After all my night time diapering dramas, I have suddenly found the perfect night time diapering solution for Emersyn. I'm using a fitted - or a pocket, with a pad folded flat as a booster, then putting a fleece cover or a woolen cover over top... and bobs your uncle! No leaks, no wet clothes, no wet bedding - and not a lot of bulk either! I forgot how absorbent a simple pad folded flat can be. I think all I need now is to get my A into G & make some fleece liners, so that they can have a staydry layer, and it'll be perfect.
I don't even really care which fitted or pocket I use, because I know that the addition of the pad folded flat will give me enough absorbency (me/her) - and with the wool or fleece cover over top, it's pretty much a bullet proof solution! When I use a pocket diaper, I use two microfiber inserts as well, but I could probably get away with just using one.
I think the ONE thing I have learnt from all this night time drama, is that the COVER you use is the most important factor, and that pocket diapers often leak if they are by themselves, no matter how perfect the fit is. Obviously with wool and fleece you do need a reasonable amount of absorbency in the actual diaper, but if you do have enough, the wool/fleece is essentially bullet proof (well, wee proof!).
It makes me laugh to think that for SOOOOOOOOOO many months I refused to use fitteds overnight (and to be honest, I have no idea why...) - and in the end it was FITTEDS that were part of the solution.
Now to get my hands on more woolen soakers, and to make some more fleece soakers - the perfect task for my new sewing machine I'm getting tomorrow! (happy birthday to MEEEEEE)...
Have any of my readers fallen in love with wool or fleece for night time?
Sep 21, 2011
Sep 7, 2011
Night time is just Snazzi!
I've posted a lot about my issues with overnight cloth diapering, and leaks - but in June-ish I finally found something that worked for me, and started using prefolds and covers overnight. I got a little bored with that and started using pockets at night time again, and using woolen or fleece covers - because they NEVER leak, and well, sometimes it's nice to just throw a diaper on, and not worry about if you have 50,000 natural fiber boosters and the like. I was qutie happy using FuzziBunz petite overnight, with 2 microfiber inserts and 1 bamboo or hemp booster, but I still didn't feel 100% successful, because often around the legs would be a bit damp (take into mind she often sleeps for 14 hours at night)... BUT with the wool/fleece soakers - leaks that made it to the clothes or bedding were never an issue, so I let it slide.
A fabulous friend of mine gave me a whole bunch of fitteds and covers she'd used with her kiddos, including some size 2 Snazzipants - I had used size 1 Snazzi's when Emersyn was younger, but after she grew out of them never got around to upsizing - for once I couldn't justify buying MORE diapers, when I already have a bunch sitting in the diaper chest, waiting to be used. My friend told me that she'd loved using Snazzipants overnight - something I'd not really tried, because as a whole I'm not too fond of fitteds, because of how wet they get, however I decided to give it a go one night....
I took a Snazzipants fitted, and then used a trifolded infant prefold and put it inside, along with a hemp booster, which has a staydry layer on it, and I finished it all off with a lovely woolen soaker. I expected a soaking diaper the next morning - and that the wool would be damp - but was amazed when I got her up, took her pj's off and found that the soaker felt perfectly dry - and what is more, the Snazzi fitted wasn't even FULLY wet - there were still some dry patches on the outside!!!! It hasn't been intentional really, but since then I've been using the Snazzi's at night, and haven't had ONE leak. Even with the woolen cover on, the diaper isn't too bulky - and it seems to fit perfectly, because there are no gapes between her tummy and the top of the diaper, which is something that I seem to find happens with all other diapers I've used at night (except the Ecobubs woolen pockets).
I know a lot of my readers are from outside of New Zealand, and aren't able to get Snazzipants - but if you EVER find one somewhere, buy it!!! They're a great little fitted, and they are nice and gentle around the legs.. and also nice and soft and fluffy... The brand new Snazzi's are DIVINE, I have never felt material so soft, and to be honest I'm quite jealous that babies get to have such softness on their tushies!
I'm writing this from my parents computer and have no photos on hand, but in the next couple of days I'll post some photos of Emmy in her Snazzi's!
