By day 5 of this challenge I admit to being a bit over the hand washing idea. My fingers are dry and it's just not a lot of fun. The flats are okay for day to day use; they are simple enough and fairly hassle free. I do love my washer!! My flat diapers came in handy tonight and gave me just enough love for them to plug through the weekend!!
Tonight I got a call while out running errands. A couple friends wanted me to join them for dinner. I haven't had a girls night out since before my 5 month old was born. It sounded fun but I did not have a diaper bag with me. My baby was hungry and I did not have anything that even resembled a nursing cover. I am not a whip it out in public kinda girl so no nursing cover meant we were going to head home. I almost sent the "sorry not tonight" text when I remembered I put a few flat diapers in the pocket of my car just in case. A flat diaper makes a perfect nursing cover!! (No one knows it is really a diaper but me. I even had one of the cute flats with prints!) I can honestly say I do not have a single pocket diaper that could double as a nursing cover in an emergency. I had a great evening and thankful for my flat diapers!!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
flats challenge day 2
Life isn't so bad here in flats land. I found that an origami fold work best for us. I folded up all the flats into the origami fold during laundry so it is much more convenient come changing time. I did not like pad folding at all. That was just one leaky mess. I found rinsing dipes as they are used helps a lot. Its also a lot less hassle to do laundry every am. Dipes dry while we are out and don't take too long to wash in the morning.
I decided to wash in my tub because I think this is the most logical solution for a cash strapped mom. Not easy on the back but manageable. I do not let my kiddos bathe (just showers) because of UTI's so I just spray the tub with a little bleach water and it is clean enough for me to feel okay about washing in the tub. (my tub is actually much cleaner than usual right now)
I swung by Ikea today to grab some of their "flats." Where I live Ikea is very convenient and I figured a lot of mom's couldn't place an online order. I really want to be able to help parents in my community so I wanted to find a solution to buying diapers online. Ikea had a pack of three dipes (they are burp cloths but they are just like flats. same size and material) for 3.99. Perfect for a mom on a tight budget with no access to online ordering. I used one of the Ikea dipes and I can't tell any difference between it and the flats I ordered online. Perfect solution!
I decided to wash in my tub because I think this is the most logical solution for a cash strapped mom. Not easy on the back but manageable. I do not let my kiddos bathe (just showers) because of UTI's so I just spray the tub with a little bleach water and it is clean enough for me to feel okay about washing in the tub. (my tub is actually much cleaner than usual right now)
I swung by Ikea today to grab some of their "flats." Where I live Ikea is very convenient and I figured a lot of mom's couldn't place an online order. I really want to be able to help parents in my community so I wanted to find a solution to buying diapers online. Ikea had a pack of three dipes (they are burp cloths but they are just like flats. same size and material) for 3.99. Perfect for a mom on a tight budget with no access to online ordering. I used one of the Ikea dipes and I can't tell any difference between it and the flats I ordered online. Perfect solution!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
2 days in- where we stand
Our flats are the only diapers in rotation for 2 days and counting. A quick note on what has worked and what has not. We are right in the middle of moving so life is CRAZY!
--night time- I am using flats and a wool cover. They are doing the job. I am using an origami fold for now. I left both of my snappi's at the new house the night before last. It was so frustrating. That is exactly why I have 20 of everything. With 4 kids running around things ALWAYS get misplaced. It really put me in the thought process for a minute about how hard it would be to only have a couple of necessities instead of them popping out of every corner. What if I lost one and could not purchase another? Those snappis are so tiny they could be lost in a minute. I was able to kinda tie his flat enough to go under the wool cover and it worked fine.
--days- the simply pad folding and sticking in a cover did not work for me. My baby is still only breastfed and poop went right on out of that setup. I am using the origami fold under his covers with a snappi. Better results. I still have to wash covers every time he poops but they seem to dry quickly. With only 5 covers its a little worry some--once again I am used to have way more than enough necessities.
