I will post pics on the subject sometime down the road, but for now, know that the sun works miracles!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The sun is your friend.
Even if you choose to dry your diapers in the dyer, you can still throw them out in the sun every once in a while for a natural bleaching! You wouldn't believe the stains that the sun takes out in an hour! They come out looking so white it's like they're brand new.
I will post pics on the subject sometime down the road, but for now, know that the sun works miracles!
I will post pics on the subject sometime down the road, but for now, know that the sun works miracles!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
How do you CD on the go?
I worried at first that using CD's while out and about would be a hassle. What I've found is it's no big deal! Sure the diapers take up more space in the diaper bag, but all in all it's really not a problem.
I usually keep 2 BG's in my diaper bag, a few cloth wipes and a wet bag. This is the one I use from Target:
click here for link.
It was $12.99 at Target. I only have 1, but I really could use another one. It's on my list! The only reason I need 2 is so I have one while the first one is being washed.
It's just a bag with a liner that zips! You just throw the diaper/wipes in the bag and bring it home to wash. But make sure you wash the wet bag with the diapers! You don't want to leave a poopy mess behind! :)
Before my days of cloth wipes I use to throw the disposable wipes in the diaper and put the whole thing in the bag. And then I would just wash it all. Turns out it's no big deal to wash the disposable wipes! In fact I would be willing to bet if you wet them you could re-use them! They come out in one piece and very clean :)
I usually keep 2 BG's in my diaper bag, a few cloth wipes and a wet bag. This is the one I use from Target:
click here for link.
It was $12.99 at Target. I only have 1, but I really could use another one. It's on my list! The only reason I need 2 is so I have one while the first one is being washed.
It's just a bag with a liner that zips! You just throw the diaper/wipes in the bag and bring it home to wash. But make sure you wash the wet bag with the diapers! You don't want to leave a poopy mess behind! :)
Before my days of cloth wipes I use to throw the disposable wipes in the diaper and put the whole thing in the bag. And then I would just wash it all. Turns out it's no big deal to wash the disposable wipes! In fact I would be willing to bet if you wet them you could re-use them! They come out in one piece and very clean :)
Swimming with cloth diapers
I can only speak for BG's because that's all I use, but we have used them to swim with!
I just took the insert out and put the outside part on. It was perfect!
I read about it and what I found was that really swim diapers only catch the poop, but the pee sort of goes in the pool. So using a CD in the pool was the same as a swim diaper.
I was cautioned that the chlorine could fade the diaper so I set one aside to use for swimming, but it didn't fade at all.
I did get a pack of 25 swim diapers at a garage sale for $1 so I'll use those this summer, but just FYI you can use them for swimming :) Just take the insert out, or else it's H-E-A-V-Y! My dad make that mistake, lol.
I just took the insert out and put the outside part on. It was perfect!
I read about it and what I found was that really swim diapers only catch the poop, but the pee sort of goes in the pool. So using a CD in the pool was the same as a swim diaper.
I was cautioned that the chlorine could fade the diaper so I set one aside to use for swimming, but it didn't fade at all.
I did get a pack of 25 swim diapers at a garage sale for $1 so I'll use those this summer, but just FYI you can use them for swimming :) Just take the insert out, or else it's H-E-A-V-Y! My dad make that mistake, lol.
Cloth wipes
I admit I didn't use cloth wipes for about 3 months. I was intimidated because I didn't know what to do! Man I was a fool, they're the easiest part of the whole equation!
We use the thin little baby wash cloths:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5978536
They're $4 for a 12 pack. Cheapest thing you'll ever buy for the baby :)
All we do is fold them in half and put them in an empty wipes container. Pour enough water to make them wet and voila! Wipes! We use to use soap, but it didn't seem to make a difference so we don't even bother.
I use about 1 wipe per diaper change and when we're done, it goes in the diaper in the pail!
I have to say it's easier than using throw away wipes! Cuz with throw aways you have to walk to the trash can to discard the wipes and then put the diaper in the pail. Plus who wants poopy wipes in the trash?
We have about 24 total, but that's more than plenty! I never put them all in the container at once because they'll start to smell. Usually about 10 at a time is good.
I will admit I don't use them on my almost 3 year old foster son. His poop is too big and nasty, so I use the throw away ones!
But I have found it's SUPER easy to travel and go out with cloth wipes, all you do it bring them dry and run them under water before using!
Amazing :)
We use the thin little baby wash cloths:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5978536
They're $4 for a 12 pack. Cheapest thing you'll ever buy for the baby :)
All we do is fold them in half and put them in an empty wipes container. Pour enough water to make them wet and voila! Wipes! We use to use soap, but it didn't seem to make a difference so we don't even bother.
