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Solid foods and cloth diapers
October 29, 2012 1:00 pm | by
Cloth Diaper Creams

I’m one of those moms who looks forward with great anticipation to the time that my babies start to turn from dazed infant to interactive baby. One of those signs of increased involvement is starting solid foods. Whether you start with purees or do baby led weaning, solid foods are going to affect your cloth diaper routine. But like the small changes that make your baby’s personality shine more brightly with age, the change to solids from liquids is a positive and exciting one.

My son eating sweet potatoes,
and applying them to his head

Surprise: poop smells more stinky now! So you’ll have to make sure you tweak your laundry routine accordingly. If you’re not washing every other day, you might have to do so now. Make sure you know how and when to sanitize your cloth diapers to keep the smells at bay.

You’ll be taking one additional step for poop with solids: dumping and/or pre-rinsing. With breastmilk or formula, you could just throw the poopy diapers into the pail with the wet diapers. Now, you’ll need to dump the solids into a toilet before putting the diaper into the pail. Sometimes “dumping” isn’t really the right word, and you’ll need to put a little more effort into it, if you know what I mean. Here is where I recommend the diaper sprayer again. I think I mention the diaper sprayer in every single post I write, but there is a good reason. That thing is a life-saver! Easily my #1 baby item. And you’ll even be able to use it well into potty training. Whatever method you choose, make sure you remove the majority of the solid waste before popping the diaper into the wet bag or pail or you’ll have to work harder on the laundry routine.

The introduction of solids can also require a little more forethought. If you don’t have a diaper sprayer (or even if you do), I recommend ordering some flushable diaper liners and using them regularly. You can even make your own washable liners out of an old t-shirt! If you’re taking your diapers to daycare or childcare situations, the staff or caregivers will appreciate liners and you’ll appreciate not having to deal with solid food poop that’s been in your wet bag all day long.

Now that you’ve got fun, brightly colored things going into baby’s mouth… fun, brightly colored things are going to come out, too! No worries, cloth diapers are built to be washed. In my experience, no matter how red those beets were, my regular diaper routine plus 10 minutes in the bright sunlight has always taken those stains right out. You can also find more information on staining in our previous blog posts.

Here’s one of my favorite benefits of cloth, though: you’ll hardly ever experience the poop-up-the-back phenomenon that so many disposable diapers deliver. Because cloth diapers have elastic encased in cotton tucked snugly around the backs, all of which is absorbent, I don’t think I’ve ever seen poop escape from cloth with my two kids. Nope, that has only happened in disposables for us. Hooray!

Congratulations on this fun new step for you and your baby! Solid food is a great adventure, and your cloth diapers are going to make it easy.

Have you experienced challenges related to solids with your cloth diapers? Please feel free to give us a call at 1-314-892-1855. Our knowledgeable customer service team would be glad to assist you with detailed, personalized troubleshooting for any issues you may be having.

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About the Author

Jenny Bradford lives in the Dallas, TX area and blogs at Living Consciously.com (formerly Conscientious Confusion). This includes everything from green living, natural health, conscientious consumerism, cloth diapering, and living frugally. She is a wife to Christian and mom to Little Sir born Oct. 2009, and Little Lady, born Feb. 2011.

Comments

2 Comments

  • Lisa said...
    November 2, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    OMG! I wish my 2 year old was pooping on the potty. He’s not a fan of the toilet yet so I’m not pushing it. Count your blessings, 8 months and on the toilet is amazing.

  • Anonymous said...
    October 29, 2012 at 2:16 pm

    My son just turned 8 months old and he’s been pooping on a little potty now for about a month – that’s one way to completely avoid having to deal with poopy cloth diapers! I just set him on the potty when he gives me clues that he’s gotta go (grunting, straining, etc.), which almost always happens only after he has just finished eating so it’s easy to spot. This may not work for everyone but just an idea to toss out there for those willing to give it a try!