Washing Cloth Diapers

Washing cloth diapers shouldn't be difficult and with all of the information going around about what is the "right and wrong" way to wash, I thought I would share a bit of information on the subject. Many parents get fed up with stinky diapers, but don't throw the baby out with the laundry water!  We can troubleshoot with you to find what is going to work. This is a long post, but well worth the read. 

 

First off, everybody is going to have a different wash routine. Your children are different, your wash machine is different, the water in your pipes is different, your detergent is different, etc. There are a few things that are pretty standard across the board though. Diapers need to be washed in hot water for at least 45 minutes. The amount of water that is in your washing machine is crucial. If you have a front loader, it may be necessary to add some water to make sure there is enough flowing through the diapers, getting them clean. Too many diapers in the washing machine is going to cause problems, especially with a front loader. Don't overload the machine or they won't get clean; 12-18 diapers is plenty in one load. Also, leaving diapers in a wet bag for more than 2 days will cause them to grow more bacteria and you will have difficulty getting them clean.

Now for the detergent; it is not necessary to use a detergent that states that it has been made specifically for cloth diapering. You should however, stay away from detergents that contain brighteners, dyes, perfumes, and softeners. Fabric softeners of any kind are a big no, no. Certain cloth diaper fabrics have a tendency to hold onto some of the above mentioned ingredients more than others, causing absorbency and stink issues, along with rashes from the chemicals. Many of the reasons why parents have chosen cloth diapers is because they would like to keep harmful chemicals away from their baby. Read the ingredients of your soap and then decide if that is something you would like on your baby. The brands that we carry in our store are free of some of the more harmful chemicals for both baby and the environment. The thought that detergents are disinfecting your diapers is untrue. Detergents clean diapers, but it does not matter which brand you buy, it does not sanitize. If you need to sanitize you should make sure your water is up to temp and even possibly use a sanitizing agent (i.e. bleach, tea tree oil)

To bleach or not to bleach, that is the question! Most major diaper brands state that you should not bleach your diapers. That does not mean that it is the diaper apocalypse if you do, it just means, that they cannot warranty your diapers because you did not follow their washing guidelines. Diapers that are made of organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, and laminated covers, have a tendency to deteriorate when they are bleached repeatedly. Microfiber diapers are more resilient to the effects of bleaching. When you do bleach, it should be for good reasons; yeast rash, bacterial rash, or when you buy a used diaper.

Stripping isn't something that is necessary for everybody, and shouldn't really need to be done on a regular basis. If you have a good wash routine down, are using enough water, washing at least every 2 days, and using the right amount of detergent, you typically won't have problems. But, that being said, with "new age" diapers, it can be trial and error to get to the point of knowing what works for you and your baby.

There is no real "right or wrong" way to wash cloth diapers, but there are good suggestions and guides to go off of. If you are having issues with your wash routine, and need help, feel free to come by the store for a consultation. Bring a few of your diapers with you so that we can feel and yes, SMELL the material. Lots of factors in the washing process can be causing issues, but with a little guidance, I am confident you will be on your way to cloth diaper washing success!!

 

 

Recommended Diaper Washing Routine

 

20-30 Minute Cold Soak

Heavy Duty Hot Wash Cycle (at least 45 minutes in length)

Extra Rinse

 

 

Cloth Diapering in the Great Outdoors

It was Labor Day Weekend 2010 and I was on my first camping trip with Kian in full-time cloth diapers! Disposables were no longer an option for us!! He was 6 months old, and I was determined and excited to use cloth for the entire weekend. At that point in our diapering history, I was using the fitteds that I had sewn myself with my handy Thirsties Duo Wraps and a couple of FuzziBunz Pocket Diapers. We were still exclusively breastfeeding, so our poo diapers didn't pose too much of a problem. I was convinced that I could make it in cloth the whole weekend!

As we packed and prepared to travel to Seward for a three-four day weekend, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough diapers to last the entire time. In the back of my mind though, I figured I could always hit up a laundry mat if I had to. I started a load of diapers (maybe about 5 or 6 total diapers) with enough time to dry them before we hit the road. About ten minutes before we were about to leave, I changed Kian into a clean diaper, and hand washed the diaper that he had been wearing. I had counted my diapers and if all went according to plan, I would have enough diapers to last the entire weekend without having to wash. As we pulled out of the driveway, there were diapers drying on the dashboard!

