Other Things to Consider

Other Things to Consider:

• Flushable Liners: these are not only good for flushing away the poop, but they are also safe to use diaper ointment on. Using diaper creams and ointments can make your cloth diapers less absorbent. Or from my own experience they really help retain that nasty pee smell in your diaper. Not fun. The liners are an easy solution. But be careful when choosing a liner, some brands have been known to give baby a diaper rash. Just read lots of reviews and choose a kind that looks right for you.
• Disposable Inserts: I have had a few of these. They cost about as much as Pampers do, but don't hold as much. Basically they aren't worth it in my opinion. 
• On the Go Wet Bags: I have a couple of these. The brand I got isn't my favorite because they tend to get stinky after about 5 or 6 hours. I guess you get what you pay for, and I didn't pay much for mine. Mine are good enough to last through 3 hour church though so I can't really complain as that is all I use them for. I also made my own and it works much better than the ones I bought. I got my PUL waterproof fabric from Diaper Supplies. I just dump my wet insert in the bag and seal it up. Pretty easy. It does take up more room so if you are worried about space when you are out and about, just use disposables. *Wet bags are also awesome for when you go swimming to hold your wet suits and stuff*
• Heavy Wetter: I didn't have this problem until my toddler started peeing a lot more at one time. If I didn't change her diaper promptly after her wetting it, it would leak out everywhere. Although cloth is great at containing any kind of poop, pee seems to like to seep through, especially if you have an active child. The best thing I've found for this new issue is to just make sure I'm checking and changing her diaper frequently or double up on inserts. I'm not the biggest fan of doubling because of the bulk it creates, but hey- if it means you don't get pee everywhere, then it's worth it! ALSO try stripping your diapers. If there is too much buildup they loose their ability to soak up as much liquid.
• Nighttime Coverage: I use disposables at night. My child is a HEAVY wetter at night and sometimes the cloth will leak through, heck, even the disposables leak out! One disposable at night is a lot cheaper than all the time!
  The things I have tried in the past that worked fine:
  • when baby is smaller, a indian prefold worked just great over night
  • when baby starts wetting a little more, try 2 stay-dry inserts
  • or try a stay-dry insert wrapped in a indian prefold
  • or try an indian prefold is any other kind of insert. I've found that the hemp/organic cotton inserts make a great doubler and hardly ever leak out when added with an indian prefold.
    *I decided not to do this anymore because with so much extra cloth down there, it has got to be uncomfortable to sleep!*
• Velcro or Snaps?: I have 3 velcro covers, the rest are snaps. I hate the velcro. Sure, it is much easier to put the diaper on the child, but  most babies learn very quickly that they can pull of the velcro and run free. If you don't secure the velcro before washing, it will tare up your diaper. (Learned from experience unfortunately) Velcro wears out easily and needs to be replaced. Snaps are a little more difficult to put on a squirmy child, but you get used to it and it becomes second nature. I would definitely recommend snaps, especially if you plan on diapering more than one kid. 
• Build-up of Smells: We have hard water and over time, it builds up on your diapers and makes them stink all the time! When this happens it is time to strip your diapers. 
• Smelly Diaper Pail: Over time, wet bags just aren't as good at containing the smell as they initially were. It took a year before my pail liners began to let smell seep out. I've found it's not a problem if you store your dirty diapers in a air-tight container, but it is a problem if you use a regular flip top garbage can. So start out with a lid that seals and you shouldn't have a problem.