Sunday 11 October 2015

Troubleshooting Cloth Diaper Leaks


The most obvious reason:
It may be that the inserts are full. Sometimes the inserts do fill up. Why? Sometimes your baby will pee enough to fill the inserts.

The Inserts Soaked or Heavy  

If the diaper has leaked and the inserts ARE HEAVY, it means you need more layers of absorbency and/or need to change your baby more frequently as bladders grow.


  •  New cotton, bamboo, and hemp inserts may need to be washed 3-6 times before they become fully absorbent.  If you have new natural fiber diapers wash them a few more times and see if they still leak.
  • If you are having leaks with just one insert in a pocket diaper add the second insert before trying other tricks. 
  • Hemp and bamboo inserts or doublers may provide more absorbency than microfiber or cotton.  Hemp works really well when placed behind a microfiber insert.  Microfiber is quick to absorb, and hemp will hold more pee and is trim.  Note: Microfiber is typically used inside of a pocket and should not be placed directly next to your child’s skin.
  • Fitted diapers paired with a cover provide even more absorbency and are a preferred overnight option.  Please note that fitted diapers are absorbent across the entire diaper and not just in the wet zone. 


FIT:

You can find out if you are fitting your baby snugly if you cannot put more than one finger inside the diaper. A poorly fitted diaper might also result in leaks. Diapers that are too small or too big will cause leaking. If you're using a one-size diaper, they may not begin to fit properly until your baby is roughly 8-10 lbs.  Newborns may or may not fit into a one-size diaper at birth depending on how much they weigh.  For smaller newborns, a sized or newborn specific diaper might fit for the first several weeks. 

To get a good Fit:
  • Snug fit. Not too tight neither too loose
  • Be sure that your diaper is fitting inside the leg rolls where the natural underwear line would be. Not around the thighs
  • Boys tend to pee in the front or towards the top of the diaper.  Girls tend to pee in the middle of the diaper.You may need to adjust where the absorbent layers are or add an extra insert where they need it most. 
  • For those with boys, please make sure boy bits are pointed downwards
 In case of AI2 – Marvy / FAP AIO
Just make sure everything is tucked in. If the insert(s) are peeking through the legs, then once that moisture wicks through the insert, it will naturally continue to the outside shell of the diaper via the "peeking" insert.
  

Clean Inserts Have A Faint Smell Of Ammonia Or Urine:

This is easy to fix. The detergent build up often happens when the detergent is not completely washed out from the diapers. This mainly happens if you use more than the recommended detergent or there is not enough water during the washing. The good news is that all of this is curable. In order to get rid of excess detergent build up on the Inserts (not the diaper covers/Pockets) you need to wash them in hot water (60 C) at least 3 times *without any detergent.*
 Please use the maximum water possible. If you have Front loading washing machine that doesn't put in loads of water on its own then use a wet towel to trick the machine into thinking there is more clothes.

Also, DO NOT use any kind of fabric softener during or after washing the diapers. Read the labeling on your detergent to check if there is any kind of fabric softener, if there is you should not use it. They will inhibit the absorbency of the inserts.

Are Your Inserts Absorbing Well Or Working Like They Should?

We can easily find it out.
Even if there is no smell of ammonia, just to see if your inserts are absorbing well you could try this test out.
Take some water in the palm of your hand and drop it on a fresh insert. Use your fingers to apply a bit of pressure to the water to kind of push it into the fabric. If the water beads up on top of the inserts, it means that they are not absorbing and thus explains the leaking, which moisture is escaping from the sides because the inserts are not sucking it up like they should? This again can be easily fixed. Just wash the inserts (not the diaper covers) in hot water (60 C) at least 3 times. If you have Front loading washing machine that doesn't put in loads of water on its own then use a wet towel to trick the machine into thinking there is more clothes. Try the test again. If the inserts still don't absorb readily, then you need to wash again.

