Archive for the ‘diaper sprayer’ Category

Cloth Diapering Myths!

I was thinking about all the misconceptions and myths about cloth diapersing and came up with 10 that I think are the most popular ones we have heard.  Maybe some of you all have heard others?

1. In order to Cloth Diaper you must use pins. Yes I do know some parents that use them and wouldn’t do it any differently, but there are so many alternatives for those of us that aren’t that coordinated.  For those that want to secure a flat or prefold with more than a cover, there are snappis- additionally there are so many other types of diaper that velcro and snap closed just as easily as a sposie.

2. Cloth diapers cause diaper rash.  I think if you have a child that is prone to rash then it probably doesn’t matter what type of diaper you use, you have to be sure and change them as often as you can.  Urine and feces both can break down skin and cause irritation…that is a fact.  More often I have heard of babies that are allergic to the things used to make disposable diapers, the chemicals, the gel, the rough paper, the plastics, etc.

3. Once you calculate utilities, there is no cost savings.  This simply is not true.  Most mom’s and dad’s will agree that its only 1-2 extra loads of laundry per week to cloth diaper.  Utility costs vary from region to region but there is just no way this one is true.  I have estimated this myself and it costs me mere cents per load to wash and just a bit more to dry.  Additionally, if this issue bothers you, use a clothes line or a drying rack – that will save over 50% of the utility cost of cloth diapering and also help your diapers last longer.

4. Cloth diapering is so time consuming that in order to be successful you must be a sahm.  Although I personally am a sahm/wahm - I do not agree with this statement and know many, many families of 2 working parents or a single working parent that have successfully cd’ed all of their children.  Like I mentioned above, its generally 1-2 extra loads of laundry a week – so what is that, 5 mins to load, 5 mins to switch over and then 10 to fold or stuff and put on the shelf? Going to the store to buy sposies, taking out extra bags of trash and/or swapping out those diaper genie refills has got to cancel that all out, right?

5. Poopy cloth diapers must be dunked in the toilet before putting in the pail to wash.  EWW – do people really do that?  It is so not necessary, really it isn’t.  Even the nastiest of poops can be scraped or sprayed off and then put into the washing machine.  Our washer never smells like poop or has any residue left in it after washing even the worse load of diapers.  If I ever feel the need to rinse out a really bad diaper, I use the bathroom sink rather than the toilet, then I spray and wipe out the sink…NOT the toilet!

6. You cannot travel or camp with cloth.  We have a previous blog articleabout this and it simply is not the case.  I usually bring 2 large wet bags with me, first half of the trip in one, second half in the other.  Its that simple.  If you are washing dirty diapers that are more than 3-4 days old, do a soak first, then an extra wash or use some biokleen disinfectant if you think you need it.

7. You must have your own washer/dryer.  I can personally attest to this as a myth!  Although it sure makes it easier, cloth diapering while using shared machines or a laundromat it completely do-able.  When I was washing only once a week at the laundromat I used a splash of biokleen disinfectant in the wash just to ward off unwanted bacteria (both from having the diapers sitting around for longer and the fact that other people use the machines) – the only other thing I had to do was strip more often as the shared machines seemed to have more detergent build-up that would end up on my diapers too.

8. Cloth diapers are too bulky and you need to buy larger clothes to fit over them.  I won’t completely disagree with this- I think it all depends on the type of diaper you use and the build of your child.  Some cloth diapers are bulky and if that is what your child is used to then it probably doesn’t bother them at all.  In that case, I would say you probably would need to either size up on bottoms or just buy materials that are stretchy….no big deal.  On the other hand, lots of cloth diapers are known for their trimness, these don’t add anymore bulk than a sposie if they are the correct size and are fastened snugly.

