wolit@mhuxd.UUCP (Jan Wolitzky) (08/12/85)
After using paper diapers on Alexander in the hospital and for the first few days at home (until the diaper service started), we're now using cloth diapers, and are pretty dissatisfied with the results. Most objectionable is the way they soak through so quickly, with the need for pins (I haven't stuck him yet, but have gotten myself a few times) and vinyl pants running a close second. It also takes a lot longer to change him, and he HATES being changed! I've heard of a product called "Diaperwraps", or something like that, which seem to be vinyl pants with velcro closures that claim to eliminate the need for pins. We're trying to decide whether to invest $15 in a set of three of these, or bag the whole thing and go back to disposables. What tricks, if any, have you come up with for dealing with cloth diapers? I know that they're supposed to be less irritating than paper, but with the way they get soaked, and with the vinyl pants, the cloth don't seem much of an improvement. -- Jan Wolitzky, AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ; 201 582-2998; mhuxd!wolit (Affiliation given for identification purposes only)
rws@gypsy.UUCP (08/13/85)
The keys to avoiding leakcs with cloth diapers are:
minimize use of fabric softener
maximize layers of fabric
effective folding technique
plastic/rubber pants with elastic leg holes IN PROPER SIZE
Benefits are
absence of irritating fragrances and fibers
ecological impact
cost (if you buy your own, instead of using a diaper service)
To make sure you don't pin your baby to the diaper, align the pin parallel
to leg crease.
Graphics in Ascii aren't sufficient for me to draw a diagram, so consult a
local nanny, pediatric nurse, or hospital prenatal instructor for further
advice.
Bob Schwanke
Siemens Research
Princeton, NJ
08540-6668
seismo!princeton!siemens!rwsgabruce@watdcsu.UUCP (Greg Bruce [dcs]) (08/14/85)
In response to the query about using Cloth diapers vs. disposables. We have used cloth diapers almost exclusively for the last year. We much prefer them and so does our daughter. We have found though that they do soak through rather quickly so we most often "double diaper". That is fold 2 diapers together. When we used only 1 layer, we would occasionaly get leaks. Also be sure that the plastic pants are not too small. We found that running the pin through your hair will lubricate the pin and make pinning easier. We don't find that it is any slower to use cloth than to have used disposable. (and yes we have used both).
peg@linus.UUCP (Margaret E. Craft) (08/14/85)
I used cloth on both of mine. I use disposables when traveling, so have some experience with both. I've found that: - it's faster to change disposables, but i have to change them more often. and they get rashy and "marked up" by the plastic legs. - my kids both needed double cloth diapers as a rule, not an exception. You can even triple them at night to ensure a good night's sleep. - Make sure the plastic pants are very roomy. that makes it easier to get them on/off, and seems more comfortable. - Don't take the plastics all the way off for a change, just pull them down. This speeds up the process, and also keeps the little feet together! - Make changing time fun by talking, making faces, blowing in hair, using favorite toy that takes TWO hands to hold! That last tip is the only thing that keeps my 7 month old from squirming away! I saw ads for the product you mentioned, but have noexperience with it. Just remember that velcro has it limitation - like, when the "grabbing" side gets "full", it doesn't work anymore!
