UPDATE in Post 1--CD's: liner or diaper sprayer

[ahrimie]

UPDATE:
so I've been using the liner and have mixed feelings because it makes the poop just stick to her bottom. Coincidentally, she had a pretty bad rash from it too. Using the liner didn't help the rash so I resorted to a few combinations of ointment+disposable and ointment+cloth wipe layer+CD. I used Honest Company's ointment and it did the trick for us. In the past, I've tried A+D and it just didn't help. But I know you're not supposed to use creams with CD's so I used a cloth wipe as a layer in-between.

I do admit DD2 is a bit more prone to rashes, which is why I like the CDs but sometimes I feel like I don't change her often enough to prevent them. I change her about every 3-4 hrs normally but when there's a rash, about every 1.5-2.5 hrs. But it just puts me on edge because I'm constantly wondering when I need to change her.

So, was this just coincidence with the liner and bad rash or should I just use the cloth wipe instead?

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Please just tell me. I might quit CDs. They are definitely more work than I thought they'd be. Everything I read on them said they weren't THAT much more work and while I agree it's just more laundry. I really have a hard time keeping them clean. I have NO idea how some mamas say theirs look as good as new!!

We have a top loading HE washer, Charlie's soap, breastfed baby now on solids and slowly weaning to formula. Several dipes are stained and admittedly, I'm just a little vain and shallow. I like my things looking nice :( Perhaps come warmer weather, I can sun things out but Michigan winters are pretty gray so I couldn't.

So, liner or sprayer? Or what else do I need to add to our routine?

[lizzywednesday]

Do you have septic or city-sewage?

Are your pipes newer or old?

I live in new construction with city sewage. I CD overnight. I don't have a sprayer and have a toddler on solids. We do fine with liners; I use the ones from ImseVimse, but other mamas prefer the Bummis ones which are supposed to be softer.

You could also use a Kleenex.

I haven't noticed stains on my dipes, but I have mostly unbleached and organic PF's, so that could be it. We also didn't start CD-ing 'til DD was 9 months and already on solids for 3-ish months, so her poo was different.

I have an LG front loader, which I love, but it did take some tweaking to figure out a diaper laundry method that worked.

I use baking soda & vinegar in my pre-wash (on warm/warm or hot/cold, depending on my mood; equal parts of both - baking soda into the drum; vinegar in the detergent cup), Rockin Green in my wash and nothing in my rinse.

If I still have some stink, I add a teaspoon or two of regular bleach to the bleach dispenser during the wash cycle. It really doesn't take much!

[AnnieW625]

I have a Sigma sprayer that I haven't actually used yet because I need a larger part to attach it to my toilet. Right now I just rinse in the toilet, and then go outside and spray it with the garden hose.

I started freaking out about the poop stains on my diapers, but then realized WTH? am I getting mad about because I think the wear is normal and they are diapers for goodness sake, they are going to get dirty. I bought almost all of my stash of my AIO diapers on Diaper Swappers for less than half of retail (I have Bum Genius 3.0s AIOs sized). IMHO I think the reason so many people can sell barely used diapers is that they don't use them all because they have soo many diapers in their stash of diapers, and they want more and buying diapers is an addiction for them. I have 21 AIOs that we use for daycare and almost everyone of them gets used during the week, and at night time. We also have Flip covers (6) that we use with the Flip organic inserts (I have 9 of these), and or Gerber cotton diaper service quality diapers (I think we have 24 of these) which we use on the weekends. I have not had staining issues with them.

We have one Planet Wise diaper liner.

I thought the Bummis liners were softer than the Inse Vimse, but the Imse Vimse diaper liners held the poop a bit better and were easier to remove all of the poop.

I use a bit of bleach every couple of weeks.

FWIW I use Charlie's Soap, and spray my diapers with Bac Out, and or also will do Spray N Wash (original green bottle) on really tough stains.

[echoesofspring]

I'd try the liners. We use the bummis liner and they really make a difference for us, I don't think we have any stains. But ....we'll also throw a disposable on if DS seems to be having an issue. We:
do a cold rinse, soaking for at least 45 min
cycle on hot/cold
1 last rinse.
I was bleaching them for a while, but haven't in a few weeks.

I bought bac out and have never used it. Wasn't convinced Rockin' Green was doing much (we have really soft water) so stopped using it when we ran out. I currently have been using (gasp) All detergent. I should probably switch to something more diaper friendly, but just haven't had a chance these last few weeks.

[edurnemk]

What kind of diapers are you using? Do you ever strip them? Depending on the diapers, you could add a little bit of bleach. Or try a different detergent, I know CS doesn't work well for many people in terms of not getting things clean enough. I also recommend a squirt of Biokleen Bac-out in the prewash, and if you have hard water add Calgon or borax.

In terms of ease, I think the liners are a tad easier then the sprayer. I also always squirted some water on poopy diapers before putting them in the pail even when using a liner (sometimes some get through), I feel that keeps the stain from setting.

[ahrimie]

What kind of diapers are you using? Do you ever strip them?

