CD Dilema - long

[anguschick1]

I'll appologize in advance for being so long-winded. I've been perusing the boards for 2 months now and have learned what I thought was quite a bit, but need some help when it comes to the application.

My DS is now 12 days old and yesterday I tried CD for the first time (I wanted to make sure that the meconium had passed and that we were slightly in more of a routine). I took a Chinese Prefold (CPF?), folded it in thirds, put it inside my size 0 Kissiluvs cover (he's only 6lbs, 6ozs, a real peanut)and snapped it on. Well, besides the HUGE diaper butt that made my DH and I laugh, DS had his first big blow-out poo. It was everywhere. Am I doing something wrong? It was so messy that I really don't want to deal with it again if it's going to be that way everytime he poos in a CD. (FYI, we're breastfeeding, I think that makes a difference in poo consistency) Do Chinese Prefolds come in different sizes? Does it make sense to buy a smaller size if he's going to outgrow it soon? How do the disposable liners work? Where can you get them from?

Thanks in advance!

[MelissaTC]

Kissaluvs makes covers? Did you put the prefold in the fitted diaper? Unless I am wrong, kissaluvs are dipes, not covers. Perhaps that is why his butt was so big? I am trying to understand what you did so I can help :) My son is bf as well but the fitted dipes seemed to control those blow-outs. You need to put a cover over the dipe. :)

Liners can be purchased at all the diaper websites. Check out www.kellyscloset.com or www.naturalebaby.com or www.naturalbabies.com to see the selection available. They work and some people on this board seem to like the rice paper liners. I like some sherpa ones I received awhile back. I just rewash them.

Prefolds do come in different sizes. I would think that your little one would be in a newborn size. If anything, you can move up to a regular (4x6x4).

HTH some and if you need more info, please just ask :)

[mama2be]

Angus chick, Someone here will have an answer for you, I don't due to lack of knowledge of the PF and that size...I just own one type of diaper so I am more boring than these gals...I just hang with the "big dawgs" but I'm alittle dawg in this arena (and all arenas I guess) :)...
BUT did want to say congrats to you on the new born and welcome to the boards and this fun group of CDers!!!

[egoldber]

Prefolds do come in many sizes. Here is a link that talks about all the different sizes: http://www.punkinbutt.com/cloth_diapers.html You can usually tell what size you have by looking at the color of the stitching. Where did you get your prefolds?

Kissaluvs does not make a cover. So you may have been using a fitted diaper as a cover. Many people like Proraps covers for newborns, since they are inexpensive and have gussets at the legs to help to hold in that breastfed poo (which CAN be truly amazing in its explosive properties!).

I really like this page for lots of great CD info: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kfegelman/index.htm

She has also has lots of terrific pictures of her babies wearing prefolds that I find very helpful. Here are the ones of her baby as a newborn (5 days, 2 weeks and 7 weeks) http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kfegelman/isaac_dipes.htm

Please ask away!!!

HTH,

[blnony]

I didn't CD a newborn, but after our few months of experience, I have a couple of suggestions.
I too think Kissaluvs are just fitted diapers, so you would need a cover. Rice paper isn't good on BF poop, the Kushies might be a little better. If you want to use prefolds, I would suggest going with a cover with leg gussets like the prowrap. But, fitteds do contain poop really well. So a kissaluv 0 with a prowrap cover might be a good combination. BF poop will come out in the wash without it getting on your other diapers. Its so watery, that it practically dissolves. When you take off the poopy diaper, you might just want to spray a little Zout on it, put it in you pail and then into the wash with your load of diapers.
HTH- let us know how things progress.

[Momof3Labs]

I'm not a prefold expert by any means (rarely use them) but I would think that there is a better fold out there for a newborn. A trifold will do nothing to hold in newborn poop - it will just run out everywhere (thus the need for a good cover).

Here's a link with more info on folding a prefold:

http://www.dy-dee.com/html/Folding/folding.html

And disposable liners won't necessarily help with bf'd poop because it usually just soaks right through the liner. Fleece liners help a little but bf'd poop soaks through those, too. I found it easier to just deal with bf'd poop directly on the diapers - Kissaluvs are great, though, because they really "grab" the poop and keep it from running all over!

