9 month Review: Diapers used daily

November 21st, 2010

bumGenius AIOs B--
This is the majority of our stash and what we use regularly. Mediums during the day and larges at night with 1-2 extra hemp doublers. Effective for preventing leaks. (Mostly. But we have had trouble with wicking if an edge isn't turned in quite right and repelling with washing issues. After identifying and rectifying those issues, we've only had a handful of leaks in the last several months. Still more than we had in the year of sposies, but not too bad.) The fit is good and she seems comfortable in them. I like that the insides are smooth (since rubbing is an issue for us) and that I can add more absorbency easily.

The aplix (velcro) though, is really annoying. I mean, I love the ease to put it on and take it off. Even though my toddler can do it, this is a pro. She helps get herself undressed for bath time or can take them off when she needs to go potty. However, the dang things do NOT stay on their "laundry tabs" while washing. (Most of my mediums have laundry tabs that are smaller than the hook side so they stand almost no chance of sticking.) Consequently, they end up stuck to each other, scratching the waterproof outside (no leaking through yet, but it's only a matter of time), and tangling up with anything else I dare to put in the diaper load. It really gets me when I have to rip one of her darling little pairs of underwear off diaper, doing obvious damage. (These are cheap, but doing unnecessary damage to them makes me sad every time. I threw a few of my not-so-cheap nursing bras in the laundry with the diapers once-- boy did I regret that!) The damage from the aplix has also made the resale value much lower. The diapers are still functional so they probably can be resold but not for as much as I was led to believe initially. Of course, disposables have zero resale value so some is better than none. I just understand why people swear by snaps now. (Prefolds and fitteds with snappis would be similar.) It might take a little longer putting them on the kid but you don't have the laundry frustrations.

Hemp doublers A+
Still happy with these. They are thin, absorb well, and are in basically the same condition as when I got them, with the exception of the 2 my washing machine tried to eat. That wasn't the doublers fault though. We add these to her nighttime diapers and this works well. Definitely adds a lot of absorbency for virtually no bulk.

9 month review: Diapers not used often

November 21st, 2010

These are the other diapers and accessories that we still have but rarely use.

Sposoeasy all in one with snaps B
We don't use this often because the tongue can contribute to my kid's rash and it doesn't fit her well (large gap around the tummy) but it has held up well. Probably a great diaper option for kids who fit in it properly and don't mind the tongue bunchiness. Actually, it'd probably bunch less if my kid were bigger around the middle and better matched the shape of the diaper design.

Swaddlebees Fleece Cover A-
I was initially a little bit disappointed that the pretty fleece pilled up immediately. However, that doesn't seem to have affected its effectiveness. It still seems comfortable on my kiddo, washes up in the washing machine well and dries quickly, and the velcro tabs aren't as obnoxious as others. I think I'd like this one a little bit more if it were snaps. The two step process of put something absorbent on and then slap the cover on my kid is often impractical. An infant size prefold trifolded in the cover works pretty well, but putting all that together is harder than the AIOs. (Remember that I'm changing a squirmy toddler on my lap while sitting on the edge of a bathtub since all changes happen in the bathroom.) I think I'm basically a fan of fleece though.

Bummas Wipes B
I got these free for making some suggestions on their website and they sent me a pack as a thank you. I was really excited. I figured we use them for everything for years to come. They don't seem to be holding up terribly well though. They're still fine and can cer, but not the fabulous product I thought they were. They're my favorite of the cloth wipes we've used, but I think that just means they're better than that one flannel one I was sent as a bonus once.

Easy to Bum fitteds with snaps
We just got these so I really can't say much. They are reasonably absorbent. They seem comfortable. They don't have any velcro so there's no washing issues. They require a cover so they're a little more work to put on than an all-in-one, but not too bad. My kid seems to really like them but I can't figure out why (colorful snaps?) but my husband thinks that having to unsnap the peed on diaper is the worst idea ever. He doesn't change many diapers so I don't want to give him an excuse to change fewer, but these are probably not a bad idea for people not married to my husband and aren't as squeamish about a little urine.

Grobaby all-in-two (now Grovia) C-
Eh. Doesn't fit her so leaks around the legs. I only use it when I'm in desperate need for a cover or don't really think she needs to pee in the near future but want a little more protection than her running around naked. The velcro was fine initially but doesn't stay stuck in the laundry at all.

bumGenius Pocket diaper C
I don't like pockets but I got this on ebay before I knew that. We also don't have an official insert for it since it didn't come with one and didn't seem worth them money when I knew I didn't like pockets. This is for emergency use only. We'll stick a prefold in it. This mostly gets used when she goes potty in the middle of dinner and we know she'll be taking a bath right after dinner so it doesn't seem worth using a "good" diaper.

