If you’re unfamiliar with any of my “fluffese” words or terms, please see my earlier cloth diapering post here for definitions!
On May 11th my little baby will be seven months old. I can’t believe my bitty, 7 lb, 7 oz girl is going on 17 lbs, eating solid foods (or purees, actually), sleeping longer at night, and showing some beginning signs of crawling! All this brings me so much joy, and each day I’m eager to discover the changes she’ll make. It also presents me with new challenges to our cloth diapering system.
As you know, Dan and I’ve been happily using cloth nappies since Alice’s newborn days. You’ve heard it before, and I’ll say it again: I LOVE FLUFF! I love that we never have to run out in the middle of the night for diapers and that we don’t have to drop $60 a month on them. I love that we’re saving space in the landfills. I really love limiting Alice’s chemical exposure. It’s fun to try different strategies and products as she grows. The fluff love community provides enjoyable conversation about diapering, but also about parenthood in general. I’m so excited about cloth, and I think you will be too, if you try it. Let me share some of the lessons I’ve learned over the last six months to get you started.
Have a few disposables on hand.
Stay with me here, Purists. Having a new baby in the home is crazy, even for the most “together” parents. Between sleeplessness, visitors, and just getting to know your new mini-human, the ball sometimes gets dropped, and that ball often takes the form of soiled diaper laundry. A newborn needs to be changed about twice as often as older babies after all, so twice the laundry accumulates. Depending on the size of your stash, you may run out of clean diapers before you have a chance to address it. That’s when, in my opinion, it’s perfectly acceptable to slap a disposable on the kid, guilt-free. Repeat after me: “I’m doing enough. I’m a good parent. I will not kill the planet, my child, or myself by using this disposable diaper. I need more coffee…”
Wash at least every other day, no matter how many diapers you own.
Any longer than that and you’re going to have stink problems. If your diapers come out of the dryer with a “barnyard” smell, or if they reek of ammonia right after Baby wets, you may need to consider washing more often. If you’re already washing every other day (or more), and your dipes still smell like wet cow, check your detergent…
“Fluff safe” detergent sucks, and prewashing/extra rinsing is key.
There are actually people who swear by this or that brand of “safe” detergent. There are also people who get by without a prewash or extra rinse. I am not one of those people. A prewash rinses all the pee-pee away so you have clean water for your wash cycle. An extra rinse removes any leftover detergent so it doesn’t cause bum irritation or repelling. Some how-to sites recommend large amounts of detergent, some very small amounts. I use the “regular” amount I would on any load of clothes, and it’s always liquid Tide. I switch back and forth between the “Pure and Free,” and the “Original.” Whatever’s on sale.
Blow outs are a phenomenon of disposables.
I’ve had fewer than I can count on one hand with cloth! It’s a whole different story with ‘sposies. The only poop-splosions I have had with cloth happened when she was wearing diapers made to work like disposables. No kidding! Even the cool, modern nappies have more issues than… well, this is a perfect segue to my next point…
Grandma knew what she was doing.
Flats. Don’t hang up! I know what you’re thinking. That flats are old-fashioned, high-maintenance, and not fun. I assure you, they’re not your grandmother’s nappy. Gone are the pins and awful rubber panties of yore.
As I wrote this section, I realized that I have way more to say about flats than what will fit into this post, so stay posted in the next few days for a post on their many benefits and how we use them.
Nearly one in three American families struggle to afford diapers… and we can help!
There is NO public assistance for diapers. None. When I think of the desperation a mother must feel when she realizes she won’t have enough diapers, my heart breaks. To have to choose to leave the wet diaper on for a bit longer so your supply will stretch until payday is… unthinkable. But 60% of those below the poverty line have access to laundry! Cloth diapers could be the saving grace for these families. Check out this YouTube video from Dirty Diaper Laundry, then visit Giving Diapers, Giving Hope to see how you can donate some fluff love. You know that’s where my nappies are going when we’re done!
What lessons have you learned from your fluff journey? I’d love to hear about it!
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