rdp@teddy.UUCP (08/15/85)
In article <2706@mhuxd.UUCP> wolit@mhuxd.UUCP (Jan Wolitzky) writes: >After using paper diapers on Alexander in the hospital and for the first >few days at home (until the diaper service started), we're now using >cloth diapers, and are pretty dissatisfied with the results. Most >objectionable is the way they soak through so quickly, with the need for >pins (I haven't stuck him yet, but have gotten myself a few times) and >vinyl pants running a close second. It also takes a lot longer to >change him, and he HATES being changed! I've heard of a product >called "Diaperwraps", or something like that, which seem to be vinyl >pants with velcro closures that claim to eliminate the need for pins. >We're trying to decide whether to invest $15 in a set of three of >these, or bag the whole thing and go back to disposables. What tricks, >if any, have you come up with for dealing with cloth diapers? I know >that they're supposed to be less irritating than paper, but with the >way they get soaked, and with the vinyl pants, the cloth don't seem >much of an improvement. >-- >Jan Wolitzky, AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ; 201 582-2998; mhuxd!wolit >(Affiliation given for identification purposes only) I am now in the throws of dealing with my second infant in less than 2 years, and I can say that for these two kids during their first year, cloth diapers were the ONLY way to go. They are only a pain for the parents. In fact, Ashley, now only 3 1/2 months, cannot use disposable at all, because of very severe rash problems they invariably create. Some pointers: 1. To circumvent the soak-through problem, We always use double diapers. 2. Make the diaper changing session as much entertainment for the kid as possible. Laugh a lot (That's real tough at 2:30 AM!). Play peek-a-boo through your kid's legs, etc. etc. 3. DO NOT get the diaperwraps, they cannot be cleaned and dried properly. Bleach kills the plasticizers in the vinyl, making it brittle after only 1 or two washings, and the dryer finishes it off. It might be arguable that you can't even get them clean. 4. Someone makes button-on plastic pants, which makes the job far easier for the kid who likes to squirm a lot. 5. MOst importantly for us.. Divide the task. When Ashley (or Nathaniel) is hungry AND wet, I change the diapers and Linda then feeds the kid. It severely reduces frustration on each individual, and gets me even more involved in the minute details of child rearing.
itkin@luke.UUCP (Steven List) (08/16/85)
In article <2706@mhuxd.UUCP> wolit@mhuxd.UUCP (Jan Wolitzky) writes: >I've heard of a product >called "Diaperwraps", or something like that, which seem to be vinyl >pants with velcro closures that claim to eliminate the need for pins. >We're trying to decide whether to invest $15 in a set of three of >these, or bag the whole thing and go back to disposables. What tricks, >if any, have you come up with for dealing with cloth diapers? As for Diaperwraps, we tried them and they were worthless. You might have better luck, but we returned them for a full refund. As for disposable vs. cloth, we have used cloth for all three babies. The disposables are a lot easier, but they also encourage you to change the baby less frequently. This is because they absorb enough to get thoroughly soaked and chafe the baby before you notice. With cloth, on the other hand, even when soaked they don't irritate the baby as much. The major advantage of disposables is convenience for the parent. Overall, cloth is cheaper and more comfortable. And they're not that hard to change, even with a screaming baby in the middle of the night. I know, I did it last night (and the night before and...). -- *** * Steven List @ Benetics Corporation, Mt. View, CA * Just part of the stock at "Uncle Bene's Farm" * {cdp,greipa,idi,oliveb,sun,tolerant}!bene!luke!itkin ***
jacobson@fluke.UUCP (David Jacobson) (08/20/85)
> After using paper diapers on Alexander in the hospital and for the first > few days at home (until the diaper service started), we're now using > cloth diapers, and are pretty dissatisfied with the results. Most > objectionable is the way they soak through so quickly, with the need for > pins (I haven't stuck him yet, but have gotten myself a few times) and > vinyl pants running a close second. It also takes a lot longer to > I've heard of a product > called "Diaperwraps", or something like that, which seem to be vinyl > pants with velcro closures that claim to eliminate the need for pins. Diaperwraps are actually a synthetic cloth pant with a velcro closure. I'm not sure exaclty what the material is. At first we were very pleased, but gradually became displeased. The biggest problem was that the stitching ravels and they start to fall apart. Also after a while they get pretty stained and look grundgy. I would highy recommend staying with good diaper service diapers and Alexis nylon pants. They breath, which vinyl ones don't. Our little girl, Teresa, would always get bad rashes after just a few days on paper diapers, which we would try to use on trips, etc. > What tricks, > if any, have you come up with for dealing with cloth diapers? I know > that they're supposed to be less irritating than paper, but with the > way they get soaked, and with the vinyl pants, the cloth don't seem > much of an improvement. > -- > Jan Wolitzky, AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ; 201 582-2998; mhuxd!wolit > (Affiliation given for identification purposes only) Try double diapering, especially at night. At least with our diaper service, the biggest part of the cost is the basic service. Its about $8 per week for 90 diapers. However the incremental cost only just about 3 cents per diaper. (It may have gone up a little since I last checked.) -- David Jacobson ihnp4!uw-beaver!fluke!jacobson
45223wc@mtuxo.UUCP (w.cambre) (08/21/85)
REFERENCES: <2706@mhuxd.UUCP>, <495@linus.UUCP> We used the Velcro kind of diaper covers for a while. They do indeed speed up the changing process. They are also nicer than plastic pants in that they allow air to flow through them (but not much). Its very difficult to find them for larger infants, but small ones can be found. That is probably because as the infants get older they realize how easy it is to take the pants (and their diapers) off when it is only velcro holding them on.
slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (08/21/85)
I used cloth diapers for both of my babies (now 18 and 12, and out of
diapers, I'm glad to say.) I used disposables only when traveling, and
when I dislocated my wrist and could not pin the pins for a while.
I found cloth diapers to be:
1. More absorbant. They had to be changed less often
than the disposables. (One key here--DO NOT use fabric
softener when you wash them. It makes them softer, but
they do not absorb water as well. The same is true with
towels, by the way.) I was very surprised to see articles
saying the opposite. Perhaps disposables have changed? I
always double diapered at night. By the way, buy good diapers.
There are cheap ones which are sort of like gauze. They don't
do the job at all. If I remember right, Curity makes good
cloth diapers. Good cloth diapers are rectangular, not square,
and are marked off in 3 sections for proper folding. Fold
into thirds on the marks, then fold 1/3 of it the other way. Put the
double section on the front for boys, and the back for girls.
---------------------------------- ------------
| | | | | | |
| | | | | V |
| | | | |----------|
| | | | | |
|--> | | <-- | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
---------------------------------- ------------
2. Stayed on better. The tabs on disposables can lose their
sticky stuff. Also, you can't tighten them if they work
loose--the sticky stuff will be gone. This is important
when they are in the toddler stage--babies can get out of
almost anything.
3. Cheaper. Of course.
4. Better for baby. Neither of my children had a diaper rash
problem--until we went on a trip and they were in disposables.
5. Make the best rags when your little ones learn to use the bathroom.
There is nothing better for cleaning windows than old diapers.
I have treasured mine--and am down to my last 3. Sigh.
Use plastic pants. I liked the ones that button on the sides. You
can unbutton them and keep them underneath baby while changing--you don't
have to pull them off. Much easier and prevents accidents. Be sure to
get diaper pins--don't use regular safety pins. And soap as a lubricant
for the pins works great. You will get really good at pinning. I could
change a baby in total darkness in 30 seconds or less many years ago.
--
Sue Brezden
Real World: Room 1B17 Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb
AT&T Information Systems
11900 North Pecos
Westminster, Co. 80234
(303)538-3829
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your god may be dead, but mine aren't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~jmc@riccb.UUCP (Jeff McQuinn ) (08/21/85)
> > I found cloth diapers to be: > > 1. More absorbant. Not any more. My two year old and my seven month old are well able to go a whole night on one diaper, very rarely are the diapers "soaked" in the morning. > 2. Stayed on better. Not anymore, my oldest (now 7) used cloth diapers exclusively and on occasion crawled out of them, but not often. My two youngest who have been using disposables exclusively have never crawled out of one. Of course they are all refastenable now. > 3. Cheaper. Of course. This is where cloth has it all out over disposable. Two dozen cloth diapers cost about $20 to $30 and last until the kid outgrows the need. (Quantity depends on how often you want to wash them) A case of disposables cost $35 and only lasts a month or two. > 4. Better for baby. Neither of my children had a diaper rash Here I totally disagree. Cloth diapers accumulate soap after repeated washing unless they are occasionally washed with vinager. The soap causes rashes. Cloth diapers do nothing to keep moisture away from the skin, they merely keep it from falling on the floor. No matter how good you are at diapering you will eventually stab your kid with a pin. Disposables "breathe", plastic pants don't. > 5. Make the best rags when your little ones learn to use the bathroom. > There is nothing better for cleaning windows than old diapers. > I have treasured mine--and am down to my last 3. Sigh. I'll agree with all of this except that there is something better for cleaning glass. Newspaper! (you have to try it to believe it) A professional window washer put me on to newspaper, it doesn't leave "lint" on the glass, it's hard to streak with it, and you get to get rid of old newspaper between paint jobs! Jeff McQuinn just VAXing around
charli@cylixd.UUCP (Charli Phillips) (08/21/85)
One other reason for using cloth diapers (which I don't believe I've seen mentioned yet) is the cost of disposables! Even the best- quality cloth diapers are much cheaper to use than disposables. To help keep the baby drier when using cloth diapers, make sure you buy and absorbant brand. We have 2 dozen Curity cloth diapers, which are not very absorbant, and 4 dozen "Sears Best Diaper-Service Quality Diapers". The Diaper-Service Quality Diapers (pre-folded, with some extra-absorbant material in the folded area) are as absorbant alone as the Curity ones are doubled.
