Cyndi's & Mikel's Baby Page
Baby Stuff - Diapers

not sure how many or how many sizes

Emily recommends Under the Nile Contour diaper

Elizabeth: I love www.babyworks.com. They are really good at helping on the phone. We love the Under the Nile fitted velcro diapers. They take two cycles to dry, but they work fabulously. Sitters are capable of doing them. The thing I don't like is the extended dryer time because they are so thick.

We used the Snappi instead of pins. I liked the countours; dh didn't. They definitely leaked 50% of the time when we quit using them. They only leaked about 10% of the time when we started. It's mainly BM leakage, but Benjamin often has soft stools (even now). Your little one will, too, until you start more solids. Sitters couldn't figure them out for their lives. We are now using the UTN fitted diaper. We love this, and the sitters have no issues with it. It's really easy and fits really well. We almost never have leakage of any kind. The wraps leak, but that's a different issue altogether.

Kira: i think one [registry] is www.diaperware.com, and one is my friend donna's, www.7thheavenbabies.com...

There are also the hourglassed shape diapers, don't see them as often, but i used them with both girls a bit...they are cut in in the middle, to make it easier for legs to move. they usually have a type of toweling inside for absorbancy. drawback: they take forever to dry!!!! plus: they fit baby a bit better. and baby has less bulk there in the middle, and they do absorb well, usually one diaper is enough, until they get bigger / wet more at night, then you can use two with a larger cover.

Lynette: Speaking of diapers, my favorite were some that I made. I got the pattern from Nancy's Notions, It's called the better baby diaper. The are fitted around the legs and are shaped like disposible ones. They are adjustable and very thick.

Sara: Plain are usually called flat IME. These are my choice because you can fold them to get a really good fit. I think they wash up better too because you don't have layers & layers of fabric, and they dry much faster. However, they also take the most time and effort to get on.

Flats & prefolds are usually pinned or there are these rubber/plastic things that work pretty well... http://www.weebees.com/departments.asp?dept=8 http://www.weebees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=10-10-GR You need to replace these I think every 6 months. But I don't know if you want the plastic - I'm not sure what they're made of but there are little plastic bits on the ends at least (the "claws").

Re: hemp. The hemp is supposed to be more durable but a bit less absorbant. I have not seen hemp diapers blended with organic cotton, only "green" cotton. I have not seen organic hemp diapers.

ORGANIC COTTON FITTED DIAPERS (no pins):

http://www.tinytush.com/
http://www.tinytush.com/ecobaby_organic_cotton_onesize_diapers.htm -- one size to 32 lbs, plastic snaps, snap in liner, $12.95 each, slight discount for larger orders (24 diapers for $300 = $12.50 each) These would probably be my choice, especially since you're likely to have a smaller child. I like the snap-in liner, it gives you some versatility without having to fold etc. Rafe would be outgrowing these now but he's HUGE for his age, literally off the growth charts. Gabe might still fit them; he has a tiny waist. Drawbacks: they're going to be bulky on a newborn, and you may not get as snug a fit with a snap diaper as with a velcro.

http://www.tinytush.com/ecobaby_organic_cotton_side_snap_cloth_diapers.htm -- diaper, 3 sizes, plastic snaps, $12.95 each (to 36lbs). Because they are sized you will get a bit better fit and they won't be as bulky on a newborn; but you have to buy them 3 times, as with any sized diaper.

http://www.underthenile.com
http://www.underthenile.com/underthenile/item_detail.php?id=119 -- Under The Nile velcro cotton terry diapers, 3 sizes, $13 each. These may be your best fit, but terry won't last as long as other fabrics...which is probably not an issue for you because you're only planning to use them for one child, and they are sized, so you won't be using any one size for the entire time. Personally I do not like velcro diapers. You will have to buy these 3 times also.

http://www.organic-cotton-clothes.com/organic-cotton-babies.html -- Under the Nile organic diapers on sale, 9.50 each, no size small. Regular $14. Other organic baby items on sale too.

http://diaperware.com/
http://diaperware.com/funorganic.htm - snap diaper, 3 sizes, $14.95 each, WAHM. Organic cotton fleece. May not fit newborn (small 8-20lbs)

http://diaperware.com/lizscloth.htm - halfway down the page, organic cotton fleece snap diaper, 2 sizes, starts at 10lbs. small $14 each large $16 each. WAHM.

I have left out sites with the same item at higher prices.

I found hemp with GREEN cotton but not hemp with organic cotton and not organic hemp.

Shelly: I prefered the fitted diapers over the contour. Contour is what I used when I ran out of fitted, and they are nice to have on hand as extra's or spit up cloths. Some people like to use the contour in the wee newborn stage, because you use so many. I would use dede clips with contours over pins, and then put an all in one cover over them. The cutesy velcro and cloth covered covers didn't work as well for us. The plain all in one covers worked the best. We used a brand of diaper and cover called indisposables. I don't know if they make them any more. Chris was able to tolerate their covers, and they didn't have a plasticy smell.

