Erin Tries Cloth Diapers

[Tewi]

Several mentions have been made of 'booster pads'. Here are a few photographs of 'booster pads' and various firms that make them. I use them a lot for extra absorbtion and also because they are easy to carry with you. You can get a 'fresh dry diaper' quickly and easily by removing a wet 'booster pad' and slipping in a dry one be it in a full wrap-around-brief or pullup pants. They are outstanding for use on long airline flights.

Attachments

Tranquility brand 'booster pads'.

Tranquility brand 'booster pads'.

Tranquility brand 'booster pads'.

Abena brand 'booster pads'.

Two flow-through 'booster pads'.

Depend brand 'booster pad'.

Depend brand 'booster pad'.

[MsErin]

I've been experimenting with cloth diapers for about three months and I thought I'd post an update.

- I have a decent supply of cloth now. 14 overnight prefolds, mostly rearz twill, six 10 layer boosters, and 8 plastic pants of various kinds. High backed Gary vinyl is my favorite. I have just enough supplies to not make me laundry crazy.

- I'm toarn between pin types still. I like snappis but they ten to break on me. The plastic claws like to pop out every few weeks. I really like how easy it is to get a secure fit with them. I also like the rearz pins Eylln suggested.

- I did something fun and died all my diapers various colors. Might not have been the best idea as the colors will fade, but as a woman having colorful diapers is super helpful for my body image to fool me into thinking I'm wearing fun underwear again.

- I've been in cloth almost every night since mid December and at home 80 percent of the time. I'm getting close to trying cloth at work.

- Shapewear is great for getting a smooth figure with cloth, but just makes me leak at work in a disposable.

- The laundry is fun. I have a good routine to get the diapers clean, the plastic pants are another story. They've been developing this light funk that I can't get rid of. I've tried various detergents, vinegar, and very light bleach and I can't fully get ride of it. I bought a box of borax to try next.

So far I'm very sold on cloth diapers. They are so much more comfy, absorbent and just plain work better for my level of incontinence. I also love how much money I'm going to save in the long run.

I don't think it will be long before I'm in cloth 95% of the time. I can see myself in cloth in all times outside of vacations and when events and clothing styles require the discreetness of a disposable.

[Patrick]

Welcome to the cloth club. Are the overpants that you are having difficulty cleaning vinyl, polyurethane, or laminate? I have found that PVC is the most difficult to clean, and it cracks easily. The laminate and polyurethane seem to last the longest, and are easiest to keep clean. I hand wash mine using a Tide pod with Clorox, then soak them in hot water with vinegar, and a second rinse with clear water. I hope this will work for you.

[MsErin]

Patrick,

I'm having issues all they types of plastic pants. PUL, vinyl and polyurethane. I bought an assortment of them to figure out what I liked. Those are some good suggestions that I will have to try.

[Steve M.]

I was having 'smell' issues with cloth diapers and tried two products from a company called Rockin' Green. Stuff should work on p-pants too.
They are: Rockin' Green Funk Rock Ammonia Bouncer and Rockin' Green Platinum Series Dirty Diaper Powdered Laundry Detergent. You can get either on Amazon.
Personally I'd recommend the Garywear poly laminate pants since they wear a lot longer than the standard Gary plastic pants and are more laundry friendly. I haven't had any spilts or cracks in them since I started using them a couple of years ago. The newer PEVA material is pretty tough too and lighter than poly laminate, but noisy.
Welcome to cloth diapers. Been using them successfully for many years.

[MsErin]

It's been a few weeks and time for another update.

I've gotten the smells from laundry under control with a combination of vinegar and borax.

I'm now in cloth most of the time. I even went to work in cloth for a few weeks before we all started working from home. I had zero issues with cloth at work, it was really great not having to worry about leaks at work. I also got my diaper bag setup with a wet section in case I needed to change away from home.

I'm really glad I went cloth when I did. I'm really worried about disposable diaper supplies in the pandemic and now I don't have to worry about that:) I do wish I could get a few more cloth diapers into my rotation to help keep the laundry down, but unfortunately the brand I like isn't shipping right now

[Ellyn]

Great news MsErin! I’m glad that they are working out well for you.
Just FYI, I’ve been ordering from ACD for years (and years...), though haven’t ordered anything recently. Great diaper product at a cost that seems to be a bit high, but you might want to check them out.
I no longer use their pants or pins.

[Paul Martin]

I noticed you use a twill diaper from Rearz. I’ve been using a twill diaper made by Changing Times Diapers. They are incredibly soft and absorbent after several washes. Gary’s plastic pants are the best.

[MsErin]

Ellyn, The first cloth diapers I tried were from ACD. I'm just not a fan. There's something about the gauze that I just don't like, I can't put a finger on it and the sizing is just off for me.

Paul, I was looking at changing times yesterday and it appears to be almost the same diaper as rearz. I may order two and give them a try.

I'm still learning about what plastic pants I like. I though Gary high waste vinyl were the right ones until the other night when I put a hole in one. I was pulling up my diaper and with long fingernails I poke a hole right through the pants. Luckily a vinyl repair kit fixed that one rather easily. PUL is just feeling like it might be the better choice. I wear Gary Active pants over disposables and those have always been great. I ordered a size two times larger than normal and it worked perfectly with my cloth diapers. I've never put a hole in the active pants. I'm also finding the vinyl is too sticky on my thighs. The top layer on PUL is just so much more comfortable.

[Steve M.]

I've been using twill cloth from Changing Times(CTDC) for many many years. They are very good quality and couple dollars cheaper than ADC or Angle Fluff.
PEVA material(a bit noisy)or Gary Active Wear(PUL) pants are a lot more durable than Gary plastic pants. I have several pairs of each that have lasted well over a year.
Gary's plastic material has cracked or tore at the elastic or seam after couple of months use.