9.  The added bulk between a baby’s legs can damage leg and hip development and it takes longer for a cloth diapered child to learn to walk.  All these things are a definite myth!  Only in the past century have there even been disposable diapers.  Does that mean that humans up until the last 100 years have had messed up legs and hips?  Especially in a time when people were forced to do more physical work to survive?  That is just a silly, made-up misconception.  Also there is no data that supports that cloth diapered children walk later, my daughter certainly didn’t have any issues!

10. Nobody uses cloth anymore.  WRONG!  What a relief that this is so incredibly off too, huh?  Just writing this blog has given me more energy to spread the word about cloth…go on out and do so yourself too!  Pass this blog URL along to your non cloth diapering friends and relatives, lets make it our jobs to help others stop filling the landfills of the world with disposable diaper and dangerous biological waste!

Happy diapering everyone

Tags: camping with cloth diapers, cloth diapering damage hips, cloth diapering is time consuming, cloth diapering misconceptions, cloth diapering myths, cloth diapers and diaper rash, diaper pins, diaper rash, dunking cloth diapers in the toilet, only stay at home mothers cloth diaper, washing and drying cloth diapers, washing cloth diapers
Posted in Uncategorized, basic cloth diapering, cloth diapering, cloth vs disposable, conservation, diaper covers, diaper pins, diaper sprayer, diapers in landfills, environment, frugal, green living, prefold diapers, prefolds, snappies, toddler clothing, traveling with cloth, trim diapers | 1 Comment »

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly…

In my 2+ yrs experience with cloth diapers, I can think of 3 main types of poop – the Good the Bad and the Ugly!  How, might you ask, can poop be Good?  Well once you have read the Bad and the Ugly, it will totally make sense!

Good poop is that poop that your baby makes in his/her first 6ish months, mainly breast milk poop.  On a cloth diaper, this poop is just left as it is and the diaper is then thrown into the pail and washed right in your washing machine.  No, your washer won’t have poop in it, it won’t even smell like poop, it all will wash right down the drain with the water.  This early poop is totally washable – so easy!

The second type is the poop that your baby starts to have that more resembles regular old poop, once they start eating more solid foods.  This is what I call the Ugly!  Sure its gross, but Ugly poop will roll right off your diaper and into the toilet, so no matter how ugly it is, it’s easy to be rid of – right into the toilet and flush it down!

The last type is the Bad poop, this poop needs to be flushed yet it does not just roll off the diaper and drop in the toilet, it sticks to the cloth!  The first few times you find this poop in your child’s diaper, you might really question your desire to cloth diaper, thinking to yourself, or even out-loud to your partner “What were we thinking????”

In my experience there are 3 viable option for dealing with this,  if your child is one of those that frequently produces this “Bad” poop – like mine!

1. A paper diaper liner.  These typically are made from rice paper or similar and resemble toilet paper, although much stronger. The way these work is that you lay them in the cloth diaper on the top closest to your child’s skin and they usually catch the bulk of the poop that would need flushing.  Then you just lift the liner and the poop out and flush the whole thing.  Additionally, most of these are made so that the ones that are just peed on can be washed and dried with your diapers and reused – they are also great for protecting your cloth diapers from diaper cream.

2. A rubber scraper or spatula, something designated just for scraping poop from cloth, washed off in the sink and stored in your bathroom.  This is my personal method – yes we do have a small rubber scraper labeled “poop” in our bathroom.  I usually keep it on the back of the toilet, but if we have *special* company coming, I store it under the sink!

3. A diaper sprayer.  This is a great gadget that I have heard RAVE reviews about.  It is easily installed on your existing toilet, hooked to the toilet’s water supply and its high pressure spray allows you to spray the poop from the diaper directly into the toilet.  Parents also say its great for rinsing out the potty chair during potty learning!

Please feel free to comment and share your experiences and tips!  Happy diapering

Tags: cloth diaper, diaper sprayer, paper diaper liners, potty learning, potty training
Posted in Uncategorized, basic cloth diapering, cloth diapering, cloth vs disposable, diaper sprayer, paper diaper liners | 1 Comment »