Sara: Babyworks cotton covers -- I wonder if the "special treatment" on the cotton ones at babyworks is lanolin? You'd have to call them & find out, but of course they're not organic. It may be better than nylon though, but if you can't use wool, can you use lanolin? I have seen "cotton fleece" but I have no idea if that would work the same as polyester fleece which IS used to make diaper covers.

Some covers are designed to keep a flat/prefold on without other fasteners. http://www.weebees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=41-10-LG (wool not organic, as an example) [Bumpy]. There are also fitted diapers with snaps or velcro, which go on just like a disposable. They are the simplest to use. Some of the snap ones are one-sized so you don't have to buy all the different sizes, but you will not get quite as good a fit. This can be compensated for by a good cover. But it you have an unusually shaped baby they may end up fitting poorly.

Wool, even organic, broke Michael out terribly, and I coudln't use vinyl so I used Alexis nylon covers. They worked very well and were not expensive. I had 4 in each size & washed them by hand & hung to dry between uses, and then I'd often throw them in with the diapers to get them "extra" clean. The dryer will ruin the elastic eventually so hang them to dry as much as you can.

ORGANIC WOOL DIAPER COVERS:

http://www.tinytush.com/organic_wool_pullon_diaper_cover.htm -- organic wool covers, pull-on, 5 sizes, $19.95-$23.95 each (varies with size)

http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/covers.htm#doubleknit -- organic wool cover, pull-on, 4 sizes, $19.95-$25.95, high waist & long legs ("soaker" or "pant")

http://www.stacinator.com/organicwool.html -- organic wool cover, side snaps, machine washable (air dry), 5 sizes newborn-toddler. $28.50 each. I will say, the snap option is very nice, as you don't have to completely undress baby's bottom half to change the diaper - although unless the cover is wet or pooped on you can just pull it down like pants, change diaper, & pull it back up. These claim to hold a flat or prefold diaper on, but notes you may be more satisfied with the fit using pins or a snappi. You may save a little $ being able to buy flat or prefold diapers & this cover, IF you are willing to take the chance you'll end up using pins or a snappi. I used snappis for awhile & was satisfied with them, but if it's a day you're having trouble holding a pencil you may not be able to fasten them and then what are you gonna do? I really like pins best but understand they're not an option for many.

http://www.birdcrossstitch.com/organicwool/soakers.html -- knitted soakers & long pants, some in organic wool. I don't understand the point of using organic wool & dying it with koolaid, but the site keeps coming up, so here it is. There's a link off it for a free pattern to knit your own cover, which some people might like.

http://diaperpages.com/soaker.php - no actual covers, but more info on knitting your own. Dying with koolaid again, ??? Many links to patterns and to sites that sell covers, not organic but some will custom make.

Kira: there are also the differences of the machine made, all natural, swedish woolen covers, like knit sweaters, with or without the legs all covered (so they are called, usually, soakers or pants) then there are several wahms who will knit from the wool yarn you want, soakers, or pants from wool. i am working with a couple of them, may try some of those. more expensive, but i hear rumors they work better to hold the diapers better, etc for vedarose, i ordered some of the untreated wool ones from sweden...still trying to find the company now. expensive but very nice, though that company's were so very hot, they weren't as practical. so not sure if that's clear... it's like there is wool KNIT and wool FELT for your options. you need tobe careful with felt. most wool felts are NOT 100 percent wool....in the craft and sewing world, at least, because it's hard to sew 100 percent wool, they are part polyester.

I always used, either lukewarm water only, or every few washes lukewarm water with Euculan (don't know if i tolerate now -- it's eucalyptus based...just found an old bottle, so will be smelling, testing this week) the ingredients are NOT listed on the bottle!! eesh. i always hand washed my covers that were wool, i kept a separate plastic dishpan for that purpose....it wasn't hard, just had to have time for them to dry before needed again....with the real thick swedish ones, that take 1-2 days to naturally dry, that became problematic. with the biobottoms felt covers i used to have, that was faster, maybe 10 hours? maybe less even...they were like a "regular cover", and had either plastic snaps or velcro, and were actually quite pleasing at the time, 15 yrs ago. haven't seen them around...will be looking for them, to see what they have lately. didn't know if they were all organic...were undyed, but don't know about untreated.

The best i found was to buy the brand Nikky's "all cotton" covers (yes, they are treated with some things, and yes, they have elastic, though as i remember it is covered / not a problem then for me) i tried lots of brands,and found the Nikky's brand was the safest of "THE OTHER KIND" of cover....we just washed the heck out of them in really hot water, bunches of times, removed the chemical protection (didn't take much,actually), and used extra diapers inside the cover, as needed, b/c it wasn't as protective / didn't hold moisture anymore. i actually think most of the junk washed out within maybe 5 cycles, and then hot hot in the dryer (yes, they shrink!) I did like the feel of them...cottony outside, and inside. kind of pricey...more than the others, all vinyls, etc. but i could enjoy them, and used them when the wools were drying / i needed a break from them.

