Are sprayers necessary?... Are ointments/creams ok with cloth?

[mariacm]

I'm a newbie, considering cloth...

When I was growing up, mom cloth diped all of us, and I remember helping with the younger sibs - we'd dunk the bm dipes into the toilet a few times to shake off the solid bm, then put them in the pail.

Now I hear about diaper sprayers you attach to your toilet water line. Are these necessary? Do sprayers work better than dunking?

Any danger of the sprayer making toilet water line leaks/breaks more likely? (We had a toilet valve break once when not home (not related to dipes), and it flooded the basement... worries me!)

Also, are butt ointments/creams ok to use with cloth? Do they wash out of hte dipes ok in the wash? BTW, is diaper rash more or less likely with cloth dipes?

Thanks!

[Michigan Mama]

That's great you are considering cloth! I'll try to answer as many questions as I can. : )

I don't use a diaper sprayer. For pocket style dipes (any with synthetic inner), the poop comes off pretty easily with a quick flick or swish in the toilet. When I use prefolds or fitteds, I often place a fleece or flushable liner in there to make clean up easier. Obviously, the flushable liners...you flush. Fleece liners just make poop cleanup easier because the poop flakes off without much work. I would think a diaper sprayer wouldn't give you plumbing problems as long as it were properly installed, but like I said, I don't use one.

Be wary of creams! Many children get few to no rashes with cloth diapers. My son does, but he has food allergies and it would happen no matter what. Sometimes there is a sensitivity to the a certain detergent or something, but most kids get few rashes. There are a few cloth friendly diaper ointments/creams, but not many. Most traditional rash creams can leave build-up on your diapers which not only cause stink, but can cause your diapers to repel. If you have a repelling diaper, sometimes it's fixable, but obviously very frustrating!

If I need to use a heavy-duty rash cream (I like Weleda), I use a fleece or flushable liner to protect my diaper.

hth! Good luck with your decision! I'm so glad I made the switch after my son was born. I'll never go back and look forward to more cloth with my new LO coming in Aug!

[mariacm]

Thanks for your input! If you don't need a heavy-duty cream, but just a little skin protection, can you use olive oil or another oil with CD's? Will that wash off ok?

Also, can you tell me where to find the detergent brands that are ok to use with CD's?

Thanks!

[Galatea]

A sprayer is key and way better than dunking. The one we have is very high-quality and doesn't leak.

You can use cloth-safe creams that don't have fish oil or zinc oxide. These are available on many cloth diapering web stores. Olive oil is fine, too.

Google these detergents - most will ship right to you.

allens naturally
country save
charlie's soap
mountain green baby free and clear

[chely7425]

I couldn't CD without my diaper sprayer... we have the Bum Genius one (I think) and we have never had any issues with it leaking or anything.

[fruitfulmomma]

I don't spray or dunk. Just shake off any solids and throw in the wash and that is with an older child on solids. With a newborn on breastmilk, you don't need to do anything but wash.

[schreiberwriter]

I don't think I need diaper cream unless a rash has developed. That only happens if my DD sits in poo for longer than a few minutes.

If she gets red, I use Natural Essence diaper stick. For bad rashes, I've used pure lanolin with a fleece liner between the bum and the diaper.

Cloth diapers work best with no diaper cream.

Don't know about sprayers. I washed breastfed poo and now I shake solids off. Then rinse poopy diapers (little tracks remain) before double washing with the rest. Sunshine gets all stains out.

Have fun exploring the world of cloth diapering. For some reason, I found the research pretty fun.

[Ifluffedthree]

I am a card holding member to Voluntary Simplicity. No sprayer here, not in 1990, 1999 or with my last child ----- and I still think diapering was easy.

I dunked -- and still lived to save the money and do something fun with my kids with it.
I am an old school cloth diaper-er -- way before all the bells and whistles in the last 3 years.

So for me -- I say dunk if you dare.

either way -- just do cloth

[luckygreen713]

Good for you for considering cloth! It's great, I love it! It's easy, healthier for my kids, cheaper than sposies, and better for the planet. And some of diapers out there are sooo cute! I prefer cotton prefolds with simple covers though

I used to use a sprayer. It took some getting used to because if the valve was turned on all the way the pressure was way too high and poop water spprayed all over my bathroom. That was totally horrible, as it required me to take time out immediately to clean my wet, gross bathroom, which isn't always easy with a baby. If the valve wasn't turned on enuogh the pressure was too low and didn't get the poop off. Once I found that middle ground, it worked, but it almost wasn't worth it, because you have to turn the valve on and off each time it's used, so I was always having to find the right pressure. So, we took it off and I'm back to dunking/swishing. It's effective and easy, and when it's your own baby it's really not that gross. Maybe I just had a bad sprayer (bumGenius), maybe others are great, but it's not worth the investment to me.

Here's a list of detergents with info relevant to washing cloth diapers.

http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm

This site has a lot of great info about washing diapers. Check it out! I personally use Arm and Hammer Sensitive Skin and we have never had any problems at all. I've also used Purex Free and Clear with no problems. I prefer the "regular" detergents as opposed to diaper detergents like Charlies or Allens, just because they're not available where I live and I'm on a budget.

I find that my children get less rashes in cloth than disposables. I still need to use rash cream sometimes though, and I always put it on my baby with her night diaper, just because she sleeps 10-12 hours without getting changed and I like to create a nice barrier for her skin. I use Calfornia Baby Diaper Cream. It prevents rashes, and when there is a rash it clears right up with CB. If it's a bad rash (rare) I like Weleda Calendula Diaper Cream. Both of these use lanolin as the base, which is safe for cotton diapers because it washes out in hot water. They both smell great too I'm not sure if it's ok for synthetic fibers though, it might cause repelling/stink issues. I only use cotton so I really don't know. With cotton you could use olive oil to create a thin barrier, but probably not with synthetic diapers. With cotton you can also use plain pure lanolin as a moisture barrier/skin protectant, like the kind for nursing mothers' nipples. I got a sample tube of lanolin with a breast pump, I stuck it in my diaper bag in case we're out and need a rash product. It works nicely.

Good luck with your decision. This is a great resource if you have questions along the way, these mamas know their diapers!!