Mineral/Residue Build up

Hard water minerals can get trapped in the fibers of your diapers and prevent the detergent from rinsing clean.  This can cause your diapers to leak or repel.  Additionally, if you have used fabric softener, fragrances, dyes or diaper creams with your diapers they may be clogging the fibers of your diapers. If you have soap scum or mineral buildup to the point that your diapers are repelling, it’s time to strip and bleach   


You may know have lot of questions on how to fix them. Watch our next article on stripping your diapers  ! Coming Soon!




Wednesday 30 September 2015

Cloth Diapering on a vacation

Cloth Diapering On a Vacation


Sunset !!
Kabini, One of my favorite destinations. The calm serene back waters of Kabini dam , a resort on the river bank! It is one of the awesome place to relax ! All set for vacation and to cloth diaper my bub as always!

My kids enjoying the sunset
 I try my best to cloth diaper my son on our travel.  I have been able to cloth diaper fully in most of our travels. This time, I used much lesser diapers may be because he is ‘almost ‘potty trained. This is the story for last 6 months. I’m enjoying this too, as I can use CD’s till I can. (Happy Grin)


What do you need?
Usually, I take lot of pocket diapers and few AIO’s for my son when we are travelling. Pockets are stuffed with CB inserts or bamboo cotton and I will have few flats for standby, wet bags. He is a light wetter and any insert will work for him. This time, I packed FAP’s, few pockets, Training pants and pant styled diapers.
 
That's my lil monkey helping me ;)!
How many do you need?
It depends on how many days you travel, how often you plan to wash and how big is your stash? If you are planning for 3 day vacation, you may need around 15- 20 diapers assuming you will be able to wash them in between. On an average, 1 year old baby needs 8 diapers a day!  Smaller babies need even more.

I carried around 5 (training pants/pant style pockets), 2 FAP’s,  5 pockets stuffed with flats.
For the training pants, I had put a small hemp insert. The small insert that comes with fitted diapers.  They could hold more and very trim!
As I carried pant styled diapers, I took my son to the rest room as when possible,  so he didnt soil his diapers much.  I changed them every 4 hours even if isn’t wet.  I used FAP’s for the nights! He is usually dry at night.  He was unwell and I couldn’t take a chance!

Washing:
Hand washing them in a wash basin
I hand wash the diapers as when possible and line dry them. I had forgotten my detergent and I ended up using the soap which was available in the resort. I don’t have any problem with the diapers till now!! Thank God... That doesn’t mean, you use some random soap and you wouldn’t have problems with the diapers.  I didn’t have an option . At the end of the week, I counted my blessings as everything had gone wonderfully well and my cloth diapers had all come clean on vacation.





A small video clip; how I washed my diapers in the wash basin.




Poopy diapers:
He did poop once in his diapers. I managed to clean the same way which I normally do at home. I used the health faucet that is attached the toilet and clean the poop. 

Drying:
The biggest hurdle is the drying time of the diapers. In my few vacations, rain god was so merciful showered his blessings and I ended up using spoises :(.


Dried Diapers kept aside to capture a pic  :)


This time we had a towel rod which is kept near the swimming pool.   Yay!!  I could use them to dry all my diapers!!! Even otherwise, I usually carry a nylon rope and manage to tie them between some rods or pillars and use them to dry my diapers! We had a nice sunshine every day, diapers were dry quickly and we enjoyed rain every night! I could reuse a pocket, CB insert and flats! Flats (receiving blanket turned to a flat) was dry in less than hour.    



Flats were the quickest to dry



Finally, it’s OK if you decide to just use disposables while travelling. You don’t have to feel bad about it. A few days of using disposables to save your sanity is totally worth it. You might just be downright excited to get your little one back in fluff as soon as you get home but don’t stress a few days of not using cloth. Even part-time cloth diapering helps to save space in our landfills.

We’d love to hear your story if you have successfully used cloth diapers while travelling! Lots of our readers are scared of it and always ask what everyone else is doing!