9 month review: Underwear and training pants

November 21st, 2010

Gerber plastic pants A
For what these are supposed to be, these are great. My husband calls them the shower cap with leg holes. They're certainly no frills. I've been using them over her underwear when we're practicing for potty training so if she has an accident, it's contained. Since she really isn't potty trained, she's had quite a few accidents. NONE have leaked. Zero. (Now, I only use these when sje's up and running around so it's really obvious the instant she goes.) We only have 2 and I don't use them often (though they've probably been used a couple dozen times each) and I always hand wash them so they've held up well. I just sent them through the washing machine (maybe for the first time? maybe I did that initially but I don't remember) since my husband complained they smelled like stale pee. These run about $1.50 each and that's about the quality they are. Not fancy. Not worth saving for the next kid. But effectiveness for under $2?! If I'd come up with this plan at 13 months around the time she was semi-potty trained (she's less so now) and outgrew the pampers swaddlers, I might not have tried cloth. Or perhaps I'd have had a different focus. Oh, and she is using 12 mo size over her undies which are still very roomy since they are designed to go over diapers.

Elmo underwear A
Fruit of the loom or some generic brand. She saw them in the store and wanted them when she was about 16 months old. They're 2t but fit her fine. No absorbency at all but the motivation to keep Elmo dry seems useful. I couple these with the aforementioned plastic pants for around the house. I think she's only gone out in them once and she stayed dry for that short excursion.

Wool underwear
I don't know what to think of these. They seem to fit ok. We got them because she was the right size tester and potty training (many months ago) but do I put them over something absorbent? There isn't really elastic on the legs so I think they'd leak (and did, the one time I tried them over undies) and I'm not sure they'd be comfortable alone. Lanolizing was no big deal though so perhaps there is hope for me and wool.

Gerber training pants
These are more absorbent than just plain undies but won't hold a full pee. I got her 18 mo size many months ago and they fit her around but were really tall. Comfortable and soft enough. But don't have elmo on them so there's less motivation to keep them dry in our case. :) I suspect we'll use these more as she's closer to fully potty trained and these will work for little leaks.

9 month review: detergent

November 21st, 2010

Tide Free F
This made a mess of our diapers and caused serious stink and repelling issues. Some websites said it was fine because it was the "free" version and a lot of people on a CD website recently listed that as their detergent so it must work for some but it was certainly not fine for our diapers and hard water. Worked for the first couple of months but then it was disaster.

Crunchy Clean
I just had a sample of this so I used it for a half dozen washes. Seemed fine but then there was an issue when I ordered more and I ended up using Rockin Green instead.

Rockin Green Detergent A
Definitely good. Helped solve our laundry-related problems like wicking and leaking. It comes in nice scents but that doesn't really matter since they rinse out of the clothes. (It hadn't occurred to me that that nice smell left on clothes is really detergent residue.) My husband is the bigger fan, I think. He now advocates it for most of our clothes. It got stains out of shirts that he hadn't been able to get out for years. We've used it to clean the carpet and other household things because it's safer than other chemical cleaners. (We also got a bag from a bad batch that didn't fully mix so they replaced it but suggested we use this to clean stuff around the house.) I don't feel like it's the miracle product that I read so many reviews about, but it's definitely pretty darn good.

Impressions of snaps

November 21st, 2010

When I got up with the kiddo at 3:30am, I decided to change her diaper. (Both getting up and middle of the night changes are unusual now.) Anyway, she didn't want a diaper change... until she came up with the idea of a diaper with snaps. That would be fine. I was in no mood to argue so I tried to figure out how to accommodate her.

We only have 2 types with snaps. One is a sposoeasy which doesn't fit her around the belly so is fine when she's upright, but no good when she's sleeping on her face and just pees out the top-- and it was currently soaking in the washing machine. The other is the fitted diaper we got a couple of weeks ago that my husband declared the worst diaper ever.

Since I was in no mood to argue in the middle of the night, I decided to put the fitted on her. But we don't have any covers that fit right and our best option, the fleece cover, was in the washing machine soaking. I finally decided that I'd use the large bumGenius all-in-one. It's the largest diaper we own and she usually wears a medium so I figured that might be big enough.

It took some work, but I finally got all of the fitted to stay inside the BG. It meant it was a little tighter around her than I'd typically make it, but she didn't seem to mind. Leak potential was high since only the edge of the fitted had to wiggle outside the cover and then pee would wick out. But I figured that was the risk I'd have to take and she isn't usually peeing at night anyway so it might be dry by morning.

This morning: dry bed and sheets (whoo!) and slightly moist diaper that she probably used after we woke up. I took the diapers off carefully and then started laughing. She had 10 round circles imprinted across her stomach from the back of the snaps. Ha! They didn't look painful but it wasn't something I'd considered for snaps before. I doubt most people would be putting on a cover so tightly though.

Wee One's Easy to Bum Diapers

November 13th, 2010

I won a 3 pack of Wee One's Easy to Bum Diapers.

They're really no frills fitted diapers. (In other words, they are shaped like a disposable but don't have a waterproof exterior and require a cover.) They have a bunch of snaps that could have been put together in the dark by someone color blind-- functional and well placed, but no reason for the mix of colors in the various snaps. They're also a bit thick but seem soft and both times I've picked one up, my little on has ripped off her current diaper to request that one. Maybe she likes the crazy colored snaps! :)

I thought I really liked these when I opened the package. I was excited that they claimed I could use them after 1 wash, but they wouldn't be fully absorbent until 3. As soon as I got them out of the washer and showed one to my husband, my daughter fought to put it on. After a few minutes, I switched her to her night time diaper (bg aio with extra hemp doubler) but she'd already peed in the fitted. It held it well and didnt leak though, but it probably would have soon.

