Mailbox Mondays 2/28/11 - Stuffing Diapers With Microfiber & Hemp

 

On Mondays, I answer reader submitted questions in my Mailbox Mondays post, and ask you to weigh in your opinions.

Questions don't have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with "Mailbox Mondays" in the subject, or Fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Sandi says:

Hello Maria. We double-stuff our pocket diapers because our son's a pretty heavy wetter. Sometimes I'll have two types of inserts go into a diaper- standard micro-fiber (or whatever comes with the diaper) and then a hemp insert (usually Knickernappies brand). Would it matter which insert I put closest to baby's bottom? Usually the hemp insert is thinner so I put that on top.
Thanks,
Sandi

Hi Sandi.  Hemp and microfiber are a great night time combo; we use Knickernappies Superdo inserts and they were a lifesaver!

I'd actually recommend putting the microfiber closest to the baby and hemp underneath.  The reason is that while hemp is very, very thirsty, it doesn't absorb as quickly as microfiber.  Liquids can be absorbed into the microfiber quickly, then locked away in the hemp underneath.  This seems to be the one two punch to keep baby's tush dry all night!

That said, nothing bad will happen if you do the reverse!

How about you all?  If you use two insert types in your pockets, which do you put on top?

Mailbox Mondays 2/21/11 - Prepping Diapers & Stinky Pails!

 

Every Monday, I will answer reader submitted questions in my Mailbox Mondays post, and ask you to weigh in your opinions.

Questions don't have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with "Mailbox Mondays" in the subject, or Fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.

Julie says:

Hi Maria!!

First off I just want to say I LOVE your blog! It was one of the first cloth diaper related blogs I came across when I was pregnant and looking into cloth diapers. I had a couple of questions for you.

First off, I started my cloth diaper stash with a big purchase so it was easy to just throw all of the items in the wash to prep them all together. Nowadays, I find myself buying one or two diapers or inserts at a time and I would hate to run a laundry load for just a couple of items. Do you have any suggestions for prepping just a couple of diapers or inserts at a time?

Also, my daughter was exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, but now that she is almost 9 months and eating solids, I am finding that her diaper pail is getting MIGHTY stinky. I do try to spray the poopy diapers with my sprayer but that doesn't really seem to be helping. Any other suggestions?

Thanks so so much!

Sincerely,
Julie J.

I really appreciate hearing that you enjoy the blog, and find it helpful!  You really have no idea how warm & fuzzy that makes me feel!

If I get a new diaper that doesn't have special prepping instructions (if it's made of microfiber, microfleece, PUL etc.), I throw it in the wash with my other diapers once, then use it.  Things like organic cotton and hemp usually need to be washed at least three times before using, and will continue to gain absorbency for up to 10 washes. 

The problem is that they need to be washed separately, since the fibers contain natural oils that could be deposited onto your other diapers, and cause them to repel.  Check with the manufacturer/the product packaging, because some companies send natural fiber products partially prepped.  As annoying as it is, and wasteful as it seems, you really do need to wash them separately to protect your other diapers. 

I have heard of people boiling hemp prefolds/inserts to remove the oils faster, but I haven't tried that myself!  I would definitely suggest exercising caution if you try that, and I am not responsible for any burns or fires that may occur, eek!  "Ma'am, what were you doing when the fire started?"  "Errr, well, uhh...I was just...uhh...boiling my...hemp."

As far as your stinky pail goes, my first two suggestions would be to keep the pail open a crack, and to wash more often.  You'd think keeping the pail closed tightly would keep the smell in better, but I find that letting the air circulate means less stink.  Washing no more than every 2-3 days, and washing the liner each time helps quite a bit as well.  Wahmies pail liners have a swatch of fabric at the seam, where you can add a few drops of essential oil to help with the odor.  If yours doesn't have that feature, several WAHMs also make pail powder that you can use to eliminate odors and add scent.

How about you?  How do you prep new diapers when you only have 1 or 2?  How do you combat pail stink?

Babykicks Newborn/Small Hemp Prefold Photo Review

It's no secret that I'm more of a pocket diaper type Mama than a prefold Mama, but I've heard great things about Babykicks hemp prefolds.  I wanted to something to go with a newborn wrap I bought with a gift card (I know, I know...it's an illness!) so I snagged a newborn/small size from sewcraftybaby for $6.59, less a new customer discount, and got free shipping too!
 

Babykicks are hemp and organic cotton, and are 2 layers on the sides and 3 in the middle.
 
Here it is before prepping (washing and drying about 3 times to remove the natural oils and fluff up the fibers.):
 

 
Here it is after prepping (you can see how much fluffier it got):
 


Here it is on my newborn stand in (I know I need some practice with prefolds!):

The prefolds are available in small, medium, large and extra-large and also make great pocket diaper stuffers!

