Reusable Diapers - ew!! ???

[momee]

I just can't get my mind around the sanitation issue with using a cloth diaper.

 

So, you stick the icky diaper in the toilet, swirl it around, clean out the toilet then put it in a holding pail of vinegar water then throw them in your washer? That same washer you use for your good jeans and pretty underwear?:lol:

 

Then in your dryer then back on the baby?????

 

I know some of you use them, anyone care to talk me down from this phobia I have about cloth? I know it's better for the environment, and ultimately cheaper but tossing an icky in the trash can seems so much more - um, clean for my family.

 

I'm being a bit silly but really, it just sounds so (shudder...)

[dangermom]

You wash the diapers on a hot load with bleach. It's not a bad idea to line-dry them and then fluff them in the dryer--the sun is a disinfectant too. But if you don't like the idea of washing them yourself, you could always get a diaper service--they take the dirty diapers away and give you lovely sanitized ones, it's like Christmas every week.

 

I'm sure you've washed dirty baby clothes in the laundry before. You don't throw away that cute outfit just because there was an explosion--you rinse it off and wash it and wear it again.

 

Does that help?

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I just can't get my mind around the sanitation issue with using a cloth diaper.

 

So, you stick the icky diaper in the toilet, swirl it around, clean out the toilet then put it in a holding pail of vinegar water then throw them in your washer? That same washer you use for your good jeans and pretty underwear?:lol:

 

Then in your dryer then back on the baby?????

 

I know some of you use them, anyone care to talk me down from this phobia I have about cloth? I know it's better for the environment, and ultimately cheaper but tossing an icky in the trash can seems so much more - um, clean for my family.

 

I'm being a bit silly but really, it just sounds so (shudder...)

 

Nope, they're clean. And you just flush the toilet, like usual. When you smell fresh diapers either off the line or out of the dryer, there's no question how sanitary they are.

 

Soak in vinegar, though? I can't imagine such a thing. Bleh. I definitely couldn't deal with that smell. *shudder* I didn't use cloth for mine, but I did for a little boy I took care of when I was in high school. It was not a big deal at all.

 

But I grew up without indoor plumbing, so perhaps my "ick" meter isn't set quite as high as yours. :001_smile:

[Chris in VA]

I never swirled mine in the toilet--major yuck! Depending on the consistency of the contents, I could usually just flip "it" off into the john. There was usually very little left on the diaper.

I washed only diapers together. Two washes, with two rinses. No water or vinegar in the diaper pail. I washed diapers about every 2 or maybe 3 days.

 

If the diaper was REALLY full of REALLY loose ickies, then I'd rinse first. But that was rare.

If you wanted, you could always do a combo of disposables and cloth.

[PiCO]

I just can't get my mind around the sanitation issue with using a cloth diaper.

 

So, you stick the icky diaper in the toilet, swirl it around, clean out the toilet then put it in a holding pail of vinegar water then throw them in your washer? That same washer you use for your good jeans and pretty underwear?

 

Well- I don't have pretty underwear, but I did use cloth diapers.;)

 

I figure all kinds of dirty things go in the washing machine. The point is to clean stuff, no? And frankly some kids' undies are not much better than cloth diapers after the brown stuff has been plopped in the toilet.

 

I never did much toilet swirling though- that part grossed me out. I just dumped the chunks.

[momee]

I'm starting to sweat.

 

Maybe this whole thing isn't for me :iagree:

 

I'll keep researching the idea. I found some old posts on the boards about cloth diapers so I'll go through reading those, your posts have helped, thank you. Maybe I just need to get over it!

 

And before I go - we should all have some pretty underwear, dontcha' think? And there's NO WAY I could handle graciously being without indoor plumbing.

 

Wow, I sound like a girly girl now, better hush. Kidding with you all - thanks for your comments. Have a great Saturday!

[abbeyej]

I'm starting to sweat.

 

Maybe this whole thing isn't for me...

 

Well, I really don't have anything to add to what the others have said.

 

But perhaps you should look at this alternative to both cloth *and* disposables:

http://www.gdiapers.com/

 

I would consider it, if I were blessed with another one.

