Category: Parent Talk
I have decided to use cloth diapers for my first child and I thought it would be helpful for me to share what information I have come across and to ask for anyone who has any to offer to please post here. I first decided to use cloth when I saw the statistics on how much waste is produced by disposable diapers and training pants. The amont of space they take up in landfills is truly terrible and they take a very very long time to biodigrate. Also the materials used to make diapers are heavily bleached and contain many harmful chemicals which can irritate a baby's skin and even pass from the diaper to the child's bloodstream with repeted longterm exposures. I have switched from pads and tampons to the menstral cup for both of the above reasons, the harmful chemicals and the effect they have on the planet. The similarities in the two situations are numerous. Once I started doing some research however I was almost put off enough to ditch my notion of going cloth. First of all I went to babies r us and found that all of the cloth diapers they carry must be fascinned with safety pins. That is just too much hastle and you run the risk of poking your baby with the pins. One of the sales associates did tell me however that many companies make cloth diapers with velcrow or snap closures and that I should search the internet for these. I am currently looking for the most afordable, durrible and cute cloth diapers I can find online. Having surmounted that hurttle I promptly met with another. I am not clinically paranoid or OCD, but I really and truly am germ-fobic when I think too much about some of the dirty jobs I have to do. I hadn't given overly much thought to how to clean these diapers and when I asked my mother she said, "Oh, you just wrinse them in the toilet then you wash them in the washing machine and dry them in the dryer." I was horrifyed. The toilet for me is something to be kept at arms-length while cleaning and to be regarded with much mistrust and revulsion. There was absolutely no way in hell that I was going to just dip and swish a diaper in the toilet water with out rubber gloves, and if i used all of those rubber gloves, a pair each and every time I wrinsed a dirty diaper I would be doing the environment just as much of a disservice as I would be by using disposable diapers. I can deal with messes of my own family members, my own body, my own pets, but a fresh mess is much less disgusting then a stagnant breedingground for bacteria that is the toilet. First of all it is not just my darling baby's germs and my germs, it is the germs of every single person who visits our house and uses our toilet and secondly it is not a known factor of x amount of ick that occurred y number of minutes ago, from z people; it is millions of unknown germs of unknown origin and of indeterminit age. lol All of that aside I don't want that toilet wrinsed diaper, washed afterwords or not, to go anywhere near my nice clean baby, the nice clean but of my nice clean baby or the nice clean clothes of my nice clean baby. As if the germs that my child deposits aren't enough, let's add a couple thousand other nasty random unknown germs to the mix. I was adimit, there was to be no diaper wrinsing in the toilet. Then the question still begged, how to get the solid ick out before putting the diapers in the washer. I got some excellent help from some organic websites and another sales associate at babies r us. They suggested that you wipe the bulk of the mess off of the diaper with the organic wipe that you used on your baby's bottom, right into the waste can then dispose of the wipe. Then you soak the diaper in a solution of water, organic laundry detergent, lemon juice, vinegar and essential oils. Still germy, but something I could deal with. All known, organic germeyness. That chrisus averted I moved on to the next. My fiance is very apprehensive about changing diapers and had rather been counting on just wisking away the nasty diaper and disposing of it with as little contact as possible, which is not possible with cloth diapers. I agreed to do all of the diaper washing if he did fifty percent of the diaper changes, but the problem springs from his reluctants to wrinse, soak or wipe the diapers. I finally found my final solution from a nice lady I met at a newyears eve party. She told me about a pending law in Origon, only pending, that would outlaw disposable diapers and informed me that a few companies had started producing organic, biodigradable, small cloth diaper liners that could be disposed of in preparation for such a law. That would deal with most of the truly nasty solid waste and would be much better for the environment than ordinary disposable diapers or even the full sized organic disposable diapers and they are very cost effective. So, if anyone is considering using them, but is dealing with any of these issues, I hope this helps. If anyone can offer some suggestions who has actually used cloth, please please do share.
Go disposable, trust me. You may have all these lofty ambitions on how you are going to do this, once you have a screaming baby with a huge poop to deal with, one who is probably not very patient, and you have to do the diaper changes 4 to 5 times a day, you will go disposable. The amount of waste you produce by repeatedly washing the clothes using detergent is not something you can leave out of your consideration.
I know it all seems easy now and you want to do it perfect, that's normal, but once you're there it's a totally different story, you should relax and not do things so ideally, especially with the first baby, use the easiest way, you can help the environment in a million other ways and may be by baby #2 you can switch, if you feel comfortable and you have the necessary experience.