sed408@ihlpg.UUCP (s. dugan) (08/21/85)
> > At least with our diaper > service, the biggest part of the cost is the basic service. Its about > $8 per week for 90 diapers. However the incremental cost only just about 3 > cents per diaper. (It may have gone up a little since I last checked.) > > -- David Jacobson > ihnp4!uw-beaver!fluke!jacobson Do people seriously use *90* diapers a week. I used disposables and only wnet through 6-8 diapers a day (42-56) per week. At a price of about $5.00 per 36 diapers, that's about $5.88-$7.84 per week. And you don't have to keep the smelly things around for a week! -- Sarah E. Dugan "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince." ########################################################################### # AT&T Bell Labs IH 1D-408 The Forest (home) # # Naperville-Wheaton Rd. 1353 Crab Apple Court Apt. 101 # # Naperville, Illinois 60566 Naperville, Illinois 60540 # # (312) 979 - 5545 (312) 355 - 0445 # ###########################################################################
rdp@teddy.UUCP (08/22/85)
In article <496@riccb.UUCP> jmc@riccb.UUCP (Jeff McQuinn ) writes: >> >> I found cloth diapers to be: >> >> 1. More absorbant. > > Not any more. My two year old and my seven month old are well able > to go a whole night on one diaper, very rarely are the diapers "soaked" > in the morning. The experience of myself and many others is that double diapering solves that problem. My oldest uses disposables occasionally, and he is a much bigger mess in the morning with them than with cloth diapers. > >> 2. Stayed on better. > > Not anymore, my oldest (now 7) used cloth diapers exclusively and on > occasion crawled out of them, but not often. My two youngest who have > been using disposables exclusively have never crawled out of one. Of > course they are all refastenable now. > This is nonsense (unless you use epoxy on the disposables!) My kids are fascinated (fastenated?) by the little tape tabes, and usually rip them off in short order. They have yet to open a pin. >> 3. Cheaper. Of course. > > This is where cloth has it all out over disposable. Two dozen cloth > diapers cost about $20 to $30 and last until the kid outgrows the need. > (Quantity depends on how often you want to wash them) A case of > disposables cost $35 and only lasts a month or two. > >> 4. Better for baby. Neither of my children had a diaper rash > > Here I totally disagree. Cloth diapers accumulate soap after repeated > washing unless they are occasionally washed with vinager. The soap > causes rashes. Cloth diapers do nothing to keep moisture away from > the skin, they merely keep it from falling on the floor. No matter how > good you are at diapering you will eventually stab your kid with a pin. > Disposables "breathe", plastic pants don't. This makes little sense, especially from the empirical data of my own and the rest of the net. My youngest (4 months) will develop a bad rash within an hour of being diapered in disposables, but has not had a single problem with cloth. I don't buy the argument about soap. I suspect that all the soap that is absorbable is done so in the first wash, and reaches some equalibrium thereafter. Or do you pull them out before the rinse cycle :-)? > >> 5. Make the best rags when your little ones learn to use the bathroom. >> There is nothing better for cleaning windows than old diapers. >> I have treasured mine--and am down to my last 3. Sigh. > > I'll agree with all of this except that there is something better > for cleaning glass. Newspaper! (you have to try it to believe it) > A professional window washer put me on to newspaper, it doesn't leave > "lint" on the glass, it's hard to streak with it, and you get to get > rid of old newspaper between paint jobs! > Who cares? Have your ever tried diapering your kids in the Wall Street Journal though?
