About the diaper pail

This is a simple accessory, almost forgotten among all the other choices to be made for the new baby. A diaper pail? That's easy right? As a matter of fact, Yes, it is!

Once upon a time, in the olden days, cloth diapers were soaked in a "wet pail"- a diaper pail with water, that kept the diapers wet until laundry day. We don't recommend There are multiple downsides to this:

• A pail full of water in the nursery is a possible drowning hazard for a curious baby, or, at the very least, a huge-mess hazard
• A pail full of water and wet diapers is heavy, making the trek to the laundry room harder (and more likely to spill).
• Soaking the diapers in water mixed with urine can amplify stains and smells, as well as break down the materials of modern diapers and covers.
• Diapers left soaking wet can mildew or mold more easily.

To me, the wet-pail system just has a major yuck factor. So, "dry pail" it is! What do you need to look for in a diaper pail?

• A closing lid - This will not only deter babies or pets from pulling out the contents, it will keep smells from emanating from the pail and most importantly, keep air from hitting the wet diapers. Poop may seem like it smells bad, but it's not a big deal, trust me. When you deal with a smelly diaper pail, the stench that will knock you off your feet is the ammonia smell, which comes from urine being exposed to air. A swinging lid won't cut it- get something that shuts.
• A step pedal - when you've got a dirty diaper in one hand, and are trying to hold a wiggly baby on the changing table with the other, you'll understand the need for this feature. A hands-free mechanism of some sort to open the diaper pail is very helpful.
• Size -You need something that will hold 2-3 days worth of diapers. A 13-gallon size kitchen trash can has worked well for our needs. Really simple.

Inside your diaper pail, you'll need a wet bag big enough to hold all the diapers between the laundry cycles. The large, XL, or XXL diaper pail liners work well for this. (It's not a bad idea to have two of these pail liners, so you still have somewhere to put your diapers while the other pail liner is in the wash.) On laundry day, tote the pail liner full of dirty diapers to the washing machine, dump the diapers in, throw the pail liner in, too, and start your wash routine. Mess-free!

What if my diaper pail stinks?

First, make sure it meets all the above criteria, and make sure you're doing laundry every 3 days. Diapers that sit too long will stink, period. If you're still having trouble, add some baking soda, tea tree oil, or specially-formulated diaper pail freshener to your pail to keep things smelling fresh. All these things are safe to use with your diapers.

What about the special diaper pails at the baby store?

They're cute. They keep the stink down really well. They're fine. I have a few caveats, though. The little hole a disposable diaper is supposed to fit through? Your cloth diaper might not fit. The can might not hold enough diapers to get you between washings. Also, you'll want to make sure the model you choose will accommodate a wet bag. You don't want to have to be locked into buying their specific brand of trash bags when it's easy enough to wash a reusable pail liner with your diapers.

What solution has worked for you?

Swimming with Baby

This baby needs a swim diaper.

Spring breaks are fast approaching and I've already seen swimsuits popping up in stores. As you plan for a family vacation this year, or just a trip to the local pool, you're going to need a swim diaper!

Disposable swim diapers are a product that parents complain about, without fail. They're expensive, and, unless you're going swimming with your baby all the time, you probably won't get through a whole package during a summer. What a waste! Even parents that use disposables most the time consider reusable swim diapers.

What's a swim diaper?
The purpose of a swim diaper is NOT to absorb wetness- if it did, it would get totally saturated once a baby climbed into the pool! The only goal of a swim diaper is to contain messes- to keep poop out of the pool (and save you the embarrassment of being the cause of the pool evacuation!) Because no insert is needed, swim diapers tend to be trimmer and closer-fitting than most cloth diapers and covers. This trimness, especially around the legs and waist, is what contains the mess- so, if in doubt, buy the smaller size. Your baby can just wear the diaper in the water, or it can be worn under a swimsuit.

Why not just use a normal diaper cover?
The chlorine in the pool will damage the waterproof layer (polyurethane laminate - PUL) of your normal diaper covers. You really want the diaper covers in your normal rotation to stay waterproof! Swim diapers use a coated nylon instead of PUL, which will hold up to pool chemicals.

Savannah models the Swimmi on a Caribbean beach

How do I clean a swim diaper?
If the swim diaper is just wet from being in the water, you can hang it dry to use for your next water adventure! If it gets dirty but your baby is exclusively breastfed, wash on medium heat with your diaper laundry. If it gets soiled, dispose of the poo in a toilet. If you're on vacation and can't do laundry, the inner part of these diapers is a polyester mesh that's easy to wipe and clean, so you'll be able to do so by hand in a sink, if necessary.

One more note...
This may be obvious to more experienced parents, but... when getting the family ready for a day at the beach or pool, you can get the big kids dressed in their swimsuits at home, but don't put the baby in her swim diaper until you get the locker room! There's nothing in the swim diaper to absorb accidents in the carseat on the way there, and we wouldn't want you to end up with a mess! Same goes for the trip home- change her back into a normal cloth diaper before packing everyone up.

