Sunday 22 August 2010

cloth diapering ~ day one

So, we began the cloth diaper journey.

All along I've been very much pro-cloth diapering in theory, and the husband has been wary. So recently at the baby fair, we decided to buy a bit of a sample pack and give it a try. For an insane price (VERY much more than we'd pay back home, and even that adds up!) we bought a pack of 10 inserts and two covers ~ thinking we're not making a 100% switch, we're testing and getting the hang of it.

The kid wasn't sure what to make of them. He got bored that they took longer to put on, and tried to crawl away as I was trying to figure things out... he also didn't seem to like peeing in them!! I suppose he can really feel a difference in wetness ~ which explains why and how cloth diapered babies toilet train faster. It also makes me question getting a potty already for when I know he's going to poop, then undressing him and sitting him on it before the poop begins...

I think the kid will train easily. He already is very sensitive to being wet. In fact, he will not pee all night, and wakes with a dry diaper each day. Seriously! About 5-10 mins after waking, he will have a MASSIVE pee and fill his diaper. This will make cloth diapering at night easier, as there's no worry of him soaking through, however, it will also make that first pee a mess! So I'm still working on ideas for that...

Other questions still on my mind are cleaning them ~ American standards say wash your diapers in hot water, that's the sanitary thing to do. But all my reading says that the hot water in a washing machine isn't effective at killing germs and really is only there to rinse the soap more efficiently. I've also read that sunlight can naturally kill germs, so washing in cold water isn't an issue if you line dry in the sun.

In Korea, we only use cold water to wash, and we rarely use a dryer. In fact, a dryer is a luxury. Our HE washer-dryer combo has an electric drying function. I'm not sure how much energy it uses to dry, but I'd rather not use it. However, with the rainy season, followed by monsoon season, followed by all the other unpredictable weather here ~ I don't always get to dry my clothes outdoors. Much of the time I dry everything on a rack in the house.

On a side note, our diaper inserts are made from organic bamboo ~ which, from what I've read, seems to be cold wash only... but it's not like I can read any Korean websites or info, and I know no one who cloth diapers here... >.<

So, my questions tonight: what will happen if I wash everything with cold water? What if I can't dry them in the sunlight? And do diapers have to be washed separately from other baby items?!?

It's times like these I love and hate google ~ questions lead to answers, which lead to more questions...

1 comment:

  1. Hey Beth! Wow, I'm WAY behind - I didn't know you were in Korea. I just noticed the post about cloth diapers, and wanted to say GOOD FOR YOU!! Sierra and Maya are completely in cloth diapers, and I love them. I'm constantly telling people how easy they are (people hear cloth diapers and still assume there's metal pins involved). We have some inserts made from cotton, and some from bamboo - not sure if I can help you with your questions unfortunately...I wash the diapers in hot water. I have definitely heard that part about drying them in the sun though, that it helps to clean and disinfect them. I'd say go ahead and wash them with cold water and just see if it works. If they're not smelly, I'd wager it's working.

    Anyways, again, good for you. Way to love your planet!

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