(Image)

SELAMAT TINGGAL 2010, SELAMAT DATANG 2011!

We would like to wish all of Cloth Diaper Malaysia’s readers a HAPPY  & BLESSED NEW YEAR! May the new year bring joy, success, happiness and health to you and your families. Keep up the good work of giving the best for your families by choosing an eco-friendly, natural and healthy lifestyle!

2010 has been a memorable year for me. Why? It was the year my first baby was born – and he taught me a lot of things about life, he made me think about the choices I had to make, he made me more aware about the importance of health and well-being. Yes, if it weren’t for this little person, I wouldn’t have lead this sort of lifestyle that I have on today!

Let’s review what were my favourite Cloth Diaper things (and more!) that I have used, reviewed and in the end, fallen in love with for the year 2010!

(Image)

1. Value-for-money Malaysian cloth diaper brands - It was a good year for the local Cloth Diaper market. Malaysia should pride herself for producing local brands which were not only wallet-friendly, but also delivered superior quality like the international brands. Not to mention, the growing number of entrepreneurial mothers who custom & make their cloth diapers, and also those who start their own online shops. Let’s see more Malaysian cloth diaper brands in 2011! My favourites: BambooLite diapers, Bouncy Baby diapers.
2. The growing Cloth Diaper community – I have been hanging out with other moms who cloth diapers on the Diapers Asia forums and made many new friends. It’s great to also see many newbies who are interested to switch to cloth diapers! Throughout the year too, the list of Malaysian Cloth Diaper Moms grew, and recently – there was a Facebook Group called “Malaysian Cloth Diapering Parents” was launched, and allowed an even bigger and happening community of conscious parents who are in love with cloth diapering! Keep it up everyone!
3. Organic & natural fabrics - We all know that cloth diapers are made from many different types of fabric. As for me, I have several favourites, for example, I really love pocket diapers which have microsuede inner lining like the ones from Moo Moo Kow and also Bouncy Baby. However, my favourite items are made from natural or organic fibers such as bamboo, hemp and cotton. They are not only safer, healthier and more eco-friendly, they also have such qualities like antibacterial, super soft materials, and good absorbencies. I love the bamboo and organic fabric-made products from Baby-Mel, Itti Bitti & BambooLite; organic cotton All-In-2 diapers from GroVia, the gorgeous Envibum diapers which is also made from cotton, and any brand of hemp inserts!
4. Switching to Cloth Pads – If our babies are benfiting from using cloth products, why not us mums too? If you haven’t already known the dangers of feminine disposable products, please read about it here! I first started using cloth liners to replace my daily disposable panty liners while I was pregnant, and I have never bought any disposable products since then! Currently, I’m a 100% Cloth Pad/Liner user, I use cloth liners daily, I used Cloth Pads during my confinement (post-partum), and recently for every time I have my period. I can thank Mama Patch for introducing me to the wonders of cloth, and the other brands I have tried are Momiji, Saffa and Snexy. I will definitely try out more brands!
5. Prefolds, Flats & Covers, my perfect newborn cloth diapering solution – This was when my cloth diapering journey started. As an excited first time mom, I initially had problems with my cloth diapering experience. Cloth diapering a newborn was indeed a unique experience, and after trial and error sessions, I went back to basics with the prefolds, flats and diaper cover option, and it worked best for me and baby. It was simple, versatile, less hassle and 100% cloth and comfy! I used the basic flat diapers (kain lampin) and Freshbots prefolds, doubled them up with boosters and inserts, and used them along with newborn-sized diaper covers from Thirsties. Please read more about how I cloth diaperes my newborn baby here.