I use about 1 wipe per diaper change and when we're done, it goes in the diaper in the pail!
I have to say it's easier than using throw away wipes! Cuz with throw aways you have to walk to the trash can to discard the wipes and then put the diaper in the pail. Plus who wants poopy wipes in the trash?
We have about 24 total, but that's more than plenty! I never put them all in the container at once because they'll start to smell. Usually about 10 at a time is good.
I will admit I don't use them on my almost 3 year old foster son. His poop is too big and nasty, so I use the throw away ones!
But I have found it's SUPER easy to travel and go out with cloth wipes, all you do it bring them dry and run them under water before using!
Amazing :)
What detergent do I use?
Thankfully I have very little to write on the subject, it's all been done before me!
Pinstripesandpolkadots.com
Above is a brilliant list with all the detergents you can and can't use (with pictures!). Be careful, you might not be able to use the same detergent as you do with your clothes!
As I mentioned earlier we use:
I get it at Walmart and the 50oz bottle is $3.76 and the 100oz bottle is about $7.50. So not too bad!
I only use it on my diapers, and I keep a bottle at my mom's house (who lives two states away) so I can use them when I go to her house. But to be honest, I've been in a bind before and used Tide (a no-no) and I don't think it killed my diapers just using it one time :)
Pinstripesandpolkadots.com
Above is a brilliant list with all the detergents you can and can't use (with pictures!). Be careful, you might not be able to use the same detergent as you do with your clothes!
As I mentioned earlier we use:
I get it at Walmart and the 50oz bottle is $3.76 and the 100oz bottle is about $7.50. So not too bad!
I only use it on my diapers, and I keep a bottle at my mom's house (who lives two states away) so I can use them when I go to her house. But to be honest, I've been in a bind before and used Tide (a no-no) and I don't think it killed my diapers just using it one time :)
Why are bum genius so great?
The bum genius 3.0's are amazing! It's a one stop diaper in my opinion, which is why I didn't buy anything but them! They GROW with the baby! They work from 8lbs-35lbs, so hopefully the entire time your child is in diapers.
You don't need to mess with s/m/L/xL etc. You can just buy the diapers and use them until they are potty trained.
How do they grow?
They have a snap system that allows them to get bigger as your child does. Amazing! Genius I tell you (no pun intended!)
Here is a size small:
You can see no snaps are showing. My son was in these until he was about 2-3 months.
A size Medium:
You can see I've unsnapped them once to get them a little bigger. He was in these until about 4-5 months.
A size Large:
And all the snaps are showing, they're full size. He's been in these since, and even though they don't go bigger, they still fit my almost 3 year old foster son! (and no they don't weigh the same!)
So as you can imagine, having diapers that fit a child no matter what the age (as long as they weigh over 8lbs) and not having to buy different sizes for different is VERY convenient! I puffy puffy heart these diapers!
You don't need to mess with s/m/L/xL etc. You can just buy the diapers and use them until they are potty trained.
How do they grow?
They have a snap system that allows them to get bigger as your child does. Amazing! Genius I tell you (no pun intended!)
Here is a size small:
You can see no snaps are showing. My son was in these until he was about 2-3 months.
A size Medium:
You can see I've unsnapped them once to get them a little bigger. He was in these until about 4-5 months.
A size Large:
And all the snaps are showing, they're full size. He's been in these since, and even though they don't go bigger, they still fit my almost 3 year old foster son! (and no they don't weigh the same!)
So as you can imagine, having diapers that fit a child no matter what the age (as long as they weigh over 8lbs) and not having to buy different sizes for different is VERY convenient! I puffy puffy heart these diapers!
Ok, the washing of the diapers.
This is truly NOT a daunting process, nor does it take long. But in order to BEST help you understand the process, I have taken pictures (many!), but don't be overwhelmed, it really doesn't take long!
-Storing the diapers:
We keep all our diapers in the top drawer of the dresser (with the changing table on top). Inside we keep diapers, cloth wipes (in wipe container) lotion, and newborn inserts for night times (more on inserts later).
Wearing:
Here is my 6 month old looking adorable in his bum genius diapers.
The diaper pail:
After the not-so-adorable part comes, you simply take the diaper off (exactly like a regular disposable) and put it in the pail.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10542216
There are many types of pails, but we opted for a large trash can for our pail. When we travel (by car) we use this pail:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2527001
We started out using this pail but it only fits about 10-12 diapers and I have 28 so I wanted to go longer without washing.