I agree with wb. I used cloth diapers at first, and after two months I went to the disposable diapers. It is good to save the environment but sometimes there is things you can't avoid. My daughter didn't have any problems from the disposable diapers, she even rarely had diaper rash at all. Good luck in whatever you choose.
On the other hand I disagree with posts 2 & 3. (No, I'm not a Mom, but I think one should do what they're comfortable with). If you find cloth don't work you can always switch later; at least that's my outlook. Also, after reading some of the boards on here my husband and I have started to look...Mostly because I was alergic to disposable diapers, am alergic to most toilet paper, feminin products, ETC, so, it isn't a far stretch to realize that our own baby; (if we ever make it...) could be too. So, here is the brands I've found that could work...
Kushies Reusable Ultra Diapers for Infants (No exterior cover needed, uses velcrow from what my husband could see)
Kushies Washable Diaper Liners for Ultra Diapers (good for extra protection; like over night and cold weather)
Kushies Flushable Biodegradable Diaper Liners (Doesn't catch the wet, but simply pull out and flush when it's a mess)
We found them at Wal-Mart, and I plan on checking more, but they look pretty good; at least to my untrained eye...And, they come fairly highly recommended by customers. As for cleaning...Here's a link I found earlier today.
http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=964
This site also includes information on cloth diapers...How to and so forth.
HTH, again, I'm not a Mom yet, but do want to help, especially when I'm interested in results for my own reasons. LOL!
cattleya
, how can you "disagree" with the posts, the posts just said, once you have babies you realize you don't have time for all this fancy schmancy supposedly great cloth diaper stuff, but may be you're a better parent than us who have actually done it and will use cloth diapers all the way. We'll be curious to know once you have a baby if you still have this opinion.
But there's nothing wrong with being idealistic, I just wanted to warn the parent-to-be that the real thing is just so very different from your preparations and a lot more emphasis has to be on convenience and ease than on environmental values.
But if you manage to become a mom and still pull of cloth diapers and such I'll certainly take my hat off for you, or would, if I had one, lol.
cheers
-B
I "disagreed" because the way I read it it sounded like you were disagreeing with any idea of cloth diapers. I appologize if I misinterpretted the posts. LOL, no one is perfect. But a question; how do you think parents did it before disposables, or if they had to do to alergies; such as in my case? I'm not saying the disposables aren't more convenient; they are. We plan on using them when out in public (if possible) simply because of that convenience, but I do believe (from everything I've read) that cloth is definitely much better for the baby; IE no bleached, ETC, materials. And, as I stated before...I may simply have no choice. So, for some today disposables still aren't an option.
I simply daren't think about what it was like before disposables, and I certainly wish you best of luck with them. ;)
We looked at the half disposable ones (with the disposable insert) but never ended up using them. I guess my main point is that it'll take a lot more determination than you think, once you are a parent, to go beyond the very easiest and quickest solution because it's so constant and there are so many things you have to worry about. It's the most fun and rewarding thing in the world, don't get me wrong, but it's definitely a 24/7 jobs and all these grand ideas about, say, never to let the baby watch tv in the first year or only use certain clothes/diapers/food etc tend to break down when the baby is screaming at 5am and you've slept 2 hours and you know he/she will be happy for an hour in front of the tv. ;)
cheers and good luck
God, I'm just glad I don't have to deal with this! The first post caught my eye because she mentioned the menstrual cup (Mooncup, Keeper, etc.), which is a marvelous alternative! I just wanted to toss out my vote of support for that, and to wish you luck with this more environmentally friendly diapering method. I like to think I'd choose this, if I had a child--cloth pads are not a great inconvenience, after all, but perhaps the constant need for washing diapers every day for two years would be.
