Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Top 10 Things That Confuse New Cloth Diaperers
In the roughly three years I've been giving cloth diapering workshops, I've seen the information that I need to dissemenate increase dramatically - front loading washing machines vs. top loading washing machines, the changes in trends and the release of "new" diaper styles such as the gro Baby All-in-two and the natural variability in the shapes and sizes of newborns. There are a number of things that I see time and time again that confuse families new to cloth diapering.
10. The Terminology
It REALLY makes a difference when families come in to the shop having researched to some extent the different styles of cloth diapers. Just as your profession has a lexicon of it's own, so does cloth diapering. It's a lot less overwhelming when you've at least read the definition of a pocket diaper vs. a prefold or a fitted, for example. I remember reading about pocket diapers and not understanding the concept until I saw one in person, and I expect that, but if you have looked into it, it goes a LONG way to making the decision process easier. Don't forget that the cloth diapering movement started online and there are a ton of resources, forums and review sites out there!
9. The Cost
Cloth diapering definitely requires an initial investment, there's no doubt about that. The initial investment can range from between $175 to $650 depending on the style of diaper you choose and your level of commitment. To cloth diaper full time, you will require 24 diapers, two days worth. You can cloth diaper from birth to potty for less than $500 as compared to $3500 with disposable diapers, and if you plan to have more children, your investment becomes even more valuable - the diapers are free and paid for.
The cost can also be equated in environmental and heath terms - less chemicals against baby's skin means less diaper rash, and less disposables in the landfill mean fewer resources required to manufacture the disposable diapers and 1000 kg less waste to the landfill PER BABY, PER YEAR.
8. Laundry Detergent
Because diapers are absorbing constantly, they need to be laundered with a detergent that is not going to cause build up. Detergents today are marketed with many additives - scents, fabric softeners, stain removers, wrinkle preventers - all of those things will eventually build up on the fabric of your clothing. No big deal, most of the time we're not peeing in our jeans. But, for diapers, they are being wetted day after day after day for two to three years - or longer depending on how many children in your family reuse the diaper. Because of this heavy wear and tear, it is VERY IMPORTANT to use a detergent that does not leave residue. Since 2005 I have tried many detergents, including those recommended by other cloth diapering retailers across Canada, and have, by process of elimination, rejected all but one: Allen's. Why? With every other detergent, eventually the detergent would build up and when my children would pee, the ammonia in the urine would react with their skin to cause a red, sunburn like diaper rash - pee burn. When I switched to Allen's, this ceased to happen. I have a top loading washing machine that provides LOTS of water. In a front loading washing machine, where you may receive only 6 litres of water per load, this problem can be severely compounded. With an investment such as cloth diapers, it is very important to use a proper detergent.
In Nova Scotia, our water quality is quite variable. Many of us have hard water, there are substantial quantites of minerals involved, and sometimes salt depending on where you live. It is important to speak to someone with a background of the water quality in your region. I have also found that water quality does change from season to season, as one might expect, and you may see this show up in your laundry results, so don't be surprised if your laundry routine needs to change from time to time.
Detergents that are often recommended that I have found to cause trouble:
Claudia's Choices
Nature clean
Bio-vert
Tide Free and Clear
7. Amount of laundry detergent.
Cut back. Cut WAYYY back, and I'll call Rusty :)
We've all been taught to use lots of detergent - more bubbles = more clean. Not so with cloth diapers as more bubbles = more potential for build up. For front loading washing machines, use just a SPECK of detergent. I even recommend using a pump for hand soap to dispense an amount with the diameter of a dime into your detergent tray. For top loading washing machines, use up to a tablespoon of detergent.
6. The Diaper Cream Dilemma
With cloth diapers in general, the potential for diaper rash is lessened because your baby is not being exposed to the chemicals, bleaches, perfumes and dyes of a disposable diaper. Also, disposable diapers trap enough heat to increase body temperature in the diaper area by 4 degrees Celcius, making a warm, moist environment that encourages bacteria. With cloth diapers containing polyester, the temperature increase is 2 degrees Celcius, and with natural fibre diapers and a wool cover, there is no increase. Washing baby's bum with warm water is sufficient for most diaper changes - no need to apply a barrier cream. In the event that a rash develops (baby is teething, change in diet, etc.), here's what to do: select your preferred diaper rash cream. We like Anointment Baby Balm and Dimpleskins' Bum Bum Balm. The first is olive oil-based, the second is coconut oil-based. These are natural oils, but they are still oils. As oil will prevent moisture from reaching baby's skin, so will it prevent moisture (i.e. pee) from reaching the fabric of the diaper. And since oil and water don't mix, your washing machine will have a hard time removing the oil as well, which will lead to reduced absorbency or repelling. To prevent this from happening, always use a flushable bioliner. This is a thin sheet of viscose (wood fibre) that sits between the diaper rash cream on your baby's bum and the fabric of the diaper. It creates just enough barrier that the rash cream is not touching the fabric of your diaper, keeping the fabric free of potentially "plugging" oil.
5. More Absorbency Required
Cloth diapers are incredibly absorbent. In five years, I've never found a situation that couldn't be handled by a cloth diaper. However, particularly for families coming from disposable use, there are two things that they are most concerned about: a) How often to change the diaper and b) What to do at night?
