Letting you in on the CD lingo

Learning "the lingo" is half the battle!

*now remember... I'm learning all this with you!

 So if you're an "expert" CD'er- don't be harsh if I get something wrong, please just comment! :) *

Abbreviations

AIO:  All In One
AI2:  All In Two
BF: Breastfeed
BG:  bumGenius
CD:  Cloth Diaper
CPF:  Chinese Prefold
DC:  Diaper Cover
DSQ:  Diaper Service Quality
FB:  Fuzzi Bunz
FM:  Fluffy Mail
IPF:  Indian Prefold
PUL:  Polyurethane Laminate
WAHM:  Work At Home Mom

Cloth Diaper Types

One Sized:  (fits all) From newborn to toddler! Gets the most for your money. They use Snaps or Velcro closures that grow with your baby from 7-35 lbs.



Prefold:  Have three panels of absorbent cotton or organic material. You need a fastener like a snappi or diaper pins. Also a cover or shell for waterproofing is needed. They come in sizes- infant (up to 15lbs) and premium (up to 35 lbs).
-Indian Prefold: are a softer cotton, wash up quicker, but may wear out quicker then a Chinese prefold. Takes 3 washes until usable.
-Chinese Prefold: are heavier duty, last longer, but they pill up and are rougher then Indian prefolds.
Takes up to 10 washes until usable.



Contour:  Are like a fitted prefold, except you don't need a fastener, you just place inside a cover and fasten  the cover around baby. Also come in sizes.



Fitted:  Is fitted to the baby at their current size. The tend to run more money because you need to buy more when the baby grows out of them.  Unlike the prefold this just goes on baby, and snaps around the waist. You also need a cover with this as it is not waterproof. Shown below is a Kissaluvs.



Cover or Shell:  Is made from water proof fabric (like PUL) that goes on the outside of the prefold, contour, or fitted. You fasten with Velcro or Snaps. You can buy these in One Size or Sized.



Pocket:  Are lined with fleece and have a waterproof outer. They come with an insert that you slide into a "pocket" inside the CD. These also come in different sizes. You can also use your prefold or contour if you like.



All in One:  Is the most like a disposable diaper. No inserts. Just place on baby and go! They do take longest to dry though because of the layers inside.



All in Two:  Comes with a cover and an insert. Some inserts snap into the diaper and you can re-use the cover. So unlike a pocket that gets stuffed inside, this one gets placed on top and in direct contact with the baby.



Wool:  The only style of cloth diaper cover composed of all natural, anti fungal, wear-resistant fibers. Wool is soft, breathable, and absorbent, keeping baby cool in the summer months and warm in the winter months. You can get them in a wrap or pull up cover style (shown below). They are not water proof and do use a soaker pad. They are expensive to buy, but if you know how to knit they are very cost effective.

      

WAHM: A Work At Home Mom- I love to look at their CD's for sale! As you can imagine- it's a mom that's working from her house making cloth diapers for others. They are great to use and buy from because they can make you a very specific to you and what you want on the diaper! (shown below is a Squishy Butt WAHM custom made covers and wipes/accessories-check out her website to see more, or order!)

        

Snap:   They are just that, button snaps. They are used to close the diaper and also to adjust the size of the one size fits all. Very handy and last longer then the hook and loop. They come in a huge variety of colors. You can see the snap usage in practically all of the pictures on this blog.



Hook & Loop:   The hook side (rough side) and loop side (soft side) of the fastener (commonly called Velcro or Aplix) is used to wrap around the baby. This wears out and does need replacing after a while of use.



Snappi:  As you can see the product below, it has hooks on the ends of it (reminds me of an ace bandage fastener) and just gently goes into the fabric ensuring a snug fit.

    

Diaper Pins:   You put the pin through the fabric and close it ensuring a snug fit.

  

Accessories / Other

Wetbag:   Come in several sizes. From a diaper wipe holder to a hanging XL bag that holds your CD's until you do the laundry. They are water proof and resist odors and keeps the smell contained inside the bag. Most recommend having 2 small or medium, 1 for the clean diapers and 1 for the dirty diapers when you are on the go.



