Wwyd?

[mamabella]

Would you risk ruining your CD stash on vacation or put your never "sposied" baby in sposies?

We are going to my mom's house for a week and my parents have a top loader HE machine that they flood with Downy (liquid fabric softener). The last time we visited I washed our dipes without knowing this and noticed that they were ridiculously soft afterwards (I am talking about Fuzzi Bunz, microfiber inserts, prefolds and covers). While pleasantly surprised at how much softer they felt than usual, my delight quickly faded as I realized a couple of my fuzzi bunz are now more "water resistant" than waterproof. I used to think that wicking was when the pee soaked through the side seams (in the leg openings) or around the snaps or aplix but these diapers are now soaking right through the PUL - even when they are double stuffed. Is that because they were exposed to the fabricc softener residue or because I also used them with my son and they have now seen a good 2 years of steady use?

So now here is my dilemma. My almost six month old dd has NEVER been in a sposie and I am having a hard time imagining putting her in one now. Its not like I never used them - especially when my ds' poops got really nasty we used sposies on vacations or outings for sure. But i am havign trouble with this.

WHat would you do? I might have enough prefolds and covers (though many are more bikini style now that she is growing so fast) but then wouldn't the fabric softener have the same effect on the covers that it had on the fuzzi bunz (if indeed it is the fabric softener that did it)?

So anyone out there have any advice for me?

[brietta]

I can't say that I've had experience with Downy, but after almost ruining my diapers by using my parents' washer, I've started just biting the bullet and using disposables when we're there. I'm too afraid of having to re-buy my whole stash!

That said, if you really, really wanted to use cloth, you could always just handwash the covers, perhaps?

[sunnymw]

I'd use sposies for a week, personally.

If you don't feel right about that, you could run an empty rinse cycle on the washer with vinegar in it, and THEN wash your dipes, that might get all the downy and stuff out. And then line dry so that no dryer sheet residue gets on your dipes (you don't need a line to do it--I've done the hang-them-over-the-couch method more than once!)

[Galatea]

Yep, I would use sposies instead. I am having the same problem this weekend - visiting family with non-CD-safe washer - and I have been fussing over buying sposies, but I'd rather a few days of sposies than rebuying all my dipes.

[mamabella]

Thanks for your responses! Honestly if it were my son I probably wouldn't bat an eye about using sposies (I mean if he weren't PL'ed and all) but ever since my daughter came out of me at home, she has had cloth on her...so I guess its more me getting over the virgin tushie thing....which is me being neurotic maybe I don't know...

okay off to buy sposies I go...

Oh and by the way - I actually did a vinegar rinse and tub clean cycle last visit before i washed diapers but it did no good...sigh....

[sagemomma]

how about g-diapers. it's a compromise i think you could feel less guilty about.
i can't imagine putting a sposie on my kids just because we were going on vacation, it's like making them suffer the consiquences of me having a good time kwim?
to me cloth diapering is just part of our life, there is no other option. it's amazing the solutions you can come up with once you get that straight in your mind lol.
or you could run a load of simple green through the washer before each load of diapers. if you are gonna be there a week you wouldn't have to do it too much.

[katie9143]

Originally Posted by sagemomma

how about g-diapers. it's a compromise i think you could feel less guilty about.
i can't imagine putting a sposie on my kids just because we were going on vacation, it's like making them suffer the consiquences of me having a good time kwim?
to me cloth diapering is just part of our life, there is no other option. it's amazing the solutions you can come up with once you get that straight in your mind lol.
or you could run a load of simple green through the washer before each load of diapers. if you are gonna be there a week you wouldn't have to do it too much.

i use the g diaper inserts laid in my reg old covers in a pinch. but what i think i would do in your case is bring my pfs and wash with dawn and vinegar while there. that should counteract the downy and then if they leave with residue you can just boil them back to normal.

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by mamabella

Thanks for your responses! Honestly if it were my son I probably wouldn't bat an eye about using sposies (I mean if he weren't PL'ed and all) but ever since my daughter came out of me at home, she has had cloth on her...so I guess its more me getting over the virgin tushie thing....which is me being neurotic maybe I don't know...

okay off to buy sposies I go...

Oh and by the way - I actually did a vinegar rinse and tub clean cycle last visit before i washed diapers but it did no good...sigh....

You know that vinegar can actually damage the elastic in your dipes and also cause PUL to delaminate?

If you really want to use CDs (if you haven't bought sposies already ) I'd opt for prefolds, and wash the covers by hand.