Planning to cloth diaper again have questions?

[dex_millie]

Hi all,

I cloth diapered my first son, so you would think I got it down, but I don't. I just kind of went with the flow of how the old time use to do it. My mom was here for a while and they use something call blue and clorox but I don't want to use clorox for this one. I also find that the diapers is very weak now and I didn't even use them for more than a year and a half as DS has been out of them since 18months(EC graduate.

I mostly did flats, prefolds and used the prowrap, elastic pants and bummis covers(which I can't find my covers). So I have to start over with a stash. So my questions is:

-How do you keep your diapers nice and stain-free w/o bleach, does borax work just as good?

-I am thinking making/getting a few other types of cloth diapers(like the fitted ones) but not sure what to think of them I just want something that is very trim, I find that some look so bulky and they are expensive.

I want to make some but right now it just seem overwhelming to start, anybody have a good site or two I can get an idea? I do have some old T-shirts but they just don't seem like I can make diapers out of them, is it that much cost effective?

TIA

[Michigan Mama]

I occasionally use bac-out on poopy diapers (natural fibers only) and I think that helps with stains, but to be honest, as long as the diapers are cleaned well, I don't really care about a few stains. I figure they are made to get pooped on!

I do like fitteds - I use a variety of dipes. I made some of them and bought a couple. Love my sugar peas fitted (2-size), made from hemp. Works great when I need good absorbancy. My favorites besides that are the ones I made! Here's a pattern; http://mayna.livejournal.com/198548.html
and I used this one: http://www.geocities.com/rew4birth/Diapers.html. I have heard that the mama bird pattern can run small, but I only made medium or large and they ahve worked fine for us.

Under diaper making, there are some more patterns on a sticky there, but check that out, too. I did use some old t-shirts (you could also make prefolds with them), but I liked my old recycled flannel even better! Good luck

[buttercupmama]

Honestly, I've found fitteds more bulky than prefolds. Flats, I've heard, are extra trim since you can supposedly fold it to fit the baby perfectly. I haven't tried them, so I wouldn't know. I considered them at one time, but I'm sticking to prefolds now. We don't use snappis, and just lay the prefolds in the diaper cover. It fits snuggly enough as it is. Between snappis and jellyrolls to hold in EBF poop, my DD got cellulite on her butt. I've decided I'd rather have dirty diaper covers. If you go that route, cater for at least 2 covers per day. Depends on how much poop you're expecting. Less, of course, if you're doing elimination communication.

Cover material is another issue. I honestly think I like fleece the most. We are using mostly PUL, but we have one fleece and it works great and is just as trim. But you want polar fleece. Not just any will do.

Prefolds are easy to keep stain free. I know everyone says not to worry about EBF poop, to just throw it in the washer as is, but this results in the worst staining. So the first thing I do with a poopy diaper is wash and squeeze as much poop out of it as possible. At this point, the diaper is thoroughly drenched in water. I squeeze out most of the excess, and just put it in the diaper bag. The other way you can go about it is the wet pail method, but I find just removing as much of the poop as possible as soon as possible and leaving it wet till it's washed is enough. If you do want to do the wet pail method, keep in mind, it still works best if you get as much poop out of the diaper as possible. It's a dirty job...but I'll take it over disposables, you know?

ETA: If I had to employ another method of stain removal, I'd use OxiClean Baby. Some use sunlight, but we live in an apartment, so I've never been able to figure out a way to try that. I used OCB on the diaper covers because the fold over elastic stained badly from the poop over the course of a few months. Two overnight soakings removed every trace of the stains and made them as white as the day we got them.

[brietta]

I love the sun for stains, myself! But honestly a good, diaper-friendly detergent like Charlie's Soap doesn't leave much stains. Even in these winter months when I've not had much opportunity for sunning diapers, we don't have staining.

Sorry-- can't help you with making any. I AM not a seamstress.

Good luck!

[paulam]

I've also just use a diaper friendly detergent and not had any problems with staining. I put the dirty dipes in a wet bag, then wash. I was every other day. So my dirty dipes don't sit around too long.