Remind me how to cloth diaper

[gibbinator]

I gave all my old diapers away to a friend recently and I'm trying to remember what she needs to know, as well as separate all the cloth diaper hardcore super mom mania from actual fact, haha. 

- Does liquid vs powder detergent really matter? Tide free was always the recommendation here right?
- No zinc diaper creams...so what do you use? 
- hemp vs bamboo vs microfiber inserts? any difference? I want to buy her some new ones as a shower gift since I warned her the ones I gave her were pretty worn out. 

What else am I forgetting? It's been a long time. I'm mainly wondering about cleaning and how to not ruin the absorbency. Any product recs (something I can get in Canada)?

[turboteal]

I dont think liquid v powder matters much, I used powder just for economy of scale. I use regular tide without issue (big box from costco) but many people use free/clear for sensitivity. Diaper cream depends of type of diapers, if they are all natural fabric (cotton), then you can use zinc/whatever, it will wash out. I think green mountain diapers has some really good basic care info on their site, they also have a little info packet they send if you order anything from them that goes over cleaning, etc. I used combos of prefolds, flats, and GMD workhorses (fitteds) plus covers, only had a couple pockets/all in ones to try out. YouTube has a lot of info, Thirsties is a brand I mainly used for covers (also have all the other styles) and they have lots of good info on their social media pages too (how to, washing basics, FSQs, that kind of stuff).

[turboteal]

Hemp falls in the natural fabric category I believe, good for increasing absorbency but absorbs slower than cotton/microfiber, bamboo is technically a rayon I think so like microfiber may be more prone to retaining odors, but absorbs more. Microfiber absorbs fast but is most prone to smelling and compression leaking. Also I think stretchy bamboo items tend to shrink a lot over time. The brand I rec'd above (Thirsties) definitely has some Canadian retailers, they have every style from cover to pocket to all in one, plus inserts, prefolds, and even flats and breast pads/menstrual pads now. GMD is located in Vermont and I think should ship to Canada, they also have a really great in house brand (Clotheeze) that I used for prefolds, flats, fitteds, wipes, and a couple newborn covers. They also carry several of the big brands and overall just have really good customer service and a Facebook group that has good participation and is helpful if your friend wants to check that out. I would recommend both of those brands strongly!

[af1212]

I used microfiber inserts - we used a variety of diapers but by the third kid we had moved everything over to bum genius.

I used all kinds of fancy detergents with my older two and regular blue liquid tide with my youngest. I found there to be no difference.

I didn’t use diaper cream regularly but if I needed to I just used disposable diapers. I had a hard time finding a diaper cream that worked, was ok for my kids weird/sensitive skin, and wasn’t crazy to get off of my hands. The magical cream that I found was desitin in the purple tube.

I guess would depend on my reason for using the cream and also my reason for cloth diapering but if my kid had sores or a rash I just wanted it gone ASAP rather than having to mess with a possibly less effective cream to be diaper safe.
My cloth diapering life was from 2009 to 2018ish so that’s when my info is from. Not sure if anything has changed.

[gibbinator]

Aug 4, 2021 8:50:37 GMT -5 af1212 said:

I used microfiber inserts - we used a variety of diapers but by the third kid we had moved everything over to bum genius.

I used all kinds of fancy detergents with my older two and regular blue liquid tide with my youngest. I found there to be no difference.

I didn’t use diaper cream regularly but if I needed to I just used disposable diapers. I had a hard time finding a diaper cream that worked, was ok for my kids weird/sensitive skin, and wasn’t crazy to get off of my hands. The magical cream that I found was desitin in the purple tube.

I guess would depend on my reason for using the cream and also my reason for cloth diapering but if my kid had sores or a rash I just wanted it gone ASAP rather than having to mess with a possibly less effective cream to be diaper safe.
My cloth diapering life was from 2009 to 2018ish so that’s when my info is from. Not sure if anything has changed.

RIIIIGHT! I remember doing the same now. I will relay that to her. Wow the things you forget in 5 years.

[af1212]

Aug 4, 2021 9:04:53 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

Aug 4, 2021 8:50:37 GMT -5 af1212 said:

I used microfiber inserts - we used a variety of diapers but by the third kid we had moved everything over to bum genius.

I used all kinds of fancy detergents with my older two and regular blue liquid tide with my youngest. I found there to be no difference.

I didn’t use diaper cream regularly but if I needed to I just used disposable diapers. I had a hard time finding a diaper cream that worked, was ok for my kids weird/sensitive skin, and wasn’t crazy to get off of my hands. The magical cream that I found was desitin in the purple tube.

I guess would depend on my reason for using the cream and also my reason for cloth diapering but if my kid had sores or a rash I just wanted it gone ASAP rather than having to mess with a possibly less effective cream to be diaper safe.
My cloth diapering life was from 2009 to 2018ish so that’s when my info is from. Not sure if anything has changed.

RIIIIGHT! I remember doing the same now. I will relay that to her. Wow the things you forget in 5 years.

Yes haha!! I have a friend I was visiting yesterday. Between the two of us we have seven kids (7!!) ages 5-13. She recently had a new baby who is now 8 mos old - surprise ha!

Anywau you would think the two of us had never been around a baby let alone raised 7! We could not remember what you feed them, when you introduce, what is safe/not safe, etc. When do they crawl, talk, etc. It’s amazing how what consumes your entire life for years just as easily falls right out of your brain.

[estrellita]

I personally felt powder worked better, but really it doesn't matter!