--washing- I defiantly recommend every night. I ended up using the bathtub. I figured no matter what financial situation I was in I would probably have a bathtub in my home. I used some Rockin Green soap I had that I don't use for the washing machine anymore. I rinsed- washed (the scratchy bottom of my tub was perfect for washing) let them soak for a half hour or so then rinsed them one more time. I used the shower to rinse so the water stayed fairly clean. I smelled each diaper before deciding they were clean. (I hope) Line drying outside as I type. It is cold here in Arizona so I hope these dipes will dry fast!
The hardest thing for me is the very limited supplies. I left snappis at the new house and had none. Last night I left a cover over there and had to make due without it. I take for granite how nice it is to never run out of anything. I always leave stuff, stuff goes between couch cushions, under beds-who knows..it all eventually reappears and I never miss it. I am very thankful to be in the position my family is in. I will appreciate my 20 pacifiers, 50 diapers and 8 baby nail clippers a little more now!
--night time- I am using flats and a wool cover. They are doing the job. I am using an origami fold for now. I left both of my snappi's at the new house the night before last. It was so frustrating. That is exactly why I have 20 of everything. With 4 kids running around things ALWAYS get misplaced. It really put me in the thought process for a minute about how hard it would be to only have a couple of necessities instead of them popping out of every corner. What if I lost one and could not purchase another? Those snappis are so tiny they could be lost in a minute. I was able to kinda tie his flat enough to go under the wool cover and it worked fine.
--days- the simply pad folding and sticking in a cover did not work for me. My baby is still only breastfed and poop went right on out of that setup. I am using the origami fold under his covers with a snappi. Better results. I still have to wash covers every time he poops but they seem to dry quickly. With only 5 covers its a little worry some--once again I am used to have way more than enough necessities.
--washing- I defiantly recommend every night. I ended up using the bathtub. I figured no matter what financial situation I was in I would probably have a bathtub in my home. I used some Rockin Green soap I had that I don't use for the washing machine anymore. I rinsed- washed (the scratchy bottom of my tub was perfect for washing) let them soak for a half hour or so then rinsed them one more time. I used the shower to rinse so the water stayed fairly clean. I smelled each diaper before deciding they were clean. (I hope) Line drying outside as I type. It is cold here in Arizona so I hope these dipes will dry fast!
The hardest thing for me is the very limited supplies. I left snappis at the new house and had none. Last night I left a cover over there and had to make due without it. I take for granite how nice it is to never run out of anything. I always leave stuff, stuff goes between couch cushions, under beds-who knows..it all eventually reappears and I never miss it. I am very thankful to be in the position my family is in. I will appreciate my 20 pacifiers, 50 diapers and 8 baby nail clippers a little more now!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A little off topic but it IS swimsuit season!
David is baby number 3 and he is just over 4 months old. We finalized plans for a California trip in July and a swimsuit is a pressing issue. I am close to pre baby size but I am not there and breastfeeding is no help in the bathing suit department. I found a swimsuit at Costco but 60 bucks for each piece plus tax was just a bit too much for me at that moment. Lucky for me I came across this website and I think I am going to hand over the cash and go for it!! (Although I entered a contest and hope to win a suit for free!!) I need something to be comfortable in and this suit seems pretty but not too revealing! I am going to choose the mango mudd SOS tankini top. I do not think the V-neck and breastfeeding boobies are a good combo!
I love that they have silicone inserts so when I am done breastfeeding next summer I can fix my swimsuit!!
http://www.hapari.com/modest-tankinis/
Anyone tried these suits??
I love that they have silicone inserts so when I am done breastfeeding next summer I can fix my swimsuit!!
http://www.hapari.com/modest-tankinis/
Anyone tried these suits??
How are we preparing (prepared) for the handwashing challenge??
This was an easy one for me after I decided to participate. I already had all my supplies on hand.