Washing:
When the pail is full you take the diapers and dump them in the wash as is (if you use a liner for the pail, that goes in too):
WITHOUT USING detergent, you run a rinse cycle on COLD for 10 minutes
Then, without doing anything with the diapers, you pour in the detergent (more on kinds to use later, but here is the kind we use, sold at Walmart):
and run a full cycle on HOT. If for some reason your washer doesn't automatically run another rinse cycle at the end, you'll need to set it to do so (though I'm pretty sure they all do).
So each wash gets a rinse on COLD, a full cycle on HOT, a follow up rinse cycle on COLD
Drying diapers:
When the diapers are done you simply take them out and dry them. The inserts *should* come out while being washed, but every once in a while one gets stuck (especially the little newborn inserts). Don't worry they're still clean!
How do you dry them?
I line dry mine. I was told by friends who paved the way before me that dryers can be harsh on the outside of the diapers. And I have a line both in my basement and my backyard (was there when we moved in!) So I line dry them.
The bummer with winter is that it takes MUCH longer to dry them in the basement than outside. In the spring/summer/fall it's about 2-4 hours outside and in the winter/basement it's about 36 hours. Huge difference! So I love hanging them outside :)
However, the dryer is NOT the devil.
You paid for your diapers, you can certainly do what you want with them. When we travel, we don't feel the need to drape our diapers all over our friends/family members homes, so we just toss them in the dryer. It's not the end of the world :) And they're done faster!
Assembling them:
When they're dry I throw them all in a basket and assemble them while I'm watching TV!
Each diaper comes with three parts:
1. The outside:
This is what the poop/pee gets on, but it's thin and NOT absorbent. You never want to put this on a child without an insert in it, it won't hold anything
2.The insert. This is a full size insert. This is what absorbs the pee/poop and keeps it from leaking out.
3. Each diaper also comes with a newborn insert (that is much smaller). Those never worked on our son, but we do use them to make his diaper more absorbent at night time (we use a full size AND newborn in one diaper).
All you have to do is stuff the insert in the diaper through the pocket:
Fold the flap
and it's done!
Then I fold them to store them:
That's it :)
-Storing the diapers:
We keep all our diapers in the top drawer of the dresser (with the changing table on top). Inside we keep diapers, cloth wipes (in wipe container) lotion, and newborn inserts for night times (more on inserts later).
Wearing:
Here is my 6 month old looking adorable in his bum genius diapers.
The diaper pail:
After the not-so-adorable part comes, you simply take the diaper off (exactly like a regular disposable) and put it in the pail.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10542216
There are many types of pails, but we opted for a large trash can for our pail. When we travel (by car) we use this pail:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2527001
We started out using this pail but it only fits about 10-12 diapers and I have 28 so I wanted to go longer without washing.
Washing:
When the pail is full you take the diapers and dump them in the wash as is (if you use a liner for the pail, that goes in too):
WITHOUT USING detergent, you run a rinse cycle on COLD for 10 minutes
Then, without doing anything with the diapers, you pour in the detergent (more on kinds to use later, but here is the kind we use, sold at Walmart):
and run a full cycle on HOT. If for some reason your washer doesn't automatically run another rinse cycle at the end, you'll need to set it to do so (though I'm pretty sure they all do).
So each wash gets a rinse on COLD, a full cycle on HOT, a follow up rinse cycle on COLD
Drying diapers:
When the diapers are done you simply take them out and dry them. The inserts *should* come out while being washed, but every once in a while one gets stuck (especially the little newborn inserts). Don't worry they're still clean!
How do you dry them?
I line dry mine. I was told by friends who paved the way before me that dryers can be harsh on the outside of the diapers. And I have a line both in my basement and my backyard (was there when we moved in!) So I line dry them.
The bummer with winter is that it takes MUCH longer to dry them in the basement than outside. In the spring/summer/fall it's about 2-4 hours outside and in the winter/basement it's about 36 hours. Huge difference! So I love hanging them outside :)
However, the dryer is NOT the devil.
You paid for your diapers, you can certainly do what you want with them. When we travel, we don't feel the need to drape our diapers all over our friends/family members homes, so we just toss them in the dryer. It's not the end of the world :) And they're done faster!
Assembling them:
When they're dry I throw them all in a basket and assemble them while I'm watching TV!
Each diaper comes with three parts:
1. The outside:
This is what the poop/pee gets on, but it's thin and NOT absorbent. You never want to put this on a child without an insert in it, it won't hold anything
2.The insert. This is a full size insert. This is what absorbs the pee/poop and keeps it from leaking out.
3. Each diaper also comes with a newborn insert (that is much smaller). Those never worked on our son, but we do use them to make his diaper more absorbent at night time (we use a full size AND newborn in one diaper).
All you have to do is stuff the insert in the diaper through the pocket:
Fold the flap
and it's done!
Then I fold them to store them:
That's it :)
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