Cloth Diapers - Part Two

How to actually use cloth diapers...

Once you buy your cloth diapers you are only half way there. Often you will need to pre-wash them up to 3 times to remove the natural oils. Just enjoy the fun nesting season while you do it! There is nothing more precious then to see a line of newborn diapers drying in the sun!

The next thing you need to do is figure out how to use them! The following is some ways that I have used my cloth diapers as well as some little tips! We have found that the best way to figure this out is to try different combinations for different times! For example, I use a different diaper during the day than what I use at night.

Inserts and Liners:

To make sure that your little one stays comfortable at night I recommend that you get soaker pads to add to their nighttime diaper. We did not need to do this until Hadassah was about 6-7 months old. At that point she was taking in more milk and therefore needed a diaper that could hold more. They come in 2 different sizes. The one above is made by Kissaluv so it fits perfect in the Kissaluv diaper but can be used in any diaper.
Often when people hear that we are using cloth diapers they always ask if we have more diaper rashes. I am pleased to say that we do not. In fact we have had more issues with disposable diapers (when we are out of town). However, at night we add a fleece insert that helps to keep Haddie's little bum dry. It allows the moisture to go through but stays dry on top. I bought these from Jillian's Drawers and they are made by bum Genius. For about $10 I was able to get six stay dry liners. These can also be used for keeping ointments off of your cloth diapers.
Over Christmas I was making a blanket and had some left over fleece. I cut out the above fleece and did a simple stitch to keep it in one piece. It works just as well as the others! In the future I will just make my own liners as it is much cheaper.
On that same trip we decided to take cloth diapers with us. As a result we bought these flushable liners. They are placed on top of the diaper. When you get a dirty diaper you are able to pick up the mess and just flush it down the toilet. These work great for on the go. No stinky mess to carry around with you! They are about $6.00 for 100 sheets.

How to fold Prefold diapers:

When you look at the prefold diaper it can be a bit challenging to know where to begin. After several searches I found three basic folds to work best at different times.

Twist Fold:
Start with a flat diaper (shorter side under the bum). While holding the top down, twist the diaper at the center so that it removes the bulk from the middle.
Pull up the diaper so that the twist is between the legs.
You can use pins if you like. Or I recommend using a Snappi. If you are using a Snappi, hook right and left...

then pull down the center and hook. This makes sure that the diaper will stay on the baby!
Next you need a cover. Like I said in the last post, I use the Thirsties Diaper cover. Place under baby's bum...
pull up and fasten like you would a disposable diaper.
IMPORTANT!!!!! Make sure you check the sides of the diaper. If you have any diaper sticking out of the cover you need to tuck it in or you will get wet!
The legs should look like this (above). I often pull the cover in to make sure that it is not resting mid-thigh. This will be more comfortable for your baby.
As you can see this is a very trim option for cloth diapers. It is also a good option for when your little one is learning to crawl. It increases the mobility with prefolds.

Wide Fold:
Another option with prefolds is to lay the diaper with the long side under the baby's bum.
Fold in the the right side to the center
Then bring the left over to the edge.
Lay the folded diaper in the cover.
With the Thirsties cover (and many others) there is a pocket that you can tuck the diaper into. This helps the diaper to stay in place.
Place the diaper on like you would a regular disposable diaper.
As you can see in the pictures above, this option adds a bit more bulk, but with that it holds more pee! This is a great option at night or for little boys as it has the most protection in the middle. You may also notice that I did not use a pin or Snappi with this fold. It is not needed when you use the cover. Make sure you use a cover that has a snug fit on your baby. You may also choose to fold your diapers in advance so that you have little to do at the time of changing. We used this fold as well as the one below a lot when Haddie was little. The smaller prefold diapers worked really well with this fold. I found it just as easy as a disposable.

Long Fold:
Another option is to do the same fold but the opposite way. Put the short side under the baby's bottom.
Again fold the right...
and left!
Depending on the size of the diaper and your baby you may want to fold the top down so that you get more protection in the front. This is really good for little girls but does add more bulk in the front.
Again, lay it on the cover...
tuck it into the pocket and put on like a diaper. I must say that the last two ways of folding worked well with the right size diapers. However, we hit a point where these just had too much bulk in the middle of Haddie's legs. Out of frustration (and when there was a big sale going on) we got the size 2 Kissaluvs. Maybe when we have another baby we will get the size 1 so that we have a complete set!

