FAQ's about Cloth Diapering

How many diapers do I need?
-A good rule of thumb to go by is to take the number of times your LO (little one) goes potty through the day (14-ish for newborns, could be less for older LO's). Multiply that by how many days you want to go in between washing, then add a couple for use during wash time.
ex.- 14 dipes x's 2 days= 28 diapers + 2 for wash time= 30 diapers to start per child

What is the best kind of diaper to use?
- Honestly this ALWAYS depends on your child and your personal preference. It is important to remember that what works great for one person may not work so well for another!

My diapers smell like ammonia after my child pees. What happened?
- Chances are, you need to strip because of buildup. They might have just smelled fine when you took them out of the washer and the dryer, but if they get smelly when your LO pees in them, you most likely need to strip your diapers.

What is buildup?
- Buildup can happen for different reasons. Maybe you are using a soap that is not optimal for cloth diapers. Maybe you need to rinse more. Maybe the soap you are using doesn't like the type of water you have ie., hard water, soft water.
-Maybe, you used too much soap. If you are using an "over the counter" detergent that you find at Walmart or Target, and it is not specifically a "clean rinse" soap for use with cloth diapers, it will bubble a bunch. It is reccomended that you use 1/2- 1/4 of the manufacturer's reccomended amount of use on a full load of laundry, and then rinse rinse rinse until you no longer see bubbles in your rinse water.
-Buildup occurs when there are small particles of soap or diaper soil residue ( or rash cream) that hangs on to the fibers of the diaper material. These can be super small, not noticeable to the eye, but each particle cloggs a bit of the fiber, causing the fiber to not be able to absorb moisture. It can also clog up other particles of soap or soil to cause an even bigger clog..

How do I know if I have buildup?
-First sign of trouble is when you notice that your diapers *used* to act right, used to be great, but over the past couple of weeks, their performance has been getting gradually worse. Then you know it's not the make of the diaper or materials. They used to work great. But they don't now. Then its a gradual problem which most often equals buildup.
-When the buildup accumulates enough, it causes the moisture onto the diaper to be pushed off of the diaper, not absorbed. This is called "repelling".
-This buildup can also cause your diapers to get smelly as those soil deposits turn sour at the interaction of the urine or bowel movement.
-This buildup when interacting with the chemicals in the poop or pee cause an interaction that can create diaper rash or, in some cases, a chemical type burn, on your child's bum.

How to prevent buildup?
-Take a few extra minutes to make sure your diapers are cleanly rinsed. (Many people find that one rinse after the wash is usually not enough.) Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy another minute of not having to switch the laundry *just quite yet*. Trust me, the extra rinse now will save lots of headache later.

How to solve a buildup problem?
-Strip, baby, Strip!
-Stripping your diapers.

What is stripping your diapers?
-It is a series of steps of your choice for stripping away all of the excess soap and soil particles from your diaper to get back to the nicely acting/ performing diapers they were when you first go them.
-Different people have different methods. My Method is posted below.
What detergent should I be using?
-This answer varies based on where you live, what kind of water conditions you have, what your child's skin conditions are, what the acid levels in their urine is. What works for one person may not work for you! This is another case of it being user preference, and best practices for your child.
-However, as a guideline for you to go by, Pinstripes and Polkadots has created this wonderful list of different detergent choices, listing their properties for you to chose from.
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm
It is really a choice for you to make based on your preference.

When I'm out in public, what do I do with the poopy diapers? Or the Pee ones, for that matter?
-Don't stress! Change the diaper, and instead of throwing it away, wrap it up, and put it in your wetbag. You can deal with it when you get home!
-*Please note* You don't NEED a wetbag, there are several other methods of "making do". Some people have wetbags with PUL liners, some people (like me) use the little doggy poop bags that are super cheap for rolls of a gazillion in the pet isle. (You can just pop a diaper in there, tie the bag off and you may even completely forget a diaper is in the diaper bag, {I have} cause the smell is hidden in the bag). Others recycle their plastic grocery store bags, toss a diaper in, tie it off and "voila", instant wetbag. You don't have to spend tons on a wetbag to have something that serves the same purpose.

What is prepping?
-Prepping is preparing your diapers to be used. When you first buy a diaper new, the fibers need to be prepared to absorb the moisture that your LO will throw its way. You will need to do a series of wash/dry on the diapers, as indicated by the manufacturer's instructions, in order to "fluff" up the fibers in your diapers so they can absorb properly. Some require you use a machine wash/dry. Please read manufacture's instructions on your diapers to know what methods to use.

How Do I strip?
I strip like this:
I have a front loading machine.

When washing, I use Country Save Detergent

My REGULAR wash routine is:
1 full cold quick wash with no soap.(full cycles have 2 rinses)
1 full hot regular wash with soap
1 full hot quick wash no soap
1 full hot quick wash no soap

When I feel the need to strip the cloth diapers, I:

1 cold quick wash no soap
1 hot full wash with soap and 1 hot full wash with 1/4 cup vinegar and 2 Drops of Tea Tree Oil (TTO)
1 hot full wash with 1/4- 1/2 cup baking soda
1 hot full wash no soap
1 hot quick wash no soap.
I then boil all non-pul items for 30 minutes. Sometimes it takes a few different "batches" as my pot isn't super big.