A fabulous friend of mine gave me a whole bunch of fitteds and covers she'd used with her kiddos, including some size 2 Snazzipants - I had used size 1 Snazzi's when Emersyn was younger, but after she grew out of them never got around to upsizing - for once I couldn't justify buying MORE diapers, when I already have a bunch sitting in the diaper chest, waiting to be used. My friend told me that she'd loved using Snazzipants overnight - something I'd not really tried, because as a whole I'm not too fond of fitteds, because of how wet they get, however I decided to give it a go one night....
I took a Snazzipants fitted, and then used a trifolded infant prefold and put it inside, along with a hemp booster, which has a staydry layer on it, and I finished it all off with a lovely woolen soaker. I expected a soaking diaper the next morning - and that the wool would be damp - but was amazed when I got her up, took her pj's off and found that the soaker felt perfectly dry - and what is more, the Snazzi fitted wasn't even FULLY wet - there were still some dry patches on the outside!!!! It hasn't been intentional really, but since then I've been using the Snazzi's at night, and haven't had ONE leak. Even with the woolen cover on, the diaper isn't too bulky - and it seems to fit perfectly, because there are no gapes between her tummy and the top of the diaper, which is something that I seem to find happens with all other diapers I've used at night (except the Ecobubs woolen pockets).
I know a lot of my readers are from outside of New Zealand, and aren't able to get Snazzipants - but if you EVER find one somewhere, buy it!!! They're a great little fitted, and they are nice and gentle around the legs.. and also nice and soft and fluffy... The brand new Snazzi's are DIVINE, I have never felt material so soft, and to be honest I'm quite jealous that babies get to have such softness on their tushies!
I'm writing this from my parents computer and have no photos on hand, but in the next couple of days I'll post some photos of Emmy in her Snazzi's!
Sep 6, 2011
Nuts about Soapnuts
I will start by simply saying Soapnuts are AWESOME.. and they are by far my favourite 'detergent' for washing cloth diapers.
Most of you probably haven't heard of them before - basically they are a fruit that is grown on trees, and when they are wet they release Saponin - natures own soap. Unlike manufactured detergents, the suds are very mild - which makes it perfect for use on cloth diapers. Soapnuts can be purchased as the dried shells, powder and liquid... and can be used for a variety of purposes, including:
- in the dishwasher
- liquid soap
- body wash
- shampoo
- cleaning and detoxyifying food
- cleaning jewellery
- natural pesticide
- dandruff control
- window cleaning
- general cleaning
I was very wary before I used them the first time, I didn't really understand how something so... natural.. could clean anything well enough - especially cloth diapers, which obviously have the potential to get very stinky. My first use was just using the shells in the machine - and I was blown away when I took out a microfiber insert out of the machine, put it up to my nose and couldn't smell anything. AT ALL. There was no ammonia smell, no poo smell, just no smell at all. They smelt FRESH. I put them to a second test with a load of clothes, and again the clothes came out smelling nice and fresh, and were clean.
I was quite happy using Soapnuts this way for some time - then read that you could make your own liquid detergent, so decided to give that ago. I was never too sure with my Soapnut shells, whether or not they could go through another use or not, so figured that with liquid I wouldn't have that problem. I boiled up about 15 shells in 4 cups of water for half an hour, and at the end I had a murky brown coloured liquid, which I allowed to cool and then bottled. Again I was a bit wary before trying the liquid - but afterward the results were the same as with the shells - if not a little better.
From then on I've been using Soapnuts liquid on my diapers, and occasionally on our clothes - for some reason I prefer to use manufactured detergent on the clothes, I think because of the scent. That said, you can easily add scent to soap nuts, by using a few drops of essential oils with the wash. Another reason for the manufactured detergent with our clothes, is that while Soapnuts CLEAN really well, they aren't really able to cope with stains - and with two children at daycare/preschool, their clothes come home covered in all matter of dirt, paint and other messes associated with fun. As with the scent though, you CAN use various natural agents to remedy stains - I find lemon juice is really good for helping with minor stains, and to give clothes/diapers a bit of a brightness boost.
Last week I needed to make another batch of liquid soapnuts - and got to thinking that it'd be SO handy if I didn't need to add extra things to the wash to help with stain removal and softening fabrics, and on a whim decided I would ADD lemon juice and white vinegar to my liquid I had finished making. While the liquid was cooling I added to the glass jar/bottle the juice of 2 lemons, and also 1 cup of white vinegar. I had no idea if it would ACTUALLY work - but I figured if it didn't, I could tip it all out and just make another batch of the liquid. The liquid cooled, and I poured it into my bottle with the vinegar/lemon juice mix, and we were good to go.
