I could use some diaper guidance...

[maisiedotes]

I feel like this is a really dumb question but I am trying to figure out logistics with CD'ing. We registered for a diaper champ (I think that is what it is). When the baby has a poopy diaper, do I rinse the poop out and then throw it in the pail? Should there be water in the pail? Is it wrong to throw a wet diaper in a dry pail? If the diaper is just peepy do I rinse it? Would I use a wetbag in the diaper pail, or is that mainly for travel? Are you supposed to sprinkle anything in the pail to keep smellies down? I plan to wash diapers every day or 2 at least.

I know this is more of a topic for the diapering board but I am scared. I am more comfy here. Thanks for any guidance!

[happyfrog]

I'm guessing you're planning on cloth diapering, right?

Well the diaper champ is nice and all (I used them wehn i used sposies) but honestly, it's overkill for cloth.

just get a bucket - your local grocery store that has a bakery can sell you one for $1 (or maybe even free if you're lucky) that will work WONDERFULLY!

an old trash can also works. . .

all you need is a container to put diapers in.

the first months - BEFORE you start feeding baby 'real' food there's no need to do ANYTHING to those diapers. put the breastmilk poop right in the pail - wrap up the diaper a bit so the poop doesn't get all over the sides of the pail if possible, though. it'll wash out easily. honest!

dry pail is the way to go. lid off - less odor. weird, but true!!!!

i would recommend taking apart inserts (like from pockets) at the time you toss it in the bucket if you can because it'll save you a step at the washing machine. HOWEVER, many times, I've left the diapers put together and the washer agitating separates the diapers for me - somehow it loosens the pockets out of the inserts. . .

do a cold prewash

then do a hot wash/cold rinse

as child gets older and you need to adjust your wash routine, then add in second rinses, second hot wash/cold rinse, whatever your routine ends up needing to be.

every household is different - the water quality/hardness is different. the poop situation is different. lol

i have 2 in diapers.

hth

bettyann

[happyfrog]

oh, as your baby grows, you may find the need to some extra deodorizing in the pail.

i use a splash of white distilled vinegar in the bottom of the empty pail. i put the new dirty diapers right on top and don't worry about it.

some days, i change it up for variety and put a sprinkle of baking soda instead. . .

hth

[melissakc]

Dry pail all the way. No need to rinse, ever. When your baby starts eating solids, just dump the poop in the toilet and flush. Then it goes into the pail. If you are going to wash every day or two, you won't have smelly issues. If I do, I sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of the pail, but that is really rare.

I don't use a wet bag. I just wash out the pail with baby wash in the tub and let it air dry while the diapers are washing.

[Isaac'sMa]

Great advice, all of it! It's not as hard as you think

Dry pail all the way! Especially while baby is still EBF. It won't really smell at all until you start solids. Wet pails are a drowning hazard, unnecessary and a PITA!

[boogiemonster]

Dry pail here, too. I haul it down two flights of stairs to get to my washer, so I don't really want the extra weight a wet pail would give me. We use a flip-top garbage pail with a pedal and a removable plastic pail inside. I'll often, as a bandaid if it gets stinky, throw in a washcloth with a few drops of lavender oil. It's lovely to open the can and get a whiff of lavender. I've scrubbed the silly thing before, but I find it just as effective to set it out on the back step for an hour. That totally gets rid of any smellies.

I need to start feeding DD whatever Melissa's DD eats, because my DD's poops aren't always solid enough to just flip in the toilet. I end up swishing if they're sticky.

We have a small wetbag for travel, but nothing in the pail as of yet. If we invest in a front-loading washer I may have to re-think things, as my pail is kind of long and it might be a messy venture trying to empty it into the hole. But for now, it's working.

[Mom2ManyBlessings]

I second what everyone else has said. Dry pail - any plastic trash can will do, and a sprinkle of baking soda if you need it, or essential oils if you want, too. EBF poo washes clean away, and toddler solids can be dealt with by either using liners (like fleece) or swishing. A cold rinse w/no soap as your first step will loosen anything that stuck.

It's really pretty easy. You just have a few loads of trial and error at first, b/c everyone has different water hardness and poo. But you get it figured out pretty quickly. And CDs are so cute - it's all worth it!

[Hezzy]

Can I add a question for all of these helpful mamas? I'm new to CD too. I just got my stash and am very excited. Mostly I have fitteds and most of them have velcro. Should I close the velcros before I wash so it doesn't stick to the diapers? Or will that keep it from getting clean?

[Curlita]

Maisiedotes, I'm e-mailing you my diaper cheat sheet... and anyone else who is interested, I'd be happy to pass it along. It's just basic information culled from a website (cant' remember which one). It's got most of the information listed here on it.

I'm pretty much a newbie to cloth diapers, too, so I'm going to have these hung up in sheet protectors next to the diaper pail and washing machine, so that anyone who is doing laundry (including me!) can refer to them.

[happyfrog]

Originally Posted by Hezzy

Can I add a question for all of these helpful mamas? I'm new to CD too. I just got my stash and am very excited. Mostly I have fitteds and most of them have velcro. Should I close the velcros before I wash so it doesn't stick to the diapers? Or will that keep it from getting clean?

DEFINITELY fold back the velcro on its foldback loop - or if it doesn't have any, attach it to the front of cover/diaper. because it WILL snag and stick to stuff in the washer if you don't.

personally, i HATE velcro/aplix/touchtape. i'm a snaps gal all the way - to the point that all my prefolds even have rows of snaps on them for a custom fit - no rummaging for a snappi (that ALWAYS flings and falls behind the changing area with no other 'spare' snappi around at that much needed moment) or using pins . . ..