[Quiver0f10]

I used cloth off and on for the last 19 years LOL. With my last 2 babies I bought this thing that attached to the toilet water thing and it was a hand held sprayer for those really messie ones. Otherwise I just flipped it out of the diapers and tossed the diaper into a pail of water-no bleach or vinegar.

 

Then wash with hot water and again no bleach. I would use a tiny amount vinegar in the rise cycle every few washes.

 

I love cloth diapered baby butts! :D

[Plaid Dad]

We washed our cloth diapers separately from other items, but along with the wash cloths we used as baby wipes. Hot water, regular detergent, no soaking.

 

Cloth diapers are just underwear for babies. We all wash and reuse our underwear, right? :)

[Sue G in PA]

ALWAYS put a disposable on baby when you are going out. There is NOTHING worse than having to swish a cloth diaper in a public toilet. MAJOR YUCK! I speak from experience...a learning experience that will stick with me forever. :001_huh: I did like cloth diapers, but now with 6 kids, homeschooling, etc...I think I'd go crazy having to wash diapers every couple days. JMHO. BUT, no question better for the environment. I might have to look into it again.

[Jeanne in MN]

and that took care of the majority of the problem. I didn't ever swish them in the toilet.

[Tess in the Burbs]

I did not do a wet pail. we had a dry pail and then did 3 cycles to wash them.

 

first was cold soak, second was hot wash, third was rinse. once dry they looked and smelled brand new.

 

for infants it's just a runny yogurt consistency anyway. for solids you use a rice paper liner and no solid poop touches the diaper anyway.

 

Oh well, we loved cloth !!!

[st_claire]

I've heard cloth helps with toilet training, since the kid feels the wetness much more.

[melissel]

The diaper sprayer thing is called a Mini-shower, and you can also get a thing called a Diaper Duck that attaches to the toilet and holds the diaper so you can just flush and the water does the work. That part definitely wasn't my favorite part of cloth diapering, but it wasn't any less gross than poop blowouts in disposable diapers (cloth diapers greatly decrease the incidence of the clothes-wrecking blowout). I didn't have to swirl until my first DD started solids, and then I only had to do it occasionally. With my second, she didn't nurse nearly as much, so when she started solids, I was able to just...errr...drop the chunks? (Sorry! LOL!) I don't think I ever swirled her diapers.

 

I used a combo too--probably 75% cloth, 25% disposable. I loved it. Big, fat, cloth-diapered baby butts are so cute :D

 

Oh, and we did a dry pail too, with a waterproof diaper bag that was just tossed in with the covers and washed the same way. I ran a hot cycle with a couple of tablespoonfuls of detergent, then a cold cycle with a couple of tablespoonfuls of bleach, then dried in the dryer. Always clean and fresh!

[brehon]

I used/am using cloth diapers on 3 of the 4 kids (ds (15 months) is still using them). I, too, use a liner in the nappy which helps considerably with any mess. I rarely have to rinse the nappy/liner and simply put them in a container (without any liquid) with a tight fitting lid. I wash them (every couple of days) separately from the other laundry and then line dry. Occasionally, I'll put some vinegar in the first rinse (my machine allows for a second rinse). I haven't had any problems in five or so years of using them.

[Jenny in Atl]

We used cloth... had no problems. But, I know not everyone likes to give up the ease of disposables.

[tlcmom]

all three of my kiddoes were potty trained by two, and it took less than a week.:001_smile:

[Margaret in GA]

I mean, you are throwing poo into the trashcan and then it gets into a landfill where it may end up in our drinking water. I think rinsing them in the toilet is much less icky than that thought.

 

And may I say that I had many a potty training accident that I found far more gross than anything I saw contained in a neat package of cotton. If you survived potty training, surely you can handle cloth diapers!

 

Good Luck! It's easier than you think-- way easier than a day spent teaching homeschool math IMHO!!

 

Margaret

[Karen in CO]

I used cloth with my last one because she has terrible allergies. It was much better for her skin. After I got used to them, I started to think of disposables as gross. When her diaper was wet, I changed it immediately. No walking around in soggy diapers until it was more convenient for me. She potty trained the earliest and the easiest of the three.

 

Because of her allergies, we used cotton diapers and wool covers. They were great - soft, clean, natural.

We got ours from Green Mountain diapers. My dh had trouble with the separate cover so I had a stash of Bummis for him to use. For nighttime, I loved the wool longies from tiny bird organics. We co-slept with our babies so a dry baby at night was super important.