Sometimes the last wash isnt necessary, but sometimes, I do it just to be safe.

When I dry my diapers, I throw everything into the dryer and press start.
Where can I find Tea Tree Oil (TTO)
-Walmart carries it in the vitamin isle.
-Melaleuca sells Melaleuca Oil (same stuff)
-Ebay sells it sometimes, just look to see!


Where can I find a list of the economic advantages (MONEY) to cloth diapering vs Disposable diapers?
http://www.diaperdecisions.com/cost_of_cloth_diapers.htm

I have a question about using cloth wipes, probably not a FAQ but what do you mamas use for "wipe solution"? And what wipes do you recommend?

I have a question... I've always heard that it's better for the environment but then I've heard from other people that you use more water washing them than you save trash from going in the landfills and that the energy costs for washing them outweighs the money you save by using them. Is this true? I've never used them before so I don't know exactly how much you have to wash.

Quoting Stevie&Bella:“ I have a question... I've always heard that it's better for the environment but then I've heard from ... [snip!] ... the money you save by using them. Is this true? I've never used them before so I don't know exactly how much you have to wash.”

Heres a link to the economic advantages of doing cloth (will write more when I'm not on the phone)
http://www.diaperdecisions.com/cost_of_cloth_diapers.htm

SO much money saved!!!

Here's the cloth diapering threaded topic to find other answers and friends  
http://forum.baby-gaga.com/about1035088.html

Quoting Hannah & Levi:“ I have a question about using cloth wipes, probably not a FAQ but what do you mamas use for "wipe solution"? And what wipes do you recommend?”

I get soap bits from Wee Essentials on Etsy...and I put the solution in a peri-bottle (the bottle you get to clean yourself after giving birth) and I wet the wipes as needed  

Quoting Sabrina-Squish's Moo Cow:“ I get soap bits from Wee Essentials on Etsy...and I put the solution in a peri-bottle (the bottle you get to clean yourself after giving birth) and I wet the wipes as needed  ”

You're awesome, thank you  

Quoting Sabrina-Squish's Moo Cow:“ Heres a link to the economic advantages of doing cloth (will write more when I'm not on the phone) ... [snip!] ... Here's the cloth diapering threaded topic to find other answers and friends   http://forum.baby-gaga.com/about1035088.html”

thanks!!!

Quoting Hannah & Levi:“ You're awesome, thank you  ”

No problem, you are welcome!!

Quoting Stevie&Bella:“ thanks!!!”

youre welecome!

I have TONS of questions.....
Which diapers are easier to use?

Diaper liner with the insert, or cloth diapers like fuzzibuns?

Should I try all one size, or sizes to my LO's weight? (small, medium, large)

How do you store dirty diapers? In a pail? How can you keep it from not stinking up the whole house?

How often do you wash diapers?

Quoting kid a:“ I have TONS of questions..... Which diapers are easier to use? Diaper liner with the insert, or cloth ... [snip!] ... you store dirty diapers? In a pail? How can you keep it from not stinking up the whole house? How often do you wash diapers?”

You will find that ease of use TOTALLY depends on the user. The ones that are MOST like a disposable diaper is pockets or All in Ones. however, that may not always be the easiest, or works best for your little one. The key is getting a few different kinds/styles/brands to find what works best for your LO and what you are most comfortable using. I have found fitteds with covers to be my favorite, but I have also found that your likes and dislikes vary with time...

I put my dirty diapers into a diaper pail called a diaper champ from Target, and I wash every couple of days but the frequency of washings depends on how many diapers you have on hand.

So this may be a stupid question, but I've been wondering so going to ask.....;)
After going through my wash routine, I always smell a few diapers to make sure they're clean. Then after they go through a full drying cycle I smell again, and sometimes notice a faint smell even though I didn't notice after the wash. I'm assuming that after the hot wash cycles and the drying cycle all the bacteria is dead? Some times the smell is so faint it just doesn't seem enough to go through a full wash/dry cycle. Should I be washing again? Is it possible if there is a smell, there is still bacteria that could cause a rash or maybe worse?

i have a question! What is the best way to wash cloth diapers?

Quoting PEEPSRSTRANGE [PWRITOJ]:“ So this may be a stupid question, but I've been wondering so going to ask.....;) After going through ... [snip!] ... Should I be washing again? Is it possible if there is a smell, there is still bacteria that could cause a rash or maybe worse?”

What's it smell like? Some fabrics just give off scents. I'd think if it's not an ammonia smell, detergent or mineral-like scent, you'd be okay. Any problems with rashes?

If you're worried, run a few extra rinse cycles!

Quoting *Melissa* Party Of Three*:“ i have a question! What is the best way to wash cloth diapers?”

Some people's routines vary but essentially it's a cold rinse, hot wash with detergent, and rinsing multiple times after that.