Erin Tries Cloth Diapers

[MsErin]

Hi Everyone,

I've decided to give cloth a try!

I have a disposable diapering system that works really well for me during the day, but it's lackluster at night. At work I wear a MegaMax with some sort of booster or insert. I hate changing my diaper at work. So I do everything I can to get from home and back on one diaper. This system works really well and I only have to change at work about once a month. After work its a Better Dry, Abena M4 or NS lite depending on the amount of time before bed and how leaky I am that day. Night is another MegaMax diaper with full sized contour booster.

No matter what I do at night I leak about once a week at night. it's always because I was sleeping on my side. I have a really supportive partner, but I feel bad for her sleeping next to my leaks.

So my first goal with cloth diapers is to convert to cloth for nighttime. I just need to stop the leaks. I'm also excited for the cost savings. Between a MegaMax every night and a full sized booster I'm going to cut my month diaper budget in half by a little more than $100/month.

Earlier this week I ordered my first two sets of cloth diapers! And here's what I got.
-2x Night weight prefold Leak Master cloth diapers
-2x Night weight prefold cloth diapers from Rearz.
-2x Leakmaster PUL pants. I wear Gary Active Briefs over my diapers to work. So I thought I'd get pants that I'm somewhat familiar with.
-Bag of assorted diaper pins.

I ordered everything off Amazon. It was about the same price as direct from Adult Cloth Diaper and Rearz. And to be honest, I'm super excited to try cloth and getting it through Prime shipping fast was a huge plus.

Everything arrives tomorrow and tomorrow night will be my first time in cloth diapers. I'm so excited. I'm sure I'll be loaded up with questions come this weekend.

Erin

Last edited by MsErin on Fri Feb 28, 2020 1:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[HumanFly]

Bear in mind: you have to wash your cloth diapers a few times before they're suitable for use, so you can wash the oil out of the cotton. They won't absorb much with that still in it. It will shrink them but also make them thicker (they will be very flat on arrival but a lot fluffier once washed a few times). It's recommended that you wash and dry them three times, although I think some people do that more times than that. So, even if your new diapers arrive tomorrow, probably you should leave the try-out for the night after.

As for disposables at night, some people use a cloth pull-up over them and a plastic or rubber pant over that. It increases the thickness but it absorbs most of the side leaks.

[Ellyn]

Just a FYI, I had to stay in a hotel for a few nights a few weeks ago and tried a suggested method of increasing the capacity and absorption into the disposable. I used a cloth booster pad (4 layer with a soaker I believe) inside the disposable and a large underpaid beneath me. I did not leak at all past the diaper. The wetness was wicked into the disposable much more than without use of the booster. I believe the cloth booster performed much better than disposable booster pads as it wicked the wetness more uniformly. In the morning, I simply soaked the pad in water, changing the water a few times, washed with hair shampoo, rinsed again, rung it out, and put it in a plastic bag. I placed that in my luggage until I returned for the evening and then aired it out that night. Same routine the next morning (no leaks!), but traveled home that evening and did a proper wash.

[Patrick]

Although I second all of the above advice, let me add some more. When I first tried washables, I used the small, plastic headed infant pins, thinking they were what was available. Huge mistake. No way could they hold the thickness of cloth necessary to give me nighttime security. They came undone and stuck me several times, leaving me bleeding from several places by morning. As an adult, you will need sturdy, three inch stainless steel diaper pins. Lubricate them by inserting them into a bar of soap at each change. I too use ACD, and especially like the quality and durability of their products.

[Padded53]

MsErin:
A great source for the cloth pads I mentioned in one of my earlier posts is the WalMart "Flour Sack Towels" which you can find in the home goods or kitchen section. The 28" x 28" 100% cotton cloths cost only $1 a piece and are very easy to rinse out in the sink when soaked. In fact when traveling, and if I can't easily access washing facilities, I simple rinse them and then throw then away with the disposable. A bit wasteful but sometimes it's the best thing to do.

[HumanFly]

For fasteners, also try Snappi (size 2) or Boingo if you can get hold of them - they've become the standard for securing infant diapers if YouTube is anything to go by. Because they pull the cloth in, you may find them more secure than pins.

[Steve M.]

I'll second the vote for the Snappi fasteners. I've also found CTDC cloth twill diapers were cheaper and the quality just as good ADCs or any others I've tried. Good luck with cloth. Best solution I've found for night and occasionally daytime.
See--> http://www.changingtimesdiaperco.com/co ... aper-adult

[5bugles]

I'll second the vote for the Snappi fasteners. I've also found CTDC cloth twill diapers were cheaper and the quality just as good ADCs or any others I've tried. Good luck with cloth. Best solution I've found for night and occasionally daytime.
See--> http://www.changingtimesdiaperco.com/co ... aper-adult

I will second the suggestion of CTDC. I use their contours and also have one of their pre-folds and love them. Great quality, fit, and price.

[MsErin]

My first night in cloth was a success. I was able to wash and dry the diapers three time before bed and wow did they fluff up.

I wore two leakmaster prefolds and the bulk was something else. I feel like I’m having to learn about bulkiness all over again. I had to sleep with a pillow between my legs to be comfortable.

The diapers were only about half used last night even though I had a very leaky night. I let me self sleep on my side most of the night and had no leaks!

The wetness of cloth is going to take some getting used to. I woke up several time thinking I was about to leak due to the damp feeling.

I do need to get some better pins. 3 out of the 4 were bent this morning. The snuggi fasteners look interesting but I’m confused about how they would work for an adult. I don’t see them stretching enough to secure the diaper wings. Do you us them differently than how they’re used for baby diaper? Like at the side kind of like a tape.

Thanks for the CTDC recommendation. Those will be the next diaper brand I try.

I love the cloth diapers for a nighttime solution. I just have no idea right now how I could handle the bulk for being out in public.

[Patrick]

Cloth diapers can be successfully used in public, with some advance thought and skill. Use dark colored clothing that is perhaps a size or two larger than what you wore previously. Become accustomed to the feeling of dampness as normal and not threatening. Cloth gives you much more time to find an adequate toilet; unlike disposables that absorb and absorb, and give you little or no advance warning that a sudden, catastrophic failure is about to happen. I wish you continued success.