[Peek a Boo]

I think Plaid dad put it best :-)

 

having had to deal w/ plenty of regular underwear accidents, I agree, lol.

 

I'm not a cloth diaper gal, but only cuz I don't want to spend so much time w/ diapers.

 

margaret makes an excellent point: how did you handle leaky diapers and potty training?

[Peek a Boo]

oh! and Karen makes another great point: it's a LOT easier to deal w/ diapers if you change them often :-)

 

Don't wait until they are soggy gross! whether you use disposables or cloth!

[Peek a Boo]

wow abbey!!

52 bucks for 128 large diaper flushables?

 

that's really not too bad considering regular diapers are around $30+ for 140 or so.

i like the composting concept.

[melissel]

wow abbey!!

52 bucks for 128 large diaper flushables?

 

that's really not too bad considering regular diapers are around $30+ for 140 or so.

i like the composting concept.

 

Be careful if you try the gDiapers. I've heard some good feedback on them, but I've also heard lots of stories about the diapers still getting stuck and clogging pipe or causing septic tank issues, despite the claims to the contrary. I imagine it has plenty to do with the age/condition of your plumbing.

[cin]

I've heard cloth helps with toilet training, since the kid feels the wetness much more.

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

We used disposables, but when it came time to potty train I bought the old fashioned training pants and plastic covers. 1 week; both girls trained. I did wait until they were 3--both are strong willed and I didn't want this to turn into any major issues.

[Rebecca in GA]

I don't know what to tell you about the ick factor, but I used cloth primarily for the first 16 months of my youngest's life and this is what I do have to offer:

 

1. I bought two dozen Gerber diapers, a half-dozen or so plastic pants and two dozen diaper pins at Target, not the four dozen ultra-super-duper bells and whistles kinds or the wraps I "needed." I couldn't afford not to cloth diaper and I couldn't afford the fancy stuff. I also bought a dozen cheap bathcloths and used them wet with warm water for wiping pee-pee bottom and warm water with a drop of baby wash for stinkers.

 

2. I had a bucket for diapers. Not a pail with a lid, nothing fancy, just an unused car wash bucket we had lying around. I didn't keep water in it and I kept it on top of the washer. I flushed the solids but I never swished the diapers. I never used bleach. My system was one cold rinse, one hot wash (Tide and baking soda) and another cold rinse (vinegar).

 

The only thing I'd do differently now is wash with Charlie's Natural Soap.

[Mekanamom]

and that took care of the majority of the problem. I didn't ever swish them in the toilet.

 

:iagree: YES, the diaper liners made the job a lot easier. I never swished either.

[lynn]

You must be very, very young.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

You must be very, very young.

 

Who must be? The OP? Why do you say that?

[Rebecca in GA]

You must be very, very young.

 

Huh?

[Peek a Boo]

You must be very, very young.

 

well, if that's asking about the OP, a quick perusal of past posts shows she has a 9th grader and is currently pg. I didn't check too hard to see about other kids :-)

 

she posted here commenting on the diaper thread:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13530

 

but a clarification on who "you" is might help anyway, lol.

[Rosie_0801]

Anything flushable gets flushed, then it gets thrown into the bucket with napisan for a day or two. All nappies, pilchers and piddle through clothing goes in. Emptying the bucket into the washing machine is a bit gross, but unfortunately it's too heavy for me anyway, so hubby does it :D I try not to feed my daughter too many prunes, they don't "flip" off, they squelch all over the place and are definately gross to deal with. I have to swish them in the toilet. I will confess we've kept her on a vegetarian diet so far. Vegetarian poo is a lot less gross. Somehow it seems wrong to feed animal flesh to a baby. I don't know why, and I know it's irrational. That aside, Vegetarian poo is still a lot less gross. As others have said, sunlight sanitizes the nappies too. There really isn't anything unhygenic as long as you wash your hands after handing. If we're going to be out longer than a day we use the biodegradable disposables. We don't use hot water for the wash either.

Rosie

[Cindyg]

But I grew up without indoor plumbing, so perhaps my "ick" meter isn't set quite as high as yours.

 

Boy, Pam, you are just full of surprises, aren't you? Want to elaborate on when and where and how you grew up without indoor plumbing?

