As for fitted diapers, I love the Thirsties Fab Fitteds. They are easy to use and so soft as they are made of terry cloth. As with the prefolds, you will need a cover over them. For travel I use Fuzzi Bunz Pocket diapers which you can also find at http://www.kellyscloset.com/-Fuzzi-Bunz-Pocket-Diapers_c_682-1.html. You can stuff them with microfiber inserts or prefold diapers work well too. It just all depends on how much absorbency you will need.
Another thing about the Fuzzi Bunz is that they are great to put on an older child. When they start to go outside in the backyard and play quite a bit then I strictly use Fuzzi Bunz.
Something to keep in mind about cloth diapering…
…you will need to change them more often than when they were wearing disposables - maybe like every hour to an hour and a half. I have heard of people not realizing this and wondering why their little ones were leaking so much. And then they end up switching back to disposables because they were sure it was the cloth!
As for a washing routine…I use what’s called the “dry pail method”. This simply means that you rinse all poopy diapers in the toilet and then put in a pail until you wash. There is no need to rinse diapers that are only wet. When you use pocket diapers, make sure to remove the insert before putting it into the pail. The urine can cause the outer fabric of the pocket diaper to wear out sooner. I usually drop in the insert and hang the diaper on the side of the pail.
*A note about rinsing diapers in the toilet…buy a diaper sprayer to attach to your toilet! It will make life so much easier.
There is no need to spend extra money on a “diaper pail” – buy a plastic trash can and it’ll do fine. Using the lid is up to you. I don’t but I wash every day and don’t have issues with my laundry room smelling like diapers. You may want to use the lid if you will be washing less than that.
You can Google “how to wash cloth diapers” and come up with many methods. I will share with you what I do and have always done with no problems. I use Simple Green concentrate and Washing Soda (not baking soda). The washing soda and baking soda are both made by Arm and Hammer and their packaging look similar. Sometimes I will add vinegar in a Downy ball for the rinse cycle and once a week or so I use Calgon water softener. Here in AZ our water is extremely hard and the minerals from the water will build up in the diapers and can cause leaking or wicking. I also need to add that you should not use fabric softener at all as it will cause your diapers to repel liquid and then they will not absorb which causes leakage. I don’t even use fabric sheets in the dryer. As far as drying the diapers, I usually hang them out on the line most of the year and use the dryer the rest or when it is raining. If you hang them out they will be “crunchy” when you take them off but soften rather quickly after putting them on. If you hang your other laundry, you already know what I mean.
Now for the steps I take in washing them…
*dump in washer and turn to rinse (on cold)
*then turn to hot/cold, add about 10-15 squirts of the Simple Green and about a 1/4C of the washing soda in with the diapers
*I always do a second rinse just to be sure I get them rinsed good.
Overnight seems to be an issue I’ve read many people have. What I have found works for us is a good fitted and wool or sometimes fleece over top. I can give more details if you are interested in going the wool route.I hope I have answered your questions and am willing to show you what
Whether you decide to use Fuzzi Bunz or not I have so you can get a feel for some of what’s out there. It is always nice to be able to touch and see the diapers in person before buying.