I've often seen that parents become lulled into a false sense of security with disposable diapers - leaving them on far longer than is recommended because the polymer contained inside them can absorb, and absorb, and absorb some more. As parents, we KNOW our babies are peeing frequently, and regardless of what type of diaper they are wearing, I recommend they be changed every 2-3 hours for hygiene purposes. In terms of absorbency - hemp and microterry are the two most common fabrics used to provide absorbency in cloth diapers. Both of these fabrics are very absorbent, but NOTHING can match the absorbency of sodium polyacrylate, the squishy gel in disposable diapers. It is important to become in tune with when your child is wetting, and how heavily they are wetting, and match the absorbency of the diaper accordingly, day or night. If you are using microterry inserts, you may need two. If you are using a natural fibre diaper, a hemp flat diaper folded into thirds and placed inside the diaper will provide lots of extra absorbency. As you become more aware of your child's wetting habits, you will become adept at this - and it will help even more when it comes time to potty train!
4. The Rules of Hemp
Hemp is naturally a very long staple fibre. This means the bits and pieces that make up a hemp fabric are physically very long, which is why the absorbency is unmatched in natural materials. Hemp is wonderful for absorbing moisture deep into the core of the fabric, making it feel less swampy and wet when wet than cotton. By the same token, because the fabric is busy tucking away moisture deep in the core of the fabric, it is not as "fast" at absorbing. When a baby is wearing a hemp diaper, or an all-in-two with a hemp liner, the pee will travel a bit across the hemp before it soaks into the fabric itself. This is normal and does not usually cause issues.
In pocket diapers, hemp is often used as an insert to boost absorbency for naptimes and overnight. In these situations, the baby is in direct contact with microfleece against their skin to give them a 'stay dry' feeling. The pee is required to pass through the microfleece prior to then absorbing into the layer below. If hemp is used as the layer immediately below the microfleece, you will have first pee travelling slighly across the microfleece prior to creating enough pressue to pass through, and then hemp which is allowing the pee to travel slightly prior to allowing the pee to soak in. This increases the likelihood of pee finding a way to escape in places you don't want it to go. To mitigate this, IN A POCKET DIAPER MICROTERRY SHOULD ALWAYS BE USED IMMEDIATELY BELOW A MICROFLEECE LAYER, with hemp placed beneath it to boost absorbency.
Hemp, and all natural fibres, contain natural oils that must be removed prior to building up proper absorbency, and should be washed a minimum of 4 times on hot prior to being used. If your baby is older and/or a heavier wetting, up to 8 pre-washes may be required.
3. Diapers With Snaps
Time and time again I get calls from moms with newborns who have purchased diapers with snaps who call to say their diapers are consistently leaking. After going through my usual list of questions (detergents, diaper creams, frequency of changes, size of baby, etc.), I often refer them back to a blog post from February 21, 2009 on AMP Duo Diapers, which shows an 8 lb. baby wearing the diaper. Often the response is "oh, I haven't been snapping them up tightly enough...I was wondering how they were going to last to 20 pounds when she's already on the largest snap setting." Parents are worried about pinching their newborns legs. I can assure you that the elastics are gentle enough that you needn't be concerned, but a proper seal around the leg is a MUST, otherwise, the pee has a very convenient escape route. Most 8-10 pound babies will have legs that are too small to properly fill out leg openings, so a little creativity (and/or vigilence in changing) may be required if using a size small diaper on a newborn less than 8-12 weeks old. This is simply a fit issue that will resolve with time.
2. How Do I Convince My Husband?
This is probably the toughest question to answer, because there are a lot of men out there who are still very resistant to cloth diapering, for whatever reason. I can tell you my husband was as well, he has a very sensitive nose and a gag reflex unlike any I have seen, but, after about a week, he got used to it, and is now my biggest advocate. I have had dads come back into the store, after vocally resisting the change to cloth diapers tell me how much they love them and how much they hate disposables. I had one dad, in fact, tell me that every disposable they used leaked, and it was a nightmare for their vacation. He was so happy to get home and back to their cloth diapers - and this was a dad that resisted every step of the way.
We also have dads that have done all the research, know exactly what they want, and come in to show their wives exactly how it's going to go down. I love these dads!
If your husband doesn't change many diapers, then it shouldn't matter what system you use. If he does, then he can be a supportive partner for change - both environmentally and for the future health of our children. And if that doesn't work, the $3000 in your pocket may be a deciding factor!
1. What Do I Do With The Poop?
If you are breastfeeding exclusively: absolutely nothing. Baby poops, remove diaper, place in waterproof tote bag or diaper pail, wash with next load of diaper laundry.
When your baby starts solids, remove what you can into the toilet. How you do this is up to you. You can purchase a diaper sprayer that attaches to the water supply line of your toilet to help clean up (also great for post-partum hygiene!), or swish the diaper in the toilet to remove the poop (I often use the "hold on tight and flush method" where I put the diaper in the toilet, hold on tight, and flush - much like the name suggests - the downward force of the water usually sucks the poop right off, but requires you have your hand in the toilet. Not a big deal for me, I'm okay with that, but not everyone is). Or, you can use a spatula or spoon that is dedicated to the task of poop removal. If you start with a newborn, by the time you get to solid poop, it will be such a part of your routine, you won't even notice!
Obviously I'm pretty passionate about cloth diapers - I love them, have had a wonderful experience with many brands, and have felt very satisfied knowing that I have not thrown out two extra garbage bags a week with dirty disposables since 2005 - and that includes the time my kids spend in daycare - they also use cloth diapers at daycare. I can't see any good reason to use disposable diapers, but I realize the "that's what I've always done" method is the path of least resistance. I also understand that everyone has their own level of commitment - some folks are truly diaper collectors and connoisseurs, others really love the doors it has opened up for them - cloth diapering allows you to have an instant connection with other moms using them, which then leads to friendships and social networking.
Cloth diapering has led me to the ladies I consider to be the best friends in my life right now, and while that may not be the typical outcome, it certainly has benefitted me, personally.
Give it a try, bet you won't be sorry!
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