New to cloth

[liss05]

Hello,
Im wondering if any cloth ladies can help me,ive only just made the change to cloth in the last few weeks im just using terry towelling flats that i fold myself with with some covers i brought from target,and thats going fine during the day no problems at all,ive always had trouble with bryce getting a rash from huggies but since using cloth its all gone :) but night is where im having the trouble bryce sleeps 12 hours at night ive tried folding another pad of cloth into the middle of my kite fold he woke up after 5 hours soaked, everything was wet his clothes and his sheets so ive had no choice but to still keep using huggies at night.I really dont have the money to go and buy the fitted cloth nappies that ive read about here that you all seem to use im happy using flat cloth and folding them myself its not a problem for me,does anyone use terry flats at night? Also ive been soaking my nappys in napisan but ive read on here that you seem to be using something else to soak can you tell me what you use to soak them in and does it do the same same job as napisan? I really want to use cloth all the time but at the moment i cant see how i can,any help and advice would be great thanks

[Oscar's mum]

That is great that you have switched to cloth.

Terry flats can work fine - but it's the covers that I think you will need to change. Definately could be worth your while in investing in a couple of good quality covers. Unfortunately the covers at Target really don't work that well.

I reccomend you buy a PUL (it's a breathable plastic) cover or maybe even better a wool cover or fleece cover.

I have taken this off another site as it is quite useful for you:


The term "cover" is here used for what is commonly called "pilchers" in Australia (or a "wrap" in the UK and USA). A cover, as the name suggests, is the outermost layer of a nappy and this is what prevents the moisture in the nappy leaking out onto clothes. Obviously, then, a good quality cover is a key element in making cloth nappies work. Many people complain that cloth nappies require changing every hour or so. This is invariably because they have not used a good quality cover.

Unfortunately most of the covers available in Australia are just so much garbage - literally! Most of them ought to be banned from lovely little baby bottoms! These horrible things fall into two categories. Most common in Australia are PVC covers, yet we consider it one of the most inappropriate materials in our climate. It is admittedly a good watertight material but as you can imagine it is entirely airtight as well. Could there be anything more uncomfortable than wearing your own personal sauna on your bum all day - especially in hot weather? Sometimes they cover the PVC in cotton so that it looks pretty but it does not make it any less a sauna! It is the most inappropriate fabric for the Australian climate; a truly bizarre product!

Quite apart from the sauna effect, PVC can also be quite rigid and is sometimes said to "cut thighs to ribbons". (This is quite an issue when your babies have lovely, fat, pudgy legs.) It is extremely cheap but it often falls apart after a few washes. If you must use PVC then look for brands with soft binding at the legs to minimise marks on baby.

The next most common ones are made out of 100% acrylic; hardly a comfortable fabric in hot weather and not particularly water-resistant either. They are usually in the pull-on-pants style which is disastrous when trying to remove a very pasty, pooey nappy as it gets smeared everywhere!

So much for the bad stuff, let's get onto the good covers…

A good cover is absolutely crucial to making cloth nappies work. It does not matter how good your liner and nappy is, if the cover is of poor quality then you will get leaks and your baby may be hot and uncomfortable. Covers may be made of fleece, wool, nylon or polyester. Nylon and polyester are commonly laminated with polyurethane and have become know as PUL covers (polyurethane laminate). We will begin with the PUL option as we think these are the best all-rounders.

(a) PUL
A PUL cover is made of cloth but the inside of the cover is laminated and looks like a wax waterproofing. This provides a high degree of water-resistance whilst in most cases maintaining breathability. It wears well when cared for properly - we both have $20 Mother-Ease covers that are going strong after daily washing for 2 years, and Elizabeth's are now happily protecting her second baby's bottom. They can usually be washed with the nappies and dry in minutes. They easily cope with very wet daytime nappies, and even with the 12-13 hour sodden, dripping overnighters.

(b) Fleece and Wool Covers
Fleece and wool covers both work quite differently from PUL. With PUL, the cover is supposed to contain the moisture, while still allowing a little air to pass through to prevent things getting too "steamy" inside the nappy. Fleece and wool allow much more air in and out of the nappy and this air-flow causes evaporation of moisture from the nappy. So instead of just containing the moisture, they actually get rid of some of it - which makes them particularly good for use overnight when large amounts of wee are produced. It also makes them the coolest option as the cooling effect of the evaporation makes the cover a personal, bum-sized air conditioner.

