Ask a Mum who uses CLOTH NAPPIES / DIAPERS [28/6 - 5/7]

[Mervs Mum]

Welcome to our weekly Ask a Mum thread.

If you are unfamiliar with these threads, the concept is that each week a Mum is nominated to speak about an issue that relates to them. People may ask them as many questions as they wish, and they will do their best to answer them. The idea is that we all learn about one another, and discuss issues and lifestyles that affect one another.

This week's mum is Mommyof3co. Mommyof3co uses cloth nappies / diapers and is happy to answer any questions you might like to ask.


If you would like to volunteer to be one of our Ask A Mums, then please PM me. (do not post in the Ask A Mum thread)

You need to include what subjects you would like to talk about, and then when it is your week I will PM you the weekend before. Please note though, that it may take several weeks for it to be your turn. If you have any questions about the Ask A Mum threads, then please PM me.

These threads are for questions for our weekly Mum only.

Previous Ask A Mum Threads:
Post Natal Depression
7 Kids 10 and Under
Survived domestic violence
Assisted Conception
Teen Mums in UK & US

 

[Mervs Mum]

Have you used cloth nappies with all your boys?

 

[princess_bump]

how do you find the extra washing? do you have a routine with it? x

 

[louise1302]

were they expensive initially to buy the set up?
do you use wraps or all in ones?
are they difficult to clean??
why did you choose cloth over disposable?
archie is now 4 months wold it be worth my while money wise to switch to cloth nappies for the rest of his time in them? if so what do i need to buy..am a complete novice when it comes to this

thanks for any advice xxx

 

[Lu28]

I'll be keeping an eye on this, I've wanted to ask someone all of those questions!

 

[isil]

I used terrry towels with Alasdair but as soon as he started moving I found I had to move to disposable pull ups as it was sooo hard to get him to stay still enough.

So what are your tips for changing a baby that moves?!

 

[mommyof3co]

Have you used cloth nappies with all your boys? No, I didn't start until Hayden. With Landon I really had no clue cloth even existed anymore haha

how do you find the extra washing? do you have a routine with it? It really isn't too bad, it adds about 2 loads a week to my washing. Yes, I wash every 3-4 days usually and do a cold rinse, hot wash with soap, cold rinse, take out PUL do fabric softener on the rest in another rinse cycle then dry it all


were they expensive initially to buy the set up? To get going I bought cheap just so I had what I needed then once I had all of that I have slowly added to it, mostly goodmamas which are expensive at $35+ each.

do you use wraps or all in ones? I use some of everything, I do some prefolds with PUL wraps or fleece, fitteds are my favorite with fleece or coverless, and I do pockets and AIO (mostly for when out)

are they difficult to clean?? No not at all actually...before he was on solids we didn't even have to spray it off, but now we have a diaper sprayer and we spray off the poo, throw it in the pail, then dump it all in the wash and do the cold rinse and all that routine I posted above...I RARELY have any stains at all and if anything it's very light and after a few more washes fades away.

why did you choose cloth over disposable? I think they are better for them, no chemicals, they are more comfy plus they are so cute

archie is now 4 months wold it be worth my while money wise to switch to cloth nappies for the rest of his time in them? if so what do i need to buy..am a complete novice when it comes to this YES...I didn't start at all until 2mo but didn't switch full time until he was 4mo. I would get a dozen or 2 of prefolds, probably 4-5 wraps, probably a dozen or so pockets/aio to get started and then add to it with others that you like.

 

[mommyof3co]

I used terrry towels with Alasdair but as soon as he started moving I found I had to move to disposable pull ups as it was sooo hard to get him to stay still enough.

So what are your tips for changing a baby that moves?! I really cut back on using prefolds when Hayden got mobile too, it can be a pain. I switched to mainly fitteds then, especially once he was crawling and walking because he can go coverless at home even though they aren't waterproof..they are really cute and comfy and I know as soon as he's wet because the front gets damp. It's hard to do coverless when they aren't mobile because the compression it would get wet on whatever they were sitting on. If I were you I'd get some pockets/aio and some fitteds, they go on just like disposables so it's easy and quick

 

[louise1302]

am just looking at some but whats the difference between aio and nappies with inserts or pockets??

sorry for hogging this with loads of q's but im really interested

 

[Mervs Mum]

OK so now you are talking another language! AIO? pockets?

Can you run us through the basic items and what they are for?

 

[Mervs Mum]

Oh and PUL?

You might have to give the full names rather than abbreviations for any readers who dont know anything about cloth diapering this week

 

[mommyof3co]

am just looking at some but whats the difference between aio and nappies with inserts or pockets??

OK so now you are talking another language! AIO? pockets?

Can you run us through the basic items and what they are for?