The weekend in Seward was amazing! The kids played and got to visit the Sea Life Center. We took a couple bike rides along the beach and made s'mores around the camp fire. Kian cooperated for me and only went through the allotted amount of diapers. I didn't have to scramble to the laundry mat and wash diapers to make it through the weekend. But, on the way home, we only had one diaper to spare and the minute we walked through the door, I started washing diapers!! 

 (Pic from an earlier camping trip where we did some cloth and some disposables.)

That weekend set the tone for many more weekends to come; camping with cloth diapers. I developed a good system and acquired a few extra diapers, which made things easier. Covers and inserts worked the best for us, but that was also our typical daytime routine, so I didn't change much. Very rarely did I ever wash anything while we were camping. Maybe a cover here and there, but I found that it was easiest to wash right before we left the house, line drying on the dash or at camp if necessary. 

In my search though to find the easiest cloth diapering method during a camping weekend, I did find a rather unique way to wash while in the wilderness by making a camp wash machine. Take a 5 gallon bucket, cut a small hole in the lid and slip a plunger handle through the hole. Put the plunger in the bucket with water and the diapers/clothes, snap the lid on and voila... washing clothes and diapers becomes a piece of cake!

Through the years I have picked up a lot of tips from customers and created some of my own for successfully cloth diapering while camping. The first suggestion is to bring diapers that you are most comfortable using. You don't necessarily need to change everything about your routine for camping. The last thing you want to be worried about in the great outdoors is trying to figure out how to anteater fold a flat! If you do choose to use a different diapering method while camping, just make sure that you know how to use them and that you are comfortable with them. Also very important, is to make sure you have a secure storage bag to use while you are out there. Stinky diapers in the tent could ruin the whole weekend! I like to have a wet bag or pail liner for the clean diapers, and then another for the dirty diapers. When the clean diapers are stored in a wet bag  or pail liner, it keeps off the smells from camp smoke and other possible camping funk.

The type of diaper that you use while camping can make the experience a little bit more enjoyable. Flats, light weight fitteds, and inserts that are quick to dry are generally the easiest diapers to use while camping, especially if you plan on hand washing. They wash up easily and dry quick which means you don't have to bring your entire stash with you. Pack enough for the day and wash in the evening. Don't forget to bring your laundry detergent. If you are environmentally conscious, try to use a soap that is biodegradable, especially if you are dumping the dirty water near a lake, river, or any other body of water. Then just hang up the diapers to dry and hope it doesn't rain! Some extra accessories such as bioliners (disposable poo catchers) can also make life easier. A few biodegradable inserts will also come in handy while camping.

Camping with cloth diapers is so simple and once you decide to try it, you will be very happy! Your pocket book will thank you, your baby will thank you, and mother nature will be pleased also!! Start out with a simple overnight trip and work into longer weekend trips. Or go all in like I did and try a long weekend! Happy Camping!!

The Truth About Swim Diapers

Summertime is drawing near in Alaska, and many of you may be planning to take your little one to the lake or even the pool. Most of us in Alaska venture to the pool during the winter months or go on vacations to warm climates where playing in the water is a must! For those that have a child still in diapers, we all know that water and a child that is not potty trained, could lead to a disaster. That is why most public and private pools require these children to wear a swim diaper designed to catch any accidents that might occur.

 

The majority of families today are using disposable swim diapers when they take their child to the pool. It is even fairly common for me to hear that cloth diaper families are still using disposable swim diapers. But there is a little myth about disposable swim diapers that I usually have to dispel when a customer comes looking for a reusable swim diaper. The cold hard truth is that disposable swim diapers are not absorbent!! Most people put these diapers on their kiddo and think that it is not only going to contain the poop, but that it is also absorbing the pee. That is absolutely not true! The sole purpose of a swim diaper is to contain solid matter only. If the diaper actually absorbed urine, it would also be absorbing water. Now with that knowledge we can assume that a heavy, wet, soggy diaper might possibly be a drowning hazard for our little swimmer. Obviously not a good thing!

 

Disposable swim diapers are not only deceiving as to what they do, they are also a pain in the rear to use. They can be difficult to put on, and even more difficult to take off. Then once you take the diaper off your little one, you have to find a place to dispose of it. And then here we go again throwing money in the garbage! Disposable swim diapers are not cheap. How much money did you just spend on swim lessons and you are going to have to spend more money on a diaper that will end up in the garbage?

I believe a reusable swim diaper is the best way to diaper your little one when in the water. Besides saving you money they are adorable and when used properly can be incredibly effective at keeping poo from contaminating the pool. Keeping urine out of the pool is not really relevant because urine is sterile so it does not pose a risk. The poo though, can be responsible for the transmission of e. coli, so it is very important to make sure the swim diaper fits properly. 