1 12 pack flats (cost was about 21 bucks)
1 6 pack flats- these are the cute ones with patterns. Obviously not what I would buy in a financial pinch but they were cute. (these were about 16 bucks)
2 snappis- I have no idea the cost on these I bought them when I was 8 weeks pregnant
1 econobum one size cover (this was free with a purchase I made)
2 bummis super lite wraps (10 bucks each)
1 sweet peas wool cover (this was given to me as a hand me down)
1 handmade wool shorties (20 bucks)
Supply wise that is it. We are only allowed to have 5 covers in our stash so that concerns me a little. I have never had much luck with prefolds because one my baby poops we are in a new cover. Lucky for me I live in Arizona and its almost the end of May. Thins dry outside really fast.
I am learning different folds right now. I do not like the kite fold too much. It didn't fit my baby well and we had a leaky diaper last night. (Not until this am but the flat wasn't really that wet so it should not have leaked at all.) The origami fold seems a little better fitted. I can not get it to fold up really neat but we are working on it.
I have not figured out the washing part yet. I have a nice big sink that diapers will get washed in. They will line dry outside on a drying rack. I already line dry everything so that is not a concern. I am not sure how to wash them and what to wash them with. I will spend the next couple days figuring out the wash routine. I plan on washing them every night. I have enough dipes that I could go 2 days if I need to.
1 12 pack flats (cost was about 21 bucks)
1 6 pack flats- these are the cute ones with patterns. Obviously not what I would buy in a financial pinch but they were cute. (these were about 16 bucks)
2 snappis- I have no idea the cost on these I bought them when I was 8 weeks pregnant
1 econobum one size cover (this was free with a purchase I made)
2 bummis super lite wraps (10 bucks each)
1 sweet peas wool cover (this was given to me as a hand me down)
1 handmade wool shorties (20 bucks)
Supply wise that is it. We are only allowed to have 5 covers in our stash so that concerns me a little. I have never had much luck with prefolds because one my baby poops we are in a new cover. Lucky for me I live in Arizona and its almost the end of May. Thins dry outside really fast.
I am learning different folds right now. I do not like the kite fold too much. It didn't fit my baby well and we had a leaky diaper last night. (Not until this am but the flat wasn't really that wet so it should not have leaked at all.) The origami fold seems a little better fitted. I can not get it to fold up really neat but we are working on it.
I have not figured out the washing part yet. I have a nice big sink that diapers will get washed in. They will line dry outside on a drying rack. I already line dry everything so that is not a concern. I am not sure how to wash them and what to wash them with. I will spend the next couple days figuring out the wash routine. I plan on washing them every night. I have enough dipes that I could go 2 days if I need to.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Tonight our challenge begins!! (we are starting the flats challenge early!!)
My washer and dryer are due to be picked up first thing tomorrow am. My last load of diapers is washing as I type and the flats are ready for action. I am a little leery of them after an accident with a snappi tonight. I put a flat diaper on my son for bed and used the snappi to close it. Somehow I sliced the side of my finger. Its not horrible but it hurt and left a pretty good cut. It worries me because I am not sure how I did it and I would hate to see that happen to my baby. I will use more caution with the snappi's for sure. Other than that, I am very confident our flats challenge will be a success. The flat seems sung enough and the snappi seems to keep it tight enough even with wiggling.
Our diaper stash ready for the move
The flats challenge stash
Our diaper stash ready for the move
Night 1- David went to bed with a flat diaper in a kite fold with a snappi. I am using a wool cover. The wool I picked for overnights is a sugarpeas brand. I wanted to stick to handmade wool covers but for overnight I am going to use the sugarpea cover. I do not want to change wet sheets in the middle of the night. I think trying flats at night is a big enough step!
The flats challenge stash
Friday, May 13, 2011
Why I am joining the flats and handwashing challenge
For 1 week my family will put away all of our "real" diapers and only use flats, snappis, and 5 diaper covers. The washer and dryer will get a much needed vacation because we will wash our diapers only by hand. Why on Earth would we do this??
--to raise awareness about how dangerous it is to let babies stay dirty to save diapers. This is a sad and dangerous trend happening right here in the US, in our towns, right in front of us.
