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kristina
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Posted: July 10 2006 at 12:13pm | IP Logged Quote kristina

I have a dear friend who is expecting her fourth child. She mentioned to me that she is considering cloth diapers with this one, but does not know which type of covers are best. She is allergic to wool, so she perfers cotton materials.

She asked me for help, but since I only wish I could say I have experience with cloth diapers, I am posting this here to see if any of you who have experience cloth diapering have any recommendations to brands and cover styles.

I vaguely remember a Catholic Homeschooling mom with baby supplies business.

Thanks for your help!
Blessings,

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Posted: July 10 2006 at 12:43pm | IP Logged Quote Donna Marie

Julie's Stuffis probably the site you were thinking of...Julie is a homeschoooler...

I love the diapers I got from her! I got both the organic Ecobaby Grow With Me Diaper with the wool soakers and wool wraps and the fuzzibuns with the BABYKICKS HEMPAROO JOEY-BUNZ inserts...which are great in this summer heat and are soo easy to care for and clean! I LOOOVE the detergent too...the bac-out gets the diapers sooo clean!

I was a newbie cloth diaperer until this past year...after 7 babies, I didn't want to think about those yucky disposable diapers anymore! They pay for themselves over time! Julie's system of washing diapers has kept things easy for me. I actually LIKE doing them...which I think is kinda weird..haha...i just like to mother my baby!

Julie is great at answering questions...you might want to encourage your friend to ask...she should know as she has 8 dc herself!

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Posted: July 10 2006 at 1:27pm | IP Logged Quote Betsy

I have used cloth diapers for all of my three boys...in fact I have used the same diapers! I purchased them from weebees.com. She has a lot of experience and a lot of info. We simply use the Chinese pre-folds with pins with nylon covers. It's one of the most cost effective methods and really isn't vary hard, my husband even changes these diaper!

I hope this helps,
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Posted: July 10 2006 at 3:46pm | IP Logged Quote Sarah

I've used thesefor 4 of my 5 kids. (I didn't do cloth with dd2 since I couldn't get it working right after unexpected c-section ).

Anyway, I'm using these now. They are great. Seem expensive, but last the whole diapering career of one or more children.

Hang to dry.

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Posted: July 10 2006 at 4:02pm | IP Logged Quote mom2mpr

I used cloth with both my kiddos and just bought the Gerber or name brand diapers from KidsRUs or some such store for ds. DD wore them a few months and they were getting a little weary looking so I went to the diaper service in town and bought some "stained" diapers from them cheap and loved them. I really couldn't find the stains on most of them and those I did see little stains on just needed a little TLC-something the service doesn't have time for. I learned to use the more expensive diaper covers with ds and loved Bummi's. Easy, easy, easy to use, wash and few leaks! You can buy them online many places. I think I got my last order from Green Mountain Diapers.   
I do have some extra diapers and possibly covers I would love to pass on to someone who would use them. You can e-mail me privately for info(and I'll have to go through dd's closet to see exactly what I have :)
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Posted: July 10 2006 at 5:38pm | IP Logged Quote Elizabeth

I've used everything under the sun and I need to get the box out and inventory. I am allergic to wool as well and so the woolen covers aren't really an option for me. The times I've done them, the lanolin rubbing onto my hands has been a very bad thing . (Have I mentioned my husband wants to move to New Zealand? MOre sheep than people.. ).

Anyway, I have a question: How do you soak diapers in a front loading machine?

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Posted: July 10 2006 at 6:11pm | IP Logged Quote MicheleQ

Elizabeth wrote:
Anyway, I have a question: How do you soak diapers in a front loading machine?


Ah there's the rub eh? I love my front loader - well I hope I will, the old one died last week and we bought a new one today (what a great birthday present huh?) - but if you use the wet pail method for diapers it's really rather impossible to dump those diapers into a front loader and if you use a dry pail your machine will have to have a soak cycle. No answer to your question, just commiserating.

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Posted: July 10 2006 at 6:17pm | IP Logged Quote Elizabeth

I did go to Julie's site and read her instructions. No soak in the pail or in the machine but she does a total of three cycles . Not sure how cost effective that is.