Elizabeth: I love www.babyworks.com. They are really good at helping on the phone. They also are one of the few places that carry Niji and Nikky cotton covers. Most covers are polyester. The cotton covers have likely been chemically treated to make them water proof, but it's better than polyester for Benjamin. I can't smell chemicals on them; Benjamin and I both tolerate them well. Your other option is wool which has a whole other set of issues.

Sara: A quick search brought this up: http://www.natureschild.com.au/products/organic_lanolin_for_wool_fabrics/455/1 It says to use a few drops per cover as needed. I've seen several sites suggest using lanolin every 3-5 washes. How much total? No idea.

Kira: yeah, you won't need much lanolin. kind of hard to predict. it lasts a long time. maybe you will buy it three times in three years???? i think i mentioned, i bought a large bottle of it before veda and i just found it, 2/3 full, still. i need to see if it's still usable....and if i want to use it. it's the eucalan brand with eucalyptus in it......may just try to give it away somehow, adn get the stuff that sara found. cause i never thought about trying for organic before.... you won't need much lanolin. you can use lanolin on baby's bottom, to help with a more severe diaper rash...that's what many of the midwives and women do around here...we did it twice on veda, at a friends house who had some, when she had a really red bottom for some reason -- probably a bit ill,, etc. but usually, breastmilk and / or olive oil was always sufficient for all that anyways. it's awfully thick, just pure lanolin..

Elizabeth: If you sew, I just made my own using terry cloth and zig-zagging the edges. We have about 30, which is excessive, except on days like yesterday and today when we have diarrhea/viral issues! The Seventh generation disposable wipes are terrible, but we use them when going out. They just do a really bad job at getting poop off a butt. Their diapers work really, well though. We use them at night and when going out.

Christine: I've been using them [7th Gen] since the beginning and I haven't had any problems with them at all.

Sara: If you're using cloth wipes you can put some, wet, in a baggie for going out, instead of using the disposables. You'll need ziplock bags for dirty cloth diapers & you can put the used wipes in there along with the diaper. Or you can use disposable both when you're out, or the disposable wipes but cloth diapers. I've done all of these. Matt greatly prefers disposable wipes; I prefer cloth wipes with cloth diapers. You can also use paper towels with a homemade wipe solution (or just water).

ORGANIC WIPES:

http://www.chooseydiapers.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PW-O10&Category_Code=ORGANICSWIPES $13.95 for 10, 2 layers, 5"x8" Did not specifically search for these but they came up, so here.

Elizabeth: Skip a changing table. As soon as the baby starts rolling you start changing them on the floor on a blanket. It's safer. You really don't need a changing table unless it's free.

Kira: We use this really basic piece of furniture we already had, with a set of soft towels / blankets on it, and we use the bed.... it's a basic, pine piece of furniture, made to display things on, it does have a 5 inch high rim on three sides, which prevents baby from rolling far, and it works. and is tons cheaper and mcs safer than the typical changing table stuff, which gets so expensive, sometimes.....so there are alternatives, there, too.

Elizabeth: We use two, plain plastic pails with pop-up lids from target. Cheap. We found water increased the smell, so we just leave them in there dry, with a bunch of baking soda. We wash nightly, though.

Sara: I washed like they say on weebees.com except I only used 1 diaper pail. Later I found if I soaked them overnight in the washer I only had to wash them twice instead of 3 times. (I started the washer when I went to bed & left the lid up, then dropped the lid in the morning, and then ran them through once more without soap and adding vineger.) But it didn't smell very nice. I do recommend the air-tight pails like weebees sells, though they are harder to open & close than the cheap ones...but they keep the smell in much better. You might be able to keep the pail out on your porch or something.

Sara: I only used one pail & did not soak in the pail. Dump excess, yes. There are diaper liners also which catch the poop and then you dump the liner & either flush it (disposables) or rinse it. http://www.weebees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=59-20-01 You don't really use these til baby is older & has more solid poop...there won't be much in a newborn diaper that will dump. I used liners for awhile but found they were mroe trouble than they were worth. The poop came out in the wash just fine without soaking.

Some wool covers are NOT MACHINE WASHABLE! You will ruin them. So be careful.

You can soak in borax, baking/washing soda, soap & water maybe with some vineger. Wash on cold the first cycle to get poop out without setting the stains. Then warm then hot if you put them through 3 times, or just cold then hot if you only go twice. You can keep 2 pails, onr for poopy & one for wet, & wash the poopy ones on cold by themselves, then add the wets. This was too complicated for me.