PS - If it makes you feel better, we had TONS of big blow-out poops (bf'd) when Colin was a newborn in disposables. One of the reasons I switched to cloth is because I was washing so much poop anyways, I would rather wash it out of diapers than out of his clothes!

[mommyj]

I just checked the Kissaluvs website, and I'm pretty sure they don't make covers. They make fitted dipes that have snaps, so they look a little like some covers. They're supposed to be really good dipes for newborns, so you can still use them with covers.
If you need to buy covers, you might want to call to see if Prowraps has any seconds available right now. The covers are brand new (they just have minor imperfections that mean they're not 1st quality, but most people can't even tell the difference). They're only $3/each, and their shipping rates are very reasonable. The phone # is 1-800-397-8594. I think they sell regular priced covers too, so just ask for seconds.
My baby isn't due until July, so I only know what I've read from different diapering message boards (although this has become somewhat of an obsession for me). Anyway, there are different sizes of prefolds. Different moms recommend different things for newborns, but the following three sizes are the ones that work for newborns:

Preemie 2x6x2 Most babies outgrow these really quickly, so these
might not be a good investment. I'm not sure what the
weight limit is, but a lot of moms say they only use
them for 3 weeks to a month.
Infant 4x6x4 These are slightly trimmer than the 4x8x4 infant
diapers, so some moms prefer these for newborns,
especially small babies. If you buy these, they can
always be used as burp rags or diaper doublers
later.
Infant 4x8x4 Is this the size you bought? A lot of moms use these
right away even though they're more bulky than the
4x6x4's. They're a better value since they can be used
longer. The Prowrap covers are pretty thin, so if you
don't think these are too bulky on your baby, you
wouldn't need to buy any other prefolds.

I hope this helps! I've also looked at the webpage Beth recommended, and it has a lot of really useful info.
Congratulations on your baby! I hope the CDing thing works out for you.

Jami
(due in July)

[liya]

I calle dthe num to gewt prorap seconds but nothing are you sure this is the num??

[nohomama]

As other's have said, sounds like you put a prefold in a fitted dipe. That diaper butt must have been truely remarkable.

The only thing I wanted to add to what others have said is that at this age the cover does most of the work containing the poop. Even a newborn/infant sized prefold will seem like it has to be crammed into a newborn sized cover and it will be difficult to do much more than an "angel wing" fold. Which is why you want to get a cover that fits your baby well. Probably the most effective solution is a prefold secured with a snappi and covered with either a gusseted cover with a velcro or snap closure or a pull-on style cover.

Don't give up on cloth diapers yet. Blow-outs are common at this age whether your using cloth or disposable.

Good luck.

[mama2be]

...of mommies first attempt at CDing and that butt!!!! a must for a future album!!!!

[mommyj]

I'm pretty sure that's the right #, because that's the one I called to order. I think they might only answer the phone during the day.

[AngelaS]

I agree, it sounds like you double diapered him. :) The Kissaluvs size 0 is a great diaper for a newborn and will really hold in the BF poop. You don't need a liner, as BF poop will just wash off in the washer.

I think you need smaller cpfs. On my 8lb baby I used infant cpfs and they were kind of big at first, but she QUICKLY grew into them! The trick to getting them to hold in poo is to use a Snappi. It won't contain ALL the poop, but it'll work MUCH better! :)

HTH!

[gravymommy3]

I agree with the others: SNAPPI - they are very easy to use (just take a wee bit of practice and then you are good to go). Practice with different folds also. Hang in there - it gets easier.

[anguschick1]

Thanks everybody! I tried just my kissiluv and a cover today and it was MUCH more manageable! Not to mention that DS's legs could actually touch each other and weren't seperated by about 4 inches of cotton! LOL. Thanks also for not making too much fun of the new mom and her foray into CD.

[egoldber]

I think you were very brave to post and get help when you were confused!! In my early days of CDing I was hiding at home, afraid to go out in CDs until I felt more confident about "doing it" (LOL) in public! You will be surprised how quickly you become proficient at it!