tails has a good pattern for AIO, pocket, and fitted diapers. She also tells you which materials to buy and she has picture instructions. You can use snaps or velcro using this pattern. An added bonus is she also has a simple dress pattern on her blog. You can find a variety of cloth diaper patterns at Celtic Cloths. I think that the Little Comet Tails pattern is simpler so its easier to follow but Celtic Cloths has more free patterns available. I bought all of the fabrics I needed at Joann's except for the PUL. I could only find PUL on ebay. I am currently in the process of making my first AIO pocket cloth diaper and I will post an update once I am finished!
Recently I came across a natural laundry soap, Eco Nuts, on Baby Half Off.
If you can sew and would like to make your own cloth diapers some good patterns are available. Little Comet Tails has patterns for fitted diapers, diaper covers, all-in-one diapers, and training pants. Kayla's Cloth Kits has patterns for one size pocket diapers and sized pocket diapers, fitted diapers, and all-in-one diapers. Both of these sites have videos demonstrating how to use the diapers and how to sew them. They are very eager to help and you can always contact them with questions you might have.
I recently bought the Thirsties All-In-One Pocket Diapers because I wanted a cloth diaper that my husband would be comfortable using. These diapers were so much better than I ever imagined. They are as easy to use as disposables and my husband is finally comfortable using cloth diapers. They have a great absorbency, I use them on my daughter at night. They have a pocket so I can add an insert for extra absorbency. They have a stay dry top layer that keeps the moisture away from my daughters bottom. They fit my daughter very well and I have not had a leakeage issue. They have velcro tabs so they can grow with my daughter very easily. They come in lots of great colors as well. I only have one issue with diaper, they are a bit bulky, not as bulky as prefolds though. Since the diaper is so great, the bulkiness is not a very big issue. In order to dry faster I turn the diaper inside out before I place them in the dryer. They are a bit expensive, around $16, but I was able to find them on sale at GoGo Natural.
When I made the decision to use cloth diapers I wasn't to sure which brand to use. I researched all the different types of diapers: organic prefolds, contour, fitted, all-in-ones, and pocket. I liked the variety but I didn't like the prices. I wasn't sure if I would stick with the cloth diapers since I had never used them before so I wanted something more economical. I also didn't want to purchase individual diapers, I wanted a starter kit. I wished more cotton diaper companies had starter kits. Only two companies carried starter kits: Bummis and Cotton Babies. Bummis had an organic cotton prefold diapers starter kit and Cotton Babies had a prefold diapers kit, Econobum, and an insert kit, Flip. Since the Econobum kit was only a third of the price of the Bummis starter kit I decided to try Econobum. This starter kit came with 3 one size diaper covers and 12 prefolds. I had to prewash the cotton prefolds 3 times before I could use them and the diaper covers only had to be prewashed once. I loved the one size diaper covers and the cotton prefolds! The diaper covers snap system was very easy to use and they fit my daughter well. The elastic in the back of the diaper cover and the legs kept her runny stool from leaking. The cotton prefold was very soft to the skin and had great absorbency. The only con to these diapers were the bulkiness. They were so bulky that some of her clothes didn't fit over her diapers. Since I was so pleased with Cotton Babies I decided to try their Flip starter kit. I am so happy with these diapers. The Flip system had the same great diaper covers and the inserts had the same great absorbency but without any of the bulkiness. My husband even thought our daughter was wearing disposables! I was able to use my exisiting diaper covers with these inserts so I didn't have to buy any additional covers. I bought additional inserts so I wouldn't have to do laundry everyday. I am very happy with the Flip system and wished I had bought it from the very beginning.
When I first became interested in using cloth diapers I was overwhelmed by all the choices. Cloth diapers had come a long way from my mom's time. I knew I wanted to use cloth diapers because not only were they good for the environment they were also very economical. I tried to do some research online but I wasn't able to find anything that was helpful. So here's the 411 on cloth diapers that I have gathered so far.
Prefold Diapers - These are the cloth diapers that your mother probably used. They are rectangular with thick inner layers. You usually fold these diapers in thirds. Once the diaper has been folded to the size you need you must place a diaper cover over the prefold. Prefold diapers are very economical, about $2 -$5 per diaper, and are also available in organic cotton. You can use these prefolds until your child is ready to be potty trained.