rick@iddic.UUCP (Rick Coates) (08/22/85)
Well, someone finally came out in favor of paper diapers. I have a six month old and have used both cloth and disposable diapers. The cloth diapers are from a diaper service that we received as a present. Washing our own diapers was simply not an option. Both my wife and I have better (and more profitable - not just financially: time spent playing with the baby I find more valuable than doing laundry) things to do than wash diapers. (I was told that they have to be rinsed more than once in warm or hot water. We are already doing a lot more laundry - has anyone figured in the cost of hot water in these cost calcutaions?) Anyway, the baby is wetter with cloth (even double diapering, although it does help) and the _ONLY_ time she has had a problem with diaper rash is with cloth diapers - which we change more often. Also, the cost of disposables is not that much greater - we always use coupons which save a $1 to $1.50 on a box. Rick Coates ...!tektronix!iddic!rick PS - we don't throw dirty diapers away at the beach, or out of car windows. We don't even dispose of them at anyone else's house. Eliminating paper diapers would not solve the problem of people who do things like this.
stevev@tekchips.UUCP (Steve Vegdahl) (08/23/85)
> > 4. Better for baby. Neither of my children had a diaper rash > > Here I totally disagree. Cloth diapers accumulate soap after repeated > washing unless they are occasionally washed with vinager. The soap > causes rashes. Cloth diapers do nothing to keep moisture away from > the skin, they merely keep it from falling on the floor. No matter how > good you are at diapering you will eventually stab your kid with a pin. > Disposables "breathe", plastic pants don't. We have two kids who are/have-been on diapers. We generally use cloth at home, but disposables when travelling, shopping, etc. We have much more problem with disposables when the kids are in disposables. When we had our first, our doctors told us that for avoiding diaper rash, a bare bottom the best; next a cloth diaper without plastic pants; next, a cloth diaper with plastic pants; worst, disposables. Our experience has been consistent with this. Steve Vegdahl Computer Research Lab. Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon
ned@scirtp.UUCP (Ned Robie) (08/23/85)
x I have two kids (two boys, 4 and 9 years old) and another on the way. A diaper service was given to us as a gift when our four year old was born. After the gift expired, we started using disposables. They were much easier. We didn't experience any rash problems with the cloth diapers, but they were just a hassle to deal with (pins, plastic pants, stinky hamper). Actually, even when we did have the service, we used disposables and only used the cloth diapers to "clean things up." We thought of continuing the service so we would have the cloth diapers for clean-up, but we just didn't think it would be worth it. Just another (subjective) opinion... -- Ned Robie
mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) (08/26/85)
In article <496@riccb.UUCP> jmc@riccb.UUCP (Jeff McQuinn ) writes: > Of course they are all refastenable now. A year or two ago they started making disposables refastenable and showed people unfastening them to "check the baby". This is cute but not very close to reality. You quickly learn to check the baby without undressing him/her, and you don't unfasten the straps. You either check inside the leg openings or down their back. The real reason why refastenable tapes are better is disposal after you are getting rid of the diaper. The old kind tore the plastic lining, which made it impossible to restick it anywhere. You like to roll a used diaper into a little ball and tape it shut with one or both of the tapes, this keeps it from smelling so much and from coming apart and messing things up. This matters if you stick it in a diaper bag for later disposal, or if you toss it into a wastebasket and don't want to draw flies. (A wastebasket with a lid and a deoderizer helps too.) >> 3. Cheaper. Of course. > > This is where cloth has it all out over disposable. Two dozen cloth > diapers cost about $20 to $30 and last until the kid outgrows the need. > (Quantity depends on how often you