Pail Liner:  They go into your pail (like a trash bag) and are reusable. Cloth diaper pail liners also make it easy to move dirty diapers to the washing machine.
Cloth Diaper Sprayer:  Come complete with all attachments needed to quickly and easily attach to a standard 3/8 inch compression water valve (valve behind toilet). Each unit comes packaged with a hand sprayer; a flow control t-valve; 4 foot reinforced white NSF Approved PVC hose; built in check valve in sprayer (one way valve); step-by-step picture instructions; and a matching wall bracket including screws & plastic anchors. Each unit takes approximately 5-10 minutes to install when using a standard adjustable pliers.
Many people buy these to hose off poop into the toilet before the washing machine. - my husband is particularly excited about this product!



Butt or Wipe Spray:  Is a gentle moisturizer for baby's bottom. You do not 'need' any technically. You can use just plain water. Or make your own buy adding a few drops of tea tree oil into a small spray bottle (which you can purchase in the travel aisle at any drug store). You can also add soap bits. They also have ones for purchase at practically any cloth diapering website.



Diaper Creams:   DO NOT buy regular diaper rash creams! They will not go well with the cloth diaper and as I like to think of it..poison them! You can find ones that are compatible with CD's on most CD websites.



Reusable Wipes:   Many people just use baby wash cloths! But you can also make or buy them when buying your CD's online. Flannel, Cotton, Velor, Terry cloth, etc are the different types of fabrics used. Most people just run them under water for a few seconds before wiping baby.



CD Safe Detergent: You really can NOT use regular detergent with cloth diapers. Like the diaper rash cream, it's poison to CD's. Check out this sites chart from Diaper Jungle! 
How to Wash:  


-Remove as much solid matter as possible if your child is not exclusively breastfed.

    (where a diaper sprayer comes in handy!)
-Place soiled diapers in the diaper pail.

-Wash every 2 or 3 days to avoid smells and excessive staining.

-Start with a cold rinse.

-Wash in hot water.

-Use the highest water level your machine allows.

-Use the recommended amount of your CD SAFE detergent

        *be sure to check CD safe compatability chart!!!*
-Rinse in the warmest water possible.

-Do an extra final rinse.

-You can hang to dry or place in the dryer (caution: I've heard it reduces the life of your CD!)

  *although drying the inserts and prefolds is okay. It's the covers with PUL inside that should be line dried.
    And occasionally dryer dried to tighten the PUL.
  *be sure to follow manufactures directions as well!
Stripping CDs:   Over time your cloth diapers no longer smell fresh, even right after laundering. This usually means that they have build-up and need a good stripping. Build-up occurs when residue left by detergents, oils or other substances remain in the fibers. Diapers with either super-absorbent hemp or man-made materials like microfleece tend to gather stink more easily than diapers with all-natural fibers like cotton or bamboo. If the funky smell wasn't bad enough, build up can also decrease the absorbency of your diapers and cause leaking. But don't worry, removing build-up by stripping your cloth diapers.
Be sure to know the washing instructions on your CD's so you don't damage them!
Do a hot wash with no detergent, rinse rinse rinse in the HOT water until you no longer see soap bubbles (can take 5 or so washes!).
You can also try:
-1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar especially in hard water areas- added to the last rinse cycle will naturally break down uric acid and soapy residue.  It also prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew. And don't worry, they won't smell like vinegar after they are dry!
-A squirt or two of Dawn dish soap (which will help remove oils) rinse wash until bubbles are no more.
Sunning:   It is used to remove stains and re-whiten your CD's!
-Do a cold soak, then add half the normal amount of detergent in a hot wash, followed by an extra rinse cycle. While the CD's are wet, place outside in sunlight with the stained side up for the sun to do the work naturally. This can take up to 3 times of sunning for stains to be completely removed.
-I've also read that you can spray lemon or lime juice on bad stains, but be sure to repeat the wash!

WHEW!!! Now that's a LOT of info... and just think, it only took me 6 hours to type it up! :)
SO please please please, if you know about CD's ADD to in the comments! Correct me if I got something wrong and Add if I forgot!
I hope you enjoyed and that this will make looking at cloth diapering websites a LOT easier!!!

And when you buy, don't forget that pre-washing is necessary!