--many families in this situation are unaware of cloth diaper options. They don't know how to use them or care for them or even where they can get them.
--to show the above families how easy cloth diapers can be even with very limited resources.
My personal reasons for taking the challenge:
--my family will be without a washer and dryer for 2 weeks for real- this is going to save countless trips back and forth between the new house and old house to wash diapers. We will do the challenge a bit longer than everyone else so that I am not making extra diaper wash trips across town.
--I am training to be an RDA circle leader- what an awesome hands on experience to have. I can relate to community members that might have very very limited resources and truly NEED to cloth diaper. I can show them how I did it, what worked and what did not.
--I want to get my cloth diaper service project off the ground. I want to diaper babies in my community that are in desperate need. I see this as an icebreaker to what I hope will be a very successful campaign someday!!
I will update my blog on a daily basis to document our trials and errors of flats and hand washing! I have never used a flat before other than stuffing a pocket diaper with it so this will be interesting!!
--to raise awareness about how dangerous it is to let babies stay dirty to save diapers. This is a sad and dangerous trend happening right here in the US, in our towns, right in front of us.
--many families in this situation are unaware of cloth diaper options. They don't know how to use them or care for them or even where they can get them.
--to show the above families how easy cloth diapers can be even with very limited resources.
My personal reasons for taking the challenge:
--my family will be without a washer and dryer for 2 weeks for real- this is going to save countless trips back and forth between the new house and old house to wash diapers. We will do the challenge a bit longer than everyone else so that I am not making extra diaper wash trips across town.
--I am training to be an RDA circle leader- what an awesome hands on experience to have. I can relate to community members that might have very very limited resources and truly NEED to cloth diaper. I can show them how I did it, what worked and what did not.
--I want to get my cloth diaper service project off the ground. I want to diaper babies in my community that are in desperate need. I see this as an icebreaker to what I hope will be a very successful campaign someday!!
I will update my blog on a daily basis to document our trials and errors of flats and hand washing! I have never used a flat before other than stuffing a pocket diaper with it so this will be interesting!!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Kawaii pocket diaper review
I start by saying I was very hesitant to try this diaper. They did not get the greatest reviews and they were not very expensive. I had the total "you get what you pay for" mentality. I got a few of these as free diapers off Kellys closet.
These are 2 weeks into my rotation and I have to say I really like them! They are less bulky than some of my other pocket diapers and they fit well. I think I like the Velcro ones better for now because I can really adjust the fit. I am not sure what all the negative is about these diapers because I can't tell the difference between these and the expensive ones! I am stuffing them with a hemp flat folded up like a regular insert. These diapers are keepers for me!!
What I like:
good fit
I can adjust the Velcro-Velcro can overlap and get a better fit (see picture)
Bright colors
these will fit for a very long time
PRICE
Don't like:
laundry tabs could be better
I wish pocket was a little smaller- it can hang out the back (but would be good for more stuffing as he gets better)
These are 2 weeks into my rotation and I have to say I really like them! They are less bulky than some of my other pocket diapers and they fit well. I think I like the Velcro ones better for now because I can really adjust the fit. I am not sure what all the negative is about these diapers because I can't tell the difference between these and the expensive ones! I am stuffing them with a hemp flat folded up like a regular insert. These diapers are keepers for me!! What I like:
good fit
I can adjust the Velcro-Velcro can overlap and get a better fit (see picture)
Bright colors
these will fit for a very long time
PRICE
Don't like:
laundry tabs could be better
I wish pocket was a little smaller- it can hang out the back (but would be good for more stuffing as he gets better)
I wish Velcro was sewn on a little better. It looks like it is coming off around the edges- it's not but the way its sewn makes it look that way.
Pictures are of David 11 weeks old in Kawaii with velcro
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Newborn cloth diapers-what has worked/what has not
My baby is now 12 pounds and we are transitioning out of the newborn diapers and into one sized options. Before I get rid of my newborn diapers I can share what I liked and what I didn't.