want to wash them) A case of > disposables cost $35 and only lasts a month or two. I've always wondered why anybody would buy diapers instead of getting a diaper service. You spend most of your life washing diapers, and you probably spend more on electricity to run your washer and hot water than the diaper service would cost. (The latter cost about $10/week, pretty close to the cost of disposables.) With a diaper service, there is always an infinite supply of diapers handy to use as rags, spit-up diapers, etc. If you buy your own, you probably ration them zealously to keep from having to wash them so often. And you have to handle a pail full of old smelly diapers, presumably soaking in some caustic liquid, when you wash them. And rinse them when first soiled. (I'm not speaking from experience here, perhaps someone can enlighten me yere.) Has anyone really looked at the electricity/water/time/aggravation cost of washing your own diapers and decided it really costs less than $10/week? Mark
hagemann@ihu1m.UUCP (hagemann) (08/26/85)
I have been following the discussion on paper vs. cloth diapers with much interest and I just thought I'd add my two cents for what its worth. I have 2 children - ages 6 and 2. The 2-year-old is daytime potty-trained, but she does wear a diaper at night (she has been dry in the morning, but I don't quite 'trust' her yet!). I will admit from the start that I have used only disposables, never cloth, on my children. I figured the hassle, extra laundry, etc. did not warrant using cloth. I do work full time, and I attended night classes for the past 5 years, so my time is, and has been, rather limited. I prefer not to spend too much time doing extra laundry, soaking diapers, etc. (Yes, I have heard of diaper services, but I did not seriously consider it). Anyway, the arguments for cloth diapers appear to make good sense, and maybe would convince me were I a first-time mother. But I must honestly say that I have had no problems with disposables on either of my children. It may depend on the type of disposable used. The "LUV's" brand was too "perfumy", and DID irritate the babies' bottoms - I discontinued use immediately!! I have heard others make the same complaint against this brand also. And the only time my children suffered from diaper rash was when they were ill with severe diarrhea - which was rare. As most of us know, all babies are different, and will not react the same to all things. What agrees/disagrees with one may not have the same effect on another. I can only suggest that one try each type of diaper, and draw your own conclusions. In addition, I feel that if one changes the baby often enough, diaper rash can be prevented. Using disposables does not mean that the baby must be absolutely soaked before s/he is changed!! And "Desitin" always worked well on my children to clear up any rash quickly!! Please don't lump all of us disposable diaper users into one category!! I for one would NEVER dispose of a diaper improperly (i.e. on the street, or at the beach), and anyone who would is rude and irresponsible! Some of us DO respect others, and our environment!! My children are happy and well-adjusted, even though they were brought up on disposable diapers. I merely wanted to state my experiences, for whatever it was worth, and I hope I have not left myself open to too much abuse!! (This was my first posting to the net - please be kind!) Ann Hagemann AT&T - Network Systems
slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (08/26/85)
>Has anyone >really looked at the electricity/water/time/aggravation cost of washing >your own diapers and decided it really costs less than $10/week? > > Mark > I can't believe that it can come to that much. When I used cloth diapers, we didn't have a machine of our own. It was 1 laundromat load per week. Back then, that was less than $1.00. Probably now it is less than $2.00. Even if you use twice as many, that is half the cost of a service. And surely washing at home is cheaper than a laundromat--they do have to make a profit. I really don't understand using a diaper service. It isn't pleasant to deal with a full diaper pail. But it doesn't take a lot of time, either. I can think of nothing easier than doing a load of wash--after all, all you do is throw in the diapers, the soap, and then let them wash while you read a good book. Now if you had to wash them in a stream with a rock... -- Sue Brezden Real World: Room 1B17 Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb AT&T Information Systems 11900 North Pecos Westminster, Co. 80234 (303)538-3829 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Your god may be dead, but mine aren't. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
