Smelly urine!

[JMJ]

Our diaper maintenance routine seems to work pretty well. DD is 8 months old, and we haven't had to do anything more than an extra vinegar rinse from time to time, and our diapers come out smelling clean and fresh every time. Lately, though, our diapers in our diaper pail have been smelling horrible, and I'm wondering if it's time to strip our diapers, and if so, then how? I would think that if stripping was needed, then the diapers would come out of the wash not smelling clean.

Could it also have to do with introduction of solids? DD is just now eating more than just a few bites of food a day, and I've noticed smell changes in her poop, not to mention chunks of food. I know the smell is from the urine, though, and not just the poop because we do EC also, and many of my loads are just wet diapers. I'm washing diapers usually every 3-5 days. Do I need to do them more often? I would love to hear the experiences of other CDing mammas.

[MadiMamacita]

do they smell like very strong ammonia, or like very strong urine?
if they smell like ammonia, i have found that that smell goes away if you wash with super hot water- add a teakettle or two of boiling water if your washer doesnt get hot enough. do several wash cycles- but only the first with soap. basically i have found that cold washes or rinses are useless. it has to be hot. throw some vinigar in there for one of the washes. then dry on as hot as you can. if that doesn't work, try bleach. but be sure to rinse very well. if that doesn't work, you can try adding dawn to the wash, but I haven't ever had to go that far.

if the smell is of urine and not ammonia, is your dd peeing frequently enough? is the pee darker in color than normal? is she getting water now that she's getting solids? she could be dehydrated and the pee smell is stronger and more concentrated.

[newmomrose]

I agree that it's most likely the diapers. We just went through the same thing (after 9 months with our dipes) and had to do some extra washes/rinses with our fleece diapers. The prefolds were fine, of course, so that's how I could tell that it was the diapers, not the pee, even though the dipes smelled fine when coming out of the washer and dryer.

[JMJ]

I'll try the boiling water. DD is peeing clear 15+ times a day, so I don't think it's dehydration. Thanks for the suggestions.

[AFWife]

I came to ask this exact thing! DS has STRONG smelling pee...he pees frequently and it's clear but it smells really strong.

So I guess strip?