Traveling with Cloth Diapers

The Incident: Lesson learned, stick with the cloth you love!

When my daughter was just a few months old, she joined us on her first airplane ride. We were first time parents and cloth newbies, and the thought of traveling with cloth just seemed scary. Where would we put the dirty diapers,  how many would we need, what about our cloth wipes? It was just all too much for me.

We decided to go the disposable route, bought a pack from the overwhelming aisle at the store, and didn't think about it again. Until, the incident. I can laugh about it now, I really can. However, flying for the first time with a new baby, long delays, and a lack of sleep insured that I did not laugh about it when it happened.

Our first flight went fine and our baby was a magical sleeper, we didn't think traveling with a baby was so bad. Then our second flight got delayed, and delayed, and delayed. The baby got crankier as time went on and at one point I casually mentioned to my husband that I didn't think she'd pooped yet that day. He shot me a death glare and insisted I not bring it up again, didn't want to jinx things.

We finally took off and our daughter fell asleep snuggled into my arms, enjoying the vibrations of the plane. About half way through she opened her eyes, looked up smiled at me, and let the explosion happen. The result was something that had never before (and has never since) happened when we had her in cloth. Her clothes, my shirt, and my jeans were covered in a putrid brown mess. Everyone around us had their faces scrunched inside their shirts while shooting us death glares. While I had planned ahead and packed her an extra outfit in the diaper bag, I didn't have anything for myself. A flight attendant actually offered to give me a t shirt out of her own luggage, that's how bad the incident was.

We have taken several flights since then, and have never considered anything but cloth. Simply put, we have so much faith in cloth that we aren't going to tempt the blowout gods again. We've learned a few lessons along the way that have made traveling with cloth easier to plan for.

Laundry: What type of laundry facilities will you have access to?

If you're visiting family or friends that have a washer, chat with them ahead of time to make sure they are comfortable with you using it to wash your cloth (and educate them on cloth if they are new to the idea!). One important item to remember is either bring or purchase cloth diaper safe detergent on your trip.

If you won't have regular access to washing facilities, you have a few other options. Some parents prefer to wash in the sink and hang diapers to dry in the bathroom. Flats work well for this since they are easy to pack and easy to wash.

If hand washing isn't something you're interested in, you could consider disposable inserts with covers. They are a much more eco and chemical friendly option than disposables. One option are Grovia BioSoaker Pads, which are fragrance, dye, plastic, and chlorine free. They are also biodegradable and compostable. Flip Disposable Inserts are another option for laying inside covers and they fold down to adjust for size.

Diaper Storage: How do you plan on storing your soiled diapers and for how long?

Depending on how long you will be traveling for and how long you will go between washes, you will want a quality wet bag to store soiled diapers in. A large wet bag easily holds more than a day's worth of diapers for our daughter and we choose to wash more often while traveling. The wet bag can be washed right in the washer with the diapers.

How many diapers to take?  How are you traveling and how often will you wash?

If you are traveling by airplane, calculate how many diapers you'd normally use during that time period and double it to account for delays. If things get real crazy and you're stuck for significantly longer, the ticket counters often have diapers they will provide you with.

Determine how often you will wash your diapers while traveling to determine how to pack. If you are low on space, consider washing every day or every other to save space when packing.

Wipes: Cloth or disposable?

Cloth wipes are easy to travel with as well! Wet them ahead of time with your favorite cloth wipe solution or water and store them in a Planet Wise wipe pouch in your diaper bag. Throw them in a wet bag with your diapers and wash like normal.

If you'd prefer disposable wipes, here's another pro tip for your in case a trash can isn't handy. You can throw those in your wet bag as well and just wash them with your diapers. They don't fall apart in the washer or dryer and you can just throw them away after you're done.

Who else has traveled with a baby in cloth? Any other tips you'd share with others to help make their trip easier?

The First Year Freak-Out!

One-Size Diapers are incredibly popular and with good reason! They allow you to change the sizing on the diaper to grow with your child, making cloth diapers even more economical! However, one of the most frequently asked questions we get at Nicki's Diapers is something like, "My 7 month old is so chunky and is already on the largest setting of his one-size diapers! There is no way these are going to fit through potty training! What do I do?!" I can almost hear the panic in their voice as I read it, because I've been there!

