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-   -   Loosing the cloth love (http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/community/showthread.php?t=523003)

Earthmummy07 06-04-2017 01:50 PM

Loosing the cloth love
 
This pregnancy has been hard on my relationship with cloth :( We're having issues again and I'm just so. over having to keep trouble shooting all the time. Financially though, we need to be in cloth and I don't want to give in from an environmental standpoint either. I'm giving myself tomorrow in pull ups to recoup and try to figure things out.

S is 23 months, probably about 23/24lb at this point, and a heavy wetter.

We are currently using flats and covers. Some Terry flats, some FSTs, some flannel flats (homemade or receiving blankets). Covers are new. We use a combination of snappi, pins, and just pad folding into the covers. Oh, we have a handful of prefolds too.

S has a sensitivity to synthetic fabric against his skin. We can get away with it for a few days but then he breaks out in a persistent rash that does not respond to anything except removing the synthetics.

Issue 1; he is peeing through EVERYTHING! If I change him every 2 hours on the dot (I set an alarm) we can sometimes save the outfit and maybe even reuse the cover if I'm really lucky, but most of the time by 2 hours he has out-peed the nappy. Several times his week he has been soaked through, outfit included, before the 1h30 mark. The fsts and flannel flats I use doubled up, I've tried adding hemp boosters to things, I've tried a billion different folds. He just soaks it. The whole thing is just sopping. And I feel bad for him when I find him sitting in it. I cannot be changing him every hour on the hour though.i have 2 tots bots all in ones that are microfibre core and they last less than an hour, even with a hemp trifold booster.

Issue 2: he fights being changed like I'm trying to saw his leg off. Especially poop. I have ended up having to change MY outfit after a poop change because he fights much. Getting multiple layers on without someone being injured by a pin or a snappi is next to impossible, and he Wiggles so much that the nappy gets smushed and the fold goes all wrong and I have to start again. I had to stop changing him on the dresser after he tried throwing himself off and smashed his face on the corner, but changing him on the floor is so hard with my SPD, plus he can run away easier, plus he keeps kicking my big belly while he's​ fighting. It just takes so much out of me that I feel like giving up. Pull ups are just so much easier. Velcro pocket nappies make it 10x easier but I can't use them consistently without triggering the rash.

Issue 3: the poop. UK = no sprayers. I have disposable liners but they always end up bunched up in a random corner and they're expensive to use when I'm having to change him so much, especially when they do nothing! His poop texture varies from 'ploppable' to mush, and he's teething right now for extra grossness. Scrubbing out 3+ poopy flats (so many crevices!) a day in my sink is just more than I have the energy and motivation for right now. Fleece liners helped a tonne, but after 3 days we came back to 'the rash'. He will poop on the potty at home, if he's naked, but he will also pee all over my carpet while he's naked.

I think I could cope with one of these issues but everything together is just too much. We have very limited spending money right now but I could maybe be tempted into trying a new kind of nappy if I knew it would work.

:help

2sunshines 06-04-2017 01:59 PM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
First off I am a die hard cloth diaper lover and even then there were periods of time when I used sposies for my own sanity. Each time it was just the break I needed to re-discover my love of cloth. :heart So if it's what you need in short term go with it. Finances do make that more difficult tho.... Could you go with a cheaper sposie in the short term than the pull ups? That might buy you more time or save on the costs. At least here pull ups are ridiculously more expensive than regular sposies. :think

Aerynne 06-04-2017 02:29 PM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
Does he poop at the same time each day? If so I would consider a disposable diaper when you think he's going to poop.

Wool covers are good for heavy wetters. They are expensive to buy but you can also make them out of thrifted wool sweaters.

It doesn't have to be cloth OR disposable- maybe there is a combination that will work well for you. You could even put a cloth diaper (no cover) IN a disposable diaper and try to change it soon enough to reuse the disposable but if not then oh well.

Are you just too tired to change him every hour? Or just emotionally difficult for you to deal with the fighting? Can dh do it when he's home (or every other change so that between the two of you it's every hour)?