Because some of my diapers were getting a bit 'crunchy' from drying them inside on the clothes airer, I decided to use my liquid on the diapers first... they came out of the machine smelling nice and fresh, and I then put them in the drier - and much to my delight, when I took them out my prefolds and inserts all felt LOVELY and soft... and just a little crisper [ie white]. I figured my mixture had been a success, but wanted to know if it would last for more than a couple of days [particularly the lemon juice element] - but am happy to report that a week on, the diapers are coming out exactly the same as they did in that first wash. Usually I keep my detergent under the washing basin, where it is cool and dark, but decided to keep it in the fridge in hopes that that would prevent the lemon juice spoiling. So far so good. I'm also wondering NOW if adding a certain amount of lemon juice will leave the diapers smelling lightly of lemon, but I have no idea if that's even possible. I may experiment at some point...
As a little side note - in the 4-ish months I've been using Soapnuts on my diapers, I've not once had to strip my inserts, which prior to Soapnuts, was something I had to do once a month. I have absolutely NO issue with stinky microfiber now.
 |
| Soapnuts in their dried shell form |
- in the dishwasher
- liquid soap
- body wash
- shampoo
- cleaning and detoxyifying food
- cleaning jewellery
- natural pesticide
- dandruff control
- window cleaning
- general cleaning
I was very wary before I used them the first time, I didn't really understand how something so... natural.. could clean anything well enough - especially cloth diapers, which obviously have the potential to get very stinky. My first use was just using the shells in the machine - and I was blown away when I took out a microfiber insert out of the machine, put it up to my nose and couldn't smell anything. AT ALL. There was no ammonia smell, no poo smell, just no smell at all. They smelt FRESH. I put them to a second test with a load of clothes, and again the clothes came out smelling nice and fresh, and were clean.
 |
| up close an personal with a Soapnut shell |
From then on I've been using Soapnuts liquid on my diapers, and occasionally on our clothes - for some reason I prefer to use manufactured detergent on the clothes, I think because of the scent. That said, you can easily add scent to soap nuts, by using a few drops of essential oils with the wash. Another reason for the manufactured detergent with our clothes, is that while Soapnuts CLEAN really well, they aren't really able to cope with stains - and with two children at daycare/preschool, their clothes come home covered in all matter of dirt, paint and other messes associated with fun. As with the scent though, you CAN use various natural agents to remedy stains - I find lemon juice is really good for helping with minor stains, and to give clothes/diapers a bit of a brightness boost.
Last week I needed to make another batch of liquid soapnuts - and got to thinking that it'd be SO handy if I didn't need to add extra things to the wash to help with stain removal and softening fabrics, and on a whim decided I would ADD lemon juice and white vinegar to my liquid I had finished making. While the liquid was cooling I added to the glass jar/bottle the juice of 2 lemons, and also 1 cup of white vinegar. I had no idea if it would ACTUALLY work - but I figured if it didn't, I could tip it all out and just make another batch of the liquid. The liquid cooled, and I poured it into my bottle with the vinegar/lemon juice mix, and we were good to go.
 |
| Soapnuts liquid - shaken up so you can see the suds that form |
Because some of my diapers were getting a bit 'crunchy' from drying them inside on the clothes airer, I decided to use my liquid on the diapers first... they came out of the machine smelling nice and fresh, and I then put them in the drier - and much to my delight, when I took them out my prefolds and inserts all felt LOVELY and soft... and just a little crisper [ie white]. I figured my mixture had been a success, but wanted to know if it would last for more than a couple of days [particularly the lemon juice element] - but am happy to report that a week on, the diapers are coming out exactly the same as they did in that first wash. Usually I keep my detergent under the washing basin, where it is cool and dark, but decided to keep it in the fridge in hopes that that would prevent the lemon juice spoiling. So far so good. I'm also wondering NOW if adding a certain amount of lemon juice will leave the diapers smelling lightly of lemon, but I have no idea if that's even possible. I may experiment at some point...
As a little side note - in the 4-ish months I've been using Soapnuts on my diapers, I've not once had to strip my inserts, which prior to Soapnuts, was something I had to do once a month. I have absolutely NO issue with stinky microfiber now.
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