[StephanieZ]

I am truly a lover of the earth. . . and with a B.S. & M.S. in ecology/forestry/etc and many years as a vegetarian/environmentalist/tree hugger/etc.

 

One of the best things I ever learned in grad school (not on the syllabus but a tip off from my major professor/serious tree-hugger who had just adopted twins!). . . was of a research paper evaluating the environmental costs of disposable vs. reusable diapers. That particular paper measured them at about a wash, if I recall correctly there was possibly a marginal benefit to the disposables!

 

Remember, all that washing, high heat, hot water, chemicals, bleach, transportation/fuel for services, etc for reusable diapers carries enviromental costs. (And monetary costs as well, for those doing it b/c of $$ reasons.)

 

Also, todays diapers are HUGELY thinner (less landfill space/transportation costs/etc) than they were 30 years ago.

 

Anyway, it was a no brainer for me. Disposable diapers all the way. I do use the cotton ones as burp clothes. :) Reusable -- yuck, yuck, yuck. Disposable -- nice, nice, nice. :)

 

Like most mothering advice, I am big believer in reading widely, and then picking the tips/advice that makes the most sense to YOU. So, if you really want to use cotton diapers, more power to you and I'm sure you'll find plenty of support for your endeavor.

 

But, if you're just doing it "for the earth", consider replacing all your lightbulbs with compact fluorescents or getting a more fuel efficient car. . . . or eating lower down on the food chain (more grains/veggies; less animal products). To me, those are MUCH easier and less gross ways to help the planet!

 

I'd love to have another baby, and the LAST thing I'd want to do is mess about with poopy diapers in a pail. I just love the ability to wrap up that "baby burrito" and toss it in the garbage pail. End of story!

[ArwenA]

I use cloth diapers and can't stand the thought of disposable ones. :)

We wash them separately from other things and haven't had any problems. No bleach, vinegar or anything like that. The thing I can't do with diapers is wash them by hand. Yuck! So they've been one of the things that has always gone in the washer.

[gardenschooler]

I used to soak mine in bleach. I've never heard of soaking them in vinegar.

[Mrs Mungo]

I used cloth with my two youngers. I started because my middle daughter had horrible rashes from the disposables. I switched to cloth and rarely used disposables after that. I never swished in the toilet. For the first 7 or 8 months mine were strictly breastfed so it just wasn't necessary. It all washed out just like it washed out of my eldest clothes when she wore disposables and they constantly leaked. As they started solids I just sort of dumped it in the toilet. I didn't keep them in water, just a diaper pail. I never used bleach on them, bleach is bad for the diapers. I did use more spendy dipes but they were so much easier to manage for me.

[melissel]

One of the best things I ever learned in grad school (not on the syllabus but a tip off from my major professor/serious tree-hugger who had just adopted twins!). . . was of a research paper evaluating the environmental costs of disposable vs. reusable diapers. That particular paper measured them at about a wash, if I recall correctly there was possibly a marginal benefit to the disposables!

 

Remember, all that washing, high heat, hot water, chemicals, bleach, transportation/fuel for services, etc for reusable diapers carries enviromental costs. (And monetary costs as well, for those doing it b/c of $$ reasons.)

 

I believe, if I remember correctly, that that particular study didn't take into account the environmental costs of diaper manufacturing--or so I've always heard. Do you happen to have a link to it, or know where I can read it? I've always wondered about the analysis. (I'm on a crunchy mama board where it comes up pretty often.)

 

I used to soak mine in bleach. I've never heard of soaking them in vinegar.

 

Some think that bleach can break down the diapers, elastic, and particularly the waterproof layer in the covers more quickly. Vinegar is a more gentle disinfectant, and is often added to a diaper load to combat the yeasties if mama or baby is fighting thrush. I've never heard of soaking in it, though, unless they're adding it to a wet pail (which I never used anyway). If my diapers ever needed to soak, I'd just run a "soak" cycle on my washer. I have added a cup of vinegar to the wash though, if the diapers were particularly icky for any reason.

[Quiver0f10]

I am truly a lover of the earth. . . and with a B.S. & M.S. in ecology/forestry/etc and many years as a vegetarian/environmentalist/tree hugger/etc.