Happy splashing!

Starting a Stash

The cost of disposable diapers adds up over your child's toddler years, but the initial price to start a stash of cloth diapers can appear steep.

How many diapers do you actually need?
Newborns need to be changed every 1.5-2.5 hours, so expect to go through 10-12 diapers every day for the first couple months. If you plan on doing diaper laundry every 2-3 days, this works out to having about 30 diapers on hand. As Baby gets older, he can be changed a little less often, so you can plan on having about 24 diapers for larger sizes. If you're using a diaper that needs a cover, plan on having one cover for every 4 diapers.

Twenty-four? Thirty? That sounds like a lot.
Let's do the math. If you buy all pocket diapers- BumGenius is a popular choice at $17.95 each- the entire stash from almost-birth until potty-training will cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $450 or $500. That seems like a lot of money to spend on stuff your baby's just going to poop in, but it's less on what you'd spend on disposable diapers just during your child's first year!

If you choose to use prefolds and covers, you'll need 24-30 prefolds and 6-8 covers. This diapering system has a smaller upfront cost, under $175, for 30 prefolds and 8 Flip covers, which would be more than enough to get started.

Other options are out there- sized covers, fitted diapers, all-in-ones, organic and alternative materials- that will affect the upfront cost of your stash. No one says you have to buy it all at once, either! Growing your stash a little at a time is a great way to figure out what works best for your family. As a bonus, the money you spend on diapers now is an investment- these diapers and covers will last for future children, making diapering this baby's siblings almost free!

The Washing Question

The #1 question I get when someone is looking into using cloth diapers is "How do you clean them?" (followed quickly by, "But what about poop in my washing machine??") Unfortunately, the answer to the first question is "It depends!" What are the factors a washing routine depends on?

• Your washing machine - A high-efficiency washer will use less soap than a conventional washer with an agitator. It will also use less water, so may require more rinses.
• Your water - Hard water and soft water can effect how soap and soil rinses out of fabrics. Special detergent formulas have been created to mitigate some of these differences- check out Rockin' Green Hard Rock for hard water and Soft Rock for soft water or sensitive skin.
• Your detergent - Some detergents are not appropriate for washing diapers- see this (very thorough) list for an idea of where your detergent stands. Specially-formulated cloth diaper detergent like Rockin' Green is the easiest solution, but not the only way to wash your diapers. When using conventional detergent, only 1/4 of the recommended amount should be used, but if using a specially-formulated cloth diaper detergent, package directions should be followed.
• Your diapers - Different materials are easier to clean than others. Prefolds can take a beating, be washed in very hot water, are easy to strip if needed, and are generally the easiest to care for. Some families report microfiber is hard to clean, and tends to hold onto odors until you've figured out the right washing routine for your water & washing machine. The elastic and PUL used to make the diapers and covers is durable, but doesn't hold up to constant bleaching or other really harsh chemicals or hot drying. Unbleached prefolds & bamboo need to be washed up to 10 times before they reach full absorbency. Most wool covers have to be hand-washed.

The basic routine that we follow is this, in our top-loading HE washer, with mostly prefolds & covers: Rinse the diapers, using the "Rinse and Spin" cycle without the "Spin". Wash with 1/4 the recommended detergent amount on the 'Heavy Duty' cycle, selecting the options for 'Prewash' and 'Extra Rinse'. When that's done, throw the prefolds & inserts in the dryer, and hang the covers & pocket diaper shells to dry.

* As for "poop in the washing machine"- even if you don't use cloth diapers, newborn poop will end up in your washing machine! (and on your pants, and on your crib sheets, and on countless onesies... babies are surprisingly messy!) Thankfully, breastfed baby poop washes out of diapers with no problem. Easy! When solids are introduced, the poop needs to go in the toilet, and a diaper sprayer is a very handy tool for that. Believe it or not, poop is really not that big of a deal.

But don't take my word for it! Check out the manufacturer sites: Flip and Econobum official recommendations, and Bummis' simple instructions and handy detergent list.

Introducing...

Hi!

 Josh and Joanna Burress here.

 We're the new owners of Toasty Baby, Indianapolis' only local cloth diaper shop. Before our son was born at the end of 2010, we knew we wanted to avoid the waste and chemicals in disposable diapers as well as the ongoing cost through our son's toddler years. We've been sold on cloth diapers ever since. The cute factor is a huge bonus, too, of course!

When the opportunity to be involved in Toasty Baby came about we jumped on it. We believe in shopping local, and Toasty Baby is Indianapolis' only cloth diaper store. There's something to be said for being able to meet the owners of a store, touch the products, ask questions face to face, and be a part of a like-minded community of parents. While we do have an online store and ship anywhere in the US, our focus is local- being a resource to our community, helping parents make healthy, frugal, and natural choices for their family.

We want to meet you, and invite you to be a part of this community with us. We don't have all the answers- admittedly, we're still new parents, too, and many of you are further along on this journey- but we look forward to sharing what we do know and learning together. Come by and introduce yourself! We can't wait to meet you.