jmc@riccb.UUCP (Jeff McQuinn ) (08/27/85)
> I really don't understand using a diaper service. It isn't pleasant > to deal with a full diaper pail. But it doesn't take a lot of time, > either. I can think of nothing easier than doing a load of wash--after > all, all you do is throw in the diapers, the soap, and then let them > wash while you read a good book. Now if you had to wash them in a stream > with a rock... > > Sue Brezden :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) Hey, I didn't know PRE-FOLDED meant they came out of the washer that way! Jeff McQuinn just VAXing around :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
smith@umn-cs.UUCP (08/27/85)
[] Concerning the mechanics (so to speak) of cloth diapers: We use cloth diapers and, since we live in a small city (more of a town) far from the Big Cities, we don't have the choice of using a diaper service: there isn't one. Our baby hasn't had many problem with diaper rash and the problems seem to occur with disposables. I guess every baby is different in that respect -- some get rashes from one and some from the other. One advantage of living out in the boondocks is that it's relatively easy to find a caregiver who'll come to your home. Our sitter does lots of laundry when she's not watching the baby. This helps us keep up with the diapers. We have several dozen cloth diapers, from the cheap, thin, unfolded Cuity to the thick day/night Curity. I prefer the thick ones for general use and at night I double-diaper with the thin ones. We don't use rubber pants, we use Biobottoms. They are diaper covers made of tightly woven wool and secured by Velcro (and snaps on the larger sizes). Biobottoms are expensive, though the manufacturer has figures to show that they're still much cheaper than disposables. A feature is that the bottom gets obviously warm when the baby wets, so you don't usually have to unbutton and check with your finger. We've found that they don't wet through if you wash them properly. Our baby hardly ever wets through one overnight. We generally put wet diapers in a diaper pail with a tight lid (Gerry, I think, made ours). The pail often has a token amount of water in the bottom with some 'Diaper Sweet' powder added to it. I think the Diaper Sweet is more of a token gesture than anything else. We found that if we tried to keep all the diapers soaking we'd make the pail too heavy for our sitter to handle. Poopy diapers get rinsed in a conveniently located toilet. The diapers are washed in the obvious manner (hot water, bleach when the diapers have stubborn stains). Once in a while we use vinegar instead of fabric softener in the final rinse. Also, I've heard rumors that you can destroy absorbency by overusing the fabric softener. Our casual manner results in a few diapers with really stubborn stains, but the diapers are always germ- free and detergent-free. Biobottoms can't be washed with diapers -- they require warm water and NO fabric softener. We also found out that you MUST use powdered detergent and may sometimes need to give them a second rinse. Otherwise the wool seems to lose its water repellency. Again, the Biobottoms need an occasional vinegar rinse. We usually combine Biobottom wash with other warm-wash baby clothes. The only real `chore' as far as I'm concerned is folding all the diapers and stuff so they're easy to get when you need them. Concerning smell: I think the most obnoxious smell comes from the covered trash pail we use in the nursery to dispose of used baby wipes -- a problem we'd have with disposable diapers as well. It takes several minutes for the stink to evaporate after one opens the lid for a moment. We have some kind of bar of diaper pail air freshener in the diaper pail that greatly reduces problems with diaper odor.