We used coconut oil a lot, otherwise I think we just let daycare use whatever. They used liners and we never really had an issue.

We've used a few different types and honestly, I felt like the microfiber worked better 🤷‍♀️ Hemp is supposed to be better but it seemed just ok. It was better if we used that or bamboo under a microfiber!

For washing, we did a rinse cycle (quick wash, just a small amount of detergent) on cold. Then a hot wash with line 3 or 4 of detergent (Tide powder), Oxiclean or Clorox 2, and sometimes some vinegar in the fabric softener spot (helps with smells!). Technically it's better to air dry the covers, but we always threw everything in the dryer on hot and let them cool before stuffing them (supposedly it can wear out the elastic faster).

[al dente]

Does liquid vs powder detergent really matter?
I used powdered tide. It was recommended for some reason, but I forget what now. I think liquid is more concentrated and can build up?

No zinc diaper creams...so what do you use?
I used Weleda diaper cream which was ok to use, and was amazing. I only needed it once though when she had worn disposables while on vacation.

hemp vs bamboo vs microfiber inserts? any difference?
I think the biggest difference is microfiber can hold smell more and become less absorbent since it's not a natural fiber. A lot of hemp and bamboo inserts have microfiber in the middle so if buying more check that if it matters to you.

Other random things:
My biggest learning curve was the right size load. You want enough in there so they're "scrubbing" each other and cleaning. A medium size load ended up being perfect for me which was about 3 days worth of diapers. Fluff Love university had a good description on their website with a visual.

[aprilsails]

I refer friends who are interested to the Cloth Diaper University website. It has great information on how best to wash a load depending on your washer model, which is super important IMO.

I always used original powdered tide. Pretty much all of my inserts were microfibre and they worked great. Never had an issue. I added hemp doublers underneath for overnight after age 1 but that has everything to do with the sheer volume at that point.

I used the BumGenius all in ones for overnight, and the Flip system for during the day. I found it a lower investment and really quite easy and straightforward. I had no issue getting what I needed in Canada from the Caterpillar Baby website.

I ran a load every 2.5-3 days, and just stored them in a zipped wet bag between loads.

[achi]

Ultimately the detergent winner falls to what kind of water you have IMO. We live in an area with really hard water. Even with a softener it’s still on the hard side. I personally think tide free powder works best, but if I’m out I’ll use gain liquid (this is what we use on our clothes) and it’s NBD. But I would make a point of getting more Tide before the next wash day.

I personally prefer bamboo/hemp inserts. I feel like microfibre holds onto stink more. Again, my personal experience.

I have a lot of diapers (around 50) but I still do laundry when the pail is full. Around every 3 days. We use Applecheeks diapers and inserts but I like the AMP 2 and 3 ply hemp boosters to add for naps, or if we’re going out of the house to run errands so I don’t have to stress if we’re a bit longer than expected and don’t have a good spot to change baby. Both of these are Canadian brands.

We did cloth overnight with our first, but he was such a heavy night wetter that I spent a stupid amount of money on different inserts trying to find something that would hold. It was so thick I can’t imagine it was comfortable, but it didn’t seem to bother him. Eventually I called it a day and switched to disposables overnight. Even then we had to double up because that kid was on a mission. With DS2 I just went straight to disposables at night and don’t care to mess around finding the right overnight combo.

For diaper cream I like Yemaya diaper ointment (https://yemaya.ca/product/diaper-ointment-160-ml/). It’s a Canadian brand and comes in two sizes. I buy the big tub for at home. For the diaper bag I like the grovia magic stick for convenience. Neither of my kids were/are prone to rashes so I’ve never needed anything more heavy duty. If she’s nursing, Yemaya also makes a great nipple balm.

[dreamcrisp1]

I cloth diaper full time and have been for almost 2 years with kid 1 and now again with kid 2.

I use a regular pod (like tide). Diaper cream - i use zinc without issues. Specifically the baby bottom butter from lovefresh and it’s the best one I’ve used. Motherease is my favourite cloth diaper brand. A local canadian company and has been the best with my extremely heavy wetter.

[pooh8402]

We cloth diaper part time (we used to cloth full time though).

I use Tide Free and Gentle liquid with a little bit of Oxiclean powder.

I use zinc diaper cream, specifically Hello Bello (Walmart exclusive brand). I also like CJs Butter for a non zinc option. Zinc stains but it shouldn't build up or cause absorbency issues.

I dislike microfiber inserts. Most of mine are bamboo inserts (I like the ones from Happy Beehinds or Nicki's Diapers), or cotton prefolds. Hemp holds a lot but absorbs slowly, so the few hemp options I have, I use as boosters. Wool covers are amazing for overnights for heavy wetters, which I combine with Kissing Blake bulletproof fitteds (my kids are/were both heavy overnight wetters)

I have a lot of diapers, around 100. I wash when the pail is full or when it's been 6 days, whichever comes first. When we used cloth full time, I washed every 3 days. I like having a large stash because it reduces wear and tear, although I admit I also got suckered into some because they were cute.

And breastmilk poop does not need to be rinsed or sprayed before washing.

I love love love AllAboutClothDiapers.com for no nonsense diaper information and care.

[heygrey]

I used tide free and clear and it worked well. Lemon juice and sunshine do a world of good for stank and stains.

I liked Earth Mama Angel Baby bum cream and it was good for cloth. Order it from Well.ca.

I liked cotton prefold diapers and would stuff them into my pockets as inserts. Or just lay them on the shell, no need to stuff.