Yet another largely useless reply. I'm good at those. LOL
To posts two and three. I do have a backup plan. If I get overwhelmed and need to switch to disposable I will use organic, chemical free, bleach free, biodigratable diapers from Seventh Generation. They also make excelent organic cleaning products which I already use. Also Aubrey Organics and Earth Friendly Products make nice ranges of home cleaners that are organic and just as effective as the chemical laden, usual brands. I also plan to use the disposable diapers by seventh generation when I am traveling as there is no way I'm going to carry around used nasty cloth diapers to wash them and I am not going to just throw them away either. Seventh generation also makes organic baby wipes and in their line of laundry detergents they have one especially for baby's messy clothes and diapers. To post four. Thank you so much. That is very helpful. I will go and check out those sites asap. If you do have an allergy to things like toilet paper, paper towels, pads, tampons, or tissues and you think your baby might be elergic to wipes and diapers, Seventh Generation makes many personal care paper products in adition to their diapers. Also there are several brands of menstral cups and or cloth washable pads for you if you are interested. Oh, and Aubrey Organics makes special baby shampoo, baby lotion and baby body wash that are truly organic, gentle and safe. Beware of brands like Burt's Bees who claim to offer an organic or natural line of baby care products as they use many nasty chemicals including fragrance, pegs, that's poly-etholeen glicol, sls, that's sodium loral sulfate and artificial colerants. If that isn't enough of a warning bare in mind that they were just baught out by Chlorox. I've learned in my time at the health-food stores that many products are not on the level and that everyone should read lables very carefully. Try www.cosmeticdatabase.com to see how dangerous your current cosmetic and personal care products really are and try www.aubreyorganics.com to find a list of ten ingreeddients to avoid when reading product lables of any brand of "organic" or "natural" products. Wo, so many other issues coming up here. It sounds like there needs to be some topics created on television viewing by children, brestfeeding vs bottle feeding, commercial vs homemade baby food and, good lord, that's quite enough for now. lol
LOL, I don't know that the brand I wrote about is completely organic, but they're reasonably priced and cloth; which was more of our concern when we were looking. I care about the environment, but I can't afford to pay the price that some organic companies require. Just like we can't afford to eat organic, so, we do the best we can. Hmm, let's see, breast vurses formula; breast all the way...Unless my body dictates otherwise. No comment on tv; depends on the child and circumstances. Home made food when possible. LOL! Yep, sounds like other topics would be necessary. Anyways, again, I don't know that they're organic, but they're cloth, looked easier to change (no pens) and were better priced than many we found.
Menstrual cups? I've never heard of those. How do they work, exactly? sorry if this question is off-topic.
Oh, I'm not that picky about the cloth diapers. If they are not organic cotton or whatever I don't especially care just so long as they work. Babies r us had a few options for basinettes, swings and bouncers lined with organic material and some organic clothing, but the selection of size, design, color and type was very poor and much more expensive so we are not going crazy with the organic on that front. lol We haven't managed to eat all organic either because of the price, but I've found that it's more cost effective to simply go more natural with out going completely organic. For example, eat one hundred percent fruit juice, whole milk, regular coffee and tea, not decafinated, ordinary sodas and drink mixes, not diet, fresh or canned fruits and vegetables and cook more with the oven and stove and less with the microwave. Whole milk may have more callories, but it also has more vitamins, nutrients and some of the naturally occurring proteins that premote the burning of fat. One hundred percent juice is not quite as good as fresh fruit, but it is more convenient and takes longer to spoil and is still full of nutrients. Decafinated hot chocolate, tea and coffee is decafinated by harsh chemical means and it is better to have the natural cafeen running through your system, within reason, than the nasty chemical resedue from removing most of the cafeen. When you remove cafeen from most teas and chocolate and from coffees especially green coffees you also remove many of the natural substances that premote the release of endorphins and in the case of chocolate, heart health. If you want something that is naturally decafinated, drink yerba mate pronounced erba mahtay. Soda may have a tun of sugar, but the aspertain and other artificial sweetners found in diet sodas and products like crystal light can be very detremental after multiple longterm exposures to them whereas sugar can be burned off by your metabolism. Canned fruits packed in water or light syrup, no heavy syrup can be nearly as good for you as fresh fruit and frozen can be as well as long as you do not warm it or thaw it in the microwave. Eating real cheese instead of cheese product like proccessed Kraft American singles or velvita cheese product is better for you in the long run. Cooking foods in the microwave destroys vital nutrients, but it is ok for fun, junkey foods that have virtually no nutrients to begin with, such as hot pockets, tv dinners, toster strudle, etc. To the last poster, menstral cups are cilacone or laytex, bell-shaped devices that can easily and painlesly be inserted into the vagina to katch menstral flow then removed, emptied, cleaned and reinserted. They are more leek proof than tampons if used properly inserted, safe to wear while swimming, won't leave cotton particles on the walls of the vagina, will not release bleach or other toxic chemicals into your system like tampons do and they are much more cost effective in the long run. They are better for you, better for your reproductive and sexual health, better for the environment and better for your wallet. You can clean them with warm water and mild soap with no difficulty and no mess and simply soak them in a gentle cleansing solution between periods. They make a size for before and another for after vaginal birth. They really are excellent and they are not too expensive. The diva cup and the moon cup are two of the most popular. I would direct you to Amanda for more information as she is sort of the menstral cup guru that introduced me to them.
