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Jun 17, 2010

New to Cloth - Accessories

I am going to have one last post in this series before the big finale of my first series. If you read my posts, you already know that we are setting up to have our very first give-away. I am super excited for it. Now on to the post itself.
One thing that can be daunting when it comes to using cloth diapers is having to consider all of the different accessories out there. What do you really need, what is just for kicks, and what is an absolute waste of money? Well, I want to share what accessories I use, ones I have considered, and what I would love to have.

First off you can't CD (in my opinion) without some great wet bags. I have two travel sized wet bags that rotate in and out of the diaper bag. I also have a wet bag duffel that I use as a pail liner. I made this duffel actually. Having a wet bag is a wonderful thing. If you buy one that is of good quality, it will contain the stink and wash clean. All you will have to do is empty it in to your washer and then throw it in with the diaper wash. Having a few great wet bags will make your cloth life much nicer.

Next on the list of accessories is wipes. While you could continue to use regular baby wipes, they shouldn't be flushed and they can't be washed. So, you will have the cloth diaper for the wet bag, the poo for the toilet, and then wipes for the trash. That is just too much, to me. I know a lot of moms use cloth wipes if they use cloth diapers. For newborns, I can consider it, but for my two year old, I don't want that mess. I prefer to make my own flushable wipes for him. It is really simple and you can just flush the dirty wipe with the mess from the diaper. Cloth wipes are even easier since you just toss it in the bag with the diaper and wash with your laundry. Very simple if you ask me.

Some moms swear by their diaper sprayer. I do not have one. Usually I don't need one. I would love to try one out, but they can be expensive. They may be a great thing, but I don't think they are always necessary.
Liners. This is how I get around the mess issues with my diapers. I have found flushable diaper liners to be a wonderful thing. I will even go so far as to say that the new GroVia bio-liners are the best. They cost less then other brands and work better. :) All you have to do is put a liner in the diaper. When baby makes a mess, toss it in the potty with the mess and you are good to go. If you have septic, you may have to be careful. I sometimes let the liner sit in the water a bit before flushing so it have more time to breakdown before going through the pipes.

Now one last thing, there are several accessories that can be nice to have, but I feel that really to cloth diaper you don't need much more than the diapers themselves. That should be the point really. One great thing about cloth is that rashes are decreased greatly. My son almost never gets a rash now unless he is in disposables for longer than normal. If you do have to use a rash cream, make sure it is one meant for cloth diapers. Others can ruin your diapers by making them repel something fierce. Again, GroVia has a great balm that is in stick form and you never have to actually touch the balm; just rub it on baby's bottom.
I know there are many more accessories out there for cloth diaper users. I don't really use many. I wanted to highlight what I use and what I think is a good thing for moms to consider when making the switch to cloth.
Do you have a favorite diapering accessory? Feel free to comment to let us all know. I always strive to learn from other moms. We are a community of learners and mothers, lets share the wisdom. :)
Until next time.... happy diapering!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Lynny I just want to say that I am so happy for you and what you are doing, i wish that I would have known this stuff, I can still probably start it but it wouldn't be for long, but it sure does sound worth it...

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