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WubbaNubs FAQ TOP
My Baby Bits won't dissolve. Help! TOP Here's what I do: warm a couple of tablespoons of water in the microwave. Drop in one Baby Bit. Stir it until it dissolves. Add enough cool water to make one cup. The hot water helps it to dissolve faster, but the cool water makes it so you can use it right away (if you're like me, you've waited until you need it right NOW to make it!). Pour it over your wipes or into a spray bottle and you're ready to go! I like to pre-wet three or four wipes in my wipes container. The rest of my solution I store in a squeeze bottle (your peri bottle is good for this) next to my wipes. This way I always have wipes ready to be used but I don't have to worry about mildew or mold. With a newborn, you'll probably want to have a dozen wipes that are ready for use. My diapers leak. What can I do? TOP First, check the inserts. Are they inside the pocket? Are they flat and smooth with no wrinkles? Does your insert fit the diaper? If there are large gaps in the front, back, or sides then you may need a larger insert. Is the insert totally saturated when the diaper leaks? If so, then you need to add more absorbancy. Try two inserts or switch the type of insert. LoopyDos and SuperDos are great choices for maximum absorbancy without too much bulk. If the insert is not saturated, then you will probably need to strip your diapers. This refers to removing, or stripping, the detergent buildup from the fabric. Using diaper creams or fabric softener can also cause buildup that will cause your diapers to leak. Stripping diapers is easy and not as harsh as it sounds. Wash your diapers first so they're clean. Then re-start your wash cycle. Use hot water. You may find it helpful to even add a pot of boiling water to make it hotter. This won't hurt your diapers. There are three main ways to strip diapers. Different ways work better for different types of water, etc. Choose one of the following methods: 1. Rinse your diapers several times watching for soap suds. When the water is free of suds, your diapers are done. 2. Use a generous squirt of Dawn dishsoap. Rinse repeatedly until suds are gone. 3. Use two scoops of Baby Oxyclean. Rinse until suds are gone. If you've done this and your diapers still leak, there are a couple more things to try.
Can I use diaper rash creams with my cloth diapers? TOP Speaking of diaper creams, mine doesn't seem to be working. Any suggestions? TOP My standard advice is to find a cream that has 40% zinc oxide. Original Desitin (not creamy) and many store brands have this much. Look on the back of the box...it'll tell you what percentage the cream contains. Most brands now only contain 15% or so. If you would like something natural, organic, and safe to use without a liner, try My Mama's Love diaper ointment. Other things to try if you haven't already:
How do I wash BumGenius diapers? TOP
How do I wash Fuzzi Bunz diapers? TOP Washing/Drying your Fuzzi Bunz:First, run a cold rinse or soak cycle with no detergent. Second, run a hot cycle with detergent (see Recommended Brands). Do not use bleach. Third, if your hot wash is not automatically followed by a cold rinse, run a cold rinse cycle. This step only necessary with a particularly dirty load. Tumble dry the diapers in dryer on low or hang to dry. Do not use fabric softener or pure soap*. Never dry on high heat. How do I wash Happy Heiny's diapers? TOP What detergents are recommended? TOP We recommend Tide, Sun, Cheer, Era, and Kirkland (Costco brand). You may also choose the Free & Clear versions of any of these. For more environmentally friendly detergents, I recommend Allen's Naturally, Country Save, and Planet.
Natural soaps often contain various oils. These should NOT be used because they will leave a residue on fleece, causing it to repel liquids. The following detergents will cause a soap build up. Do NOT use them. What is stripping and how do I do it? TOP From Happy Heiny's: Stripping Diapers:
If you are still having problems, try these special cleaning agents to strip your diapers: Can I strip diapers in my dishwasher? TOP Our diapers smell like ammonia--what do I do? TOP The ammonia might be caused by buildup, it might not be. The older babies get, the more troubles parents can have with ammonia. It seems to just be due to toddler pee and I haven't found a perfect solution. First, determine if the ammonia is due to detergent buildup. Wash them as you usually do. This is easiest in a toploading machine, but can be done with a front loader, too. Keep an eye on the machine and when it nears the end of the final agitation rinse cycle, right before it spins out for the last time, open the lid and check the water inside. If there are any bubbles at all, then you need to strip the diapers. If not, then buildup isn't your problem. How much money can I save with cloth diapers? TOP This is a complicated question that largely depends on how your child grows, the types of diapers used, and your local utility costs. However, using average numbers, you can see that the savings is significant. Average baby uses 8 diapers per day for the first year and 6 diapers per day for the rest of their diapering years. The average baby potty trains around age 3. 8x365=2920 diapers (first year) At my local grocery store, name brand diapers on sale and with coupons are about 13 cents each for smaller sizes and up to 25 cents each for larger sizes. I'll average these to 19 cents per disposable diaper. 7300 diapers x 19 cents each = $1387 A 1989 study found families using disposable diapers spend an additional 10% (of diapering costs) in disposal...in other words, what it costs to throw away the diapers. $1387 x 10% = $138 Total cost of disposable diapers: $1387+$138=$1525 Add in the cost of wipes and diaper creams (studies show that babies in disposable diapers go to the doctor more often for rashes) and that's a lot of money! And this is with very careful shopping, always clipping coupons and watching for sales. Diapers.com estimates it costs $750 for ONE year's worth of disposable diapers, not including wipes, creams, or disposal costs. If I used their numbers instead, the cost savings is even more substantial! In comparison, if you buy the following, you'll save money and have "free" diapers for your next child! 24 one-size cloth diapers @ $17.95 each = $390 Of course, water and electricity for washing and drying diapers needs to be added in. However, consider that if you wash diapers every 3 days, this is equal to flushing the toilet 5 times a day. Once your child potty trains, they will be using the toilet and the water used will be the same cost. Money saved using cloth diapers: $1525-$487.99 = $1037 That's over the lifetime of diapering, with clipping coupons and watching for sales, versus just buying them once and never worrying about it again. When your child potty trains, you can sell the used diapers and accessories or save them for the next child. Try reusing or selling a disposable diaper! Note: these numbers are estimates based on my own experiences in Eugene, Oregon. You can use the calculator at Diaper Pin to better figure your own cost savings.
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