Tips and Troubleshooting

Folds, Leaks, Staining, Cover Care, Diaper Rash and Nighttime Diapering


Our Favorite Folds

(our favorite YouTube fold videos are at the very bottom of this page)


           Favorite Fold #1a (4.6 mbs):   Angel Wing Fold with Snappi


           Favorite Fold #1b - working with a kinda big diaper (3.1 mbs):  Angel Wing with Snappi- Lg Diaper


           Favorite Fold #2a (2.9 mbs):   Jelly Roll with Snappi


           Favorite Fold #2a - working with a kinda big diaper (2.9 mbs):  Jelly Roll with Snappi- Lg Diaper



Leak-Avoiding Tips & Troubleshooting

  1. -Fold.  We recommend the Angel Wing or Jelly Roll; both utilizing a Snappi.  They are the best “containment” folds out there by far.


  1. -Wicking. If any of the cotton from the diaper is peeking out from the cover you will experience wicking; your baby will be soaked minutes from peeing.  Make sure to always check that every last bit of diaper is tucked inside the cover.


  1. -Do not tuck the prefold inside that inner flap on the cover.  That flap is an extra water barrier where the velcro has been stitched.  Tucking your diaper in here will dramatically reduce absorbency.


  1. -Your baby is sleeping (double Yay!). Once babies start sleeping and napping in 5+ hour stretches they are also going longer without being changed and therefore need doublers.  Doublers go on top of the diaper to add absorbency. We provide these free of charge with your service- just give us a shout if you think you need them.  


  1. -Detergent Residue on your covers.  Definitely only use a cloth-friendly detergent on your covers.  If you don’t, they WILL lose their water resistance and you’ll encounter leaking.  You can read more about this on the Bummis site.  Also, we carry Charlie’s Soap for purchase.  If, however, you run into it, let us know as we can’ “strip” your covers for you.


  1. -Boys - make sure you point his penis downwards.  This can seriously make the difference between a ton of leaking and zero leaking.


  1. -Fit / Ready to Move Up in Size.  Your baby is growing (Yay!) and is ready to move up in size.  Here are the general guidelines on sizes and a few tricks:

  2. -Twees - you’ll want to move out of Twees and into Smalls around 7.5 pounds.  Anything over that spells leak city.  So let us know as soon as that weight approaches and we’ll size you up on your next delivery night.


  1. -Smalls - Smalls will fit right up until 15/16 pounds.  Let us know as that weight approaches (or when the Smalls begin feeling tight) and we’ll send you a few Mediums to keep on hand for size checking.  As soon as you find the Mediums to officially fit, just let us know.  We’ll need about a week (or sometimes two) to get a set ready for your next delivery night.  But the Smalls can tide you over just fine.


  1. -Mediums - Mediums will fit until around 20/22 pounds.  And some families stay in them all the way until potty-training.  Let us know as this weight approaches (or when the Mediums begin feeling tight) and we’ll send you a few Larges to keep on hand for size checking.  As soon as you find the Larges to officially fit, just let us know.  We’ll need about a week (or sometimes two) to get a set ready for your next delivery night.  But the Mediums will tide you over just fine.


  1. -And a folding trick for when diapers begin getting tight:  give the snappi a really hard stretch to literally “break” the elastic so that it doesn’t pull so tight (a snappi can grow with you from birth to potty training!).  Then, using the angel wing fold, as you bring the center pad of the diaper up between your baby’s legs, fan out the top so that all 4 corners can ready fully around his/her growing belly.  And that will have you in a trim fitting diaper right up until the next size kicks in!


Stain-Avoiding Tips

Rest assured that our wash process is of the highest quality.  We’ve gone to great lengths to:  use a purely coconut oil-based soap and our water temperature reaches hospital-grade 160 degrees.  On top of that, we use several flush and rinse cycles to ensure that your diapers are free of any residue that could irritate your baby’s skin.  What all that means is:  our chemistry is as eco and baby-friendly as it gets and the diapers are squeaky clean.


But, with minimal chemistry comes more discolorations than you might expect.

If you're encountering any discolorations, here are the 4 main stain culprits/solutions:


  1. 1.Fish Oil / DHA Supplements (that breastfeeding mom is taking)

  2. It’s one of the most surprising revelations we’ve come across in the diaper world, but if mom is taking fish oil supplements (or DHA supplements using fish oil), they WILL cause bright yellow stains on the diapers. 

  3. The only way to avoid these stains is to use flax seed oil or a fish oil-free DHA supplement (Spectrum makes one for pregnant and nursing moms) instead of fish oil.  We would never EVER ask that you not take fish oil if that is your preferred supplement, but do know that because we don’t use chlorine, there is no way for us to remove the yellow discolorations it causes on your diapers.