debbiem@rruxe.UUCP (D. McBurnett) (08/29/85)
>I've always wondered why anybody would buy diapers instead of getting a >diaper service. You spend most of your life washing diapers, and you >probably spend more on electricity to run your washer and hot water than >the diaper service would cost... Has anyone really looked at the >electricity/water/time/aggravation cost of washing your own diapers >and decided it really costs less than $10/week? I answered this one via mail, but since I've seen no other postings covering my comments, I guess I need to post, too. The reason is: allergy (i.e. allergic family history and trying to prevent your baby from having problems with it). Diaper services usually use fabric softeners, and sometimes fragrances. These are forbidden for my baby because my family history of allergy is so bad that if her diapers were washed in them there is a very good chance of her developing an allergy to them and other laundry substances as a result. Aside from her getting a rash as an infant, it increases the chances of her having trouble with laundry detergents and fragrances later in life. An ounce of prevention here saves a lot of grief later on. Same goes for the fragrances in disposables. So I don't really care about the cost, for me it's not the issue. Debbie McBurnett rruxe!debbiem
bobn@bmcg.UUCP (Bob Nebert) (08/31/85)
> > > > At least with our diaper > > service, the biggest part of the cost is the basic service. Its about > > $8 per week for 90 diapers. However the incremental cost only just about 3 > > cents per diaper. (It may have gone up a little since I last checked.) > > > > -- David Jacobson > > ihnp4!uw-beaver!fluke!jacobson > > Do people seriously use *90* diapers a week. I used disposables and only wnet > through 6-8 diapers a day (42-56) per week. At a price of about $5.00 per 36 > diapers, that's about $5.88-$7.84 per week. And you don't have to keep the > smelly things around for a week! > > Sarah E. Dugan > "You have to kiss a lot of frogs > before you find a prince." > Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. You forgot a very important item. What if a parent has more than one (gasp) in diapers. I have two and 90 a week is a nice cushion in case you run short. By your own math 90 -for me- is right on the botton. BTW I got three overall. Jennifer,4.5 Daniel,2 and Sarah(nice name huh?),.75 I HATE DIAPERS FAN CLUB -memberships available :-:-:-:- Bob Nebert
bobn@bmcg.UUCP (Bob Nebert) (08/31/85)
> Washing our own diapers was simply not an option. Both my wife and I have > better (and more profitable - not just financially: time spent playing with > the baby I find more valuable than doing laundry) things to do than wash > diapers. You mean your baby never sleeps? I always washed my kids diapers when the kid(s) were napping. This served more than one purpose BTW. We got max time with the children and the baby got familiar with noises when they sleep. Never could understand why the house had to be quiet as a churchmouse during naptime. Bob Nebert sdcsvax!bmcg!bobn
jkr@gitpyr.UUCP (John Kenneth Riviere) (09/01/85)
In article <3800007@umn-cs.UUCP> smith@umn-cs.UUCP writes: > Concerning smell: I think the most obnoxious smell comes from the covered >trash pail we use in the nursery to dispose of used baby wipes -- a problem >we'd have with disposable diapers as well. It is true that you will have this odor problem with disposables as well, but only if you use baby wipes. My wife and I have found that a small (< 20) supply of washcloths work quite well when we need to do some serious wiping of a dirty bottom. Only extremely loose movements need more than a single washcloth. We found the baby wipes to be less than optimal when we tried them. J. Kenneth Riviere -- John Kenneth Riviere Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!jkr
jacobson@fluke.UUCP (David Jacobson) (09/06/85)
There have been a couple of people questioning the 90 diapers per week
that I mentioned was the basic order from our diaper service. ("How can
you possibly use that many" type of thing.) Well we really did. In fact,
our order peaked at 120 per week for a few weeks when Teresa was about 6
months old. (I can't remember the exact time. That is a guess that my
wife agrees with.) It may be relevant that she was exclusively breast fed
until nearly 6 months. Breast fed babies have tan colored, runny, nearly
odorless poop vs. dark harder smelly poop for babies on solid food. I'm
not sure that breast feeding affects diaper changing frequency, but I
mention it just in case someone else has had similar experience.
By the way, we just cancelled our diaper service 13 days ago. (We had
been down at 40 for quite a while, and were actually using less than
that.) We're into potty training now. She desperately wants to use the
potty, but can't really make it work very well when she is wearing pants.
My wife decided to try something. Teresa is at home virtually all the
time, so my wife just switched to long dresses with no underwear. She can
pull the dress up herself and sit on her potty. It has been working almost
perfectly, with only rare accidents. (Lucky she is a girl!)
Several people have been talking about convenience of disposables vs.
washing. I'll mention again that nothing could be easier than diaper
service. They give you a free large diaper pail with a plastic bag liner.
You just drop the diaper in. (The do ask that if it has a large amount of
poop that you shake off the excess into the toilet first.) --- Not even any
rinsing is required. On pickup day you just put the bag out by the front
door.
-- David Jacobson
ihnp4!uw-beaver!fluke!jacobson