Kissaluvs:
While I don't mind using the prefolds, the Kissaluvs are very easy to use! You lay it under your baby...
pull up between the legs...
fasten the first set of snaps (which have a lifetime guarentee) depending on the size of your baby...
and then the second set of snaps!
This is Haddie wearing the size 2 in the smallest size. She is currently 14 months, 21 pounds, and still uses the smallest setting on these diapers. They should fit her until she is potty trained! I must mention that babies who use cloth diapers do tend to get potty trained faster than babies who use disposable. They know what it feels like to be wet and they don't like it! Hadassah has been going to the bathroom on the toilet on and off for the past few months! I would not be surprised if she is potty trained at 18 months!
Then place the cover over the diaper!
Fasten as you have done before and make sure to check the legs!

These diapers are a bit more trim than the prefold folded. I think the twisted prefold and the Kissaluv have about the same amount of bulk.
These do not seem to keep Haddie from moving in all ways - and fast I might add!
Now...I do have one issue with cloth diapers, or should I say clothing companies??!! It can be a bit hard to buy clothes for Haddie in cloth diapers. Without cloth diapers she is very true to size, if not a bit on the small size. However, with cloth diapers she needs much larger bottoms and normal size tops. This can be hard when you are buying sets. Once I find some pants that fit around the cloth diaper they are too long in the leg! I think some of it is the fitted look that girls pants have. I have found that dresses work well for little girls. Also the basic pants from Gap work well. Gymboree clothes seem to fit really well. I am always shopping sales to find good deals. Maybe this is not as much of an issue with little boys as they tend to not have curvy cuts! This also was not as much of an issue when Haddie was under 6 months. The bottom line is that you will need to try out different stores to see what brands fit your baby with cloth diapers. I am always trying on clothes before we buy them! I can't just shop by size.
While I find these options to be very easy to use...not all would agree with me. For example, it can be hard to explain to nursery staff at church or to a babysitter. Everyone is ALWAYS willing to try but I have found that it is usually a challenge for them. As a result we decided to buy 3 bum Genius one size diapers for these occasions. I will write more about these diapers next week! I will also go over how many diapers to buy! Please let me know your tips and feel free to ask any questions!

