blondiewoof said:
I am thinking of trying cloth diapers and like any newbie I have some questions. I already know I need an approximate 44" x 44" ( depending on manufacturer ) so here are the questions:
1. Prefold, contour, or regular ( fold'em yourself )?
a UK perspective, here: we tend not to bother with all the buggering about with folds that you do in the US; our traditional nappies are simply square terry-towelling and only a couple of folds, depending mainly on age/size of the child, for to get the best fit out of the one size nappy.
2. Material - cotton, gauze, or ?
terry-towelling, as said. when it comes to large-child upto adult, though, there is a big 'but' as the supplies sold for incontinence are usually of a poor quality material and vastly over-priced, which is why don't bother with them and just buy towels from nearby supermarkets. there are various grades of towelling, usually rated in 'gsm' (grammes per square metre) and i go for the highest available, which is usually around 800gsm. of course, not all sellers will display the gsm as it shows up their bread-and-butter stuff for the poor quality that they are, so you really need to have a look and feel of the material.
i do use standard gsm towels, but i double them over, which is also why i buy the bath-sheets rather the other sizes. bath-sheets of a good gsm will be fairly thick and can be cut in half to give two nappies, or you can double it over and think of it as a 'night' nappy:
with bath-sheets tending to come in 170cm or 150cm x 100cm a square nappy can be cut by just trimming off one side and the off-cut used as both a centre pad and as a guide for folding:
you should be able to see the nature of the fold and how it will splay out when you pull the edges to wrap around you. the same fold was used the earlier pic, where i'm wearing a doubled-over bath-sheet and here's pics of it folded before use:
that fold is traditionally used for toddlers up and can be adjusted for ease of walking.
with a bath-sheet, though, you tend to get a good sag going on, so the material isn't wedged up into your crotch and it's much more comfortable for mobility.
i use frost-protection-fleece as a liner; it comes either as a large, folded sheet or on a roll. the roll is obviously easier to cut off a piece as needed. ideally, you should wash them before use; not just because of cleanliness, but because it'll soften the material. you can double the fleece for a silky-soft feel when you walk.
i use another type of fleece for comfort and as a 'quick-away' and one-way liner: it's generally used for insulating coats and stuff, but it's also found in 'quilted' bedding. i recently bought some quilted pillow-protectors and they work perfectly.
they add very little weight, but enough padding to be comfortable, if that's needed for emulation or, as with me, medical need.
i use mini-bungees instead of pins:
they can bought as a pack (with hooks). i've been using them for years and it's all pros, no cons. i've sharpened one of the bungee's hooks, as in the pic, for ease of fitting. i suppose you could say that i'm at a stage of saying 'pins are for pricks' :biggrin:
3. What is your favorite cloth diaper? And why?
4. Where do you buy them?
5. What is the approximate cost?
6. Is shipping included?
7. Do you prefer pins if necessary, or some other device to keep the diaper closed?
see above.
Please feel free to include any observations you may have.
plastic-pants: buy bigger than you you think you need. to be honest, going by the sizes and cuts about, you're probably best buying the largest size available; you can always adjust them down to fit, if need be.
i shan't go onto creams because i make my own.
laundering: it's recently come to light that not all washing machines wash at their claimed temperature. since you need to wash at 60C, it's worth checking that your machine is properly washing your nappies. if you don't have a suitable thermometer, simpy pausing your machine just before it goes onto the rinse cycle (once it's drained), waiting for the door-lock to deactivate and then opening the door and checking that your nappies are steaming hot will do. they should be too hot to handle.
i rinse my nappies before washing, using a cheapo limonene-based disinfectant (it's a degreaser, natural based). i also put them through another rinse cycle after washing.
it's also probably worth nothing that not all features of a washing machine will work on all wash cycles. for some reason, ours doesn't go onto it's top speed spin on the 60C cycle and i have to do a seperate spin for full effect.
you'll also need to ensure that the drumload is balanced properly; that'll mostly come down to trial and error as there are various factors involved, but you'll need at least three 'day' nappies in order to spread the load. if your machine goes rocking-bonkers, pause the cycle and let the nappies drip away their moisture for a few minutes, before restarting the cycle. sometimes, you have no choice but to take items out for safe operation.
oh, and be aware that you may need to add water (hot) as not only are modern machines not designed for washing nappies, but the nappies will obviously soak up the water automatically fed in. and that again has an impact on the draining and rinsing, so you need to keep an eye on the machine.
happy nappying
since i'm here editing, after getting auto-logged out and losing my uploads :cursing:, i may as well mention that the elastics on the plastic pants shouldn't be so tight as to leave a mark on the skin. they don't even need to be on the skin: you can rest them upon the nappy or, as i often do, the nappy's liner. any leaks are the failing of the nappy, not the pants.