I hope you have enjoyed your journey to a eco-friendly and healthy living too. I also wish that Cloth Diaper Malaysia has managed to share with you some useful and valuable information about cloth diapering and more. I’m very happy for all the friends I have met in the past year, and hope that we will continue to support and share with each other, for better living in 2011 and beyond!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I was surfing around the internet reading Cloth Diaper Mom blogs from elsewhere around the world. I have a few favourites that I subscribe on my Google Reader to keep me updated on the latest news and developments in the Cloth Diaper world

I thought I would share with you a very interesting topic about Cloth Diapering a Newborn from Cloth Diaper Outlet Blog. This Mom blogger from the USA describes her experience of using the many different types and brands of Cloth Diapers on her newborn baby. It’s quite informative, and she adds in a lot of pictures too!

As for me, my Cloth Diapering a newborn episode started with lampins (Flat Diapers), Prefold Diapers and Diaper Covers. (You may read about my personal experiences Cloth Diapering my newborn here). The other types of diapers I had in my stash (like my Pocket Diapers and Fitted Diapers) were reserved for use later on when I was more confident with using and caring for the Cloth Diapers, and until I had better management of my newborn baby (It ain’t that easy when you have to take care of a newborn on your own with no extra help during the day).

It would be very very nice to use and experiment with the many types of Cloth Diapers on your newborn. And Oh My God, the small little sizes and prints looks super adorable on tiny newborn baby bottoms! And, also the fact that Cloth Diapers are the more natural way to diaper your precious little baby – better for baby’s delicate skin . Perhaps on my next baby I’ll be able to do so, InsyaAllah

Meanwhile, feel free to visit Cloth Diaper Blog here, here, here and here to check out her newborn Cloth Diaper experience and recommendations with these brands of Cloth Diapers:

• FuzziBunz
• Thirsties diaper covers (this was also the Diaper Cover that I use on my newborn, I love them!)
• Bummis covers (this one too )
• Rumparooz
• GroVia
• Happy Heiny’s
• Knickernappies
• BumGenius
• Kissaluvs Fitteds
• … and many more!

You can look around to purchase many of the brands mentioned above here in Malaysia too. Many of these brands are considered to be the popular and well-known Cloth Diaper brands around. Why not check out the Malaysian Cloth Diaper Shops listing here on Cloth Diaper Malaysia to find out where you can buy them? *wink*

Note: All pictures linked from Cloth Diaper Blog.

I recieved new fluffy mail!   Thank you to Abby for sending me a pair of this gorgeous cloth diapers. My baby boy is truly grateful that he will be able to try out this cool Moo Moo Kow (TM) baby cloth diapers. “My cute little butt will be so happy in Cloth!” (Or I assume he might say, hehe)

Moo Moo Kow (TM) is March’s Featured Cloth Diaper. Read up more about this quirky brand of one size diapers here.

In the meantime, here’s my little Rafee boy posing today with a pair of Snappi-ed Regular Prefolds. Yes, Mummy’s brave enough now to upgrade her Cloth Diaper use from Flat Diapers (kain lampin) to these Prefolds! Yay to Mummy! Oh, that’s because he’s bigger now too compared to 1 month ago. These prefolds were too huge for him back then.

How I used the Prefolds:

• Folded them into something like the above diagram. Nothing complicated.
• I added an extra step, I folded the front part towards the inside for extra absorbency on the front side.
• Also, this is to make the Prefold lie below his belly button. If unfolded, it will cover all the way up until his waist (yes, the Regular Prefolds were still big for use, but I guess you have to improvise)
• Snappi them on both sides, and wrap the Prefold up with a diaper cover. Tuck in ALL of the cloth inside to avoid leaks!

Want to learn more? Click below for more:

Prefold Diapers

Cloth Diapering a Newborn

Here was my experience:

The most basic way to use flat diapers is the traditional way.

• It is simply folded up normally, then secured with a safety pin/Snappi. Or what I do is tie a knot on the baby

(Image from My Precious Diary. Click link to learn how to fold flat diapers/lampins the tradional way.)