Cloth Diapers - Part One

As you prepare for the arrival of your first little one you find yourself having to make many decisions that really you have very little if any experience in. As Michael and I thought about diapering we were very interested in looking into cloth diapers. While babysitting in high school I had a family that used cloth diapers and I remembered it being fairly easy (mind you that it was the occasional diapers as to daily diapering). After doing much research I found a company Jillian's Drawers who not only had competitive prices but was extremely helpful over the email and phone. They helped give me the confidence that we could do this! So the weeks before Hadassah arrived we made our first order of diapers, washed them, and get everything in order. Over the next few weeks I wanted to take some time to help the everyday person get a closer look at our journey through cloth diapers. Who knows...maybe one of you will get inspired to start this journey as well! While it hasn't always been easy it has been so worth it.
The first 2 weeks we used disposable diapers. This is not necessary but I personally found Haddie much too small for the big cloth diapers. At about 2 weeks we made the switch. Above are pictures of Hadassah in size 0 Kissaluvs (She is 1 week in these pictures). Kissaluvs are considered "fitted" diapers. They need to be worn with a cover or you will have a wet mess on your hands.
As you can see, they have a way of folding down and snapping so that there umbilical cord/belly button can heal. Once it has completely healed you can undo the snap and it looks like a normal diaper (shown below).
They come in several colors or in unbleached textured fleece. There is elastic around the legs as well as around the back. Unlike most parents of newborns we did not experience any breastfeed blowout diapers. The Kissaluv (with the cover) kept all the mess in while leaving her clothes and bed clean! This made for a very happy mommy! We personally opted for the unbleached diapers as they are about a dollar cheaper. A 12 pack is $143.40 or you can by them individually for $13.95 Right now there are one sale (a new version has come out) for $10.45 each. They fit a baby from 5-15 pounds or until about 6-8 weeks depending on the size of your baby.
We also bought some infant Indian Prefolds (above left). They fit babies 7-15 pounds. It was very handy to have these around when we were a bit tired and didn't have the Kissaluvs washed and ready. They are VERY reasonable ($2.00/each) but not as easy to use. You can either fold them and lay them in a cover or use a Snappi (I will talk a bit more about prefolds in another post) which is a way of fastening the diaper without using pins!
For a cover we used a Prorap Classic Diaper cover. The combination of the Kissaluv and the Prorap made our journey with cloth diapers wonderfully easy! They cost $7.50 each.
The newborn size (which is what we used) have a cutout for the umbilical cord. They fit babies 6-10 pounds. We eventually had to buy another cover when Hadassah started to enjoy milk and started to grow! We used the Thirsties diaper cover (I will talk more about that cover in another post) once she outgrew these.
This is the best part of these covers! They have a wonderful double gussets which really do keep in all the mess! I promise you that they only time we had a blow out diaper was when we were on vacation and used a disposable diaper!
One trick with cloth diapers is finding diaper cream that will work with your cloth diapers. Most diaper creams have water repelling properties that would keep the mess from soaking into the diaper = major problems. However, if you do find that your baby has a rash then I do recommend a few products. The first is Method Diaper cream. It is supper light and works wonders. We did not need to use a liner in between the diaper and the cream with this one. A little bit went a long way. The other one is Burt's Baby Bee. Again we did not use a liner with this but you should always check with the company who made your diaper before you choose to do this. This cream was thicker - more like traditional diaper cream. We found that in general Haddie did not have a problem with diaper rashes (many people think cloth diapers are a cause of diaper rash). As long as we changed her on a regular basis, she was fine.
What about when you go out? Can you still use cloth diapers?? YES!! Unless we were going out of town where we would not have access to a washer and drier we used cloth diapers. They make something called a wet bag (the one above is called a Wahmies) to put your dirty diapers in while on the go. It even had a little cloth that we could put a drop of essential oil on to make it smell wonderful! Everyone always wants to know what smells so good! I am glad to let them know that it is Hadassah's dirty diapers! If you have access to a toilet and you can dump the dirty diaper contents - I would recommend this. If not, just fold up diaper and wait until you are at home. This bag would fit all we would need if we were gone for the day. Now that Haddie is in larger Kissaluvs we would need to bring along a larger wet bag if we were going to use more than 3 diapers (I think). While they do take a little bit more space (before and after) I have not found it to be a hassle.
Here is a picture of Hadassah's changing station. To the right I have a wet bag. When Haddie has a wet diaper I can put the diaper and the wipe straight into the wet bag. For smell control wash diapers every other day and put a small cloth with essential oils on it. Below I have a number of bins. I do not know what I would do without these bins! I have the two on the top right for cloth diapers (one for Kissaluvs and one for Prefolds). Then I have two on the bottom for extra covers, liners, inserts, and wipes. That brings me to my next point...
Cloth wipes vs. disposable wipes. Until recently we just used disposable wipes. One of the main reasons why we decided to use cloth diapers was because of cost. It adds up to use disposable diapers. Well when Hadassah was about 8 months old I decided that wipes were starting to get more expensive as well. I decided to make the switch to cloth wipes. Why not?? I was already washing diapers. What was a few wipes? I bought 4 packs of the Gerber wash cloths and went online to make my own solution.
Here I have the wipes on the left and the solution in a plastic container in the middle.
Our basic solution is water, a little baby soap, a few drops of baby oil (makes it easier to wipe) and some essential oils for fragrence and some of their healing properties. For example, Tea Tree Oil is a natural anti fungal. Haddie was always getting infections when she was on a really strong antibiotic. Once we added Tea Tree Oil and a little vinegar (also a natural anti-fungal/antibiotic) her infections went away - without a prescription! I have been very pleased with using our own wipes - it is maybe a bit easier. With disposable wipes we had to put them in a separate garbage. With the cloth wipes they just go in the same pail as the diapers! We do use disposable wipes for church and when we go out.
Here is the wipe solution. Distilled water helps it stay fresh longer!
Dip the wipe...
Squeeze out excess solution and wipe!
While some people seem to think that washing diapers is a lot of extra work I have not found this to be so. I must admit that there are times when I wish we did not have to do an extra load of diapers but then I remember that I only have to use one outfit most days (unless her lunch gets a little crazy). The diaper covers do not need to be washed each time. You can use a wipe to clean them and then hang them dry. When I am about ready to do a load of diapers I grab all but 2 or 3 and wash them.
When Hadassah has a dirty diaper we bring it to the bathroom to dump the poo into the toilet and to rinse off the diaper. To store the dirty but rinsed diapers we got a basic diaper pail made by Safety First. We then put a wet bag in so that we have a dry pail. No diaper pail full of water solution!
We pop open the top and toss the dirty diaper in!
When it is full or when it has been about 2 days we wash the daipers, wipes, and the wet bag. I only wash the smaller wet bags every other wash. I find that they do not need to be washed every time.
You may be wondering how I rinse the dirty diaper. Michael installed this handy diaper rinser on our toilet. I CANNOT imagine life without this. I simply hold the diaper over the toilet and spray the mess off! I love it!
When it is time to wash I take the wet bag and empty its contents into the washing machine.
I empty the diaper pail wet bag and put that wet bag in with the diapers, covers and wipes.
You must use approved detergent - we use Tide Original he - we have only ever had one stain on the diaper and that is because it was a dirty diaper that got left for a whole day while we were out and about.
Then wash! I wash my diapers on Hot/Cold with an above normal soil level and add a Pre Wash to that. I know the picture shows warm cold but I never wash them on warm. I always do Hot/Cold or Extra Hot/Cold. I then dry them on high in a dryer or when it is warm you can line dry them.

