cloth diaper type question

[e&tsmom]

Hi all,

I am hoping some of you experienced moms can help me out. We would like to CD baby#3. I have ust started looking into this whole complex world of cloth and it is quite overwhelming. When the baby s 6 months, he will be at a babysitter (or my mom's) for 4 days a week. I need to have a system that is doable for them, as well as us since we have 2 other young children. I have been led to the conclusion that AIO or pockets would be the best choice, and have been rec. several diaper systems. The Kawaii, however, is the one that most people have suggested. I like that they have some made of bamboo and i can get the organic inserts for te pockets, but I am tripped up on the "New Improved Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Laminated Fabric, which is Highly Water-Resistant, Breathable and Very Durable" that is contained within the diaper. Apparently all the kawaii diapers have that. Does anyone know anything about that. We have worked very hard to rid and stay rid of plastics in the house and I hate to think of putting plastic on the baby, especially since we would like to move away from disposables. Of course, this is still the better option, IMO, but I have been unable to locate information on the safety of this type of plastic. DO all cloth diapers have some sort of plastic liner? Am I being too picky? TIA!

[hoping42]

Can't say I am experienced but I am in the same place as you, on #3 and first full-time CD from newborn. I did some with #2 mainly pockets from 9 months or so and did not care for the fleece/non-natural fibers. For #3 I plan to use as much natural fibers as possible and have decided to use fitteds and covers with sandwiched PUL with a layer of natural fiber touching baby.

That said in answer or partial answer to your question I googled "kawaii diapers safety" and came up with this long discussion link http://community.babycenter.com/post...142461636&pd=0

It is more directly about sunbaby diapers but there is info in there or comparison anyway to kawaii diapers and diaper standards. One mama sent a sunbaby diaper to a lab for lead testing and none was found (think it on page 15, 16 or 17 the result is posted).

One thing you may want to consider is that diapering a NB may not be the same system you would choose for your 6 month old. I'll leave it to other mama's to weigh in as I don't have the experience but you could start with something you think will be simple and easy/desired for you to start with and you can always add to your stash as your baby grows and your needs change (e.g., childcare considerations). It looks like Kawaii is pretty economical so switching systems should not break the bank and I think from what I've been told that the number of diapers needed for a NB (10-12 a day) vs. a 6 month old (5-8 a day?) decreases so you may not want a huge stash of kawaiis for your NB.

Not sure when your NB is due and I don't know much about kawaii diapers. But you could put in Kawaii in the "search this forum" page and also in the "diaperswappers.com" forum on diapering Q & A as well as reviews of them on diaperpin.com If there is CD store near you and you are not due for awhile it would be worth a trip - ours has a CD class to learn about different types. It was really helpful for me to be able to go and feel and see the diapers. If that's not an option try to find a site with free shipping and order one of a few things to see what you think.

Best of luck!

[akind1]

TPU is supposed to be better than PUL as far as I know. how exactly I am not sure, but there was a good discussion on diaperswappers awhile back.

I like my grobaby's/grovias a lot, they seem to be largely natural fiber, and the only PUL is on the outside, not touching baby. the inside is all fabric. I CD beginnning at 7 months, so not sure what I would choose for a newborn. probably just prefolds and covers, and wait for pockets, aios, ai2s, etc for when babe hit the "medium" sized range, which is quite large, like 15-30+lbs.

[JudiAU]

PUL is used in almost all modern cloth diaper covers. Research suggests that is a very low concern plastic-y thing. Almost every diaper contains PUL whether natural (pockets with microfiber) or cotton, etc. PUL is generally on the outside of the diaper cover.

The exception is those who use wool as a cover over prefolds or fitted diapers. Prefolds look like "burp clothes" and fitted are similiar but baby shaped. Wool is water resistent doesn't need frequent washing and is antibacterial. My understanding is that you go PUL or wool. People buy them or make them from sweaters or knitted patterns.

[cristeen]

Your options for waterproofing are pul/tpu or wool or fleece pretty much.

The main diff between pul and tpu is that pul is made using a chemical bond, where tpu is made w a heat bond. Rumparooz also use tpu, and i'll say it feels far sturdier than pul to me. Personally, im turned off kawaii by the velcro, i much prefer snaps. I actually have a kawaii sitting here i havent bothered to use because of it. I'll say that for pockets, Rumparooz are my hands down fave. Their internal gussets cant be beat for catching everything. And ive seen them used on a 3 wk old, which most OS cant handle.