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Cloth Diaper Dictionary

All-in-one Diapers (AIO’s): Diapers that have an insert sewn into the pocket. The diaper usually consists of a PUL layer, insert of hemp, microfiber, cotton or bamboo and a fleece layer to keep baby dry. AIO’s often take longer to dry but fit trimmer. They are the closest to disposables and the easiest to use. Aplix: A hook and loop fastener used as closures on some cloth diapers.  Some brands have the option of Aplix or snaps. Bamboo: Fabric made from Bamboo trees and is soft and naturally breathable. Birdseye Fabric: A gauzy material made of 100% cotton. Often used for flat diapers and also make good burp cloths.  CPF / Chinese Prefold Diapers:  The flat diapers that most of our mothers used back in the day.  Available in several absorbencies and sizes. Comes in two colors, white and unbleached. Contour Diapers: Hourglass shaped diapers that require a diaper cover and snappis or pins.    Diaper Covers: Used over pre-folds, flats and fitteds, covers are the waterproof layer to keep baby’s clothes dry. Covers are made in one size or fitted options and close with Aplix or snaps. Covers can be made of PUL, vinyl, polyester or wool. Diaper Wrap:  A cover that is designed to wrap around the diaper. Because of its snug fit a wrap does not require fasteners Doublers: Similar to liners but used for extra absorbency inside diapers. Great for heavy wetters or for naps and overnight. Can be used inside a pocket diaper to double up with a liner. Fitted Diapers: Look similar to disposables as they have a contoured shape and gatherings around the legs. They have their own fasteners but need a waterproof diaper cover. Flats: These are the diapers they used years ago with pins and plastic pants, they are the most economical. The flats you find in the store are not very effective as cloth diapers, generally made of Birdseye cloth. Hemp: A course fibre made from the inner bark of the hemp plant. It is durable, absorbent and has natural anti-microbial properties. Hemp fabrics become stiff after the first few washes and will soften with continued use. Inserts: The absorbent materials used to stuff pocket diapers. Often made of materials such as microfiber, hemp, cotton, and bamboo. Liners: Thin material used between a baby's bottom and the diaper itself. Most liners are used to keep stool away from diapers for easy clean up. Another type of liner is the polar fleece one. These are thicker than their paper/flat sheet counterparts and are great for keeping the baby's bottom dry. Longies: Wool soakers that have longer legs. They are great for cold temperatures.  Also known as soaker pants or sweater pants. OS / One Size Diaper: Generally fits babies from birth to 35 pounds.  The size is adjustable by using snaps on the front of the diaper. The front of the diaper can be folded over to reduce the diaper rise to a smaller size. Pre-folds: Rectangular shaped diapers that are divided lengthwise in 3 sections. They can be enclosed in a Velcro or snap fastened diaper or they can be pinned with safety pins or snappi fasteners.  Pocket diapers: Pocket diapers are two piece diapering systems typically with a piece of fleece that makes up the inner portion of fabric and a waterproof layer that makes up the outermost portion. An absorbent material (insert) is placed inside of the two pieces making the whole system act as an all in one system that keeps babies dry. Pocket diapers once “stuffed” are another easy-to-use alternative to disposables. PUL / Polyurethane Laminate: Waterproof Fabric usually made of polyester knit or a combination of poly and cotton.  The fabrics are bonded to the urethane material to make it waterproof. The fabric remains flexible and breathable. Snappi: A plastic item that is used to fasten cloth diapers. These are frequently used instead of diaper pins. Suede cloth: 100% polyester fabric that works like micro fleece.  It looks like regular suede but is much easier to care for. It doesn't stain easily and washes very well. Often used for the interior of diapers as it does not absorb moisture, and actually wicks moisture away to keep your baby dry.  Many prefer micro fleece over suede cloth because they say it will keep your baby dryer but others prefer suede cloth as it will not pill up like micro fleece.   Stripping: A process done to remove laundry detergents and other types of residues and build-up.  if your diapers are wicking and repelling liquids, if they have odour problems, or your baby is getting lots of diaper rashes you will need to "strip" your diapers Wool: A fabric made of fleece of sheep or lamb. Its water repelling properties and breathability are what make it popular for use as a diaper cover. Many save their wool covers for night-time use since it is bulkier than vinyl or polyester. Many choose wool because it is natural. Take special care when washing and drying your wool products or they will dry out and become stiff. Abbreviations commonly used in the cloth diapering boards: AIO All-In-One CD Cloth diapers CPF Chinese Prefolds DD Dear Daughter DD Disposable diapers DH Dear Husband DS Dear Son DSQ Diaper Service Quality diapers EDD Estimated Due Date FSOT For sale or trade IMO In My Opinion LOL Laugh Out Loud Sposies Disposable Diapers TMI Too Much Information WAHM Work At Home Mom

Please comment any additions you have and I will edit them into this post!

Social Media

I think blogging could be one of the best and worst things I could have found. Since I’ve been thinking of doing this blog I have spent hours and hours (and hours) on the net. I’ve been checking out other people’s blogs, company blogs and pages about blogs. Not to mention all the great cloth diaper and children’s product sites I’ve found.

Before blogging took over my “free” time, I would tease J (my husband) and ask if he had found the end of the internet yet. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done my fair share of searching for the end before I had kids. I have found that if I spend all day on the computer now, my house will be torn apart; it’s just not worth it now. So I’m working on finding the balance and I think it’s going to take some time.

Somehow I have ended up on Twitter and Facebook (fan page) as well, probably not the best way to find time at home but definitely entertaining!