Michele, I will tell you, if you didn't get the drawers that raise it off the floor, find a child to switch loads. You think your sciatica is bad now, just see where you are after bending and twisting with wet laundry. Come to think of it, find a child, no matter what.

The other thing is that there is no way that you can dump a wet, soaking diaper pail into a front loader. BTDT, don't recommend it.

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Posted: July 10 2006 at 8:20pm | IP Logged Quote Dawnie

Here's how I wash my diapers:

I use a dry pail

I rinse all poopy diapers (except when the baby is exclusively breastfed) out in the toilet

I run the diapers through a rinse cycle, no detergent

I wash the diapers in hot water w/ detergent

I wash the diapers a second time w/ a cup of vinegar and an extra rinse

I dry the diapers in the dryer on high heat and I hang the covers up to dry

I used to soak my diapers in the washing machine, but my diapers look and smell just as clean now that I don't do the soak cycle.

My favorite covers are the Bummi covers. The Dappi pull-on covers are good, too, and less expensive. I think that the Bummis are the most leak-proof, though.

Dawn

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Posted: July 10 2006 at 8:51pm | IP Logged Quote Rebecca

I am currently using disposables. That being said, I used cloth with the other three babies exclusively. I used Gerber Diaper Service Quality diapers (not the thin birdseye ones) with pins. The pull on covers that I used were Dappi brand, which are a lightweight nylon. They are about $5 for a two pack at Babies R Us. When I left the house, I used the same diapers with Diaperaps velcro covers on top. This made for an easier change away from home (not having to remove the pants from boys/tights from girls).

As far as washing goes, I learned early on to wash diapers every day. When you wash every day, you do not have to soak. I just washed in hot once and threw them in the dryer. Any solid poop was flushed right after the diaper came off the baby.

All my wraps and covers went in the dryer as well as the diapers.
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Posted: July 10 2006 at 9:27pm | IP Logged Quote MicheleQ

Elizabeth wrote:
Michele, I will tell you, if you didn't get the drawers that raise it off the floor, find a child to switch loads. You think your sciatica is bad now, just see where you are after bending and twisting with wet laundry. Come to think of it, find a child, no matter what.


Not a problem - I don't do the wet clothes part, I just load and turn it on (to ensure it's properly done) and a child does the rest. This isn't my first frontloader though. The one that just died was a front loader too. We didn't have it on a pedestal and that was fine except when the basement flooded last summer (with sewage no less) it ruined the motherboard (whose bright idea was it to put those at the bottom of the washer??) We have fixed it several times and then the drum started leaking. Last week it stopped agitating and we decided it was time for a new one. We got a better model (a Maytag Neptune) with more options (a spin only option, a soak option, a sanitizing option - which I had in my front loader in Germany and loved)and it gets here Wednesday. Who knew I could be so excited about a new washer!!

I haven't decided yet if I'm doing cloth this time. I didn't for Matthew because his godmother kept him well stocked in disposables the first year and since he wasn't allergic and it wasn't a matter of saving money it made sense.

I do know that it's impossible to dump that pail into the front loader so I would probably dry pail and soak if I go the cloth diaper route.

Forgot to add, we didn't buy the pedestal this time either but dh is building a raised base for it so I'll still get that benefit.

Oh and one more thing...if you've considered making your own cloth diapers my friend Catherine sells a great pattern at Chloe Toes Boutique

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Posted: July 10 2006 at 11:45pm | IP Logged Quote Katie

Elizabeth wrote:


Anyway, I have a question: How do you soak diapers in a front loading machine?


I use mostly Little Lambs diapers. I bought them as they grow with your baby, but I think the one-size fits all is big for a very small newborn (mine never are, though). I got mine on Ebay.

As far as washing goes, I put dirty dipes and wipes in a lidded basket, and when it's full or I get a whiff, I throw them in the machine. I don't dunk as a rule, though I try and get the worst off into the loo. I have a front-loader, and I put a little detergent in the prewash slot, and some in the regular slot, and sometimes vinegar in the rinse slot. I then set it at very hot, with a prewash, and let it go. It takes forever but at least I can forget about it. I try and line dry, but the Little Lambs have held up really well with lots of tumble drying over the winter. They are fleece on the inside, with thick fleece liners.