Newborn covers-
thirsties cover x-small- worked great easy to use,never any leaks with these
bummis newborn cover- worked great, super cute print never any meals. He grew out of this one faster that the thirsties.
fleece cover- made by a work at home mom- I did not like this one. It was nice and soft but instantly wet and I did not quite understand the point. It was wet instantly.
newborn prefolds-
These things were giant on my baby and he wasn't that small. They looked silly on him the first 2 weeks. I bought bummis organic prefolds and oso cosy ones.
I had some flat diapers that I bought to use a burp cloths. These were my favorite diaper!! Nice and trim and plenty absorbent for a newborn. I just folded them and put them in the covers.
I had a few kissaluvs size 0- they were nice but they leaked faster than the prefolds and flats. They seemed bulky on the baby and he grew out of them pretty fast.
All in ones--
thirsties all in ones-x-small I hated these. They leaked every time. I thought these would be my favorite starting out but they just did not work for us. I read great things about these diapers so not sure what the problem is.
monkey doodles all in one-small-- I liked these. They leaked about 1/3 of the time. They were soft and cute. I did not use them too much because they still seem to leak. They were much better than the thirsties.
kushies- These were the best all in ones I had. I did not like the fabric and they looked cheap. That being said these leaked much less than the other all in ones. They were harder to get dry.
Pocket diaper
I had a handful of happy hienys pocket diapers size small. They were pretty good. I could get a good fit with these and did not have an issue with leaks. They did not come with inserts and it was a little hard to find inserts that fit them. I used the bum genius newborn inserts and was happy with them. No leaks, looked cute, fit fairly trim. These were kinda expensive because I bought diapers them inserts on top of that.
One sized diapers-
I have not used most of my one sized diapers. They are way to big for my baby. (even though most of them say 8pds.) The Rumparooz fit well at about 9-10 pounds. I really like these. Never any leaks and they are really cute. I am not sure I see these fitting until potty training but we will see!!
At night I bought some fitteds called lollipops off ebay and a wool soaker from kissaluvs. I LOVE this night time duo. NEVER leaks. I left a newborn in this combination up to 6-7 hours without an issue. I still use this nighttime routine at 10 weeks and now up to 10 hours no issues.
If I cloth diapered another newborn I would stick to flat diapers with a bunch of covers. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive. These were very easy to use. (I never tried any special folds just laid them in the cover) The flats are now great in the one sized pocket diapers and much less bulky than the regular inserts. I would skip the all in one diapers-they didn't measure up and were much more expensive than other diapers. Love the wool at night, I see that being our routine for a long time.
David newborn photo wearing a rumparooz
Newborn covers-
thirsties cover x-small- worked great easy to use,never any leaks with these
bummis newborn cover- worked great, super cute print never any meals. He grew out of this one faster that the thirsties.
fleece cover- made by a work at home mom- I did not like this one. It was nice and soft but instantly wet and I did not quite understand the point. It was wet instantly.
newborn prefolds-
These things were giant on my baby and he wasn't that small. They looked silly on him the first 2 weeks. I bought bummis organic prefolds and oso cosy ones.
I had some flat diapers that I bought to use a burp cloths. These were my favorite diaper!! Nice and trim and plenty absorbent for a newborn. I just folded them and put them in the covers.
I had a few kissaluvs size 0- they were nice but they leaked faster than the prefolds and flats. They seemed bulky on the baby and he grew out of them pretty fast.
All in ones--
thirsties all in ones-x-small I hated these. They leaked every time. I thought these would be my favorite starting out but they just did not work for us. I read great things about these diapers so not sure what the problem is.
monkey doodles all in one-small-- I liked these. They leaked about 1/3 of the time. They were soft and cute. I did not use them too much because they still seem to leak. They were much better than the thirsties.
kushies- These were the best all in ones I had. I did not like the fabric and they looked cheap. That being said these leaked much less than the other all in ones. They were harder to get dry.
