Tried a cloth diaper for the fist time today

Wife was at work all day today and I was home, so what better time to have some diaper fun. I went into the back of my closet, looking for something different, maybe a sample not yet tried and forgotten. I then came across a box that had all my cloth items, one pre fold (already washed once and had shrunk), 4 pins and some nice white plastic pants. I proceeded to watch several "how to" videos which showed various folds for babies. I figured the "newspaper fold" would work for me. Now I gave it try, had to to re-pin a few times to get the right fit and feel and put on the plastic pants. I will say they were quite comfortable and did not make we sweat as much as a plastic backed disposable would have. I had left these in the closet all this time thinking they had shrunken too much to use. I was wrong. My first release felt a bit strange at first and then the wet diaper was nice and warm. By the time a went again, maybe an hour or so later, when I sat down, I had a leak. I realize now that the cloth takes some time to disperse around. When left concentrated on the bottom, after standing and then sitting immediately, I had trouble.

I proceeded to do some gardening outside (figured with the hose, if I leaked again, I could camouflage the wetness with my watering). No one would know if anyone saw me. I proceeded to go several more times, always standing, but no more leaks. Even sat down to eat and went on line, nothing. I was really amazed how every inch of the diaper eventually got wet, back and sides as well. The plastic pants did well and I was off to a fun and productive day.

I still think the cloth when wet is interesting, but as a DL, I never got that real squishy feel that a thick disposable gets when really wet. I ended up rinsing it in the shower with some mild soap and now have it the washing machine with a drop of mild soap, hoping to get it somewhat done before my wife gets home. Not sure if I should machine dry or just hang it up. Looks like a rectangle rag, so it shouldn't get much attention if I do hang it in my bedroom.

All in all, a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Welcome to the cloth diaper wearer's. Glad you enjoyed it. I'm about to put one on for overnight with PUL panties.

Thanks oleman72. Any tips on washing and drying? I had it on two 40 minute cycles, by itself in the drier and it's still a bit moist. I hate to put it away like this, but wife is home and really don't want to answer a lot of questions this late in the day if she sees it hanging in the room.

Out of curiosity, what kind of diaper is it--Changing Times, Baby Pants, AdultClothDiaper/All Together, Angel Fluff, Babykins?

It's a bit counter-intuitive, but diapers often dry quicker when you dry more of them, or dry them with other things. If you have just one diaper in there, it'll tend to clump up and stay toward the outside of the drum, where there's not as much air flowing over it. If I don't have many diapers to wash/dry, I'll usually throw other clothes in with them. It helps. That said, adult prefolds have more layers than the baby kind. The Changing Times ones have a ten-ply soaker panel, which I think is a little excessive (although I do like those diapers a lot). I find that it does take about an hour in the dryer to get them dry enough to where I can put them away.

I suspect everybody has their recipes for this stuff, though!

Quite true about one diaper in the dryer. I wash mine out while I shower and then hang them to dry in the basement. When I get a week's worth, I wash them all together and dry them collectively.

Cottontail said:

Out of curiosity, what kind of diaper is it--Changing Times, Baby Pants, AdultClothDiaper/All Together, Angel Fluff, Babykins?

It's a bit counter-intuitive, but diapers often dry quicker when you dry more of them, or dry them with other things. If you have just one diaper in there, it'll tend to clump up and stay toward the outside of the drum, where there's not as much air flowing over it. If I don't have many diapers to wash/dry, I'll usually throw other clothes in with them. It helps. That said, adult prefolds have more layers than the baby kind. The Changing Times ones have a ten-ply soaker panel, which I think is a little excessive (although I do like those diapers a lot). I find that it does take about an hour in the dryer to get them dry enough to where I can put them away.

I suspect everybody has their recipes for this stuff, though!

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It was ordered from AdultClothDiaper.com and it was the Gauze Leakmaster Nightime Adult Prefold in Medium. I remember now from their website to dry them with other items. I will definetly try that next time.

maybe one day but for now it doesn't look like it'd be worth the hassle and cost (til I get some steady income)

Well I tried them again today. No leaks and I got a good 6 hours in them. I also just rinsed them in the shower and then did a quick white wash with some towels and undershirts. This time, my dry time.was about 60 minutes. Much better when using other items in the dryer.

If you want a longer useful life out of your diapers I suggest you dry them by hanging them on the line or a clothes drying rack. They will be a bit stiff when dry but put them in the dryer on the air fluff cycle (no heat) for about 15 minutes and they will come out all soft and fluffy. There will be very little lint in the trap, this is where the diapers disapear after a while.

Unfortunately, hanging to dry is not an option unless I really plan out well in advance when I can wear. Between family not knowing and my wife not really approving, I would rather get the whole cleaning cycle done with as quickly as possible. At least the prefold looks almost like a towel and blends in with the white laundry. Hanging one on its own would not work in my house. But thanks for the tip.