Frequently Asked Questions
How do I wash my diapers? TOP
First, dump solids into toilet. Liquid poos do not need to be dumped. Then remove diaper insert if it has one and place diaper and insert into DRY diaper pail. A lidded trash can with a reusable diaper pail liner works great! On wash day, dump diapers and diaper pail liner into washing machine. Run them through an optional cold pre-rinse cycle with no detergent. Then wash on hot (with a cold rinse) using a small amount (usually about 1/4th the recommended amount) of a residue-free laundry detergent. Dry diapers on warm or hot. Waterproof covers dry quickly on the line! For quick and easy stain removal, take advantage of the natural bleaching properties of the sun and allow diapers to hang dry outside!
How many diapers do I need? TOP
The answer to this questions depends on three things: How old is your baby? What is your budget? And how often would you like to do diaper laundry? Generally speaking, younger babies go through more diapers than older babies and toddlers. Newborns can easily go through 12+ diapers per day. Infants (3-9 months) go through about 10 diapers per day, and older infants (9+ months) about 8 diapers per day. Toddlers and children who are potty learning can go through just a few diapers in a day.
In order to be able to wash diapers every other day (based on this scale), we recommend the following:
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*24+ diapers for newborns
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*18-20 diapers for infants
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*14-16 diapers for older infants and toddlers
Your baby may need more or fewer diapers. You may choose to purchase diapers a few at a time and add to your collection as needed and as your budget allows. If you are exclusively using one-size diapers, we recommend 24-30 diapers as these diapers are subject to more wear and tear than sized diapers that get retired to the closet after 2-6 months.
What about diapering a newborn? TOP
Newborns go through a LOT of diapers!! For this reason, we recommend using prefolds with diaper covers. You will need around 24 diapers (eeks! and that's conservative!) and 5-6 diaper covers. Other options include One-Size diapers, fitted diapers with covers, and All-In-One Diapers. Small newborns (5-8 lbs) will not quite fit into one size diapers, but most bigger newborns will. Thirsties makes great fitting x-small products (fitteds, covers, and all-in-ones). Other optional goodies include: disposable liners (make meconium clean-up a breeze!), cloth wipes, a diaper pail liner, and a wet bag for ventures outside the house.
What about diaper rash creams? TOP
During some point in your child's diapered life, it may be necessary to use a rash cream or prescription ointment. The oils in these creams can build up on your diapers and cause repelling (when liquid rolls off the fabric). If creams become necessary, we recommend using a stay-dry liner between your child's bum and the diaper. We have found that rash ointments cause much more of a problem on microfiber and other synthetic fabrics than on cotton diapers.
My diapers are leaking at night....What should I do? TOP
Most night-time leaking problems are caused by not having enough absorbancy in your diaper. This problem can often be remedied by adding a cotton or hemp doubler to your pocket diaper or prefold system. Microfiber inserts make excellent inserts, but we do not recommend using two at night for heavy wetters. Microfiber can act as a sponge.....quickly absorbing liquid, but leaking when your child lays on it for extended time. Cotton and hemp are more reliable for additional absorbancy. If this still does not fix your problem, you may want to try a fleece cover or fleece pocket diaper for super night time protection.