Anyway, when she requested it again, I put a fleece cover over it and it seemed like the softest diaper solution we have (and also the thickest). My daughter seemed happy enough and enjoyed this through dinner.

Then my husband took her to the bathroom after dinner for a bath and took off her diaper.

"Ew. Ew ew ew ew!"
"What?"
"This is just disgusting. I have to unsnap this pee-soaked diaper?"
"Oh."
"This is horrible! This is the worst product ever. How did we not see this coming? Ew!"

His reaction was so extreme it was funny, but he does have a point. Fitted diapers run the risk of soaking through to the closures. Possibly not a good plan for the elimination-squeamish.

So even though we might use this from time to time, I don't think I'll be getting many more of them. If this is the kind of thing you're looking for, it seems like a good product and they are inexpensive. Under $100 for a pack of 10-12, depending on size.

Laundry Day

Laundry Day

diapertrials

November 12th, 2010

It's 10:30am and I'm in panic mode for diapers. I'll have to make those top priority or I risk not having a night time diaper ready by the time she goes to bed 12 hours from now. I would say my laundry routine is cold rinse, hot wash/cold rinse, extra rinse, dry 2 cycles.

In reality, this is actually a lot (it's a lot less than it used to be!) and given that my washer/dryer are outside and it's not really safe for my toddler to come with me given the (filthy) air conditioner on the balcony (and her ability to climb over), I either need to carry her or find something for her to do inside and hope she doesn't get into anything else while I'm outside. We've worked out a "game" where she peaks out the door under the blinds which sometimes works, but other times she get into something else or come outside, which means her feet are dirty (not a big deal until I get dirty feet in my face while nursing later). So it's doable, but laundry is a little bit stressful for me.

Anyway, this is how diaper laundry actually looked today:
10:30 Put the diapers out in the washing machine for a rinse on cold, extracting inserts and affixing velcro to tabs. Come inside to the pile of ribbons, bows, stickers and tissue paper that my daughter got into while I was outside with the laundry (approved toy, but big mess)
10:40 Throw an additional diaper that was still in the bathroom
10:42 Throw an additional dipe in from the other bathroom (and feel dumb that there were TWO diapers I missed.) Peel stickers off the couch when I come back in.
12 pm Turn on an Elmo clip on YouTube and race outside to turn the BG AIOs inside out and peel the diapers off each other (since the laundry tabs on half my bg aios are smaller than the velcro so they always end up tangled). Turn on hot cycle and leave the lid open to soak with 2 tbsp of Rockin Green. Chase my daughter back inside 3 times. Wash pee smell off my hands. Wipe her feet.
12:30 Run back out carrying the kiddo to shut the lid, let it agitate for a moment, and stop the cycle to let it soak more.
3:30 Run out to actually start the wash. Leave for grocery store.
5:45 pm Add a few towels and run laundry again with 1 tbsp rockin green. (I used to do just an extra rinse but found I could do a full load again with a few towels and those would end up clean and my diapers would dry faster in the dryer. Otherwise, 2 cycles doesn't cut it.) Chase toddler back inside and take off her socks since she ran out without shoes on.
7pm Put on a Sesame Street clip on YouTube and run out to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer.

I'm about to make dinner so I won't get to restart it until after we are done eating. The 2nd dryer cycle will probably start at about 9pm. Fortunately, since I threw in extra towels, there will be dry diapers by about 10pm. Otherwise, 2 cycles wouldn't be sufficient for the AIOs which is what we like to use with an extra hemp insert for night time. Anyway, this will work out tonight. But if I hadn't started the washer before I left for the grocery store, I might be in more of a bind. (Makes me really wonder about that argument from cloth diaper advocates that "you'll never have to run to the grocery store when you run out of diapers"... Trip to the grocery store took an hour, laundry took all day.) Anyway, this is doable, but does take a significant amount of mental energy. It doesn't take that much actual work time, but it takes up resources. I think this is a lot less logistically challenging for others, though it could also certainly be worse.

Edit: I decided to run the dryer again sooner to be sure we have a diaper ready in time so I ran out at about 8:30 with my husband yelling, "What are you doing?! We're right in the middle of dinner!" Diapers were done at 9:15. About 11 hours today. They still smell faintly of pee (if I hold it right up to my nose) which really takes an all night soak to get rid of. Ideally, I do the initial rinse at night and soak all night and that means the diapers take up laundry resources for about 24 hours, though I could do it a bit faster if I really needed to. Realistically, I don't get them going again until I'm showered and dressed (again, out on the balcony where many people can see me... not that I *can't* go out in pjs, just often don't) so that means I start the night before and don't get back to it again until about 11am which only puts it slightly ahead of today's schedule.