Pocket diaper
I had a handful of happy hienys pocket diapers size small. They were pretty good. I could get a good fit with these and did not have an issue with leaks. They did not come with inserts and it was a little hard to find inserts that fit them. I used the bum genius newborn inserts and was happy with them. No leaks, looked cute, fit fairly trim. These were kinda expensive because I bought diapers them inserts on top of that.
One sized diapers-
I have not used most of my one sized diapers. They are way to big for my baby. (even though most of them say 8pds.) The Rumparooz fit well at about 9-10 pounds. I really like these. Never any leaks and they are really cute. I am not sure I see these fitting until potty training but we will see!!
At night I bought some fitteds called lollipops off ebay and a wool soaker from kissaluvs. I LOVE this night time duo. NEVER leaks. I left a newborn in this combination up to 6-7 hours without an issue. I still use this nighttime routine at 10 weeks and now up to 10 hours no issues.
David newborn photo wearing a rumparooz
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
New Diapers
Almost all my diapers are a result of Kelly's Closet. I found a new company started by a work at home mom and decided to try them out. Diapers were only about 10 bucks and they were super cute. I ordered a soft cow diaper a "champ" diaper and a silky monkey one. I had an issue with shipping charges and the problem was dealt with promptly (good customer service is always a plus!)
Diapers arrived super fast. I ordered them late on Thursday, they made it onto baby's butt on Monday!! Packaging was okay. I would like to see them not come in plastic (the whole "green" thing) No need for packaging really-they come in a mailer already.
Looked at the champ diaper and first things that stick out are the snaps to snap the insert in, the fact that the pocket is open on both sides so you don't have to remove the insert. (One less thing to remember!!) I am not sure though if you have to unsnap the insert before wash. Color is nice and the snaps are all different colors so they are more daddy friendly I suppose. (I could tell my husband to snap him onto the blue snaps.) They look well made and durable.
I am not thrilled about the monkey diaper. It is more girly than I thought and I was hoping the "silky" would feel like my ecobunz diaper. I love the feel of those!! I will give it a try though. I am pretty sure I read that if I don't like the diapers I can return them for 2 weeks or something like that. I will have to look into that.
The cow diaper is beyond adorable. It is so soft and cuddly. I decided to put this one on baby first since it is so cute! Fits him great and I could tell it would have fit him as a newborn without issue. At 10 weeks old and 11.8 pounds I am not using the wrap feature for newborns. I can imagine that would have been just right at birth (8.5) Ran a few errands with this dipe and spent a good chunk of time in the car. No leaks-still can't get over how cute these are!!
3 diapers cost me right around 30 bucks (32 I think) and shipping was only 5 bucks.
I might have found my first favorite diaper!!
Diapers arrived super fast. I ordered them late on Thursday, they made it onto baby's butt on Monday!! Packaging was okay. I would like to see them not come in plastic (the whole "green" thing) No need for packaging really-they come in a mailer already.
Looked at the champ diaper and first things that stick out are the snaps to snap the insert in, the fact that the pocket is open on both sides so you don't have to remove the insert. (One less thing to remember!!) I am not sure though if you have to unsnap the insert before wash. Color is nice and the snaps are all different colors so they are more daddy friendly I suppose. (I could tell my husband to snap him onto the blue snaps.) They look well made and durable.
I am not thrilled about the monkey diaper. It is more girly than I thought and I was hoping the "silky" would feel like my ecobunz diaper. I love the feel of those!! I will give it a try though. I am pretty sure I read that if I don't like the diapers I can return them for 2 weeks or something like that. I will have to look into that.
The cow diaper is beyond adorable. It is so soft and cuddly. I decided to put this one on baby first since it is so cute! Fits him great and I could tell it would have fit him as a newborn without issue. At 10 weeks old and 11.8 pounds I am not using the wrap feature for newborns. I can imagine that would have been just right at birth (8.5) Ran a few errands with this dipe and spent a good chunk of time in the car. No leaks-still can't get over how cute these are!!