Mailbox Mondays 1/17/11 - Wet Bag/Pail Liners and Washing Natural Fibers

 

Every Monday (if I receive submissions, that is!) I will answer reader submitted questions in my Mailbox Mondays post. Questions don't have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with "Mailbox Mondays" in the subject!

Tamara says:

I have a question! I meant to get it in in time for submission today, but alas, life got in the way. So.....Which side of the pail liner do you put toward the diapers? I have a planet wise pail liner, one side is the shiny PUL and the other side is the fabric. I've always put it in the pail so that the diapers are touching the shiny side. But, I had a friend of mine ask if that was right and it made me wonder..... I investigated and noticed that the tag is on the fabric side and I know that sometimes manufacturers recommend putting a drop of essential oil on the tag so then I was confused. Does that make sense? What do you do? Does it matter? Have I been doing it wrong this whole time?

Diapers do go on the shiny PUL side, so you are doing it correctly! 

Whamies Pail Liners have a patch of fabric at the seam for essential oils, but as far as I know, Planet Wise's tags are just for brand identification and laundering instructions.  If you're having trouble with smell, you might try keeping the pail open a crack.  It seems counterintuitive, but I find that air circulating actually helps with the smell.  Washing every 2-3 days at most helps of course too!

Hope this helps!


Stephanie says:

Hi Maria!

I was wondering if there was any rule of thumb about washing microfiber inserts with natural fibers. If so, do you have any recommendations?

Thanks! :)

--
Stephanie

When you get a new diaper or insert that is made from natural fibers, wash it separately to prep per the manufacturer's instructions.  For example: a hemp product may say to wash and dry it 2-3 times before use.  This will remove the natural oils and get it ready to use.  It will continue to gain absorbency up to 10 washes.

Once you have prepped it, there's no issue washing them with your microfiber products!

Thirsties Size 1 Duo Wrap & Duo Hemp Prefold Review and Giveaway (CLOSED 1/20)

I had a gift certificate to an online store that sells cloth diapers.  I don't really need any more diapers, so in true cloth diaper addict form, I figured I'd buy some eeny teeny diapers for the newborn I don't have (and no, I'm not pregnant either!)  One of them was the Thirsties Duo Wrap in honeydew (MSRP $12.75) and duo hemp prefold (MSRP $7.00)

We're still using the size 2 Thirsties Duo Diaper I reviewed last year, and I was curious about how the size 1 compared.  I'm not really a prefold & cover mama (sometimes I think either you are or you aren't!) but I think they would really come in handy for diapering a newborn.  I know my kids could go through 15+ diapers per day as a newborn, and it would be way too expensive to buy a newborn stash of pocket diapers (my favorite), especially when you're not entirely sure how long you'll be using them.

The prefold is super soft, and it is sewn such that each portion is only two layers thick, for more thorough washing and faster drying. 
 
I measured the prefold before prepping:
 


and after prepping (washing and drying 3 times to remove natural oils and fluff up the fibers):



It shrunk quite a bit in length, and ended up nearly square.

The wraps are available in snap or aplix closures, but I chose the aplix.  Our duo diaper is also aplix, and after more than 7 months in our regular rotation, the aplix laundry tabs show no signs of wear and we have no issues at all.

The wrap has the same Thirsties double leg gussets as the duo diaper, but instead of a lining and pocket, it just has a wipe-able inner.

The wraps are a "duo" 2-stage system, where each size has three rise snap size adjustments.  Typically, people have to buy newborn size diapers when "one size" diapers don't fit their newborn.  Then they buy one-size diapers, often followed by large/toddler size diapers when the child outgrows the one size.  With the Thirsties Duo system, the size 1 fits 6-18 pounds, and the size 2 fits 18-40 pounds, making only two sizes necessary.

Note: In the pictures below, I have the prefold tucked under the PUL flap.  This was incorrect and my mistake since I'm used to other diaper covers that have this flap to hold the insert on place.  Thirsties actually puts this flap there to protect the snaps and stitching from touching the wet prefold or insert (it doesn't have the additional layer over that area like the Flip does.)  Tucking it in can lead to compression leaks, so don't do what I did!

Here's the size 1 on the small setting, folded and stretched (as always, my measurements are to give you an idea of how diapers compare, it's not an exact science!)

Medium:





Large:

Here's the duo wrap size 1 compared to the duo diaper size 2 (both on the small setting):



Here is the duo diaper size 2 (small setting) and the duo wrap size 1 large setting) on my 21ish lb son, both taken the same day:



Since I don't have a newborn tester, I had to call in my usual newborn diaper model.

To compare, here he is in a newborn disposable:



The wrap is recommended for use over trifolded prefolds or trim fitteds.  For bulkier systems, Thirsties suggests their diaper covers.  I tried the wrap over a Kissaluvs Size 0 Fitted and it fit just fine.

