bum genius, detergent, and wipes q's

[mariekitt24]

I just have a couple small cloth diapering questions for women in the know.

I ordered a 12 pack of the bum genius 3.0's... I assume I will want to order more as I hear they can wear out fairly quickly if not in wide rotation, correct?

Also I get the feeling that although they are "one size fits all", they may be too bulky for an 8 lb newborn which is what we are expecting. So I was thinking of stocking up on some infant sized disposables in the meantime, does that sound like a good idea?

Also, for our own laundry I use home-made laundry detergent. I use it because I think it not only is a little healthier, and saves a little money, but also because it's just plain fun to use something I made myself! The ingredients I use are Baking Soda (lots of it) Borax (not quite so much of that) and a good amount of grated bars of soap. (most people use washing soda instead of baking soda but I find it works just fine the way I do it.)
I also like to use vinegar in a downy ball for my fabric softener, since it also helps get rid of soap residue. I have read that both baking soda and vinegar are good things to use on diapers, and also that they are both things that are BAD to use on diapers. So Im a little lost as to what I should be using to wash the diapers in. Any opinions? What do you use to wash your cloth diapers?

and lastly, for cloth wipes, what should I use for material? I read about making my own, but I don't have a sewing machine yet so is it still possible to make my own without one? Would it work to just use infant washcloths as wipes instead?

Thanks everyone.

[sagemomma]

ok first 12 BGS are a good start but i wouldn't order more of them until you see how they work for you. i would however order a dozen prefolds and covers to fill in your stash for now. i personally am not a huge fan of BGS there is no way the velcro is lasting through more than 1 maybe 2 sizes. i prefer snaps for one sizes they last a long time.
baking soda is ok for diapers, vinegar use sparingly it can cause damage to the elastic in the diapers.
wipes i use baby wash cloths, they work great, they don't cost alot and i'm not heartbroken if they get stained. i think i'd be kinda gun shy about using super cute wipes to clean up poop but thats just me

[Biscuits & Gravy]

I had a 9 lb baby and the BGs just started fitting him around 7 wks. I have no idea how much he weighs now, I'd guess 13-14 lbs and he'll be 2 months tomorrow. We've used size 1 pampers until we started using thirsties fab fitteds and covers at 6 wks. Now I've added the BGs to the rotation.

Not sure about the soap.

I use baby washcloths as well as some flannel wipes I bought from a WAHM on diaperswappers. They are really cute, but were as cheap as washcloths.

I was asking my mom earlier what she used for wipes when she CD'd me and she said baby washcloths!

[AlwaysByMySide]

Fuzzi Bunz is coming out with a one-size with snaps. Our bumGeniuses have held up well, but the touchtape is going to need replacing soon. The rest of the diaper holds up quite well. I'm a sewer, so it's no biggie for me to replace the touchtape.

The soap you use sounds similar to Simply Clean, which I believe is safe to use on cloth diapers. I agree with a previous poster that vinegar is not so good. You don't really need it.

For wipes, my favorite are velour/sherpa. I just don't like how flimsy regular baby washcloths are, but that's just me.

[mama to 2 girls]

DS was a 10lber and the BG 3.0's fit him right from the beginning....I think they will probably be a bit big on a 8lber. Get some p/f's and covers to fill in for the beginning. Although sposies are fine too if you are all right with using them. We did but only because someone bought me a big pack of size 1's and since he was in those right away we decided to go ahead and use them up. It might be a little easier on you being a brand new mom and all until the shock of having a baby wears off.

Ditto what the op said about the vinegar. The home made soap you make sounds just fine though. You may want to think about having some TTO on hand for stinky inserts.

As far as wipes go I just signed up at kissaluvs for their newsletter and every once in a while they will stock their outlet store and I LOVE their terry cloth wipes they work wonders. I got 4 dz. really cheap. but I have heard just those plain old gerber baby washcloths work well.

HTH!

[ICURNMama]

I had an 8lb 15oz baby and our BGs fit her after 3 weeks or so. They were a little bulky but pretty much any cloth diaper will be on a newborn! Also, for wipes I just cut up a flannel sheet that I got from the thrift store for $1 into approx. 8x8 squares. I wet them with water, fold them in half, and put them into an old disposable wipes container.

[sygo]

Just a comment on the washing method you'll be using: washing soda is better than soap since you will end up with residue buildup with soap. You can confirm this tidbit with more experienced cloth diaper users. I personally used Charlie's soap with no issues and I add some oxygen cleaner and water softener (calgon brand) since the water her in Montreal is super hard. As for baby wipes, I used washcloths, and a few baby wipes that I purchased made of bamboo material. Both word just fine.....if you can find face cloth/wash cloths at discount stores, buy by the bulk, it'll end up being cheaper.

[sygo]

Just an FYI on Charlie's Soap: although the name says soap, it is actually a detergent. I believe one of the ingredients in CS is washing soda.

Soaps can leave residue behind and is especially bad for Bumgenius type dipes since they use microfibre. The residue left will not only make your dipes stinky, it will also start to leak. I've never had issues with my BM's. If you look at the bumgenius site, it gives you specific washing instructions.

Oh and I had my son in BM's when I brought him home when he was about 8 lbs. They were big but not too big that it leaked or anything. I also used a different insert when he was that small. Afterwards when he was bigger, I used the small insert and the regular insert that comes with the BM package and used it for nighttime diapering.

[mariekitt24]

thanks so much!

Thanks everyone for your input! I love this forum!!

Anyway, I think I have settled on buying disposables until the BG's fit.. I am so new to all of this that above all else, I just want to keep things simple. Since no one that I talk to believes we will like to use cloth diapers in the slightest, Im at least shooting for doing it part time and seeing how it goes! My husband and I are stubborn and would love to prove everyone wrong.

As for soap, I did a little research, and came to the conclusion that Im going to alter my regular recipe a bit. I want to keep the baking soda, add washing soda, keep the borax, and lessen the amount of grated soap. I know it's probably not perfect, but I'm hoping it will work out fine. Also I will get some oxyclean and use both that and vinegar sparingly as needed. I was suprised to see the expensive "Allens Naturally" detergent that is recommended for cloth diapers had 5 ingredients, 3 of which are cheap and easy to get ahold of: the baking soda, washing soda, and borax!

As for wipes, I guess it seems you can use just about anything you want huh? I will just go pick out a bunch of baby washcloths for now and see how I like those.