I have found Twitter to be the best social media source yet and I’m surprised it took me until now to sign up. It is fast info that you can explore further or just take it as the 140 characters or less “tweet”. I have been learning how to limit myself to under 140 and it can be difficult. I’m not sure that this is a great idea to be teaching the next generation but it goes with the times of everything needing to be faster and more efficient.

I will continue to enjoy the breaks I get to blog, read about my readers, and the spare minute I get to “tweet”...but I will also be enjoying my son’s and this beautiful weather headed our way!

Flushable liners - Not-so flushable?

Big thank you to a Milton Mom who linked me to a discussion about what wipes and “flushable” liners do to our water system.

It’s known that regular wipes shouldn’t be flushed, although I’m sure most of us are guilty of flushing the odd one. But who would have thought that many of the products advertised as flushable shouldn’t actually be flushed?

The test I read about is that if it can not easily rip, it shouldn’t be composted either! If it can be ripped apart like toilet paper, it is OK for either flushing or composting.

Products like baby wipes and even those “flushable” toddler wipes can cause serious problems not only on your plumbing end, but at the treatment facilities also.

Since starting cloth we have been using more cloth wipes (actually just cheaper face cloths that have been designated to be bum wipes), they just go in the laundry with the diapers, easy, cheap and better for the environment! Yay!

As for the liners, I am still affected by the ick factor of poop. Other than to keep your diapers a little cleaner, I’m not sure about the purpose of using reusable liners. I really do like being able to dispose of most of the mess so easily.

I’m still re-organizing my change area to be cloth friendly, I have bigger storage for the diapers, a new shelf to hold everything out of T’s reach and the cloth wipes nice and easy to grab. I have been using a Diaper Champ for my disposables and I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to deal with waste collection. I would love to hear any tips that work for you!

Some unpleasant lessons learned!

Since Friday morning I have been using the 7 cloth diapers I have on both the boys. My mom and step dad were visiting, they think I’m crazy (diaper crazy!)…J has known this for a little while now.

So I have done diaper laundry every night so I can use the 7 every day. Did I mention that our rental house has a cheap washing machine that doesn’t have a rinse cycle! So I go down and start the wash, then I go back and stop it, add soap and change to hot water and run a full wash. Once that’s done I go back down and run the end of the wash cycle again. This wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to guess where to stop and start the machine; I have new respect for a proper machine.

We got through the first two days with no leaks! The next two were not as lucky but that is what I expected of our first few days on cloth. I’m LOVING the inserts (absorbent part) from Go Green, I think I may actually like them better than the BG inserts!

I had a hard time with stains but a longer cold rinse and a hot wash (followed by another rinse), and the diapers were like new! A note for new diaper-ers: flushable liners are recommended for older babies, but I would tell you to use them for exclusively breastfed babies also, it just makes for easier clean up.

Now that our company has left I can spend more time on all the great ideas I have for posts! We’ve had a busy weekend but it was interesting and I made lots of notes of topics I’d like to discuss/share. So I’ll have lots more to come in the following days, please check back!

Swim diapers

With the warm sun shining I can’t stop thinking about trips to the splash pads all over the GTA and day trips to Centre Island. Last year I made some of those trips with my little guy in my belly, I can’t believe how much has happened over the last year!

Today on my new favorite deals site (http://www.babyhalfoff.com/) they offered Monkey Doodlez swim diapers. I have not put much though into what the boys would be wearing in the pool or splash pads, I always used the disposable swim diapers. A friend linked me to a site discussing cloth swim diapers and the option of using regular cloth diapers as swim diapers (without the absorbent liner). The purpose of a swim diaper is to hold in the poop messes, so a pocket diaper cover would definitely get the job done.

In the splash pad I would not want to use a diaper without the liner…I don’t want to have to guess if it’s water running out of the cover or pee!

I’m not sure I’m ready to see what the chlorine in our local pool will do to my brand new cloth, but I would love to hear from anyone who has used either cloth swim diapers or covers for swimming.

Show-and-tell!!

Are you new to cloth? Are you curious about cloth?

Are you a long time cloth user looking to see what’s new?

Make sure you “Follow” my blog for details on an upcoming mommy get together to discuss and have a show-and-tell of cloth diapers!

Please comment and let me know if you are interested in participating or attending and what diapers you have to show-and-tell!

My diapers are on their way!

With my newborn asleep next to me, (he is supposed to be having tummy time but he falls asleep like that) I am venturing into the world of blogs. Why? Over the past 10 months I have been having the cloth debate in my mind and with my husband, although he really doesn't care as long as it's easy for him and I'm doing all the cleaning. I've finally decided to commit to cloth and I've made my first few purchases! So now I wait...impatiently!
I have already purchased a Bum Genius All In One (Sized diaper S,M,L - liner is attached to inside of the pocket) and a One Size(one size birth to potty training) , but it's hard to be motivated to use just 2 cloth diapers. So now I just received a second BG OS as a gift and I've ordered 2 Apple Cheeks (thank you http://www.babyhalfoff.com/). I also have a G Diaper and two Go Green pocket diapers on their way from the states. I’m so excited to get these diapers and get going on my cloth journey; clearly my new cloth addiction has already started!

My piece of advice to share for now is to make sure you follow washing instructions closely. Detergents are important despite what some discount diaper companies may say, and rinse, rinse, rinse! I am looking forward to line drying my new diapers now that we’re getting into warmer weather. Not only is line drying economical, it will also do wonders for getting out those poo stains (so I’m told).