 

One of the best things I ever learned in grad school (not on the syllabus but a tip off from my major professor/serious tree-hugger who had just adopted twins!). . . was of a research paper evaluating the environmental costs of disposable vs. reusable diapers. That particular paper measured them at about a wash, if I recall correctly there was possibly a marginal benefit to the disposables!

 

Remember, all that washing, high heat, hot water, chemicals, bleach, transportation/fuel for services, etc for reusable diapers carries enviromental costs. (And monetary costs as well, for those doing it b/c of $$ reasons.)

 

Also, todays diapers are HUGELY thinner (less landfill space/transportation costs/etc) than they were 30 years ago.

 

Anyway, it was a no brainer for me. Disposable diapers all the way. I do use the cotton ones as burp clothes. :) Reusable -- yuck, yuck, yuck. Disposable -- nice, nice, nice. :)

 

Like most mothering advice, I am big believer in reading widely, and then picking the tips/advice that makes the most sense to YOU. So, if you really want to use cotton diapers, more power to you and I'm sure you'll find plenty of support for your endeavor.

 

But, if you're just doing it "for the earth", consider replacing all your lightbulbs with compact fluorescents or getting a more fuel efficient car. . . . or eating lower down on the food chain (more grains/veggies; less animal products). To me, those are MUCH easier and less gross ways to help the planet!

 

I'd love to have another baby, and the LAST thing I'd want to do is mess about with poopy diapers in a pail. I just love the ability to wrap up that "baby burrito" and toss it in the garbage pail. End of story!

 

 

I didn't use cloth to just save money, although that was a plus, I did it because I don't like the gel and ick of disposables. I prefer the cloth.

[hana]

We're a cloth diaper family (no toilet swishing, though!) for a number of reasons:

 

ecological (I do believe that purchasing cotton diapers, regular washing, using the clothesline, using regular detergent with a vinegar or borax boost as needed is much better for our earth than the millions of paper diapers being manufactured with chemicals and packaged in plastic, then being thrown-often with feces still inside--in trash bags which slow down to a huge degree the process of decomposition into landfill.)

 

physical (the gel in diapers concerns me, and cotton seems much more comfortable than paper)

 

financial (obviously if we bought expensive diapers and gadgets and used the dryer, this wouldn't work, but we keep it simple)

[lynn]

Who must be? The OP? Why do you say that?

 

If you are older grew up 60's or 70's cloth diapers just were part of life for most and thus nothing gross or nasty about it just was. If you areyounger and grew up later 70's and on it might not have been such common place and may be perceived more as yicky as that generation didn't encounter cloth diapers as often. It should not have come off as offensive I just stated that she must be very young as to think it yicky as perhaps not have encountered cloth diapers as a common thing.

[PariSarah]

If you are older grew up 60's or 70's cloth diapers just were part of life for most and thus nothing gross or nasty about it just was.

 

I don't know--when I told my mom and my MIL that I was CDing this one, they both had the same reaction: "Yuck! Why would you do that?!" This after CDing five kids between 'em.

 

It's true, though--some of us have been "protected" from icky stuff so long we've lost the ability to handle it.

[Rebecca in GA]

If you are older grew up 60's or 70's cloth diapers just were part of life for most and thus nothing gross or nasty about it just was.

 

True. My baby brother is nearly four years younger than I and I remember the round, green diaper pail with a screw-on lid and the horrific smell inside.

 

Seriously. It made my eyes water. Pure ammonia.

 

But I never really thought anything about it. Probably because three of my four brothers peed the bed until they were in their early teens so our entire house smelled like pee all the time anyway! :D

[Karen sn]

1st - I wash my pretty panties by hand when I am in the shower NEVER in the machine.

2nd - I NEVER rinsed dd's diapers in the toilet.

3rd - The chemicals in conventional diapers are "ewwwww!"

 

I rinsed them in the yard with a hose - and gross to whoever rinsed in a public toilet!!!!!!!!!

I ONLY used cloth and never thought it was a big deal. Dd literally never wore a paper diaper. (We did use pull ups when she was 6yo and bed wetting though!)

[Karen sn]

CHEMICALS in conventional diapers are toxic and flouresent lights may save energy but are not healthy for our brains (flickering and positive ions). Not to mention - I think they are full of lead or mercury or something.