3 diapers cost me right around 30 bucks (32 I think) and shipping was only 5 bucks.
I might have found my first favorite diaper!!
Help with smelly diapers!!
I knew from the beginning that my cloth diaper laundry is the biggest hurdle I must overcome. I live in Phoenix AZ and we have super hard water. Our water is worse than anywhere I've ever experienced. While I researched cloth diapers cloth diaper care during my pregnancy I knew laundry was a challenge. From what I understand hard water does not allow the diapers to rinse properly and buildup means smelly diapers and diapers that do not absorb properly. Before David arrived I bought a bag of Rockin Green hard rock and a box of Grovia tiny bubbles. From reviews I found, these seemed to combat stinky diapers the best. Rockin Green looks like people's favorite for hard water.
My first attempt at a laundry routine
-rinse each diaper (read somewhere to let diapers see as much water as possible)
-I use a Cabrio He Washer that is top loading without an agitator I use the bulky setting on hot/extra rinse/pre soak. I put the soil level on high and the spin on medium
- I scoop of Rockin Green Hard Rock
-wash every 3 days
This attempt failed miserably. At 2 weeks old I noticed a slight odor when I changed the baby. By 3 weeks old it was worse. The back of the Rockin Green said to soak the diapers overnight if they smelled and you have hard water. Since I can't soak in the washer I filled the bathtub up with the hottest water possible 3 scoops of Rockin Green and all the diapers.
New Laundry routine
-same as above but begin with an overnight pre soak.
I hope this is not long term because using 3 scoops of Rockin Green to soak and then one more to wash twice a week could get costly.
This attempt also failed. Baby smelled horrible. As soon as his diapers had a small amount of pee he smelled like old nasty laundry. When I filled the bathtub up at night the smell could almost knock you out. The whole bathroom smelled like old urine and old laundry. I did this for 2 weeks hoping to see a difference.
Finally I read about stripping diapers and using a water softener in the wash routine. I bought water softener at the grocery store and a bottle of original Dawn.
Stripping diapers--
I used a couple squirts of Dawn in the washer. I washed everything! After 1 wash I rinsed them 3 times. I did not see any more bubbles so figured this was enough rinsing. I ran another wash cycle with 1 scoop Rockin Green and 1/2 cup water softener. I rinsed them 2 extra times to be safe and prayed.
This time it worked!! No stinky baby!
New wash routine
1 rinse on low spin cycle. (read this will help get more water in the washer)
same wash cycle-bulky items on hot wash etc..
1 scoop Hard Rock and 1/2 cup water softener.
I decided not to rinse each diaper because the water softener seemed to be the issue.
This worked for a few weeks. Baby is now 10 weeks old and I notice the stinky smell coming back. I am in the process of pulling all the microfiber out of my diapers and replacing it with hemp/bamboo/etc. type liners. These are supposed to have less issues with smell. They still stink for me. I tried using 2 scoops of Rockin Green instead of the 1. (I read sometimes you are not using enough soap.) This did not work at all. Diapers smell worse. I tried using some extra rinse cycles (I am a little worried about my water bill) No help.
Today I am stripping all my diapers with Dawn once more. I am going to give the tiny bubbles soap a try. I will use one scoop of tiny bubbles with 1/2 cup water softener. Diapers are going to get rinsed before going in the pail. Crossing my fingers tiny bubbles is going to be better than the Rockin Green.
Side note- I always line dry my diapers. Since I live in Arizona there is no reason not to. I do throw my wipes, inserts, perfolds and fitted into the dryer for a couple minutes after they dry so they get fluffy!
My first attempt at a laundry routine
-rinse each diaper (read somewhere to let diapers see as much water as possible)
-I use a Cabrio He Washer that is top loading without an agitator I use the bulky setting on hot/extra rinse/pre soak. I put the soil level on high and the spin on medium
- I scoop of Rockin Green Hard Rock
-wash every 3 days
This attempt failed miserably. At 2 weeks old I noticed a slight odor when I changed the baby. By 3 weeks old it was worse. The back of the Rockin Green said to soak the diapers overnight if they smelled and you have hard water. Since I can't soak in the washer I filled the bathtub up with the hottest water possible 3 scoops of Rockin Green and all the diapers.