Of course, fleece and wool both also act partly as a barrier to prevent leaks as well (especially with leg elastication) and since fleece and wool do not hold water (as with fleece liners) they work well. One word of warning; wool is only made water resistant by the presence of lanolin. Wool covers need to be relanolised every now and again by soaking in a diluted lanolin solution. It sounds like hard work, but given they only need washing every 'now and again' they are actually incredibly easy to use and maintain.

The only time when fleece and wool covers are not a great choice is when there is not much air-flow, eg very long periods spent in a car seat or a pram. In that case there will not be much evaporation going on. As they are not technically water proof (though highly water resistant) you could get leaks - unlike with PUL covers.

There is another nifty thing to point out with woollen covers. The lanolin in the wool has an interesting effect - it actually breaks down the elements in the urine so that the cover rarely needs to be washed! Yes, it sounds icky but it really does work. Frequency of washing depends on the frequency of use but as a guideline:- if you use wool at nightime only then you can expect to have to wash it roughly every four to six weeks (unless it gets soiled) and relanolise it every eight to ten weeks. And the best bit is that the covers tell you when they need to be washed - there is no guessing! In the meantime, though, it is incredibly effective and no work at all!

Now onto the soaking part of the nappies, you no longer need to soak etc majority of cloth users 'dry pail' and it is really really simple.



This alternative allows the washing machine to do the work for you. Once you have disposed of the poo (if any) you simply place the nappy in an empty bucket. (You might choose to rinse a poo-ey nappy first.) You could even use a rubbish bin with a flip-top lid or a tough bag. When the bin is full, you up-end it into the washing machine and then wash. No filling, emptying or lugging of buckets.

Now you would naturally think that drypailing would be a pretty stinky alternative however the opposite is true. Drypailing does not stink out the house! When curious friends ask where the nappies are they are frequently amazed that the nappy bin is sitting right there in the bathroom. There is no denying that the bin can get a bit smelly on the inside, but with the lid closed no odour escapes at all. (Elizabeth reckons that it really passes the test if it can cope with her two stink-monsters producing 6 poos a day between them!)

Positives

» No draining and refilling a bucket, you only need treat it like any other laundry basket.
» It doesn't smell like soaking can.
» You can keep the bucket where you want to and even use a strong bag if need be.
Negatives

» Marks take a little more effort to shift so a hot wash is advisable or at least a warm wash and an occasional prewash.
» If you leave several days between washes then the nappies take a bit more cleaning and will certainly need a rinse or prewash before the main wash.
Many people compromise by dry pailing in the bucket/bag and soaking in the machine. They load the machine at night and turn it off once it is full. The nappies are then left to soak overnight before the machine is switched on the next day to continue where it left off. Warm water can be used successfully this way without the need for a prewash (although an initial rinse is still a good idea).



I have taken the above quotes off the following site which you might want to look at:

http://www.allaboutnappies.com/jargon.php

[gremily]

Hi liss05!

http://www.sydneynappywash.com.au/folds.html
This link will show you various folds to try with terry flats. When I used them (I now have fitted) I used the origami fold. I found it wasn't too bulky, but the way it's folded it gives more padding through the middle for absorbtion. Also, I cut up older nappies and folded them down the middle of the nappy, for added absorbtion at night time.
I agree with OM that the target covers are :thumbsdown: . I had some that, as you know, were fine during the day but at nighttime they just couldn't last the distance. I now have PUL covers that are absolutely wonderful. The other option for night is a wool cover (I use these at night). They are just fantastic and would highly recommend wool covers at night.
As for soaking, there's absolutely no need to do this:smiliedance: . Scrape off as much poo as possible, chuck in a bucket. Too combat smells sprinkle some bicarb soda in the bottom, and if you want to also some tea tree or lavender essential oil. When it comes to washing chuck them in the machine and hot wash, with 1/2 the amount of detergent for a normal load. Occasionally add some dettol sanitising wash to the rinse cycle. Line drying is paramount to getting rid of germs, but they can be tumble dried occasionally, or for a few minutes before the nappies completely dry to fluff them up.

Good luck:thumbsup:

[kymmy]

Maybe try and get some boosters? Hemp and bamboo is much more absorbent for the night than terry cotton. For a few it would only be a small financial outlay. And I agree about the covers. You only need a few covers which you alternate and air. PUL or wool is better and works well as compared to plastic.
All the best!

[the_queen]

At night I use bamboo fitted nappies with a wool cover, and he sleeps in my bed with me, and they have never leaked. The only time I've had leaks is when we've used other nappies or disposables. Bamboo pre-folds would be the cheapest option, and either get someone to knit you some longies or make a bumjumper. :thumbsup:

[liss05]

Thanks everyone,you have answered all my questions with your help i should now be able to go cloth all the way and say goodbye to huggies forever :yelclap: