About Us
Autumn Beck is a 31 year old SAHM to 4 gorgeous children. She has been married for 11 years to brilliant internet marketer and even more blessed that he works from home! Autumn began cloth diapering in 2005. Over this time she has made mistakes and learned the secrets and strategies to successful cloth diapering. Her interests include homebirth, breastfeeding, homeopathy and shopping…shopping for cloth diapers that is!
This is a picture of Autumn and her mom. Cindi is the artist for Rustique Art and works behind the scenes at All About Cloth Diapers.
She was part of the inspiration for Autumn having the confidence to cloth diaper because of the stories Autumn heard of being cloth diapered herself.
{ 69 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Autumn,
I have been reading (and enjoying!) your blog for awhile now. We are currently trying to get rid of some MAJOR buildup. I have been using the same set of Fuzzi Bunz for about 10 months. We use Bac-Out regularly and ocassionally do an extra-long, super-hot wash with extra rinse. However, we have been having a lot of problems with leaks and now realize I should have been more regularly stripping my diapers. I have two questions I was hoping you might help me with.
1. I tried hand washing with Dawn (I have a front-loader) and then a hot wash with no detergent and extra rinses. The diapers are better, but still not great. Any suggestion which method I might try next? [Also, it is possible for diapers to get too old or too much build-up? I'm worried we waited too long and I won't be able to fix them.]
2. I have been using Crunchy Clean for awhile now and really like it. One of the reasons I switched is because it is supposed to be cleaner rinsing (thus less chance of buildup). But…I see now on one of your posts that Crunchy Clean can actually be worse for build-up?!?! Should I switch back to the Kirkland eco-brand?
Thanks so much for any help you can give me! (and for the blog…I have learned so much!)
Best wishes,
Sonya
Sonya, a couple of questions: why do you think it is from build-up? where is the leaking occuring? what type of inserts are you using? microfiber inserts can wear out and need to be replaced. Crunchy Clean is a great detergent for many families. I don’t think it worked for our water. For hard water I suggest Rockin Green detergent. I use Kirkland’s eco brand with huge success. love it. Your FB aren’t “broke”. Pockets are great like that, they last for years. It’s the inserts that stop working.
Hi Autumn, I just read your reponse and wanted to add that I have had similar problems with my pocket diapers leaking! They ALWAYS leak and they are brand new (washed 1/2 doz times before using) – so I don’t think it could be buildup yet. And my Flips NEVER leak. I am thinking that perhaps b/c the pocket diapers’ microfleece comes right to the edge where it meets the PUL outside, that perhaps a bit of the fleece touches my baby’s PJs and then the moisture “wicks” out onto the PJs? They never leak poop, just pee, that’s why. Thoughts? I have been using the Bum Genius detergent. But I have tried Rockin’ Green as well.
I had to give up cloth diapering because at 9 months, my daughter suddenly started breaking out in terrible rashes with just one or two wearings of her cloth diaper. She had worn them since birth and had been fine. I didn’t change detergents. I tried stripping them, using different detergents, but nothing has changed. I prefer prefolds with a wrap cover but also have BG all-in-ones. With disposables, she does fine. I don’t like to use them but I can’t let her have terrible rashes. Any advice?
Resa, did you notice if she reacted to the prefolds or the bg? If prefolds, it could be due to the wetness. If BG, it is the suedecloth (a common allergen).
It’s been with the prefolds. The BG were leaking so I used her smaller size prefolds as inserts. I’ll try again and change her more often and see what happens. Thanks!
Autumn,
Have you tried the cutie poops diapers? I was wondering how they were I need to order some new diapers and am frustrated with all of mine and want to try something new. I have a chubby 5 month old and a 2 yr old who has decided that she’s unwilling to go in the potty anymore so I’ve been trying to get by with 6 med Fuzzi Bunz for 2 kids. It’s very amusing. They are the only ones that still fit her (23 lbs) and the only ones that don’t make him red since they keep the moisture away! So I’d really like to stay with a pocket diaper. Tried the thirsties and didn’t like them they leaked every time we used them. Also wondered about the Happy Heinies. I’d love some help!!
Thanks,
Kristy
Kristy, I’d go with a one-sized diaper. Some great choices: softbums, bum genius, fuzzi bunz…so many! I liked Happy Heinys when my oldest son was in diapers. Never heard of cutie poops.
Hi Autumn! I had a huge (HUGE) mess this morning with a disposable diaper. I’ve been CDing for almost a year now and have learned lots from your site (I even won a giveaway!). About a week ago my ds started waking up every morning completely soaked on his entire front because his diaper overflowed. So I researched hemp and bamboo inserts (I would love to have your opinion on those, btw) and while we waited for those to arrive my husband and I decided to put him in nighttime disposables when he slept (I can just picture the look you’re giving me right now
. This morning my hubby opened our son’s sleepsack and found that the diaper had exploded–there were clumps of gel crystals everywhere!! It was so disgusting and reaffirmed a million times over our decision to CD. I have pictures if you’d like to see them! Or to use on your blog, if you like. We are fb friends, so shoot me a message with your email 
Thanks for all you do on your site!!
Theresa Anderson
Hi Autumn,
I feel so lucky that I stumbled across your website today! I have been cloth diapering close to a year, my daughter will be one on the 18th of this month. We have used bum genius since she was about 10 weeks old (kissaluvs after birth) and love them! However, in the past two weeks she has been leaking out of the bg. I mean SEVERE leaks – we are going through a least 3 outfits a day and too many diapers to count. I was changing her every 2 hours but now she needs change every 30 mins – hour. I was just using the bg insert but have added the bg diaper doubler and she is still leaking through. Do you have any suggestions? Is this a common problem when kids turn one?
Oh, nighttime is still going well – we use the insert, doubler, and hemp babies insert – she goes about 10 hours without a leak.
THANKS so much! I would love any insight you can give me.
@jess, I would first strip the inserts. You can do a vinegar soak (use the search box for info). Microfiber has a life of about a year it seems. Kim of Rockin Green detergent did an experiment with her old mf inserts. She soaked them overnight in Rockin Green detergent and they regained their absorbency!
http://rockingreensoap.com/?p=367
http://rockingreensoap.com/?p=393
How many diapes do your babies go through? I put a cloth diaper on my 7 week old and in 10 minutes he’s all wet. I go through 20 disposables or with cloth, many more. Are their cloth diapers that don’t get the entire diaper wet with one pee?
@Sharon, can you tell me what cloth diaper brand you are using? There are many different absorbency levels in cloth diapers. Something that works for one baby won’t hold half a pee on another.
My 1 year old pees through any micro insert. I have learned to double stuff all of her diapers. I just add a thin hemp insert (we like Thirsties) and a micro insert to every diaper. At night, we add two hemp!
Hello,
thighs outgrew the diapers. I turned to indian prefolds and sbish covers (LOVE them), unfortunately after months of successful use she is starting get red chaffing marks when her dipe gets damp. It is related to movement and only happens when she is awake. Even with hourly changes! Is there a different type of flat/prefold that may prevent this that you are aware of? Any advice would be wonderful! Thanks!!
I stumbled upon your website several months ago, and I absolutely love it! Thank you so much for posting so many great reviews. I have cloth diapered my 16 month old daughter since birth. We started with BG 3.0, but at around 9 mo. her generous
Have you looked into bamboo prefolds. They are pricey but are much softer than cotton. What type of fold are you using? Maybe a different fold would work. Have you checked out the sustainable babyish snapless multi fitteds? They are a great diaper! Until January 16, 2010 use the coupon code “SNAPLESS” and get a FREE snapless multi when you buy a 6pack! That is an awesome offer.
Hi Autumn,
What do you recommend using with newborns until they reach the “one-size” fit?
Thanks!
Liz, I recommend a nb sized fitted until they grow out of those then you can choose any diapering system.
Hi Autumn,
I have been reading your blog since the begining of my pregnancy, and now can’t wait for baby to get here to try out my new cloth diapers! Thanks for all your great advice.
I have a question, though. I have come across several mentions of “you can’t put microfiber up against babies skin”. Why is that? Are these comments from folks who practice “organic only”, or have particularly sensitive skin? Or is something really awful going to happen if I accidentally put my Flip Staydry diaper insert in upside down? Please help! I need to know, and I prefer not to find out the hard way! Thanks.
-Carisa
Microfiber is so absorbent it will strip your baby’s skin of it’s moisture. One slip up isn’t going to cause a major problem (unless your baby is very sensitive) but doing it often or leaving it on your baby this way for a long time will cause a skin problem.
Ok, I just stripped all my pocket diapers with Dawn in my washing machine. They were dirty when I put them in there. So are they now considered “clean” or do I need to do another wash with Charlie’s Soap before putting them one my babies?
Ashely, I’d wash with detergent and make sure all the Dawn is out.
Hi Autumn!
I don’t know if this is the appropriate place to reach you. I’m thinking of switching to cloth. My DS is 15 months today but I’m a little overwhelmed! I’m leaning toward BumGenius but then I also am attracted to Flip because we’ve got major budget issues to deal with in my household. Then there’s GAD. Those are my top 3 choices. DS has eczema, which is exacerbated by disposables—I honestly did not know of the chemicals in them or I would have started with cloth. He is 31 inches, 22 lbs—the doctor says he’s on the slim side. I know it’s not much info but which do you think would be best for his size and budget?
Thanks for your time—I really appreciate it!
Best for budget and great diaper would be Flip. Sterling is slim and they fit him great.
Autumn-
Hi, I need help! I have loved cding for the almost five months I’ve been doing it but suddenly am having problems.
My daughter is suddenly getting bad diaper rashes. They started when she started eating solids so we thought it maybe was the introduction of solids. We put her in disposables for a week and the rash cleared up while still eating a reduced amount of solids. I “stripped” her cloth prefolds, covers and inserts using very hot water and lots of rinses. I finally put the cloth back on her last night and she already has a rash again! I’ve been using Charlies Soap. Never had a problem until recently. Do you think using Rockin Green would strip my diapers and get them back to normal? Or could there be a different problem?
Rockin Green is awesome at really cleaning diapers after a good soak. Are you only using prefolds? Perhaps she is reacting to the moisture. You might try laying in some fleece strips to provide a stay dry barrier. Also, Charlies Soap has been known to cause rashes. Body chemistry changes, especially when introducing new solids, so while she has been fine with Charlies in the past it may not work now.
Hi Autumn,
Any secrets to drying the BG Organic AIOs? They seem to take way too long to dry in the dryer. Thanks for the excellent blog!
If I have 2 dryer balls in and the lint filter is cleaned then the BG Organic will dry in one cycle. My cycle is 70 minutes.
I’m so glad to have found your site! With 3 babies 3 and under, all in diapers, we decided to switch to cloth. My children are hyper-sensitive and allergic to a lot (my oldest is autistic) Do you have suggestions on detergets? I need something that is likely to not cause a reaction on my babies and eco-friendly would be nice. I’m currently washing in babyganics but noticed that I really didn’t feel like the diapers smelled “clean” like I think they should smell…maybe I’m crazy?! Any thoughts?!
Kat, check out Soft Rock by Rockin Green http://rockingreensoap.com/?page_id=14&category=1&product_id=34
Hi Autumn
I have enjoyed reading your blog for quite some time now. My very big 18 month old (32lbs, 341/2″ with a 24″ waist and a 20″ rise) has outgrown all of her so called “one size diapers” and large fuzzi bunz are no where near long enough in the rise for her. My once huge stash (of mostly AIOS & pockets) has been diminished to GMD prefolds with large Bummis wraps. Can you recommend any brands that might get my big girl through to potty training? Also, do you have any recommendations when it comes to cloth training pants? I’m looking into Antsy Pants out of Oregon … they look very promising for our near future.
Thanks
Britt
Britt, take a look at Huggabuns. We received one to try and it is HUGE. Granted, Sterling is skinny so that is a factor but it may be just a big one-size.
I was looking at trainers the other day on Banana Peels Diapers. I have never used trainers. If I was buying some today I’d start with the Snap-EZ trainers. I would want the ability to unsnap the sides in the event of a messy accident. I *hate* pulling down undies with poop in them.
Hi Autumn,
Love you blog! Super helpful. I was just curious on your thoughts and sugesstions for sim diapers.
Thanks!
Could you provide me a link?
HELP!! I’ve asked before which brand to use on diapering more than one. you suggested Softbums & Flips. Both look awesome, Softbums are really pricey though but seem so easy. I’m new to cd & honestly it’s over whelming. So I have a few questions for you. 1. What are the best covers & prefolds (would like to use these at home bc they are way more economical) 2. Which works better Softbums , Fuzzibunz or BumGenius (i would like a few of this type for busy days out, church nursery or at night) 3. What do you think of the Bumkins vented cover? (we live in Louisiana where it’s hot & humid 6months out of the year) i like the price but dont know if they are a good product. 4. What night time diaper do you suggest for heavy bed wetters (my oldest son is 3.5 & potty trained but only for day time. His measurements: 40lbs, 41 in height, 12 in thigh, 16 -17 rise (didnt quite know how to measure this for a boy) & his waist is 19 in. I dont mind buying several different types of cd’s & actually would like different ones. Here are my daughters measurements: she is 27 months old, weight 27 lbs, height 36.5, thigh 11 in, rise 15 in, waist 18 in. Our 4 month old baby boy: weight 13.6 lbs, height 26 in, thigh 9 in, rise 12 in, waist 15 in. Also, what do you think of these brands: Kushies, gDiapers, Otterblotters & Booroi side snaps. I know it’s alot of questions but any you could answer would be awesome. THANK YOU!!
Hi there,
My daughter is 8 1/2 months old and I’ve JUST decided to bite the bullet and try my Kushies AIO cloth diapers out.
My question for you is how should I store/treat my dirty diapers before they go in the wash? I have a diaper pail with a lid and I’ve read several different things: to soak them in water with baking soda/vinegar, do leave them in the pail dry, to put the lid on, to keep the lid off, etc.
What’s your recommendation?
Also, which detergent do you recommend?
Thanks so much,
Kate
I shake solids off in the toilet then toss in a wetbag or pail. I then do a prewash with bac-out then wash with rockin green. The pail outside has the lid partially on. Inside I zip the bags.
Hi Autumn,
I just realized you answered my question from months ago! I didn’t realize how this worked and never checked back. Sorry!
Anyhow, we actually did have to give up on that set of Fuzzi Bunz. I think we ruined them with diaper cream (combined with bad detergent and never stripping them). My son got a really bad rash so we were using the heavy duty Butt Paste with disposables at night, then putting him back in cloth diapers in the morning. This went on for awhile and I don’t think we were getting all the diaper cream wiped off in the morning. I actually did a water test on the Fuzzi Bunz and it would just pill up and roll off.
Anyhow, we bought a new set and have been treating them much better. (I also finally learned the trick of using a doubler when I need to use non-cloth diaper friendly diaper cream). So far, so good.
Anyhow, thanks (belatedly) for the feedback and keep up the good work!
Autumn, thanks for your blog. It has been VERY VERY useful to me over the past 2 1/2 years I’ve been cloth diapering. When I started cloth diapering my first child, I had little to no info and didn’t know ANYONE who did cloth diapers. Now that I’ve been doing them, I have atleast 5 friends who converted when they realized how EASY it is!
. I just ordered 2 Rumparooz & 2 BG Organic AIO’s in the last few weeks, thanks to your Top 10 List!!! My kids are all super small and skinny…I’m in love with these and how well theyfit my kids! I am thinking of getting a combination of the 2 when I make the big purcahse. I do know want to go with Rumparooz at night. I’m contemplating mostly BGAIO for day time use…b/c of thinking I might have less buildup/stinky issues with them. I have hard water and use RG-its better than anything else I’ve tried, but I still have some buildup issues if I don’t Soak every wash.
I am getting ready to have baby #3 in the fall and am looking to purchase some new diaps (plus I need the extra b/c I will have 2 in diaps at the same time this go around). I currently use fuzzi bunz on my son (love/hate relationship-the fit isn’t as good as I would like
So my question is-
Do you find that cotton (BG AIO’s) are less likely to have the buildup issues you often get with microfiber (rumparooz/fuzzibunz)??? Also, how long have you had your stash of BG AIO’s and how are they holding up?
One thing I have been impressed with as far as my Fuzzi Bunz go, is that I have used them with 2 kids and have no reason to think I can’t use them on #3 and probably beyond. I line dry min cd’s 95% of the time.
Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!!!
Jennifer, microfiber does get buildup worse than other fibers. I can’t recall my BG organics getting buildup. I have had my BG organics for over a year and use them heavily. They are showing wear (holes at attachment points) but they are still fully functional. I have 1 zinnia from when Paisley was in diapers (it’s about 2 years old) and it’s still working great as well. Organic fibers will break down faster than synthetic.
I am a the proud mama of two girls. My newest one is 4 months and we are trying to cloth diaper her (like we did with our first). Our dd seems to be red everywhere the diaper touches. We used prefolds then switched to Fuzzi bunz but I can not get rid of the redness. I know that it is from the moisture. What do you suggest so I don’t have to switch to disposables (the only thing that has cleared up the redness so far.
What detergent are you using? That could be the common factor. FB are stay dry so she wouldn’t be feeling the moisture. Poor baby! Hang in there, mama.
Hi Autumn,
i am new to cd. just trying to decide on a system for our 17th foster child. i’m a little slow on the uptake. in addition to all of the price and environmental reasons for wanting to use cd, we also want our baby to feel the wetness and be uncomfortable so that she might cry and we can meet her need. this is a very important part of the attachment process, especially for someone who was abused when she cried, like this little one. I was thinking of using FLIP based on price, good reviews, etc. I just saw your post about FB, saying they are ‘stay dry’ so she won’t be feeling the moisture.” Are Flips the same? what might you recommend?
the organic Flip inserts are not stay dry. Prefolds, Sposoeasys and Bum Genius Organic AIO are 3 examples of cloth diapers that have cotton inners.
We use, not the Charlie Soap, but the other one Vsomething that Fuzzi Bunz recommends. We originally were using baking soda with Oxy free then Tide free. We never had a problem with my first one and the regimem but with dd #2 we scaled back on everything. . stripped the diapers and went to just bac out and the detergent.
We are going to France for a month!
But, we are debating using our cloth diapers or just using disposables for the trip.
We currently use a combo of prefolds with Bummis covers and also a good quantity of AIOs from Omaiki and Bumgenius.
Any thoughts?
We’ll be staying 2 weeks each in different apartments that have washers, but I do not know if they have dryers or clotheslines or both.
Thanks,
Peter
Having traveled with both, I’d say take your cloth diapers. If I use a disposable it’s Flip disposable inserts. However, I only use them when we camp and there is no washer. With a washer it should be very feasible to use cloth. You might take a couple of packs of the inserts just in case something goes wrong with the washer.
Hello!
I bought Happy Heinys 18 months ago from a local gal who sold bunches of kinds of diapers from her home via website. She sounded very educated and spent a good amount of time with me trying to figure out which would be best for us.
She sent me home with a sheet of paper with only washing instructions. Nothing that said “do not use most butt creams specifically bag balm”. So naturally I trusted bag balm and use it off and on for a few months. Then my daughter ALWAYS had a diaper rash! I consulted a few fell cloth diapering friends, read blogs, HH reviews and even called the company a few times.
My conclusion is that HH customer service sucks and they do not know how to problem solve with their customers and they will sell to any wholesaler without any rules of educating clients of diapers do’s and dont’s!
I’m super sad and very frustrated. I want my HH to work like they did in the beginning! They never leaked and fit my daughter great.