New Laundry routine
-same as above but begin with an overnight pre soak.
I hope this is not long term because using 3 scoops of Rockin Green to soak and then one more to wash twice a week could get costly.
This attempt also failed. Baby smelled horrible. As soon as his diapers had a small amount of pee he smelled like old nasty laundry. When I filled the bathtub up at night the smell could almost knock you out. The whole bathroom smelled like old urine and old laundry. I did this for 2 weeks hoping to see a difference.
Finally I read about stripping diapers and using a water softener in the wash routine. I bought water softener at the grocery store and a bottle of original Dawn.
Stripping diapers--
I used a couple squirts of Dawn in the washer. I washed everything! After 1 wash I rinsed them 3 times. I did not see any more bubbles so figured this was enough rinsing. I ran another wash cycle with 1 scoop Rockin Green and 1/2 cup water softener. I rinsed them 2 extra times to be safe and prayed.
This time it worked!! No stinky baby!
New wash routine
1 rinse on low spin cycle. (read this will help get more water in the washer)
same wash cycle-bulky items on hot wash etc..
1 scoop Hard Rock and 1/2 cup water softener.
I decided not to rinse each diaper because the water softener seemed to be the issue.
This worked for a few weeks. Baby is now 10 weeks old and I notice the stinky smell coming back. I am in the process of pulling all the microfiber out of my diapers and replacing it with hemp/bamboo/etc. type liners. These are supposed to have less issues with smell. They still stink for me. I tried using 2 scoops of Rockin Green instead of the 1. (I read sometimes you are not using enough soap.) This did not work at all. Diapers smell worse. I tried using some extra rinse cycles (I am a little worried about my water bill) No help.
Today I am stripping all my diapers with Dawn once more. I am going to give the tiny bubbles soap a try. I will use one scoop of tiny bubbles with 1/2 cup water softener. Diapers are going to get rinsed before going in the pail. Crossing my fingers tiny bubbles is going to be better than the Rockin Green.
Side note- I always line dry my diapers. Since I live in Arizona there is no reason not to. I do throw my wipes, inserts, perfolds and fitted into the dryer for a couple minutes after they dry so they get fluffy!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Super Short Intro
Hello-
I am the mother of 3 kids (plus a stepchild) and also run and in home daycare. I was first exposed to modern cloth from a mother I did childcare for last year. I fell in love with her diapers and decided that my next baby would be a cloth baby! I took a while to get this blog up and running due to kids and holidays and life in general. My newest addition, David Alexander, is 9 weeks old born 1/10/2011. I want this blog to help out new parents who want to try cloth too but are a bit intimidated by all the choices.
I am currently cloth diapering a 9 week old baby full time (he is only breast fed) and 1 daycare child 18 months old while he is at my house.
I will get my blog up to date in the next few days including what I bought before the baby was born, wash routines, what worked, what is working, what failed etc. I will keep this updated regularly as we try new things and the baby gets bigger!
I am the mother of 3 kids (plus a stepchild) and also run and in home daycare. I was first exposed to modern cloth from a mother I did childcare for last year. I fell in love with her diapers and decided that my next baby would be a cloth baby! I took a while to get this blog up and running due to kids and holidays and life in general. My newest addition, David Alexander, is 9 weeks old born 1/10/2011. I want this blog to help out new parents who want to try cloth too but are a bit intimidated by all the choices.
I am currently cloth diapering a 9 week old baby full time (he is only breast fed) and 1 daycare child 18 months old while he is at my house.
I will get my blog up to date in the next few days including what I bought before the baby was born, wash routines, what worked, what is working, what failed etc. I will keep this updated regularly as we try new things and the baby gets bigger!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)