Another tip i've learned over the last couple of years - before line drying or dryer drying your diapers, if you have aplix/touchtape closure, when the diapers are damp fromt eh washer, use your fingernail to flick all the fluff off. comes off easiest when the diaper is damp then when it is dry.

cd'ing is WAY easy! honest!

as for sticky icky poos before child is a year - I learned that my washer will make all that stuff disappear. Sometimes I have 'grapes' in the washer afterwards - they were raisins before laundering apparently, but they're clean and not gross then to toss in garbage. . ..

i came from a large family and i had a policy that whatever went in the washer went in (I don't empty pockets of jeans/shirts/anything) can go in, but whatever is in there will come out clean and DEAD! (Yeah, found many a lizard and turtle and worm in there over the years from my siblings who loved to put 'pets' in their pockets. . ..)

that had nothing to do wtih cd'ing but it was a funny memory to me. . .

[lisalulu]

I ditto everyone else on the dry pail!

[Isaac'sMa]

Originally Posted by Hezzy

Can I add a question for all of these helpful mamas? I'm new to CD too. I just got my stash and am very excited. Mostly I have fitteds and most of them have velcro. Should I close the velcros before I wash so it doesn't stick to the diapers? Or will that keep it from getting clean?

I would do the velcro so you don't get a big diaper chain, but you will have to turn the diaper inside out to let it get fully clean if there aren't fold-back wash tabs. I always do the velcro before tossing it into the pail.
I figure the less I have to handle the dirty two or three day old diapers that have been fermenting in the pail, the better! I like to just be able to dump it into the washer on laundry day and close the washer lid ASAP!

[GooeyRN]

I used pre-folds with velcro covers with dd. She is now almost 2, and just about potty trained. She doesn't really eat yet, but she drinks whatever I put in a blender. (fruits, veggies, meats, and cereals) Most of her poops are sticky and messy. The poops can't just be flipped into the toilet. I scrape off the most of it with TP (and flush) and then toss the diaper in the dry diaper pail. I just throw pee diapers in the diaper pail without doing anything. If I go more than two days without washing, I add some baking soda to help with odor. If I wash within 2 days, I don't need to add anything. I put the pf's and velcro covers in the wash (on hot) together, with 1/4 cup of Free and Clear ALL. Make sure to velcro the covers so they don't stick to everything and wear out faster. Then I air dry the covers and put the PF's in the dryer. They always come out perfectly clean and do not stink at all. I am surprised how well my system works, since I am so lazy. I heard so much about people soaking, dunking, sunning, boiling, etc. and I could never go through that! Try my system, it works!

[Hezzy]

Originally Posted by Isaac'sMa

you will have to turn the diaper inside out to let it get fully clean if there aren't fold-back wash tabs.

This is a good idea! I hadn't thought of that.

Thanks for the suggestions, ladies. I have some with tabs and some without. The tough part is going to be getting DP to do the velcro before he throws diapers in the pail, but I assume if I make him handle 3-day-old dirty diapers to turn them inside out and velcro them, it'll only take once.

[LittleLlama]

I was JUST going to ask about wet vs. dry pails!

This is awesome.

[maisiedotes]

Originally Posted by Curlita

Maisiedotes, I'm e-mailing you my diaper cheat sheet... and anyone else who is interested, I'd be happy to pass it along. It's just basic information culled from a website (cant' remember which one). It's got most of the information listed here on it.

I'm pretty much a newbie to cloth diapers, too, so I'm going to have these hung up in sheet protectors next to the diaper pail and washing machine, so that anyone who is doing laundry (including me!) can refer to them.

Thanks Curlita!

And thank you all for the info. My MIL will be devastated that the diaper champ is coming off my registry but I will definitely get a bucket. No sense in spending whatever ungodly amount a regulation diaper pail will cost. Dry pail, eh? Sounds much easier than a wet pail. And lighter to lug around.

Thanks everyone!

[Isaac'sMa]

Originally Posted by Hezzy

This is a good idea! I hadn't thought of that.

Thanks for the suggestions, ladies. I have some with tabs and some without. The tough part is going to be getting DP to do the velcro before he throws diapers in the pail, but I assume if I make him handle 3-day-old dirty diapers to turn them inside out and velcro them, it'll only take once.

Well, if he's anything like my dh, he'll just dump them in anyway and the diapers will velcro themselves together in the wash. Details are not his strong suit, even if it means ruining something in the process.

I did just put up a "how to" list for our regular laundry and for our diaper laundry (for after the birth if I have to send someone else to the basement to do it). Well, dh has done more diaper laundry in the last three weeks since I put up that sign than he has in the whole two years since our son was born! : Maybe he just didn't want to mess up?! Well, live and learn.

[melissakc]

Originally Posted by boogiemonster

I need to start feeding DD whatever Melissa's DD eats, because my DD's poops aren't always solid enough to just flip in the toilet. I end up swishing if they're sticky.

Ha ha! I use toilet paper to get it off if it's gross sticky one. I also use flushable liners to keep the diaper cream off the diapers since I almost ruined mine with Desitin.

DON'T USE DESITIN ON YOUR CLOTH DIAPERS!

[melissakc]

About the diaper pails, I recommend a garbage can with a lid that pops open. I got one at Lowe's for $10.

[amylizpat]

Excellent info here! Just throwing in a couple of things I've learned along the way:
I use a spatula to scrape off poo (obviously it's one reserved just for this)

I use Viva paper towels as liners when I need to use diaper cream (the babe gets a rash with certain foods and I'm trying to figure out which ones exactly). Very cheap and work great!