I know that some people are not for cloth diapers because of the water use. If you can get a he washer this will help a lot. I also believe that early on you will do less washing as the diapers hold in the messy diapers and you will not need to clean sheets and clothes like you would if you were using disposable diapers. Not to mention - it is a lot cleaner to not throw away human waste! It is recommened that EVERYONE dump waste into the toilet before throwing the diaper away. Using cloth diapers helps to ensure that this will happen.

I hope that this has been helpful! I will be sharing more in future posts but this will give you the basic idea of how to use cloth diapers! I have been surprised at how easy it is to use them. Not to mention how cute they are! Feel free to ask any questions you might have and I will do my best to address them in future posts!

I'm One!

Special birthday dress picked out by Great Grandpa Bruun

A quick post to give an update on Hadassah's stats. We all went to visit the doctor today for Hadassah's one year check-up. All was well (as we knew).

Her weight: 20 lbs. 8 oz (40%)

Her height: 29 1/2 inches (64%)

Her head circumference (last one they will take): 17 1/2 inches (31%)

Michael and I continue to notice how much she is leaning out. She keeps getting longer and not gaining as much weight. Her cloth diapers keep her looking chubby! SO cute!

She is still nursing 4 times a day, although I think she might drop to 3 times soon. She has been give the okay to eat anything (which really only means adding honey and peanut butter) and so far we have not had any issues. It has been interesting to read up on the whole "when to introduce foods to your baby" issue. They are beginning to think that it is best to introduce most foods to babies at a younger age as opposed to waiting until a specific age. Seriously, lets think about it. Do you ever go to a third world country and see kids with special foods and diets??? No, they just eat the food that they can! I think if we would all relax we would see that our kids would do just fine with a HEALTHY BALANCED diet. I am all about monitoring what they eat and allowing them to slowly get used to food but if I lived overseas right now there would be no telling what Haddie would have already eaten by now and I am sure she would be just fine.

So...more to come on the whole birthday bash soon - I need to upload some video. I wanted to be sure to get this up before life got going too fast again.

Hadassah Sharing about her Day

I love to her Haddie talking in this video! The best part is that she could see herself at the bottom of the screen while I was recording and she didn't like looking at the "baby" on the screen - which was her! I also love that at the beginning of the video she moves her mouth a bit and realizes that it is her in the screen (or that the baby is doing the same things as her)! I think you will enjoy watch this as well!

