cloth diapers, life, parenting

Cloth Diapers specifically for Preemies or Newborns

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*List Updated Feb. 21, 2013

The average newborn baby weighs 7.5 pounds, but some weigh as little as 5.5 pounds or as much as 10 pounds. Most babies will fall in this range. As a first-time mom, I decided to wait and start my son in cloth diapers full-time when he was almost three months. I thought that dealing with cloth diapers for the first time and a brand new baby would be too much for me to handle. Since using cloth diapers has turned out much easier than I expected, next time, I plan to cloth diaper from birth.

Many one-size diapers are intended to fit 8 or 10 pounds and up. The Rumparooz One Size Pocket Diaper is designed to fit 6 lbs. all the way up to 35 lbs. One-size diapers are a great money saver since the same diaper can be used on most babies from birth to potty training. However, for some newborns or preemies, one-size diapers are just not small enough.

Below is an alphabetical list of cloth diapers (with approximate weight ranges) made specifically for preemies or newborns. Click on the highlighted items to see information on that product or where you can purchase it. If I haven’t linked the item to a Web site, do a simple online search, and you should find a seller. Some links are affiliate links.

Since newborns go through 10-12 diaper changes a day, the most economical cloth diaper option is to purchase a couple dozen prefolds and four or five diaper covers (if you’re washing every other day). Most likely, this will be what I do with our next child.

Are you expecting a little one and not sure how big he or she will be? Many stores like Diaper Junction offer a 30-day trial, and you can return the diapers for a refund!

Did I miss any preemie or newborn diapers? Did you cloth diaper your preemie or newborn? Comments? Questions?

Note: Affiliate links present.

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cloth diapers, life, parenting

Use the sun to whiten your whites

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I always have a few stained cloth diapers after Poop Day, and even though Mr. Stinky Pants is just going to poop in them again, I still like to clean the diapers and have them looking nice in the meantime. This is especially important if I ever plan to sell them.

I usually pre-treat my cloth diaper stains by spraying them with Bac-Out w/Foaming Action Sprayer 32 Ouncesbefore placing in the wash. This usually lifts at least half the stains off my diapers. But for the stains that are left, sunning easily takes care of them.

I’d never heard of “sunning” an item of clothing to remove stains until I started researching cloth diapers. It’s a simple process: place the stained item in the sun. It works best when the clothing or diaper is damp. Sunning even works on an overcast day, since it’s the ultraviolet rays that do the whitening. So far, I’ve used it successfully on the white insides of cloth diapers, microfiber inserts, and my husband’s white “cover” (hat) for his Navy dress uniform. I’ve heard it also works to remove deodorant stains from white shirts!

Some people apply lemon juice to the stain first before placing in the sun. I haven’t needed to try this yet, since sunning is working fine for me on its own. But, if you have a stubborn stain that won’t come out after sunning your clothes a few times, you might want to try the lemon juice. If you use it on cloth diaper stains, make sure you wash the diaper before placing it on your baby.

Keep in mind that it may take multiple days of sunning to completely remove a stain. Since heat can set a fresh stain and make it permanent, avoid drying it in the dryer until you’ve sunned the stain out.

Insert 1: Click on the images to enlarge.

Before and After (2 hours later, rainy day)

Insert 2: Click on the images to enlarge.

Before

After (2 hours later, overcast day)

As you can see, the stains aren’t gone. BUT, it’s pretty darn close. if I lay this insert out again on a different day (and especially if the sun is out), the stains will fade all the way.

Have you tried sunning before? Did it work? How long did it take? Questions?

Note: Post contains affiliate link.

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cloth diapers, life, parenting

Poop Day

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Today is poop day for my son. You see, he no longer does one or two little poops every day. Now he saves up his poop for a couple of days, and then poops it all out like Niagara Falls on Ex-lax three or four times in one day. Since he’s cloth diapered, sunning his diapers has become my favorite way to get any stains out. Don’t know what sunning diapers is? I’ll post an explanation tomorrow along with photos of the process and results. It’s not just for cloth diapers either!

Several items came in the mail today that I’m very excited over. I mean, who doesn’t love getting their purchases in the mail! Free stuff would be better, of course. But this still made me happy.

My Ruby Moon Cloth Diaper Detergent- Warm Vanilla Sugar arrived. It’s cloth diaper safe and made without phosphates, enzymes, or brighteners. I’ve been using Rockin Green detergent from Diaper Junction for my diapers and have no complaints, but I’m always wanting to try new things.

I also received Ruby Moon wipe bits. They’re basically tiny little soaps made out of goat’s milk that can be dissolved to make your own solution for cloth wipes. When I opened the bag of this stuff and smelled it, I wanted to rub it all over my body. It smelled that good! After I check out how well they work with wipes, I’ll write a review.

Annnnd a diaper I’d ordered from Amazon arrived. It’s for nighttime diapering: Bummis Tots Bots Bamboozle Stretch Diaper, Size 2 (9-35 Pounds). It’s made with a bamboo blend, making it more absorbent than regular cotton. This makes the 4th diaper we have that we intend to use specifically for nighttime diapering. It’s in the wash, prepping right now, woot woot! 🙂

Diaper Junction has a deal going on now through Sept. 3 of free shipping for orders $19 or more. No coupon necessary! They also have a great Stash Cash program. Basically, you get points back for items you purchase. You can redeem the points for stash cash and purchase from their site. I redeemed points today and got a FuzziBunz pocket diaper for 6 bucks! That’s a great deal! And of course I received points for making that order.

We really, really need to buy new D batteries. The swing we borrowed from my sister in law takes D batteries, and for the longest time it was the only place my son would nap other than on top of my chest. He loves it, but he’s so big now that the batteries seem to die a lot quicker. It takes so much energy for the swing to move him! Anyway, I can see the power light flickering, which means it’s getting close to dying. I only hope it lasts until we get to the store!

Confession time: I really didn’t get that much done today. I’m not feeling well. First it was a stomach ache, and now it’s queasiness (no, I’m not pregnant). I just feel kind of bummed in general. So that was my excuse to not do much. It’s okay for once in a while to not work your bum off trying to be Super Mom, right?

Note: Post contains affiliate links.

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