Can you use a distraction while you change him? Something else he doesn't get any other time? Does he do better with pull-up changing standing up? (like if there isn't poop, I mean). If so you could get cloth pull-ups.

Earthmummy07 06-04-2017 02:37 PM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
The own brand we use there is about 2p per nappy difference between using the pull ups and the taped nappies, so not a significant difference. The pull ups have Peppa Pig on them so he doesn't fight having them on so much :doh

Thinking some more, he does 12-14 hours in his night nappy without leaking, which is a bamboo fitted, wool cover and hemp booster. If I could figure out an affordable way to make wool work, in the day time that would probably make a huge difference, but if we use what we have with secured flats or prefolds the nappy always ends up falling down even though the wool stays where it is. Trying different wool covers is expensive and we only have 3 fitteds now. I'd need atleast 12 to use full time, not accounting for drying time and at that point it's probably cheaper to use the pulls ups until he trains.

Fitteds wouldn't fix the poop issue though, but I guess it's a little easier to scrub out?

2sunshines 06-04-2017 02:58 PM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
You say the flat always falls down. What are you using to secure them? Pins? Snappi? I LOVED pins and used them regularly but found the snappi to get a quicker and more snug fit on a wiggly kid.

And you can make your own wool covers with felted wool sweaters if you have any or can pick some up for cheap at a thrift shop! Makes wool very affordable!

Earthmummy07 06-04-2017 03:08 PM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
We have pins and snappies. It falls down either way :sigh the snappi has the added fun that he can reach in and take it off, and usually sticks it in his mouth. I knit/crochet all our wool covers but can't justify the time investment to make more if I can't guarantee it'll work, kwim? I tried the sweater method once; the one disintegrated at the felting stage and then my dog ate the other one and I haven't had the heart to try again :giggle

MegMarch 06-04-2017 03:22 PM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
What about fleece covers? They aren't as hardcore as wool but may work for you and are not too spendy to make or buy.

I feel like I've seen tutorials for turning prefolds into fitteds, if you are more capable than me.

Llee 06-04-2017 04:37 PM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
We did cloth for a long time. By the time my youngest was a year old, I switched to disposable and saved my sanity. I use mama cloth and much prefer to deal with my own cloth and not baby cloth.

Quiteria 06-04-2017 05:29 PM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
I need to admit that I quit cloth. :bag

But, last time I was trying to avoid synthetics with a wiggly toddler, I was looking at Rita's Rump pocket pattern made with flannel or birdseye. Basically, it was a pocket made of cotton...stuff it with your flats or bamboo such or such before approaching the wiggly kid...could even pin the front through all the layers (before putting on) to keep the flats from slipping within. Instead of snaps or velcro, it had really long pointy wings that wrapped around the waist.

Now, last time I googled, I couldn't find it again. Maybe it's been too long, or maybe you'll have better luck. But I think you could improvise by just tracing a pocket diaper with dead elastic and elongating the wings to points.

---------- Post added at 08:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 PM ----------

Here it is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfrVjViMbP4

http://handmadebyrita.blogspot.com/2...t-pattern.html

Earthmummy07 06-05-2017 12:50 AM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
That is genius. I'm not sure if I have the will power or funds to start from scratch but I wonder if anyone has ever converted a pocket diaper to swap the fleece for natural fabric?

---------- Post added at 08:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 AM ----------

Ok I downloaded the pattern and understand better now. It's like a stuffable fitted. Do you think I could use old receiving blankets for the fabric?

Quiteria 06-05-2017 01:23 AM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
Yes :yes I would maybe test by pouring some water on them to make sure it doesn't roll off, but I think that's what most people use.

---------- Post added at 04:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:17 AM ----------

I think it would be kind of hard to get the fleece off of a pocket diaper, but if he can tolerate the synthetic not next to his skin, you could try sewing a layer of cotton over it. :think

Whether you did that or Rita's, I'd probably only make one to see whether it was a viable solution before investing a lot of effort. But if it worked, maybe you could batch-cut a bunch more.

Earthmummy07 06-05-2017 04:06 AM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
Im already using my receiving blankets as flats so I know they don't repelling and haven't been a washed with softener or anything :yes I'm at my mom's today so we're going to experiment. Wish me luck!

