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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Help a mama out. I’ve got cloth dipey questions

Cloth diaper Mamas? Are you out there? I have a few questions and I need some opinions.

First of all, if you use cloth wipes and make your own solution, what is your favourite recipe? Up until now, I have always use Punkin Booty Bits which are an all natural chunk of baby wipe solution in concentrate that you dissolve in boiling water. I love them. The solution is not too soapy, doesn’t leave a residue, smells yummy and lasts a long time (as in, I was gifted 2 packages and just ran out for the first time in 12+ months of CDing). Of course, I could buy more, but the store that carries them is 30+ minutes away and I just haven’t had a chance to get up there. So I figured I’d see what I could do without them.

I’ve been cruising around the internet trying to find something I like, but haven’t yet. I tried one solution that was 4 parts water, 1 part baby oil and 1 part baby wash. Um, no. It was SO soapy. I had to wipe her bum with a second wipe every time to get the soap off. Not cool. I tried diluting it more but it didn’t help. I know lots of people just use straight up water … I can’t. She will get a rash. So, any suggestions? Or should I just head up to Peekaboo’s and get my Punkin Booty Bits? Sometimes, maybe, you just shouldn’t mess with a good thing.

Secondly, over the past week or two, the diaper pail has a strong chemical/disinfectant type odour. I don’t know what it’s from. I didn’t clean the diaper pail with anything other than dish detergent, which is what I have always used and I didn’t switch my cloth diaper detergent. I thought maybe it would go away but it seems to be getting stronger. Like, almost burn your nose strong. Anyone have any experience with this and have a suggestion for what I could do?

Mama needs help.

5 comments:

Laura @ My Thoughts-Uninterrupted said...

This isn't homemade so I don't know how much help it is, but we use Kiss-a-luvs diaper lotion potion and mix it with water. Maybe you could order it? It lasts forever.

As for the smell....have you soaked your diapers lately? Sometimes the ammonia smell builds up. Not sure if that is what you are smelling? I do a cold rinse, then a hot soak overnight, then wash, and rinse one more time and that usually helps.

Some people use vinegar, but I haven't had to do that yet.

Bon said...

For my cloth wipes I use 2 cups of water, 8 drops of tea tree oil and a squirt of baby shampoo (1 tbsp or less). I use the Live brand of baby shampoo / wash and I've never found it too soapy. I put it in a container to mix it and then pour it over my wipes in another container. If it isn't enough to soak them all I add water to the wipes container. When I make it I'm just winging it so you could add more water if it is too soapy.

The smell in your diaper pail could be ammonia from the urine. As your little one gets older her urine will smell stronger. You could try cleaning it with vinegar and water. A good soak with the mix should help. The vinegar should neutralize the smell. Do your diapers have a strong smell after they have been used?

If you really get stuck Anj at rediaper dot ca is amazing. She has a store in Hamilton on Ottawa Street and is very helpful when it comes to cloth diapering questions. Just email her and she will help you out.

Sarah said...

Im thinking the smell you are getting from the diaper pail is ammonia which comes from urine, the smell gets worse when the pail is closed up, and if there is ammonia build up in the diaper it could burn baby's bottom...

I had it once it came from excess use of detergent, so I just had to strip the diapers

Sarah said...

Have you stripped your diapers lately? sometimes that smell can linger even in the pail/wet bag. stripping the diapers helps get all the urnin smell out and freshin them up. Check out http://www.zany-zebra.com/ there is great advice on how to do it. Hope that helps!

Brittany Ann said...

My wipe solution is 2 cups water, to 2 tbs. olive oil, to 2 tbs. baby wash (I use hemp soap - Dr. Bronner's - so it doesn't leave a soapy residue) to 4 drops tea tree oil to 4 drops lavendar oil.

Oh, and that chemical smell? I've noticed that, too. But it's not on my dipes, just the pail. So I don't know if it's ammonia or not, like everyone is saying? I strip my diapers, and they have no odor before or after use. It's just the pail. Not sure on that one!