Monday, December 31, 2012

Cloth Diapering: A Beginners Guide-Wipes, Diaper Creams, and More

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This is the 'other' category. There's so much to talk about with CD, we of course need an 'other' page. A few things I didn't want to forget to tell you:

Diaper Cream
Diaper Cream is usually not recommended by cloth diaper manufacturers. I think it can even void some warranties as with detergent and additives. The cream will get on the diaper, cause build up, repelling, and stains. Three of the offending ingredients are Fish Oils, Zinc Oxide and Lanolin. All three are great at repelling moisture-but will cause your diapers to do the same. Fish oils will make the diaper smell like fish!

There are quite a few CD safe creams out there though. Check out this page from Pinstripes and Polkadots for a list of safe diaper creams. I personally use California Baby. I used it before with disposables so I was happy to find it on this list. I also love that I can grab it at Target. There is Vitamin Grade Zinc in it, but I'm guessing that's better than regular Zinc Oxide which is why it's on the approved list.

If you do want to stick with a regular non-CD approved cream use a liner or a wipe in between the bum and the diaper. Make sure to wash it separately though. I still place a dry wipe in between my LO's bum and the diaper though, just in case.

Wipes
I wasn't sure I would use cloth wipes. The idea seemed even ickier than cloth diapers. I'm here to say I LOVE CLOTH WIPES. There's something about them being thicker and the wipe solution is better and wipes cleaner than disposable. I'm not sure. It just feels better to use. Weird huh?

We used disposable wipes the first week while I was still figuring out our wipe solution. It was messier. I would have to throw away the disposable wipe in the garbage, then spray out the diaper. Then of course I hated the idea of a poopy wipe sitting in my garbage so I'd make my husband take it out. It really isn't that much harder or ickier to use a cloth wipe. Most diapers with a 15 month old won't leave much waste on the wipe anyway, at least anything to spray off. I will say though my LO has been sick lately so has had 3 really gross diapers today. I had to spray off a few wipes (probably the worst it's been in months), and honestly it wasn't that bad. I was spraying off the diaper anyway. Bahm. Done. Plus while I'm reducing waste and keeping chemicals away from my baby I may as well do it all the way right?

So for wipes, I just got 2-12 packs of wipes from Cotton Babies. I don't think I've even touched the second pack! Here's the wipe solution recipe I got from a friend:

-1 teaspoon baby soap (Dr. Bronner's was suggested, however I'm using my sons California Baby Bath Soap).
-1 tablespoon Coconut Oil (the cooking kind)
-Really warm water

I put the coconut oil and the baby soap in my peri bottle (just the one I got from the hospital).  I filled it with really warm water. Hot enough to melt the coconut oil. The soap will keep the oil emulsified. The oil will help clean the bum more (plus coconut oil has antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties, and it's very soothing on the skin). Make sure it's cool enough before you use it on your baby or wipe. Once it's cool the coconut may harden a little, just give it a hard shake and you should be good to go. This will stay good for a week or so.

When I'm ready to use the wipe, I like squirting a little water on the wipe (sometimes on baby) then wiping down. Most diapers I'll use only one wipe. A really dirty one, I use three. Some people like to place all their wipes in a warmer and cover with the solution. I like this idea, but I'm not sure how much I would use and I wouldn't want it to grow mold.

I've also just started wiping down at all changes, even just wet ones.  I didn't before because I didn't want to add extra wetness. Last night I found a hilarious forum post HERE, and read that most boys have what we call stinky butt syndrome (SBS). After reading (and crying from laughing) this forum, I started wiping at each change and SBS is gone.

-----UPDATE-----
Just a quick update on the wipe solution. I ditched the peri bottle because it kept getting clogged. Now I use a small glass jar. I put in the coconut oil first, really warm water, then shake it up until the oil is melted. Then I add a squirt of baby soap to it. I used to add the soap before, but it would foam when I shook it. Then I just dip the wipe in the water and wipe the baby bum.  Still easy peasy!

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