Don't laugh at me, I don't have much experience with prefolds, but I wanted to try to snappi the prefold in addition to trifolding it.

Here's my model in the size 1 wrap with trifolded prefold, on the small setting:



I love Thirsties products and I think the stay dry duo insert would make this an even more fantastic system!  My only complaint is that I have a heck of a time typing "duo."  I type "dup" nearly every time, LOL!

Giveaway: Thirsties is offering one lucky reader a Duo Wrap and Prefold in his/her choice of size, color and closure!

Here's how to enter: All entries go in the form below.  I love your comments, but comments don't count as entries!  Mandatory entries include name, email address and your favorite Thirsties product, or one you'd love to try.  You can receive a bonus entry if you "like" Thirsties on Facebook. 

I will accept entries until Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern. I will select a winner using random.org's true random number generator and notify him/her by email. Winner has 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is chosen. View my giveaway rules page for complete details. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S.

# of entries received as of January 20th at giveaway close: 220



FTC compliance: While Thirsties is sending a product to the giveaway winner, I was not given products or other compensation for this post and all opinions are my own.

Mailbox Mondays 11/8/10

Every Monday I will answer user submitted questions. They don't have to be about cloth diapering! I'll always answer questions via email, but if you would like your question to be answered in a Mailbox Mondays post, send an email with the subject "Mailbox Mondays" to Maria at change-diapers dot com.

Naomi says:

Hey Maria,

Talk to me(us) about hemp vs. bamboo. Any recommendations of brands for a hemp or bamboo insert?

Overnight diapers for my 3 year old are getting pretty bulky. I usually sandwich a terry hemp doubler between two microfiber inserts in a generic pocket. That usually does the trick, but I've only got two of the hemp guys and when I'm out, I stuff the poor pockets to the gills with microfiber (3 inserts or 2 inserts with a mf towel). While dd doesn't seem to care about the bulk, it gets hard to stuff and when family sees her overnight diaper it is pretty comical.

I don't mind bulk, but am wondering which material to try and get inserts of. I've heard a lot about wool covers, but right now can only afford to stay with my pockets for overnight and just get a couple used inserts.

Great question!  I've been fortunate in that several of the diapers I've purchased/reviewed came with natural fiber inserts, and they are definitely top notch for nighttime diapering.

In no particular order, first is the insert that came with my Babykicks Bumboo Pocket Diaper.  This is 55% hemp and 45% cotton.  Babykicks also sells Joey Bunz, Joey Bunz Premium (both sized) and doublers separately.  (There should be some in the CSN giveaway in the Merry Fluffy Christmas event!)  

My Amp Duo Diaper came with a 2-layer hemp insert, as well as a bamboo insert.  The inserts look like a smallish prefold that you trifold, and they also come in 3-layer hemp, as well as organic cotton.
 

My Blueberry Minky was one I bought after only cloth diapering for about a month, and it was my first experience with a microfiber/hemp combo.  It's a one size insert that snaps down to different sizes, and a 3-pack retails separately for $19.95.
 

 
These doublers were kind of random.  They were loose in the package with the Blueberry diapers I bought last year.  I believe they are organic cotton and bamboo doublers but I'm not entirely sure.  I use both of them at night.  I have 4 night time diapers in my rotation right now.  My Guerilla Fluff Utilitarian with a Mobums Wool Interlock Night Night Soaker, a Dypes by Dixon Sweet Slumber fleece pocket stuffed with the superdo, and two Bumgenius 3.0 pockets, one stuffed with a microfiber insert and one of the random hemp/cotton doublers, the other stuffed with the loopydo with the second random doubler in between.
 

 
Speaking of which, I wholeheartedly recommend the Knickernappies Superdo and Loopydo inserts.  I purchased these out of utter desperation when my son was soaking every insert I had, and I was creating a monster leg gap by putting 3 inserts in a pocket.  They really are rather pricey at $7.50 for a loopydo and $12.95 for a superdo, but I think they are worth it.  I tried to be cheap and buy the large size for my son's medium diapers, but they are quite bulky folded over.  I love the microfiber/hemp combo because the microfiber whisks the moisture away from my son's skin, and the hemp locks it away. 

OK, I feel like a paper towel commercial.  Really though, if you are looking for a solution for a heavy wetter, I highly recommend them.  The only problem I have with them is that they can become quite stinky.  When I notice that, I wash (inserts only) with about 1/4 cup of bleach, then rinse rinse rinse until the water is clean and the inserts don't smell like bleach anymore!
 
If I had the money to spend, I'd love to have more superdo/loopydo inserts.  I've been wanting to buy some mediums for a while but I've been trying to stick to the budget!

These are just the inserts I own, there are of course lots of other natural fiber inserts/prefolds out there!

So how about the rest of you?  Do you have a favorite natural fiber insert?