Let me tell you, it's going to be OK! The vast majority of children DO potty train out of their one-size diapers, even if they were a super chunky baby! Let me tell you my story :) Ian, my oldest son, came into the world more than 4 years ago at a whopping 9 pounds 11 ounces (born at 39 weeks, yikes!). We didn't start cloth diapering him till he was about 12 weeks old and we exclusively used BumGenius 3.0 One-Size Pocket Diapers. Right off the bat, Ian was on the second largest setting and within a couple months, they diapers were fully unsnapped. I was FREAKED! Did I just drop hundreds of dollars on these diapers only to use them for a few months?!

Then, he started to crawl and slimmed down a bit. Then, he started to walk and slimmed down even more. He was never an incredibly rolly polly baby, just really solid. Their body shape changes as they grow and even those who have maxed out the rise of the diaper will likely still be using them well into toddlerhood! I've also found that the more mobile baby becomes, the easier it is for them to have a lower rise diaper. As the close in on potty training, it more resembles underwear then, too! So, the good news is that when he potty trained just before his 3rd birthday at about 32 pounds, he was still fitting beautifully in his one-size diapers and we had actually snapped man of them down a snap to get a more trim fit under his toddler sized jeans. Just a couple months ago, our family was hit with a stomach virus and at 4 years old and 40 pounds, I put Ian back into one-size diapers for a couple days without any fit issues!

 

Pictured above, (left) Ian at 7 months old with the diaper fully unsnapped and (right, below) Ian at 2 1/2 years old, still wearing one-size diapers! So if you're like me and many of the concerned parents who's little one seems to be growing at a rapid rate, take a deep breath! You're not the only one to be having the "First Year Freak-Out!"!

New to Cloth? Become a Cloth Diaper expert!!

Do you think of diaper pins and plastic pants when you think of cloth diapering? There is a new generation Cloth diapers that are so far from this image, and cloth diapering is definitely something that families who want to save money should explore. You will not believe how easy it! It is budget friendly and Eco friendly!!

I am not nearly as Eco-conscious as I wish I were. However, I am the stereotypical mother that many of you may think of when thinking of cloth diapering. I'm a baby wearer, I'm a breastfeeding mama, but at the same time, I am just a mom who enjoys saving some serious bucks.

First thing First

How much money can I save?

For disposable diapers, the average cost per diaper nationwide is $0.28 per diaper. The total cost for this figure (3 ½ years, 8 diaper changes per day) would be $2,862.72.

For cloth diapering, the costs range widely and it can be difficult to give exact figures on how much these cost. Cloth diapering (including the cost of cloth wipes & laundering) can range between $200-1300 dollars. This figure ultimately depends on whether or not you choose the most expensive diapers or the less expensive. Regardless of the style that you chose, you still come out financially ahead by using the cloth versus the disposable.

Before you go shopping, know the lingo!

Researching cloth diapering can be really overwhelmed - trying to figure out what types of diapers went with what, which was the best kind, what abbreviations mean. Ahhhh It can make a girl go crazy!!!

Here is a easy to understand break down:

Prefolds:
They are a traditional cloth diaper with a thick strip down the middle. These are typically worn with a diaper cover. They are one of the least expensive options for cloth diapering & dry extremely fast! They come in three sizes- Preemie (4-10 pounds), Infant (newborn to 15 pounds) & Premium (15-30 pounds).

DSQ Prefold - Diaper Service Quality:
These are more absorbent than the store brands such as Gerber.

CPF - Chinese Prefold:
These are a very popular type of prefold on the market.

Another option for prefolds are Indian Prefolds which are softer than the CPF and are made of gauze rather than twill. They are more absorbent, but can wear out a little faster than the Chinese Prefolds.

When your child outgrows the preemie or infant size they work fantastic to double up your stuffing at nighttime.

Diaper Covers:
If you are interested in using the prefolds, you will need to purchase waterproof diaper covers too. A prefold can be folded inside of the diaper cover and the diaper cover simply covers the prefold and acts as a waterproof barrier.

