I could use some diaper guidance... - Page 2

[maisiedotes]

Originally Posted by amylizpat

I use a spatula to scrape off poo (obviously it's one reserved just for this)

Note to self: If I use this technique I MUST remember to let DH know so I don't find him flipping pancakes with said spatula...

[GinaRae]

And make sure it doesn't look anything like your others! In my house, I could see the poop spatula being the one thing the boys put away in the right drawer without being asked!

[meisterfrau]

I do more rinsing than most of the mamas here, but I also have terrible hard water and no end of problems with stink.

I also didn't start CDing DD until she was well into solid food...probably almost a year old. Her poops are not usually solid enough to drop into the toilet, so I invested in the diaper sprayer you attach to the side of the toilet. I think that was money much better spent than the Diaper Champ would be.

I'll add to the no Desitin...make sure no dryer sheet finds its way into the dryer with your dipes or wipes...they will repel water (well, and urine, more importantly)! I have a well-meaning family member who did this to me thinking she was doing me a favor by throwing my wash into the dryer, and I was not a happy camper.

[Googy]

OK, more newbie questions for you CD experts...

I am so intimidated by this whole CD thing...

Do you bleach your washer out after you run a load of diapers? How do you make sure that your washer is clean and not spreading fecal matter germs into the rest of your clothes in the next load???

The poop thing is freaking me out. I can totally handle the newborn breastmilk poop, its the solid-food poop that wigs me out. I just can't see myself using a spatula or swishing in the toilet. That's just a lot of interaction with poop, you know? How do-able is it to just dump in the toilet or wipe with TP and then put in the pail?

Finally, how nasty is it to pull out the inserts of a pocket diaper that's been soiled?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get my head around this before the baby comes!

[Curlita]

Googy, from what I've read you don't really need to do a lot of scraping or swishing... just dump any dumpable solids and then put it in a pail. I don't know that I feel like I've avoided much contact with poop while caring for a kid in disposables... my poo tolerance threshold is definitely much higher than it was before having a kid, and I wash my hands a lot.

I don't know a thing about pocket diapers, and had never really thought about the washing machine... unless your kid has dysentery or something, I don't know if that level of sanitation (bleaching the machine) is necessary... the ideal situation would be to use water that is hot enough to kill germs in the first place, and use something additional like oxygen bleach or grapefruit seed extract to sanitize the diapers (as well as the machine).

[melissakc]

Originally Posted by Googy

Do you bleach your washer out after you run a load of diapers? How do you make sure that your washer is clean and not spreading fecal matter germs into the rest of your clothes in the next load???

I had the exact same question before DD was born and no one could answer it. I can tell you, after almost two years of CDing, that your washing machine and the next load of clothes will be totally fine. Just use hot water. After a while, you won't even think that it's gross.

I think the toilet paper method is very doable bc that's what I do, but you'll find your own method. I know lots of people who love the diaper sprayer method and others who love the spatula method. (If you're going to use the spatula method, keep it in some sort of container by the toilet, like a tall plastic cup, and for the love of God do not put it in your dishwasher.)

[Curlita]

I meant to ask/mention this in my last post... RE: Desitin... I am under the impression that Desitin Creamy is okay, but the regular Desitin has a lot of cod liver oil in it that gets into diapers and stays there. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Desitin Creamy is okay with cloth diapers.

[meisterfrau]

Originally Posted by Googy

OK, more newbie questions for you CD experts...

I am so intimidated by this whole CD thing...

Do you bleach your washer out after you run a load of diapers? How do you make sure that your washer is clean and not spreading fecal matter germs into the rest of your clothes in the next load???

The poop thing is freaking me out. I can totally handle the newborn breastmilk poop, its the solid-food poop that wigs me out. I just can't see myself using a spatula or swishing in the toilet. That's just a lot of interaction with poop, you know? How do-able is it to just dump in the toilet or wipe with TP and then put in the pail?

Finally, how nasty is it to pull out the inserts of a pocket diaper that's been soiled?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get my head around this before the baby comes!

I can't deal with the poop-in-the-washer thing either. It just bugs me because I have so many problems with my wash already that I will not take chances with giving myself more. Diaper sprayer, I'm telling you. It's really high pressure, and there's just about nothing on those dipes when I throw them in the pail. I probably really kind of overdo it, but hey...it works for me.

[melissakc]

Originally Posted by Curlita

I meant to ask/mention this in my last post... RE: Desitin... I am under the impression that Desitin Creamy is okay, but the regular Desitin has a lot of cod liver oil in it that gets into diapers and stays there. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Desitin Creamy is okay with cloth diapers.

Yes, the cod liver oil is the problem. The bad thing is that it works so well (for my DD) but it is just terrible for CDs. Don't even get me started on what I went through!

Desitin Creamy should be OK, but after my experience I am very stubborn about diaper creams and only use Burt's Bees, and even when I do, I use a flushable liner. That's probably pretty extreme, though.

FTR, I never had trouble with Balmex. I love that stuff.