Don’t know what I’m doing

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romanseight2005

New member
I just started using our cloth diapers on my five week old. I’m using the pocket diapers with the absorber pad thing they came with (microfiber? I think?) sorry, I don’t know all of the abbreviations that everyone uses on this page!
She wakes up completely soaked. Like through the diaper, through the clothes and the two swaddles. I feel terrible that she is just sleeping in a huge puddle of pee. How do I make them more absorbent? It’s so frustrating to go from something that works so well (disposables) to something that completely sucks!!

I really don’t want to use disposable diapers, how can I make cloth just as reliable?
 
@romanseight2005 Once you figure out what to use for best absorbency (microfiber stinks but is cheap, cotton absorbs fast and holds better, hemp and bamboo hold more but absorb slower) cloth is more reliable for poop!
 
@romanseight2005 My nighttime solution is a prefold wrapped around a Thirsties hemp inserts. Microfiber isn’t very absorbent, so I stick with prefolds. My favorite are the imagine smart fit, which I get from Nicki’s Diapers online.
 
@zzareyan Receiving blankets make awesome flats, plus they are super cute hanging out on a line. You can get them pretty cheap or free if you ask around to family and friends. I paid a friend $10 for about 30, can't beat 30 cent flats!
 
@travelingfarmgal Yeah just padfold. My kid is a pretty light wetter so 1 blanket works for day and night. If she tanks a sippy cup before bed I might add a hemp booster rolled up in the blanket. I use them in pockets or covers. You can fold them fancy and pin on but my kiddo likes to fight during changes so I don't lol. I also like size 1/small prefolds padfolded.
 
@skitnik How can you tell what the inserts are made of? I inherited my stash from two moms who used different things. Most are FuzziBunz, KaWaii, and BumGenius.
 
@jesusmylife7 I don't have any fuzzibunz or kawaii, but I do have BumGenius, Rumparooz, and Alvababy pockets and all came with microfiber. It feels like a cleaning cloth - bamboo feels more like a fleece jacket, and hemp is like a heavy t-shirt shirt material if that makes sense. There is also hemp fleece and wool and cotton and I'm not sure about other possibilities. I think microfiber is the cheapest and the quickest to wear out.
 
@skitnik Charcoal bamboo inserts are just a thin layer [f bamboo over microfiber. They absorb a bit more but will eventually have the same issues as plain microfiber. Charcoal is the color, there is no actual charcoal in the fabric at all. Same with "coffee fleece". Unless the description says the diaper is made with fiber from the coffee plant, it's just microfleece colored brown.
 
@romanseight2005 I usually wrap a microfiber pad in a flat. That lasts my 1 year old all but and it has since he was 7 months.

I know for sure that Microfiber alone won't hold through the night. There are bamboos and charcoal inserts which can be more absorbant and it's likely you'll have to use more than one.

That being said I'm not super knowledgeable about the subject either but that's what works for me. It may be a little too bulky since your LO is small.
 
@romanseight2005 In my experience, microfiber anything sucks 😬 for a 5 week old i would definitely use flower sack towels. That’s what i have used on both my girls and they’ve been great. Good luck! A Lot of cloth diapering is trial and error.
 
@dtucker17 Have you ever used cotton prefolds? I'm just wondering because I have a stubborn almost-3-year-old who isn't ready to potty train, and I've been using them on her since birth, but as she's gotten older I CANNOT stop the ammonia stink. I've changed detergents, tested my water hardness, tried a FLCDS style bleach soak, changed how much detergent I'm using, and I always check my water-to-fabric consistency, but the ammonia still comes back. At this point I've started her in disposable but I'd like to continue to try to figure it out, because I also have a 6-week-old I plan to cloth diaper. I'm finding I don't have ammonia issues with her diapers so far.

Sorry, I got a little off track. Anyway, all this to ask, if you have used prefolds, how would you compare them to FST? I'm considering trying them, particularly if it's perhaps easier to avoid the ammonia problem with them.
 
@glowing Add a half cup of white vinegar to the prerinse, it breaks down the ammonia and acts as a natural fabric softener. I've been adding it to diapers and funky towels and they always come out fresh!
 
@glowing I can’t speak to the ammonia problem because i haven’t had that particular issue, although my heart goes out to you because that sounds super frustrating! I do actually use a mix of cotton prefolds and charcoal bamboo inserts on my 19 mo during the day though. I definitely prefer the FST! They’re literally the only thing she doesn’t leak through at night and I’ve never had a blow out during the day using them. ( i have had blowouts with my pocket diapers ) they’re also super cheap to buy, so if you decide to give them a try and don’t like them you won’t be out much. Even if you don’t love them for your 3 yr old i bet you’ll love them for your baby. I use them exclusively for my almost 2 mo. Regardless, if you’re at your wits end I’d say they’re worth a shot!
 
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