My favorites are Bummis Super Whisper Wrap, Bummis Super Brite and Flip

Fitted Diapers:
Fitted diapers also are used with Diaper Covers. Instead of using a prefold, you can use a fitted diaper which has elastic gathering in the legs and has snaps or a Velcro closure to keep the diaper together. Place the diaper cover over the fitted diaper, and you are go to go! Fitted diapers are some of our favorites!

Contoured Diapers:
These diapers are very similar to the fitted, but are missing the elastic gatherings around the legs and waist. The diaper has wings that need to be fastened. These also require a diaper cover.

Pocket Diapers:
Pocket diapers are usually made with two layers of fabric sewn together to form a pocket for an absorbent insert. This type of diaper just fastens on and does not need a diaper cover over it.

Inserts:
Inserts are used for pocket diapers. They can be made of a variety of materials- micro-terrycloth, regular terry cloth, hemp, or you can just use prefolds as inserts.

"Doubler" just means using more than one insert, which you could do if you were away for an extended amount of time or at nighttime before bed, to prevent leaking.

All In One:
Abbreviated to AIO. An All In One is a cloth diaper that has a waterproof cover and an absorbent inner liner that is all in one piece...hence the name. These diapers fasten usually with a hook/loop or snap fasteners. These are awesome! We love ours, however they do take longer to dry.

One Size Diaper:
Abbreviated to OS. A one size diaper usually fits the child from the day they are born (8lbs)until they are 30-35 pounds. These diapers usually have snaps that go across the diaper (making it smaller or bigger) and they can be folded over to create smaller sizes. As the child grows, the snaps on the legs can become larger. Our Favorites!!! We love BumGenius.

Wool Soaker/ Wool Pants:
A wool soaker is a diaper cover that is made exclusively of wool. Wool has a high lanolin content, so it works well as a diaper cover. Wool is really quite amazing! You can get knit wool in many different styles: Soakers, Pants, Shorts, and even skirts! If you are going to explore this option you will need to do extra research on them. Wool need special care.

How do I wash and take care of Cloth Diapers?
All of the above diapers & covers can go in the washing machine, excluding the Wool. I put in two tablespoons of detergent. I recommend an additive free detergent or a detergent specifically for cloth diapers. This will help prevent detergent build up in you diapers that can cause stink. If the diapers have been stained I like to have a stiff bristled brush on hand. I rinse the stained diaper under hot water and give it a nice scrub, this can really help get rid of the stain or at least fade it. When you are ready to wash selected hot/cold. I like to end with a second rinse.

After the diapers were done washing, You have a few options:

You can throw all the diapers in the dryer.

You can throw just the prefolds and diaper inserts into the dryer and dried them on medium-high heat. The diaper covers and pocket diapers can be line dried- weather permitting. They will dry quickly.

Another option for staining is in the sun. The sun acts as a bleaching agent and can take any staining out of them, literally within a couple of hours!

NEVER ever use any fabric softener or fabric softener sheets when washing your diapers. The fabric softener leaves a residue that can cause your diapers to no longer absorb, and they will leak.

Always check the manufacturer's guidelines for each particular type of diaper that you buy on how to wash it and if the diaper needs several washes before being use. Read those guidelines and use your own best judgment on how you choose to launder your diapers.

Why are my diapers leaking?
Probably time to strip your diapers. If your diapers have been absorbing fine and all of a sudden the diapers stop absorbing, they may need to be stripped.

Two or three washes (without detergent) should do the job.

It is very important to not use a ton of detergent- two tablespoons or less does the trick and diapers always smell fresh and clean.

Brown spotting on my diapers- it's not poo.
What could that be from?  Diaper rash creams can leave spotting on your diapers. Make sure to only use diaper creams that say that they are "safe for cloth diapers". However if you find yourself needing to use a regular diaper cream, its easy to just lay a fleece doubler in the diaper. This keeps the cream from touching the diaper, and then I didn't have to invest any money into special creams.

What about cloth diapering a newborn?
I didn't find cloth diapering a newborn to be as difficult as everyone claimed it would be. And I did it with Twins!!! We did have a box of preemie/newborn disposable diapers, until the babies fit the cloth diapers. Once the twins were finally enough to fit in the cloth diapers, we never looked back.

