Cloth diaper No-nos

There are some things that I have learned the hard way when dealing with cloth. I have compiled a small list of cloth diapering no-nos.

1. Always use a wet bag. I have been without my wet bag on numerous occasions and just put my dirty diapers in a plastic bag. Not a good idea for a couple reasons. First, it doesn't hold in smell very well. Second, you will inevitably forget about one of the plastic bags and leave it in the car. When it is hot outside I promise you that is one surprise you DON'T want to find waiting for you the next day.
2. Don't use regular diaper cream. You want to use a cloth diaper safe diaper rash cream. CJ's BUTTer makes a great one that smells really good! Basically if you use a cream that is not safe for cloth it will make your cloth repel and then you have to strip them. No fun!
3. Don't be lazy. Don't wait till you are down to one diaper to do laundry. That will be the one time your baby decides to poo three times in one hour. 
4. Don't put microfiber inserts next to the baby's skin. These inserts are made to go inside a pocket diaper or under something else. They will make your baby's bottom red.
5. Do not use fabric softner. This can cause the diapers to repel and you will have some major stripping to do!
6. Only boil the inserts when stripping diapers. Don't boil the covers or anything with a snap. It can melt the snaps! You can still strip them, just wash them on hot several times in the washing machine and dry.

Luckily for everyone out there, it is actually really hard to "ruin" your diapers. Even if you accidentally leave a dirty diaper in the car in 90 degree weather for a couple days (oops) it can be fixed.  Don't stress out too bad if you happen to find yourself in one of these predicaments. Most likely it is nothing a little bit of TLC can't handle :)

Pampers response to cost analysis study.

I recently also wrote Pampers asking to see a copy of the cost analysis study that they did on cloth vs. disposables. In their FAQ page they quote a study saying this:

Are disposable diapers more expensive than cloth diapers?
Disposable diapers provide great value for consumers, and are not necessarily more expensive than using cloth diapers. A cost comparison shows Pampers diapers total expenditure for consumers range at the low end of the cheapest home-laundered cloth diapers, and cost roughly half the price of a cloth diaper wash service.

I simply asked for a link to or copy of the cost comparison study they are referring to. This is their response.


Hello Tara,


Thanks for contacting Pampers.


We appreciate your sharing your comments on the topic of cloth versus disposable diapers. We believe this choice is an individual decision – we merely wish to provide the information we have to date on the environmental impact of our products. We realize more information needs to be added, and we’re in the process of updating our website.


Thanks again for your feedback. I'll be sure to share it with the rest of the Pampers Team.


Heather
Pampers Team


Again, the impression is they are hiding something or the study is so off-base they are scared to show it.  If their study was legit they would be passing it out for free to everyone. I hate it that companies can get by spouting off any facts they choose without having to cough up any facts to back it up.