What I ended up doing usually was soaking tyhem in the washer overnight (on cold) then finishing the cycle in the morning. Then run them through without soap on hot. Vineger or baking soda in the second wash if you want. I usually put vineger in the final rinse. You can also use soap in the second cycle & run an extra rinse if needed. If I forgot to put them in to soak the night before, or if I didn't want it to smell like diapers in my house in the morning, I just ran them through 3 times, no soap the last time. I just did the overnight soak so I'd only have to wash twice instead of 3 times. Saved a little water & energy.

The issue with soaking in the pail is you have to lift the pail full of dirty water, and what do you do with the water? If you're just going to dump the whole thing into the washer...why not save yourself that effort?

Kira: I also used 1 area to keep them in, but actually kept them in plastic walmart / target / grocery type bags, a few diapers in a bag, cause i am too sensitive to diaper smells... i threw away the plastic bags as the diapers went in the wash...not environmentally great, but i tried all sorts of washable bags, nylon of all types, and some cloth ones, too, and i just can't stand the smells of fermenting diapers.

I used ziplocs for the diaper wipes (cloth) which i wet with the hottest water before going out, so they cleaned baby better, and were less shocking to baby's skin. i didn't soak diapers. i did rinse poopy ones, and put into their own bags, and make sure to not wait too long to wash them, and i washed the first cycle or two on very cold water -- seemed to be plenty to get out all our stains.

I find the pails get smelly, then you need to wash the pail, or eventually get rid of it, and it's sometimes hard for me to do all those steps. i like simple things. i didn't like soaking ahead....made a lot more mess to deal with, even once we had a laundry room, when veda was about one year, we did from then on. just as easy to use a pail to collect my little bags of 1 - 4 wet diapers, and lots less smells for me to deal with.

Again, i am told that starting with cold water gets most everything out. i did cold water with soap two times, then hot water with no soap, and then, they were done. if i knew there were lots of really poopy diapers, as she got older, or if they sat too long before the laundromat, i woulddo even another wash of cold, usually, or a cold rinse, and then a hot rinse. heat sets stains, with almost everything in clothing. sometimes i would check them after the cold washes, and look for any more stains remaining. once in awhile i took the time to put extra laundry detergent on the poopy spots as she was older and eating food, and it might stain, but i didn'tactually do that all the time.

If they were really really bad, we did do extra earlier rinses with vinegar....ONE time we used bleach, as they had all sat too long (no machine at our place) and then washed maybe 6 times after the bleach wash, and they seemed fine, didn't really notice anything....it was that, or lose all the diapers, i was afraid.

I used liners for awhile too, but they were more stress and something else to deal with and store, and didn't need them, in the end,the washing system i had was adequate. when baby was bigger, we sometimes used them for extra protection, but found they weren't enough, so then we just used a larger cover, and a thick diaper and a thin diaper....kind of like the blanket thing, it's my opinion, it's nice at times to have a few different options, for layering. we acquired maybe 2 dozen thinner diapers at that time (unfolded, but smaller, so not too thick, as i recall) and started to use a thick and a thin for more absorbancy, and that was perfect. i hate when little ones cannot move well because they are overdiapered. i think it's really important for them to have as much freedom of movement, and unhindered movement as we can figure out....hence why i like to let baby be naked some frequently. they move and crawl differently without their diapers, imo...and walk differently, sometimes...it's subtle, but ifind it important that they get time to be free in their bodies that way, and stay more connected to the natural patterns with nothing affecting them.

Kira: for newborns, you need more diaper changes throughout a day, i say 3 -4 dozen diapers, depending on your laundry / energy. for older babies, you need about two and a half to three dozen, there areless changes....but then, once they are , i don't know, one or so, they need more at night again, and sometimes during the day, as they have more pee volume...so then...i suggest having an addl. 2 dozen of something to either double up with the others, or bulk up the others....generally, a thinner diaper than what you have, and you wouldn't really want two that are both like the "disposable style" for lack or better word, with snaps, etc, etc, etc, that would be too too bulky around the waist, and lots of wasted fabric. imo, this is where having a thinner alternative, or an unfolded, smaller set, or newborn diapers to stick in THEN as liners, can come into play.

Sometimes we used extra diapers for different things....we had some set aside for breastmilk, some for spit up, some for laying under the baby, because we liked to let babies have fresh air, and be naked, and that would sometimes mean that 4 diapers might get wet really fast.....i am wanting 4 dozen this time, and then still a bit extra beyond that, most likely.

Sara: 3 dozen is a good number but you will need to wash daily for newborns & sometimes during illness. Newborns easily go through at LEAST a dozen diapers in 24 hours & you don't want to run out!! Depending on the diaper you may end up needing to buy a few more when the child is older as they will wear out, but of course that depends on your sizes & how big the kid gets & when s/he potty trains