I’ve stripped my HH with over a dozen HOT washes, vinegar, hand scrubbed each piece with dove, and even have resorted to bleach (the recommendation from HH customer service!). I was not keen on the bleach idea but did it anyway. My daughter still gets a ‘burn rash’ (no bumps, bright red bum from what they said was ammonia) from the diapers.
ANY suggestions?? I’m desperate!
I’m also going to confront HH witha big demand that they problem solve this and fix it. I sent over $500 in their product from one of their irresponsible dealers and now i have a defective product. Anyone else experience bad service?
First, drop water on an unstuffed HH and see if it beads up and rolls off. If it does then there is a repelling issue. Second, if you are having an ammonia problem you will smell it. It will be in the inserts though. Third, if she has had this rash since you began using HH then she is most likely allergic to the microfleece. Our 3rd child was allergic to suedecloth and would get an all over red, burn “rash”.
Hi Autumn!
Been a fan and reader of your blog for a long time! We also do homebirth, looking forward to homeschooling (once we get there!) and have really enjoyed our cloth diaper experience once we made the switch.
I have one question though, do you know of any covers that are girly?? I have looked at whats out there for “standard” covers (bummies, etc) but since we will most likely do prefolds for our next baby due in Oct, I would love to splurge a bit and find some BEAUTIFUL or at least pretty covers. Didn’t think this way with our 17 month old son, but having a girl is just so different.
It seems like all the pretty patterned diapers out there are fitteds or contours and would get covered up in the end… which is what happens to diapers anyways but at least she should look cute for us around the house!
Thanks!
Minky is yummy. Check out GEN-Y.
Here are a couple of etsy links:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/olivejanes?section_id=6390177
http://www.etsy.com/shop/olivejanes?section_id=5896098
http://www.etsy.com/shop/wooldins?section_id=5983246
Hi! I subscribe to your blog and thought your readers might be interested in a review of the new BumGenius 4.0 CDs. I live near the only Cotton Babies retail store, so I was able to get them on the ship date (today) and wrote an extremely thorough review. Just thought you might be interested in it!
http://crispymom.blogspot.com/2010/07/bumgenius-40-review-first-impression.html
Laine
I have a question that i’m sure has never been truly asked before-but…i figured you might know what to do. I think i ruined my cloth diapers! Not in the way you did by dying them pink…but long story short…they were put in the diaper pail dirty…then not washed for about a year (yikes! i know) I washed them all several times in hot water, but what can i do? Are they salvageable? I own all OS, some really pricey blueberry minky ones, BG 3.0, swaddlebees, HH, Wahmies (my fav, by far)
And i really, really don’t want to have to replace all 30 or so of my diapers plus all my inserts (most are microfiber, many are hemp babies or the swaddlebees OS ones that are hemp and OC.
Please help!
How did I miss this question?! I’d bleach them then sun them.
Autumn,
Should I just toss the microfiber inserts though, or try and bleach and sun them too? I’m going to bleach them today and I’ll let you know how it goes!
it wouldn’t hurt to see if they are salvageable before you toss them. depending on how much they were used they may have been near the end of their lifetime anyway. I’ve heard great things about soaking inserts in Rockin Green Hard Rock.
Autumn,
I get emails about your blog and would like to know if I could add a link to your blog on my personal blog?
Thanks and I hope to hear from you soon!
Trelanie Welker
Of course. The code is on the sidebar.
I think I need to bleach my prefolds and maybe my microfiber inserts. How much bleach should I use? And would it be safe to bleach my knickernappies superdo interts?
Thanks!
if you have a TL about a 1/4 in a large load setting. in a FL i add to the container until it’s about to the line. you can bleach all inserts.
Hi Autumn,
We are about to retire our diapers for a year or two. Our son is almost potty trained, and we don’t think we will adopt again for a few years.
How do you go about storing diapers?
Would you bleach them to make sure there is no crud that could grow?
What type of container would you store them in? We live in NC so I worry about the humidity getting to them.