From Infant to Toddler

Over the past few days I have noticed that Hadassah is really stepping out of the "infant" season and is moving toward the "toddler" stage. How exciting to see her grow and change each day. Here are a few examples. While I am not holding my breath, it seems as if Haddie is beginning to learn how to use the toilet. I have only had to change one dirty diaper over the past 5 days! Yep - she is going in the toilet!!! Now, I still have wet diapers to change but we are moving in a new and exciting direction!

Tonight while we were waiting for our dinner to cook I decided to read to Hadassah. However, she had other plans! As she squirmed out of my lap she went over and picked up her sandals and brought them back to me! I asked if she wanted to go outside and her immediate smile let me know that I had guessed correctly!

While we were on our walk (down the driveway) she did something new. She noticed something specific and paused to stop and look at it. She then picked it up and decided that this would be a perfect little treasure! It was such a joy to watch her discover the world around her - and her trying to figure out how she could hold onto my hands and her little treasure at the same time!

Here is an up close of her treasure!

It won't be long and she will be running down the driveway and through the yard. For now I am VERY content with her slower pace at life.

Haddie is definitely hitting those special milestones all the time. One very special one is coming up! Her 1st Birthday! I can't believe that she is almost one. It really has gone by so quickly. Having jaw surgery, moving, and Michael changing jobs definitely helped the year move by fast! I am in awe of how much Hadassah has grown up this year. While we were chilling in bed this morning I turned on a clip of her as a newborn. She sat there quietly next to me and watched the "baby" on the screen. Hard to believe they are one in the same!

For her birthday (and the ones to follow) I am making a birthday banner. Here is the first peak at it! I will be sure to post more as I work on it. Should be fun!

PJs Pizza and a Movie

Today was one of the most beautiful days we have had in a long time. Haddie and I decided to skip her afternoon nap in order to take a walk around Lake Peachtree. Of course we had to end at the park! I am blown away by how much Haddie is growing. She can climb on the big toys without my help! I think it is just a matter of time before she will be walking!
Something Michael and I have talked about is the importance of having special family traditions. One that I specifically have wanted is something to usher in the weekend! For me, not a whole lot changes from day to day and it is easy to forget that we are in the weekend - minus the fact that Michael is around more. So tonight Haddie and I tried out PJs Pizza and a Movie.
I found a great recipe for a no rise pizza dough that turned out really well (look for it at the end of this entry)
We made it special by 1. Letting Haddie watch a movie (Babies singing songs) 2. Eating in the living room.
Haddie's favorite song was about a giant dog! After I got Haddie to bed I treated myself to a movie as well!
We are looking forward to being able to share this special night with Michael when he gets back. Until then us girls will be sure to continue laughing and enjoying this special time that we get to have together. Hadassah truly is joy and delight to my life! Thanks for keeping mom company!

Pizza Dough:

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast)

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups flour (I did half whole wheat and it turned out great)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. 1

   Dissolve yeast in warm water in a medium bowl and add rest of ingredients.

2. 2

   Beat vigorously 20 strokes and let rest 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Press dough onto greased 11x17" baking sheet and add topping ingredients of your choice.

4. 4

   Bake at 425° for 15 to 20 minutes or until done.

Sooooo Big!

While in Shelton WA with my family Hadassah picked up a few tricks! I just love her in her cloth diapers! They are too cute!

9 1/2 Months Old

Hadassah is now 9 1/2 months old. I am blown away by how fast she is growing up. We just went to her check-up and all is well. She is hitting all the major milestones ahead of time and is growing at just the right pace. She weighs 18 pounds 15 ounces (45%) and is 28 3/4 inches long (82%). Her head circumference is 17 inches (21%). Hadassah is crawling all over the place and has mastered pulling herself up on anything that will hold her. She is still working on how to get down. She is talking up a storm as well. She now says Mama, Dada, Baby, Book, Bye-bye (and waves), and a few others that she is still working on (like grandpa and more). She understands many more words as well. She is just learning what no means. Whenever she hears it she starts to shake her head no. She is always making us laugh and keeps us on our toes now that she is moving all over the house!