I have BG 4.0s, Flips with Stay Dry inserts and organic prefolds, Blueberry pockets with bamboo inserts, hemp/organic cotton prefolds, and BG organic AIOs.

I've added bleach before to strip. But maybe spraying bac out is a good idea for when it's messier. Some poops are more formed and come off easily. Other times, it's just a huge sticky mess and it doesn't come out well. Our sink in the laundry room has enough pressure to get the poo out but it's just adds to the already longer process (compared to sposies). It doesn't help that I live in a 2 story home so there's a lot of walking involved, lol.

[okinawama]

We are very happy with liners. Very little poop gets through to the actual diaper and I have no stains on any of my pocket diapers, and only one stain on a cotton fitted diaper. I grab a roll of the liners when I sit down to fold the diapers, and I just include one liner in each diaper as I'm folding so that I go to change the baby, there is no additional step involved then.

I have switched over to Tide original to wash my diapers and feel that they are the cleanest they've ever been.

[momm]

Aw. I'm sorry you're so frustrated.
Would you care to share your washing routine?

This works very well:
Cold full wash without soap.
Warm full wash with soap.
Warm or cold rinse.

I use Trader Joe's soap and it works great. For my rinse I use a little Bac-Out.

Good luck.

[mmommy]

I use a diaper sprayer, but mostly I got this because DH was rinsing them in the tub and getting poo everywhere :6: He's much better with the sprayer. The extra bonus is that the sprayer works well to rinse out our training potty too.

I also use fleece liners, which double to keep moisture away from DDs tushy. I just cut up a fleece blanket for this purpose. When I put the diapers away I place one liner into each, so they're ready to go, otherwise DH wouldn't use them. The fleece wicks the moisture away from the skin, and poo tends not to stick to it. So the solids just fall off right into the toilet.

For washing, I do rinse in cold to get off anything that might stain. If things are really messy (now that we use liners, this hasn't happened) or if the dipes have been sitting a few extra days, I squirt in a little bac-out and let them sit in the rinse a 1/2 hour longer. Then a long wash cycle in hot with TJs soap. If I smell anything (poo, soap, bac-out, anything at all) at the end of this cycle, I send it through another rinse, but I haven't had to do that at all recently.

[pastrygirl]

I use(d) Bummis liners, size large. Kept most of the mess contained. ETA: In the case where it didn't, and there was still too much on the diaper, I used a flushable toilet wipe to get the rest off. We always have flushable wipes around, so that made it easy.

[ahrimie]

Would you care to share your washing routine?


I've tried changing up temps to see if there's a change but currently doing:
Cold rinse, no soap
Hot/cold cycle with half Charlie's soap
Exta cold rinse

There's no smell, just stains.

[AnnieW625]

I've tried changing up temps to see if there's a change but currently doing:
Cold rinse, no soap
Hot/cold cycle with half Charlie's soap
Exta cold rinse

There's no smell, just stains.

I will take stains any day over stinky diapers. If I can resell my dipes for what I paid for them used ($8 a diaper) that's great, but if not I have saved money cloth diapering and will take a bit of a loss.

[ahrimie]

I will take stains any day over stinky diapers. If I can resell my dipes for what I paid for them used ($8 a diaper) that's great, but if not I have saved money cloth diapering and will take a bit of a loss.

Problem is, I bought mine new. All around $20/diaper and less.

[AustenFan]

I really think Charlie's Soap might be your problem! If there are no smells, you probably don't need to strip, and your routine looks good to me. Charlie's Soap made my diapers (prefolds, plus FuzziBunz pockets) really dingy looking. I disliked it so much that I tried using it up on our clothes, which didn't really get very clean looking, either. Maybe get something else and save the Charlie's for emergencies or travel?

I much prefer Allen's Naturally (https://www.allensnaturally.com/product_info.php?products_id=28), which you can buy directly from them or at Cotton Babies. I think you can even get a trial size to do a couple loads and see if you notice a difference. It works much better for us! The first four winters that I cloth diapered, I lived in the midwest and out east, where winters are so dreary that I could only sun dry my diapers in the summer. They did get a little dingier looking by spring, but one afternoon of drying in the sun whitens them right back up. I have never bleached any of my diapers, though I know that many do.

And we use Imse Vimse diaper liners. They take care of 95% of our poop mess.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

honestly I would start using liners AND get a diaper sprayer! with a baby on solids, i can't imagine doing cloth without at least ONE of those!!

i survived CDing for a while using just liners (Imse Vimse)..about 80% of the time they contained all the poop and i just flushed that down the toilet. but if any got on the dipe i would have to do the dunk and flush thing in the toilet, and half the time that didn't do the trick (when kiddos have runny sticky poop it had to be rinsed off pretty well). I think when DD got to be a few months old and I knew I was going to have TWO solid-eating kiddos in cloth diapers full-time, i bit the bullet and spent $40 on a Mini Shower. It saved us SO much hassle, and probably saved water too. NOwadays, i can sometimes go for like 3 days without using it...but when the kiddos had tummy bug and had diarrhea for a week recently, that thing saved me from going insane.

btw we also have a top loading HE machine...we use country save....2 rinses + hot wash + 2 24-minute rinses and we're good, no major stains. It sucks to do so many rinses, but it REALLY helps with the stink. As PP said, the worst thing in the world is diapers that reek..i will take stains any day over stinky dipes!