We have mostly BG AIO Organics, and few 3.0′s and Rumparooz.
THANKS!!!!
Megan
A deep clean is a good idea. If I was going to store them for a long time I’d look into those space saver bags. I’ve heard moms have good success with them.
Hi Autumn,
I’m new to cloth diapering and am slightly overwhelmed and confused by all of the choices. My two main concerns are 1) do I need to purchase extra inserts or do the ones that come with the diapers (bumGenius 4.0 pocket and Happy Heiny’s pocket) end up being enough. I’m confused about the extra stuffing and doubling up. If I have to buy extra ones which ones should I buy? 2) I would like to use cloth at night time too but I am worried that being wet will wake my son. He is a wonderful sleeper at the moment and I would hate to disrupt that but I really don’t want to have to use disposables at all any more. He is a heavy wetter and sometimes his disposable will leak if I don’t put a new diaper on right before I put him is his crib. (He is 14 months and 27lbs.) I don’t mind spending a bit more money per diaper if it’s going to give him a dry night’s sleep.
I’m also wondering which is better, snaps or velcro. I’ve purchased a few of each to try. I’m hoping that these diapers will last through our next child too.
So far I have purchased bumGenius 4.0 and Happy Heiny’s as they seemed to be the easiest. (I haven’t received them yet.) I am going to have some resistance with the change to cd so I’m looking for easy options for my husband, daycare and the grandparents.
I have read through quite a bit on your blog and have learned a ton! I think you are doing such a good job at providing resources and education on this topic. Thank you!
Any advice you can give me would be so appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Lara
At 14m you’ll probably want snaps. He’ll undo the velcro easily. You double up inserts for the nighttime. However, if you know he’s a heavy wetter I’d buy a fitted diaper for nighttime. You can create a stay-dry feeling by cutting simple fleece liners and laying them inside a fitted diaper (which is not stay-dry…which means they feel the wetness). Check out the My Recommendations tab for nighttime fitteds. I used Happy Heinys with my first son and they worked great (he was 15 months when we started in 2005) so you didn’t necessarily waste any money
Autumn, I just across your site. I am a young, soon-to-be, first- time mom at 25 with a husband who is also 25. We are trying to find ways to cut costs and cloth diapering seems like one of those ways since disposable diapers are getting so expensive. I am completely unaware of this practice and was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me:
1. Is it most cost-effective to use cloth vs. disposable?
2. How in the world do you clean them? I mean, do you just put the poopy cloth diaper as it comes out into the washer?
3. Do you have an easy guide to getting started? I read some of your helpful posts on getting started, but it was too complicated for me to grasp considering I know absolutely nothing about this practice!
4. Any general info/help you can provide would be GREATLY appreciated.
At some point I realized my son’s awful diaper rash was not diaper rash, but ammonia burns. Once I figured that out, I thoroughly stripped all my cloth dipes (all pockets, mostly Bum Genius 3.0) using RLR, four consecutive washes and rinses, and sun bleached them for three hot, sunny days.
They looked and smelled great! Problem is he still gets the raised, splotchy, and raw rash after only two cloth diaper changes. I can tell his urine is very acidic, as there is an ammonia odor when we take off his diaper.
Please help! I hate the fact that my only solution right now are disposables with Balmex cream. And to top it all off, I teach a cloth diapering workshop and have to make the decision whether to explain the “cloth diaper cons” I’m experiencing. Id love to have an happy ending. Suggestions?
BTW, we have hard water.
Have you tried Tide? Has he always had this rash? My 3rd child couldn’t wear suede cloth without breaking out in splotchy rashes.
Hello Autumn! I have been reading your blog for quite some time and I love reading your reviews and information about parenting. I am very interested in learning more about your experience with Tide for your diapers. I have been having the same problem with my diapers and ammonia build-up. About a month ago you wrote that the Tide worked and I was wondering if it was still working out for you. Also what type of Tide are you using?
Thanks!
I’m still using Tide and all seems to be going well. I use the regular HE version. I also use Bac-out in the pre-rinse.