The laundry was not as much of an issue as every said and thought it would be either. When you have a newborn twins, you are already throwing in load after load. One more load didn't seem bad because of how often we were already doing the laundry.

I'm done with diapers, Now what?
If you are planning on having more children, I would suggest keeping them for the next child. When the next child comes, you will have no diapers to buy! If this is your last child though, selling the diapers can be a great way to make back some of the money you spent on them.

Favorite Brands?
Some of my favorites are Prefolds with Wool covers - bumGenius 3.0 - Bummis Covers - Bummis Bamboozle - Flip - Monkey Doodlez AIO.

A great little tip: buy 1or 2 diapers each of the brands/styles you are interested in. That way you can explore a bunch of different diapers, find out what works the best for you and your baby, and not break the bank. You'll know exactly what you want and will be able to create the stash you want with diaper you know you like!

Now, go forth and Cloth Diaper with confedence!!

By Guest Blogger: Britni - Mama to 3, cloth diapering Twins!!

Prefolds, pockets, and hybrids Oh MY!

When I had my first son two years ago, cloth diapering was not even an option. I knew nothing about it and didn’t even consider it. I had one friend who clothed and I was briefly exposed to a prefold and snappy and that was it. So for us it was disposables, the mass amount of money we literally were throwing away.

So 6 months after our son was born we were given the shock of our lives…baby number two was on the way. Yes, more diapers, more clothes, more food, and less sleep. As we crunched the numbers over and over again, me working was not an option with the cost of childcare. With that being decided, I knew we had to cut costs so I started researching cloth diapers thinking this would be a great way to save money. Boy was I amazed at what I found. Not only were there prefolds but pockets, AIO, AI2, hybrids, covers, WAHMS, fitted, wool, and organic. I was so overwhelmed and didn’t know where to begin. Luckily that wonderful friend that first exposed me to this bizarre concept was able to shed a little light on all of this and refer me to a local class at a cloth diapering store.

So I got my husband on board (well as much as I could) and convinced him to take me to the seminar, which was an hour away. It was very informative but still overwhelming. With baby number two fast approaching I bought a Bum Genius One Size pocket to try along with some fitted with covers. We tried the BG on our 1 year old and thought this was it. It was easy, worked well and looked adorable. Well now that we were about to go down to one income, the upfront cost of buying new diapers was not in our budget. Insert Nicki’s Diapers gently used section here.

Oh Nicki’s Diapers… It has been my best friend and worst enemy. You can get such great deals but it becomes SO stressful because you want to be the first one to get the deal and don’t want to miss anything. I was able to snag some great newborn Bum Genius diapers that worked really well.

We later moved onto Fuzzi Bunz sized diapers (another great find at Nicki’s Diapers gently used section) and I even convinced my mom to get me some brand new diapers as a gift.

How did I learn what what worked and what didn’t? Trial and error. If my son soaked through something is one wetting then I knew it would not work for us. Also I looked at convenience of it. Pockets are great for going out (also they are so cute) and the husband prefers to put those on.

I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to clothing. We clothed until about 6 months and then we started using disposables again for some reason. We recently started clothing again and are loving it. We do it full time and I couldn’t be happier. In our stash are mostly prefolds, covers, and pockets of all brands. I still feel there is so much out there to learn. I have not gotten the perfect wash routine down, haven’t found the perfect night or nap diaper, and haven’t tried all the wonderful brands and types out there.

My advice to newbie’s… if you can attend a workshop. They are informative and very helpful. Try as many types as you can, even if its one of each so you can figure out what works best for you. Nicki’s offer packages where you can get a variety to try and can send back what you don’t like. It's their 15 day promo. Don’t give up. Clothing takes a lot of work in the beginning. It’s hard to figure things out but everyone in the clothing business is very helpful. Don’t be afraid to stray from the “name brand” diapers. Yes they are wonderful but there are also a lot of wonderful diapers out there at great prices.

So take a deep breath, research and try to talk to someone, and enjoy that fact that you are saving money, saving the earth, and covering your little ones bottom is the most adorable diapers out there.

By Guest Blogger - Christina McMahon