[hoodlims]

I'm sorry. I think the sun is what is going to help. I use Rockin Green on my dipes, cold rinse (no soap), then hot wash (soap). All of my stained diapers do well in the sun, but we live in SoCal. Weather should be getting better now, right? Keep on sunning! I wonder how difficult it is to get a little UV lamp for them.

[hoodlims]

Personally I don't think any type of diaper helps with rash. The best thing is just to change frequently, especially when there is a poop. I change more frequently with a cloth diaper because my DD is SUCH a heavy wetter, which means I am using double as much cloth as I am disposable during a day. Maybe changing and washing more frequently can also help with the staining?

[hoodlims]

Oh, and yes, I use a Bum Genius diaper sprayer. You can also use an old spatula to scrape off solid poops. Not sure how that works with a toddler around, so good luck on that!

[daisymommy]

First of all, there are safe rash creams for CDs. The website Pinstripes and Polkadots has a great list (on my phone, don't have link handy).

Second, no way should a wipe be against her body for a few hours (assuming you meant disposable?) because that certainly will make a rash worse from prolonged contact with the soap and chemicals.

And 4 hours in any diaper --disposable or cloth is way too long. That's just asking for a yeast rash. Try changing every 2 hours, and you'll see a huge improvement. Urine is full of ammonia which eats away at their skin. And who wants to sit in poop for more than a few minutes?


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[AustenFan]

So sorry to hear about the rash! That is no fun.

I'd say my kids are fairly sensitive (we use free and clear detergent and double rinse everything; fabric softener on a friend's sheets makes them break out temporarily), and we have not had much of a problem with rash from liners. When I first started CDing, a friend gave me some that were pretty stiff, and I do remember DS possibly being red from those. I think they'd done the same to her DD, which is why she gave me the rest of the pack! Don't know the brand. But the Imse Vimse ones have never been a problem for us. DD2 just had a horrible (bleeding) diaper rash last week--she is cutting three teeth, and that makes her drool more and gives her diarrhea. In that case (mostly because of the blood), I used extra strength Desitin and disposables. But as soon as the blood stopped, I put her back in cloth with a liner, and the liners didn't seem to irritate her further. Don't know if my experience helps you as you evaluate your own situation... It's so hard to tell what caused the diaper rash if there are several new things happening at once.

As for how often to change, I err on the side of more frequently, probably because I've been CDing from the beginning. I change DD2 before and after every nap/bedtime (so that's 7,9,11,1,3:30,6:30) and if she ever poops in between. So I guess DD2 gets changed pretty much every two hours during the day and totally fills her disposable during her 12 hour night stretch. The older two were the same way. Maybe my kids are just heavier wetters? I have heard from other moms who transitioned from disposables to cloth that they were not used to changing so frequently, so I think your experience is normal!

[mikala]

We seem to be the odd household that gets by without a diaper sprayer or regular liners. We use pocket diapers and I just remove the liner and shake/roll the rest over the toilet. That said we occasionally use Bummis liners and have had good results with them without any noticeable irritation. We use them so rarely that I haven't tried other brands for comparison.

We get the occasional light stain from berries and other staining foods but it tends to come out in subsequent washes or whenever we sun them. I don't want stains on the outside of the diaper but don't fuss much about the inside because hey, it's a place my kid poops. Based on what I've seen with the sun bleaching them I'm not worried that any stains will stick around once I'm ready to sell them.

I'd try to work through your rash and do whatever you need to do to get the skin on her bottom intact again. Once she's healed and you aren't continually using cream you can try plain cloth or cloth with a liner again. I wonder if even the cloth wipe as a barrier is keeping moisture against her skin instead of letting it wick away through the fleece.

Good luck and I hope she feels better soon! I've definitely noticed that some foods like tomatoes and citrus contribute to rashes at our households.

[hoodlims]

So sorry to hear about the rash! That is no fun.

As for how often to change, I err on the side of more frequently, probably because I've been CDing from the beginning. I change DD2 before and after every nap/bedtime (so that's 7,9,11,1,3:30,6:30) and if she ever poops in between. So I guess DD2 gets changed pretty much every two hours during the day and totally fills her disposable during her 12 hour night stretch. The older two were the same way. Maybe my kids are just heavier wetters? I have heard from other moms who transitioned from disposables to cloth that they were not used to changing so frequently, so I think your experience is normal!

I started out CDing, then switched the disposables when DD went to daycare, then back to CD when baby #2 came, and i have to say, YES, you have to change so much more frequently with CD! Every pee for my DD (heavy wetter), which is about 2 hours, as opposed to longer with a disposable. I just had to PT her.