Sorry about that To answer both of these


Flats ~ square, muslin like diapers that you have to fold and pin or snappi on. Example
https://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/flat.htm

Prefolds~ the rectangle diapers that are already sewn with more layers in the middle but you still fold onto the baby and pin or snappi on.
Example (these are also my personal favorite for prefolds)
https://greenmountaindiapers.com/diapers.htm#prefolds

Fitteds~ they go on like a disposable with snaps or velcro (some you do use a snappi or pin though) but these are not waterproof. The inside will have either a snap-in/lay-in/sewn in area that is the absorbent part. The one in my sample has 2 layers that snap in, I can take detailed pics for anyone interested from my own stash for any of the diapers
Example
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12463215@N00/3666591494/

Pockets~ These go on like a disposable with snaps or velcro but are waterproof. Most have PUL on the outside though some companies use different material to make it waterproof. They will have a pocket in the back or front of the diaper where you slide in an insert that is the absorbent part.
Example
https://www.abbyslane.com/catalog.php?category=516

AIO (all in one)~ Just like the pockets they are waterproof and go on like a sposie (disposable) but they will have the inserts sewn in so there is no stuffing, you just put it on and go. Some have the inserts sewn on the inside some are like the ones in my example.
Example
https://www.abbyslane.com/catalog.php?category=592

This is a snappi
https://www.abbyslane.com/catalog.php?category=59

Here is a wetbag or pail liner..they are bags that are waterproof so you can put the diapers in without it leaking through onto anything
https://www.abbyslane.com/catalog.php?category=162

I think that is everything, let me know if there is anything else that you want pics or examples of. Everything I have posted I have personally so I could take better pics if you are interested in say how you put the insert in a pocket, what the fitteds look like on the inside, anything like that.

 

[mommyof3co]

Oh and PUL stands for polyurethane laminated. What it is is that plasticky feeling stuff that some wraps are made from.

 

[claire-lou]

I changed to cloth just this week and am slowly getting my head around it. But I already have one very stained nappy. Can you give some tips regarding getting them out?
Thanks

 

[mommyof3co]

I changed to cloth just this week and am slowly getting my head around it. But I already have one very stained nappy. Can you give some tips regarding getting them out?
Thanks

How do you wash? Also what does he eat? I've found that some breastfed babies their poo stains while others it doesn't. Alot of times after a few more washes the stain will come out but you can also try sunning the diaper. You just put it out in the sun for a few hours and it should help. Or here in the US we have this stuff called Bac-Out that is good for stains, I'm not sure if yall carry it there.

 

[claire-lou]

A prewash then at 60 as per care instructions. He's FF but I'll give the sunning a go thanks

 

[Shifter]

I'm a huge fan of cloth and use pockets mostly, but I did get hold of a large selection to try out before deciding which I liked best. We still use biodegradable disposables at night for the extra absorbency as we found that a cloth nappy really can't be left more than about four hours.

Did you find this too or have you come up with another solution?

Also, do you use a nappy sanitiser in with your laundry detergent? We do but I don't know how much point there is to it lol!

 

[mommyof3co]

For nighttime we used BumGenius 3.0 pockets with both of the inserts it comes with for awhile. Then we started having stink problems with those so I invested in some nighttime fitteds and I would usually use a fleece liner so to help keep the moisture away. Here are a couple I really liked

These are from a Work at home mom, she stocks every Thurs at 7pm central time, they go FAST..within minutes so you have to be quick
https://hyenacart.com/BagshotRowBamboo/index.php?c=0&p=26801

Also these are great for nighttime
https://hyenacart.com/diaperdrivethru/index.php?c=0&p=12243

Both of those ladies have excellent customer service. That 2nd one had some problems with my order, it took longer than expected so she included another nighttime diaper completely free for the wait (which really wans't even that long)

Also the new Fuzzi Bunz one size diapers are good for overnight, they also come with 2 inserts and you can use those or I've done it even with just the one big one it comes with because Hayden is still on the small side so that works well. I've used the smaller one and put it in with one of my sized Fuzzi Bunz and the insert that one came with and made that work as well. Usually adding in an extra insert will make most pockets work. For my fitteds I use them with fleece pants/short so he can breathe better and it makes them waterproof

 

[mommyof3co]

Oh and the nappy sanitizer...I've actually never heard of it, even on the cloth diapering forum I'm on..I'm guessing we must not have anything like that here in the US? But washing on hot water sanitizes so I don't think there would be any need? I just do a cold rinse, hot wash with the detergent, another cold rinse and that gets them clean

 

[Samantha675]

I have found using a couple of ounces of plain old vinager in the pre-wash helps with the stink.

I wash my diapers on a sanitary cycle with a pre-wash, extra rinse, stain cycle. If they start to smell a bit funky, then I just do a couple of washes with nothing in there. I use Charlies Soap on my diapers.