---------- Post added at 11:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 AM ----------

:sigh I spent 10minutes writing a detailed reply to Erin and Sammy just headbutted my phone in temper over a toy train and deleted the lot

---------- Post added at 11:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 AM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerynne (Post 6087768)
Does he poop at the same time each day? If so I would consider a disposable diaper when you think he's going to poop.

Wool covers are good for heavy wetters. They are expensive to buy but you can also make them out of thrifted wool sweaters.

It doesn't have to be cloth OR disposable- maybe there is a combination that will work well for you. You could even put a cloth diaper (no cover) IN a disposable diaper and try to change it soon enough to reuse the disposable but if not then oh well.

Are you just too tired to change him every hour? Or just emotionally difficult for you to deal with the fighting? Can dh do it when he's home (or every other change so that between the two of you it's every hour)?

Can you use a distraction while you change him? Something else he doesn't get any other time? Does he do better with pull-up changing standing up? (like if there isn't poop, I mean). If so you could get cloth pull-ups.

He always poops after breakfast. Some days that's it, but some days he will poop 2-3 more times randomly through the day.

I adore our wool covers but I don't currently have anything to put underneath that won't fall down.

The changing every hour thing is multifaceted. Im so tired I'm struggling to keep up with my normal responsibilities. From the point I start to set out the stuff I need and chase him round the house to be able to change him, then spend 10minutes wrestling with him to get him clean, dry and put back together again, then rest to gain the strength/momentum to get back off the floor to traipse to the bathroom to deal with the nappy, it's probably been 15-20minutes. Then I have to rest because my pelvis hurts from the whole circus and being on the floor. Then I pick something off the list to do, blink, and I have to start all over again. Between school, chores, food prep, 2 kids and a dog who has taken to chewing up everything she can reach, I'm at my limit physically and mentally. DH is home for maybe 2 hours of Sammy's awake time 5 days a week and is gone half of Saturday too.


Anything you hand him during a change gets thrown at your head, unless it's chocolate :giggle If I sing he just screams at me to shush. There arent many cloth pull ups in the UK and the ones I can find don't have great absorbancy reviews.

---------- Post added at 12:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:27 AM ----------

If I can sew fleece soakers easily enough I bet it wouldn't be too complicated a process to add absorbency and make my own pull ups :think

Aerynne 06-05-2017 06:16 AM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
That sounds exhausting! Do you not want to give him chocolate? I might be tempted just to make it easier.

How old is he exactly? Your siggie says 1 but iirc it's said that for awhile so is he closer to 2 now?

If he always poops after breakfast I would either use a sposie then or sit him on the potty right after.

Earthmummy07 06-05-2017 06:52 AM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
I'd rather not give him chocolate at all 8 changes that we average in a day. His allergy safe chocolate is expensive, but I am not above bribery in principle if it gets us through :shifty

---------- Post added at 02:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:50 PM ----------

ETA he is 2 on the 19th. He will poop on the potty if he is naked, but he will also pee wherever he feels like while he is naked so we wound up limiting naked time for the sake of the furniture and my FIL's shoes

Aerynne 06-05-2017 07:39 AM

Re: Loosing the cloth love
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Earthmummy07 (Post 6087863)
I'd rather not give him chocolate at all 8 changes that we average in a day. His allergy safe chocolate is expensive, but I am not above bribery in principle if it gets us through :shifty

---------- Post added at 02:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:50 PM ----------

ETA he is 2 on the 19th. He will poop on the potty if he is naked, but he will also pee wherever he feels like while he is naked so we wound up limiting naked time for the sake of the furniture and my FIL's shoes

I think if you just ended up giving him 8 chocolate chips a day, one per change, and it makes your life easier, then I would go with it. It depends on how much chocolate he needs to make it through a change, though- obviously you wouldn't want to do it if he needed a whole regular sized chocolate bar to make it through a change.

With the potty I'm just saying what if you put him on it right after breakfast for his poop and then put a diaper on him right after that and kept the diaper on the rest of the day? I know he might poop again, but one less poopy change would be good.


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