Note :
If you wish to contribute your article on cloth diapering, you are welcome.  Your story can be a motivation to lot of parents who wish to switch to cloth!! It can be on night time diapering, cloth diapering on travel, cloth diapering on budget or how you switched to cloth, anything! Please send an email to clothdiapershopindia@gmail.com to send your story! You will be featured on our blog. 









Friday 3 July 2015

Bring the Artistic Parent in you !! Paint the Cloth Diaper !!

Tips to paint your Cloth Diaper 



1. Start with a used diaper. It must have been washed at least 3-4 times.

2. Stretch the diaper and clip them using paper clips(cardboard)  or you may opt to load them with inserts to give good surface to work with.

3.Use fabric specific markers or fabric acrylic paints.

4. Draw a outer sketch in pencil. You can draw them in a paper and then trace them on to the diaper.

5. Fill in colours of your choice . Allow it to dry completely 

6.Apply one more coat of colour and allow it to dry 

7. Dry your finished diaper for at least 30 minutes on HIGH to seal the colour and reduce fading and bleeding during washing.
  

Special Tips for heat set: 
Make sure your piece has air dried for at least 12 hours.
You can tumble dry in the dryer on high for 30 minutes. Must dry alone as the marker can transfer to other items if it has not been set and washed yet. 
You can also use an iron. This will not melt the diaper if done correctly. Iron the "outside" of the PUL, not the shiny side. You can use a thin cloth in between if you are concerned but will need to use the cotton setting. If you iron has a polyester setting that is the best option. Keep the irons moving over the designed area to make sure it is getting even heat.
If you want then quicker, you can use a hair dryer, high heat keep moving over the designed area. 


Special Tips for  Colouring: 
Use light strokes with your markers, wait for each layer to dry before adding another. This will help prevent bleeding and gives you more even coverage. Use a hair dryer to help dry layers a little quicker, it can also be used to slow bleeding and prevent further colour mix if done as soon as the colour begins to run. Use 1 colour at a time close sections to prevent the colour from blending together.
  

Paint Brands :
Camlin, Fevicryl, Faber Castel, Crayola  are some well known brands available in India. Apart from that you can try tulip, Sharpie Stained, Graffiti, Marv


Get Inspired :
Painting the Cloth diaper is  getting popular.   Behold, the creative work by Some mom's  here 

Gayathri's creation for her son : A cute message for all of us!!

Sreema 's creation " A Minion " for her lil Minion

Deepa has painted Lorax on her son's Cloth Diapers 




Anjana  has inked Caption America for her son 






Action Shots :




A special Thanks to my customers Deepa, Sreema, Gayathri and Anjana for sharing thier works to inspire others. 

Article reference :Internet  and FB page Custom Inked Diapers 




Tuesday 30 June 2015

Awesome FAP Giveaway Winner - Karpagam

Karapagam's lil munchink in ocean world FAP :) love your note Karpagam !

Posted by Cloth Diaper Shop - India on Friday, June 19, 2015

Tuesday 9 June 2015

Awesome FAP Cloth Diaper Giveaway


Cloth Diaper Shop #clothdiaper #giveaway Our FB community is almost 1.5K & to celebrate we are doing a bigger than...

Posted by Cloth Diaper Shop - India on Monday, June 8, 2015

Friday 29 May 2015

Video Review on CDS Bamboo Insert

 A Video Review by Aparajitha comparing it with Thirsties hemp insert. 


It is great to hear her views on CDS Bamboo Inserts  and  she loves CDS Bamboo as much as she loves her Thirsties hemp!! 








Wednesday 25 March 2015

Understanding CDS Inserts Part 1


Understanding CDS Inserts 



Cloth Diaper Shop (CDS) inserts are custom made . They are wider and longer than the inserts available in the market.  Most frequently asked question what inserts to choose? This video can help to get a look and feel of the inserts and choose the best inserts which suit your lifestyle.





Pocket Styled AIO diaper

Pocket Styled AIO Diapers


Please check this video on how CDS pocket styled AIO looks