Reusable swim diapers cost between $10 and $20. They come in sizes, so it is possible that you may have to buy a new one once or twice as your child grows. They are easy to wash and can be used over and over again. Reusable swim diapers do not contain any absorbency, but have a very soft fabric on the inside, making swim time comfortable and fun! Many people just simply use a regular cloth diaper cover as a swim diaper. This works fine, but just remember that if you choose to do this, keep that diaper cover only as a swim diaper. The chlorine or salt water can decrease it's effectiveness as a waterproof cover.

How It All Began

Arctic Baby Bottoms began in 2010, after my youngest son, Kian, was born. When my oldest son, Aidan, was born in 2006, I really wanted to try cloth diapers, but could only find Gerber pre-folds locally at Wal-Mart. I figured if Wal-Mart doesn't have something, it must not exist. So, I thought cloth diapering must not be a "thing" anymore and gave up my idea to use cloth diapers. Plus, I had to go back to work when he was 3 months old and had no desire to add one more thing to my new mom plate!

 (Aidan)

When I found out I was pregnant with Kian, I decided to look into cloth diapering again. I knew that I wouldn't be going back to work after he was born and thought cloth diapering would be a great way to save some money. Since I didn't think that cloth diapers existed, I had an idea to sew my own. I have been sewing since I was a little girl and felt pretty confident that I could come up with something. After researching patterns on the internet, I settled on a fitted diaper called PooPockets and then found a cover pattern at a local quilt shop. I started sewing before he was even born! The pattern was pretty simple and I created my fitted using a variety of fabrics. Flannel was great because I could find prints and colors that were fun. Terry cloth looked like it would be super absorbent and fairly soft, but it was difficult to sew. Birdseye diaper fabric was what the majority of my diapers were made from. It was easy to sew, absorbent, and easy to clean.

 (Kian)

When it came to making the covers though, that was really a disaster! I purchased some PUL (poly urethane laminate) online, and was not very happy with what I received. I could not tell which side was supposed to be the inner/outer. It all looked the same to me, but there was definitely a right and wrong side! I also decided to use flannel for the outer part of the cover (the pattern said this was okay) and since I couldn't find any other binding that would be waterproof, I used cotton quilt binding. Now, for those of you smart seamstresses, you know that cotton quilt binding is not going to keep moisture from seeping out, but will actually wick it further out of the diaper. And that is exactly what happened! The covers were a flop! They were super cute, but just not effective at keeping moisture in!

 (The Covers!)

I needed to find a cover to go with my fitteds. During my search for diaper patterns, I ran across some information for covers that work great with the PooPocket pattern. I have never been one for ordering unknown products from the internet and after researching and discovering that cloth diapering was alive and well, I just could not believe that Alaska did not have a store that sold some of these products. So, after delving further into a few brands and pushing my search engine to the max, I found a cloth diapering store in Fairbanks and Anchorage! It was definitely a hallelujah moment!

My mom and I made the drive from Wasilla to Anchorage with a three year old and newborn in tow. I had to get a look at the diapers before I ordered online. While in the lovely cloth diaper store, Sweet Camo Babytique, I stocked up on Thirsties Duo Wraps and a few other odd and end cloth diaper products. My mom and I were thrilled that there was a local resource for cloth diapering! We made the trek a couple more times and I even ordered online once so that I could get in and out quick (since I usually had a toddler and a baby in a car seat.)

Cloth diapering was appealing to me on so many levels, once I started using them on my son. Besides the money I was saving on not having to buy disposable diapers, I was also bonding with my son on a whole new level. Diapering was no longer this yucky thing that I tried to pawn off on my husband. I wanted to spend the time to change the cute fluff on his bum, even when it might be full of poo! I felt so good about my cloth diapering journey thus far, that I wanted to spread the cloth love with other families. I began to contemplate starting a cloth diaper business. The first time I mentioned it to my mom, it was really more of a joke. I remember saying to her "I should open a cloth diaper store" and when she replied seriously with "Yes, you should" it became clear that it wasn't just a joke and was actually a good idea. With the encouragement of my mom, and some brainstorming, Arctic Baby Bottoms became a reality!

In the past 3 1/2 years, I have learned so much about cloth diapering, natural parenting, running a business, and how to maintain my sanity through it all! I have met some very wonderful people along the way and am happy to be able to call many of them my friends.

Thank you to everybody who has supported Arctic Baby Bottoms!! I look forward to the years to come, all of the new friends and customers I will meet, and the families I can help teach about cloth diapering!!