The Wonders of Wool

This weekend I received a couple of pieces of wool, both up cycled from either cashmere sweaters or virgin merino wool goods. Last night was the first time I tried a wool diaper over a cloth diaper. The wool diaper cover pictured is made by TarynStuff.

I put DD in a bumGenius 4.0 stuffed with a microfiber insert and slipped the wool cover over it. From 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. DD slept. When she woke up the outside cover was dry to the touch without any outside wicking or leaking. The bumGenius 4.0 diaper was thoroughly soaked and heavy. Typically if DD had a heavy diaper in the morning the surrounding sheets had a 50/50 chance of being damp from wicking either out the legs or up towards the belly button.

I lanolized this cover with Naturally Luxe lanolin spray in raspberry patchouli before wearing. This only needs to be done about once every 2-3 days then washed with wool wash every week or two. I do have a bar of Naturally Luxe organic wool wash in bar form. I will give a review when it is used. As for the lanolin spray it smells divine and leaves the wool soft and conditioned.

It's All About Albert

Yesterday morning Cottonbabies release 2 new prints to their bumGenius & Flip lines. One of which is Albert a diaper with sketches and mathematical equations written by Albert Einstein. The geek in all of us fall in love with it as we remember scholastic bowl and Latin classes. It is only available for pre-order and will ship in December 2011.

Here's a peek at Albert. It is available in snaps as well.

Grandmas Are Bad For Cloth Diapers

Every time I get a question about what is wrong with my cloth diapers it is normally prefaced with..."My grandma or mother said to do this..." Well 'this' includes the following: use Dreft soap, wash with towels, add a cup of bleach, sanitize with boiling water and ironing. Let me take a deep breath and say tell Grandma to back the hell off.

Back when cloth diapers were all the rage prior to the introduction of disposables in the late 1960's everyone was using birdseye cloth diapers manufactured by Gerber. They leaked, they reaked and you poked the hell out of your fingers trying to secure them. Besides that you had to put plastic pants over the kid.

Fast forward to the 2010's we have PUL. What is PUL? PUL is polyurethane laminate fabric. It keeps your diapers from leaking and is built into every pocket diaper, AIO, AI2 and other hybrids. Think of it as a thin shower curtain layer between the fabric that acts as a barrier to keep everyone dry. PUL is sensitive to high heats, excessive bleach, hot dryers and ironing. Once PUL starts cracking it acts like a colander letting liquid wick out the sides and drip through small holes. Before your tempted to use the 'sanitize' cycle on your brand spanking new high efficiency washer remember the water is about 120 degrees and will delaminate your PUL rendering your diapers useless.

A word to the wise when your elders tell you things to try on your cloth diapers think of it as Grandma telling you how to run your iPhone while she's still using the AARP Jitterbug phone. They're different, just nod your heads and smile.

Barriers to Cloth Diapering

I wasn't born or raised in Missouri but believe me when I say I am a Show Me state kind of gal. When I started cloth diapering the closest brick and mortar store was over 35 miles away in Naperville and had short hours. I started doing small cloth diapering classes to spread the word that there are good diapers out there and I wanted moms to miss out on some of the failures I came across through trial and error.

Whether it's ordering diapers from China and waiting 3 weeks, ordering 1 diaper of each brand to do a 'diaper trial,' or trying 2nds from a large cloth diaper manufacturer because I didn't want to sink $200 into some bad diapers. I did it all and I like to believe I can steer moms away from diapers that fit improperly and can't hold a sneeze let alone a toddler's small bladder contents.

I was afraid of performing diaper origami folds and poking myself with pins. I found out about aplix, all in one's, one size and snaps. I found out there were different ways to prep different fabrics. When trouble arose I learned how to 'strip' diapers so they wouldn't repel. There's a lot of information out there but a lot of us are on the go and can't waste a bunch of money on things that don't work. Even now there are only a handful of cloth diaper stores and even fewer people to train moms in cloth diapering 101. I hope to narrow the gap and educate moms as an unbiased third party.

Cloth Wipes

I thought I'd never use cloth wipes because disposable wipes seemed so convenient. Instead of buying cloth wipes first I decided to cut up some bumGenius newborn inserts that came with my bumGenius 4.0's. I'm not using the newborn inserts for anything so might as well try them. I filled the bathroom sink with some warm water, added a couple of squirts of California Baby diaper rash spray and viola I have cloth wipes. I wrung the wipes out really well and put them in a Pampers travel size wipe container. Although my wipes were nothing more than cut up diaper inserts I noticed I could use one instead of 10 to clean dear daughter's bum. I tossed the wipe and diaper in the wet bag.

Since the cloth wipes seem to be fairing well and I'm not throwing away $2-$4 a week on wipes I think I'll buy some actual wipes from Thirsties and put them in my case. I also notice dear daughter isn't irritated by using the cloth wipes, probably because there isn't any alcohol in my wipe solution. I wash the wipes as I would the regular diaper inserts and they come out clean and fresh. When using the newborn inserts I cut them into equal thirds. Since the solution is alcohol free the wipes are great for wiping up after dinner and cleaning dirty hands and faces.

Try cloth wipes, you might be surprised at how much you like them.

Diaper Rash & Cloth Diapers

Although cloth diapers greatly limit the amount of diaper rashes your little one may come across eventually you may need to treat a diaper rash. Zinc oxide is the primary ingredient in most diaper rash ointments. Not only can zinc oxide stain your diapers leaving greasy dark marks zinc oxide can also cause your diapers to repel urine.

There are multiple ways to get around causing irreparable damage to your diapers. First off if you only have access to zinc oxide based diaper rash ointments use a liner. You can either purchase disposable liners or make your own out of left over flannel receiving blankets. This puts a barrier of cloth between the cream and the diaper. (If you choose washable liners wash separately from your regular diaper laundry.)

Use can also switch to a non zinc oxide diaper rash cream. Here are some creams to try that are cloth friendly.

Angel Baby Bottom Balm
California Baby
CJ's BUTTer
Grandma El's
MotherLove
Bee All Natural Diaper Salve
Sweet Knee Bun Glaze

Cheap Alternative to Diaper Liners

Viva paper towels, strong absorbent and now a cheap alternative to Imse Vimse and Bummis diaper liners. Take one paper towel, fold in half and place one top of your pocket diaper. When poop happens simply lift and flush or throw away if you have a septic system. A typical roll of Viva paper towels will set you back $2.50 compared to $8 for a roll of viscose diaper liners. For moms on a budget and seeking a local alternative to diaper liners try a package of Viva paper towels.