Aw gee, Heather, thanks. But you pretty much covered it. The only thing I'd add is that the silicon cups can be boiled for sterilization, while the latex cup (there's only one; the keeper) cannot be boiled. Also, if you have or think you might have a latex sensitivity, it's best to go with a silicon cup. I went with a silicon cup anyway because it's easier for me to chuck the cup in a small pot of boiling water than to deal with cleansing solutions, and also because I have shows signs of a latex sensitivity before. The most popular cup by far is the Diva Cup. The Mooncup UK is also popular. I have a Moon Cup by Keeper (also called the Moon Cup US), which is a silicon version of the aforementioned keeper. There are also a couple other, relatively new cups on the market. The Lunette is made in Finland and those with smaller anatomies seem to do well with that one. Even newer are the Femmicup and Lady Cup. Femmicup is made in the UK, while Lady Cup is made in the Czech republic. They're both only months old, so there isn't too much information available on them yet.
The Diva Cup can be found in many health food stores or ordered from sites like luckyvitamin.com or betterlife.com for approximately $20. The Moon Cup by Keeper can be purchased from mooncup.com for about $35 (more expensive, but a slightly easier learning curve than the diva). Any more questions, hit me up, or maybe create a new topic so the diaper thread isn't inundated by menstrual cup posts.
See, new you'd come through. Thanks Manda. Every one clap for the menstral cup guru. Now, Manda go and write your paper or read your dry Brit. Lit. assignment or whatever it is that you are not doing right now that you should be. lol
I'll have to Google that Lunette.
I've had a Mooncup for five years, and a Keeper for four years before that. Mooncup is more flexible, and easier to deal with, in my opinion; I much prefer it. There used to be an email list for tips, which may be of help in the beginning, although I already got the hang of it before discovering any list existed. It takes a little practice, at first. Perhaps the best thing about switching to a cup is not having to buy the usual supplies anymore! It's probably a good idea to keep some on hand just in case, at first. The cups will last approximately ten years, I think. It's a great invention, though not something easily explained to and thereby shared with friends whose initial reaction is likely to be a squeamish one.
I'm happy to try and answer any questions, as well, by email, if anyone wants more info.
Hmm, I really wish I had a more anonymous handle now. LOL
Um ... let's just go back to what this topic was created for, shall we? I'm sorry I got off the subject.
let me go make a board topic for mensteral cups. let's do that. *waves to the board, and considders saying try the method I learned about in a documentary where no dipers were used. Instead you make sounds and the kid pees when mommy tells it to. You go stand over the toilette with the kid about 14 times a day, and it's supposed to be all natural. People are slightly special me thinks.
It's called elimination communication, and it apparently works. But you definitely need to be a stay-at-home parent to do something like that.
yes thank you i forgot the word for it, but as a blind person I'm thinking thoughs sometimes oopsys will be fun to clean. Not saying we can't but missing a spot could be imbarricing and if it is a carpet... well rather stinky.
Yeah. The idea was semi-intriguing, but when I did more research on it, I was like, "uh, how 'bout no?"
I think it came from Africa, although I can't be sure. I saw something like that mentioned once in a novel written about Africa in the seventies. That sounds good in theory, but like way too much work. lol I want to go natural, but not that natural. I do want to have some remnent of a life once this baby is born.
Hmmm! Guess I'd go for Pampers disposables and pull-ups! Aw'w'w! When our favourite little man was first born, I held one of the cutest, tiniest little pampers in my hand that just happened to be on the kitchen table so mum showed me (it was a clean one btw). They don't seem to let anything leak out the sides and down a newborn's babygrow like those old-fashioned nappies which you literally have to tape the waistbands together and wrap it round the baby's waist. They just pull on like a pair of pants and feel very nice and soft, so i'd either go for Pampers or cloth nappies when the time comes.
Jen.
Ok, I've been gone for ages and i wanted to add the ensight and information that I have gained after months of research. A wonderful site for cloth diapers and many other things is punkinbutt.com. They offer everything from furnature to Moby wraps, to pregnancy and post partum care products to accessories and solutions for using and washing cloth diapers. I am going to use a great, highly ajustable snap closure, organic cotton diaper made by Tiny Tush. They fit newborns through toddlers. You also need a diaper cover called a wrap and mine are the super snap by Bummies. Wraps do need to be purchased in various sizes. Back Out stain remover and Bioclean laundry detergent are great for washing. You can use your wrinse cycle on diapers to avoid having to maintain a wet pale which is a wonderful thing for germaphobes like me. You actually should not use ordinary detergents, even organic ones, an even those made for baby clothing, as those contain fabric softeners and those will ruen the diapers as they reduce their ubsorbency. Badger Balm and Earth Mamma Angel Baby also offer great organic bodycare for moms and babies. There are so many new things that I have discovered and learned in the past few months, but I think I have most of the rellivant ones posted here. I will have to revisit other boards to put down some of the other things that I have found out since starting or contributing to them so long ago.