  5. 2.Diaper creams and body lotions/oils

  6. Nearly all  (and we mean 99.9%) conventional diaper creams and body oils/lotions are big, big stainers* that will ruin every diaper it comes into contact with.  We’ve seen entire sets of diapers get wiped out.  And it’s not pretty.


  8. We used to provide a list of cloth-friendly creams.  But even “cloth-friendly” creams are questionable.  


  10. BUT - good news! 

  11. We have fallen head over heels in love with coconut oil.  And actually love it more than any conventional cream that we’ve encountered.  We’re not alone in this - it’s gotten many rave reviews from other DK families too.

  12. So coconut oil is now the ONLY cream we recommend.

  13. It’s super easy to get at nearly any grocery store (in the oil section) AND we’ve begun carrying it too. 


  15. So, please oust all of those gift creams and oils that you’ve been given.  Your cloth diapers will thank you.  And we will too.

  16. (whew)


  18. * the most offensive ingredients (actually locking stains into the fibers) are those containing any combination of zinc oxide, fish oils, hydrogenated oils or petro-anything.  Desitin, A+D, Balmex, Triple Paste, Butt Paste, Burt's Baby Bees and Weleda all fall into the “big stainer” category. 


3. Plastic bags and/or sacks

  1. Plastic bags, although convenient, don't allow air circulation and thereby create a sort of petri dish in which tough stains thrive.  And if the plastic bags are logo'd, the ink actually leeches onto and permanently stains the diaper.  A few plastic bags every now and then (think:  explosion at the park) is totally work-able.  But please empty the diaper out of the sack as soon as you can.


4. After starting solids, be diligent in plunking any plunkable poo into the toilet.

  1. To help - a lot - with the plunking, you can begin incorporating liners.  Check em out and let us know if you'd like to try any:  http://www.diaperkind.com/Liners.html


Caring for your Diaper Covers

Except for needing to use a cloth-friendly detergent (we carry Charlies ), Covers are super forgiving as to how, when and how often they're washed.

- pee-pee covers:  you can just flat-out give them a wipe.

- poopy covers (whose gussets aren’t soiled):  you can just give them a rinse and/or wipe.

- poopy-gusset covers (anything that's going to touch the baby’s skin):  these are the ones that get a handscrub in the sink with a bit (only a drop or two!) of detergent.

  1. -and, whenever you're doing family laundry, you can toss your covers into the washer.  But remember to use cloth-friendly detergent! 

  2. -At any point in the above, you can add a bit of Oxy-Boost to help keep them "fresh".

  3. -Also, if you do use a detergent that’s not cloth-friendly, you WILL encounter leaking due to detergent residue.  See the Leaking section above for more info on that.


All in all, once you get past those first few poo-a-minute months, it's totally normal to get to the point when you're swapping out the same 2 covers throughout the day except for when one gets gusset-soiled.



Diaper Rash Tips & Troubleshooting

  1. •One can count on the well-rounded advice of the internet’s 2 most respected pediatricians:   Dr. Sears (askdrsears.com) and Dr. Greene (drgreene.com).  See what they have to say on diaper rash via these 2 links:

             -  http://www.askdrsears.com/html/11/T081400.asp  

             -  http://www.drgreene.com/adam/diseases-conditions/diaper-rash

                   

  1. • We have only a few things to add to their recommendations

- our wash process has been lab-tested to ensure that no residue remains on the diapers and that the diapers are properly pH-balanced for a

baby’s skin.

- if diaper creams are ever needed, we ask that you use coconut oil or red clover cream.

  1. -given that air is the key; unlike disposables - with cloth, you can let your baby go nude-y by layering diapers underneath him/her.  And if that’s inconvenient, you can secure the diaper as usual, but go coverless or leave the cover super loose around his/her belly.

- don’t forget to fully dry baby’s skin before diapering or applying any creams.

- and, for night time, we have liners and lined doublers available that wick moisture away from baby’s skin.


Nighttime Diapering Tips

You won’t need to worry much about Nighttime diapering tips until your baby begins sleeping in 5 to 12 hour stretches.  (yes - 12 hours!)  Once those peaceful hours start stringing together, to help keep them dry and comfortable, take a look at our Nighttime Tips.pdf.


Our Favorite Cloth Diapering YouTube Videos

Basic Fold (Dad)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDTorZ72L_A


Angel Wing Fold w/ Snappi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es3DpHmJBKM


Bikini Twist w/ Snappi (with a giant diaper)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23Q5hOAYryQ


Jellyroll Fold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9UId1SKn1c


The "Diva Fold" - which is good for Toddlers who are old enough to remove their Snappi

DivaFoldToddler.mov




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