Every week or so when I do a big bathroom clean, I wash the basket in the bathtub and put it in the sun to dry.

I think that most front loaders also have a soak setting you can activate, but if I use my long whites wash setting there is a bit of soak time included.

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Posted: July 11 2006 at 1:12am | IP Logged Quote folklaur

I bought all kinds of cloth diapers with my last two. A lot. A whole lot.

My favorite diapers were Little Lambs, but their website isn't working for me.   Little Lambs

I got the cutest prints, etc. I got the ones that you needed a cover with, and AIO also. They are one of the few places that I bought from again, and I sure wish I had found them sooner.

Smiles,
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Posted: July 11 2006 at 1:40am | IP Logged Quote folklaur

Well, after I looked around the internet for a bit, it seems that Little Lambs is no longer the company it used to be .

It seems that is why the website isn't working.
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Posted: July 11 2006 at 5:43am | IP Logged Quote Elizabeth

Once upon a time, about eighteen years ago, my dipaer covers were bright, beautiful taffeta.They were so wterproof, breathable, soft and worked like a charm. Alas, much googling has turned up only one tribute to Rubber Ducky brand diaper covers (at least someone has fond memories with me) but no wraps themselves...

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Posted: July 11 2006 at 10:10am | IP Logged Quote KellyJ

We use premium chinese prefolds, snappis (instead of pins), and nylon covers. We have a single wool cover that we used with a child who was a heavy overnight soaker for a long stretch -- he is, thankfully, now potty trained. We were already doubling the prefolds overnight; but it was not enough. Should your friend have a heavy overnight soaker, she will be able to get away with just doubling prefolds or find some effective material to which she is not allergic.

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Posted: July 11 2006 at 10:16am | IP Logged Quote MacBeth

Elizabeth wrote:
The other thing is that there is no way that you can dump a wet, soaking diaper pail into a front loader.

Clearly, there is need for an invention here...first one to the patent office wins!

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Posted: July 11 2006 at 10:23am | IP Logged Quote Meredith

Dawnie wrote:
Here's how I wash my diapers:

I use a dry pail

I rinse all poopy diapers (except when the baby is exclusively breastfed) out in the toilet

I run the diapers through a rinse cycle, no detergent

I wash the diapers in hot water w/ detergent

I wash the diapers a second time w/ a cup of vinegar and an extra rinse

I dry the diapers in the dryer on high heat and I hang the covers up to dry

I used to soak my diapers in the washing machine, but my diapers look and smell just as clean now that I don't do the soak cycle.
Dawn


This is exactly how I wash mine too!! I do occaisionally have a problem with smell, but a little extra vinegar seems to help

My favorite covers are Fuzzi-Bunz, I buy most of my diapering items through Baby Cotton Bottoms Mine have lasted through 3 babies so far (7 years) and I have only needed to toss 1 cover because it frayed and I couldn't repair it at the time

For older toddlers and pre-potty training stage I really like plain folded diapers in the Gerber Velcro wraps, it's a nice alternative to the expensive pull-ups!!

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Posted: July 11 2006 at 11:10am | IP Logged Quote Donna Marie

MacBeth wrote:
Elizabeth wrote:
The other thing is that there is no way that you can dump a wet, soaking diaper pail into a front loader.

Clearly, there is need for an invention here...first one to the patent office wins!




LOL! I'll tell my ds(10)...we don't call him Young Mr. Edison for nothing! He has always said he wanted to invent a washer that would also make sure the items got dried too...to cut his work down...necessity being the mother of invention, I am sure he will do anything to shorten laundry duty!!    I'll let him know!!

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Posted: July 11 2006 at 11:17am | IP Logged Quote Lisbet

Elizabeth, are you talking about these:

I have chinese prefolds that are on their 8th child!! I use prefolds with pins and either Bummis or my own wool soakers.

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