Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Do You Use Cloth or Disposable Diapers?

How to Properly Wash Baby Clothes

Cloth Diapers:
Flush solid waste away. Some people use disposable liners inside cloth diapers to make this easier. Put diapers in a pail half-filled with a mixture of water and 1/4 cup of vinegar or Borax, to control odor and to make stain removal easier. If you will be washing them frequently, you can also put them in a dry pail. Soak diapers until you are ready to wash them, then drain excess liquid into the toilet. If necessary, use your spin cycle to help remove the soaking solution. Wash the diapers in hot water. Double-rinse in cold water and add some vinegar to the second rinse cycle, to help freshen the diapers. Check for stubborn stains before putting the diapers in the dryer; if you catch them before they set, you will be able to remove them more easily. Dry the diapers on high heat in the dryer, or in direct sunlight.

Wash Baby Clothes Before Wearing:
A minor skin irritation or allergy could make the baby uncomfortable. Babies are sometimes sensitive to the sizing, a finish put on new clothes to keep them looking nice in the store. Shipping clothes can be a messy process, so those new clothes also could have come into contact with many types of dirt, bugs, or rodents.

Use Hot Water:
While you don't need to use hot water to wash the entire family's laundry it is recommended for baby clothing because hot water is more likely to kill germs.

Only Some Babies Require a Special Detergent:
There are a few extra-gentle laundry detergents on the market that are targeted toward baby clothes, but that doesn't mean you have to use one of these special soaps. Some families alleviate the risk of skin allergies by laundering baby clothes in a dye-free, scent-free detergent, such as All Free & Clear or Tide Free. If the baby isn't bothered by clothes washed in your family's regular detergent, there's no need to buy a special laundry soap just for the baby clothes. But laundry dryer sheets should be avoided since they are known to irritate sensitive skin.

Basic Baby Clothes Stain Removal:
Pre-treating stains is the best way to keep baby clothes looking like new. If stained clothing will sit for a while, try using a paste-type pretreatment that can sit on the fabric for up to a week. Otherwise, a spray-on stain treatment or laundry additive should handle most stains.

Reference click here.

Do you use cloth or disposable diapers?

9 comments:

Lisa said...

With my recent fomer charge we used cloth, and it really wasn't a major issue. But there were some conveniences in place like the sprayer (kind of like a kitchen sink one) attached to the toilet to rinse of excess bms. The diaper was attached to the side of this 5 gallon bucket )with clothes pins) that rested on the toilet seat. Then we would let a soiled diaper drain and transfer it to the diaper pail.

When washing the diapers the pail got rinsed out and sprayed down with lysol too.

I had read to help get diapers back to being white an alternative was to hang them in the sun. We didn't have a clothes line but used a drying rack on the deck.

Anonymous said...

disposable of course!
Tasha St Louis

Steph 6 said...

Thanks for this info since I have no idea how to use cloth diapers. I hope to only use disposable but just in case it's good info to have.

lovebeingananny said...

I wouldn't even consider working for a family that makes us use cloth diapers in this day and age!

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding? Disposables all the way!

AuPairDebbie said...

1. First of all it is almost always cheaper to use cloth diapers than disposable diapers.

2. Cloth diapers are better for the environment.

3. Cloth diapers don't have dioxin or sodium polyacrylate in them. Dioxin causes cancer, birth defects, liver damage, skin diseases, and genetic damage and is part of the paper bleaching process used in disposable diapers.

The gel like absorbant crystals in some diapers are sodium polyacrylate and is the same substance that was removed from tampons because of its link to toxic shock syndrome.

4. Cloth diapers TODAY are fitted with elastic in the legs and back area and have easy hook and loop closures and snaps. There are many different fabric choices and absorbency levels to choose from.

Terry said...

Give me a break, who has the time for cloth diapers? I commend those that can do it, but not me.

Anonymous said...

I've never used cloth diapers and would be intimidated to try.
Reyna H
NY NY

THIRSTY4MORE said...

CLOTH DIAPERS can be very intimidating, BUT there a plenty of cloth diaper stores, and places that teach parents/caregivers how to properly use them and what kind would be best for their family. My nanny group took a trip to the cloth diaper store near our house and took a class on the different types of cloth diapers and how to use them, clean them, etc.

I plan to cloth diaper my own kids, knowing what is up against their skin is so important to me.