Cloth Diapering Update

I have already been cloth diapering for nearly a month! These pictures are from March 5th and are documentation of the very first cloth diaper Evelyn wore!

It is going very well! Thanks again to everyone for their encouragement and help.

I am using Cloth-Eez prefolds - she is still fitting into the yellow "infant" size. They are nice and wide and so they fit her well. Two weeks ago she was 15 lbs 5 oz - had lost some weight after being sick. So, she is around 16ish pounds and these still fit well. I bought some of the brown-edged ones too for when she gets bigger. These are a bit bulky-fitting right now.

I am using Thirsties covers. I bought 3 smalls and 5 mediums. The smalls fit best right now, but the mediums work, too! I am happy with this cover and am also happy to report that our "blowouts" have decreased dramatically! Poopie has only been on her clothes once when she was in a cloth diaper - not sure how this happened...a bit of the diaper must have been sticking out in the back. The leg gussets and back elastic to these covers hold in her multiple daily explosions!

I use my Snappi (the purple contraption) with every diaper. It helps me keep it in place while I put on the cover. It is easy to use and keeps the prefold in its place, so I just have always used it!

I have taken into consideration a ton of people's advice and a lot of website reading in terms of deciding how to launder the diapers. I came up with this method for now: I wash them every 2 1/2 -3 days with Purex Free and Clear. I do a cold rinse, followed by my longest hot wash with the Purex and 1/2 cup of OxyClean. I follow this with another cold rinse with 1/2 cup of vinegar in the wash. My diapers are coming out smelling clean - actually smelling like really nothing at all. The only gripe I have is that they are staining. I know they are clean, but I don't care for the stains. I am considering trying another detergent after my current bottle is gone. I found this helpful for picking detergents. I have not stopped using other detergents for my other laundry. I had a ton of detergent that I just could not see wasting. I don't use much detergent as it is - we keep our water very soft. So, I am just going to "assume" that there is not residue from my other detergents lurking in my washing machine. Plus, I am also hoping that the vinegar in my extra rinse is helping rid the diapers and covers of any leftover detergent. And yes, out of ease, I am washing my covers with my diapers. This I know is not recommended, but 1) I don't wash other clothes enough to put covers in with regular clothes 2) Just covers makes a pitiful load 3) I did not feel that hand-washing them was getting them clean enough. Who knew I could write such a long paragraph about washing diapers!?! :-)

I am using my own "made-up" solution on washcloths as my wipes. I put a drop of pHisoderm baby wash (what we were given in the hospital to bathe her with), a bit of olive oil, two drops of tea tree oil, and water. This seems to be working well, too. She has gotten a bit of diaper rash still. There is still poo in almost every one of her diapers. And, when she does go, I have a hard time smelling it through her diaper now. So, I am guessing that the rashes were possibly coming from the poo in her diaper. I am trying to change her at least every 2 hours so that she has a nice bottom in case this was/is the problem!

I have used cloth out and about - I just use a ziplock bag for the soiled prefold. We have not started using cloth at night yet... We have sleep "issues" - I'll just leave it at that. Anyhow, Evelyn does not need any extra rousing in the middle of the night, so I don't want to change her diaper. I will need to do more research about what a good nighttime diaper would be for us.

Thanks again to all of you that helped and encouraged me thus far!