The problem with the traditional way was:

• Kain lampin will only contain 1 pee session from the baby because it is not really absorbent (thin fabric). Since newborn baby’s peeing is unpredictable, I had to change it VERY often (quite tiresome).
• And when the lampin is wet, the ENTIRE lampin is wet. Not only where the baby pees, but also around the sides, back, front, everywhere! So basically my baby was soaked all over, and I imagine it wasn’t very comfortable to swim in VERY wet diapers.
• Obviously, flat diapers are not waterproof, so if you leave him lying around with just the lampin on, you’d have to lay the baby on a waterproof mat to avoid leaks.
• When the baby poops, runny newborn poop sticks to the surface of the flat diapers. Makes washing a chore! Had to spend some time rinsing lampin to remove the poop before I dump them in the laundry basket.

HOW I DEALT WITH THESE PROBLEMS:

1) Increase absorbency of flat diapers with additional inserts:

• Using modern cloth diaper inserts and fold it inside the lampin. I had bamboo and microfiber pocket diaper inserts to use with mine.

(Image from A Note on Cloth Diapering Journey. Click link to learn how to fold the inserts inside the lampin.)

• Also, I had some disposable inserts from Mothercare Smart Nappy system. They were on Sale, 50% off per pack that’s why I bought them before. I used these when I simply want some “added convenience” because once its soiled, you just dispose the insert. The same method as above, I fold the inserts inside the lampin (so baby’s bum only touches lampin, no plastics on baby please, hehe!)

(The Mothercare Smart Nappy system I bought. The disposable inserts are those 2 big packets on the top. Along with it, I bought the Trial Pack which consisted of a Nappy Cover and a microfibre insert).

• Using these 2 methods, I found that the lampin will not be ENTIRELY wet after the baby pees. It will only be soaked around the area where baby pees (where the inserts are placed). The sides remains dry.
• This means, I don’t have to change the lampin so often, and the lampin can last a few pee sessions.

2) Using a Diaper Cover

• I love Thirsties diaper covers! They are perfect to use with lampin/flat diapers! I used size XS and S on my newborn. A few pairs of these is enough to rotate for daily use (since diaper covers do not need to be washed after each use).

• The fitting is very snug, and it will fit the lampin entirely inside (this is key to ensure lampin does not leak).
• I don’t even have to secure lampin with Snappy/pin/tie a knot because the diaper cover secures it well on baby.
• Obviously, using a diaper cover with lampin makes it a waterproof system, so no worries about leaks when baby wears lampin!
• One thing though, with lampin+inserts, it makes the cloth diapered-baby butt a bit bulky and heavy. But hey, it looks pretty cute because it’s like a heavily padded baby butt when you hold him up !

3) Using Nappy Liners

• To make cleaning the flat diapers easier, I line them with nappy liners. So if the baby poops, the poop will be trapped ON the liner instead of the lampin.
• After that, I lightly rinse soiled lampin with water (to remove pee and poop before machine washing). No need to spend time picking off poop from the diapers!
• There will be some yellowish poop stains left behind on lampin even after washing, but with exposure to sunlight, it magically disappears!

Ta-da! The final product! Hehe. Note that the flat diapers+diaper cover system is bulky at the crotch area. So my baby is like a bit “terkangkang” and can’t really put his legs together.

Why I think using kain lampin works best for me during the first weeks?

• It’s easy to use. What I do is fold the flat diapers beforehand with the inserts inside so if I need to use them, just grab and go!
• They’re so easy to handle. I don’t have to worry about “spoiling” any of my “precious, cute, expensive” cloth diapers with cleaning, drying, staining issues for now (I have yet to use them, hehe – I think I’ll wait a while until the runny poop period subsides a bit )
• Cleaning and drying is a breeze. The flat diapers can just be dumped in washing machine (normal detergent, normal cycle, no need to think so much), and they dry very fast too!
• They are cheap. Meaning you can buy dozens to use and it wouldn’t cost you a fortune. And even if they spoil from wear and tear (which I doubt will happen very very soon becauseflat diapers are very hardy material). By the way, the lampins that I use for my baby were MY LAMPINS from when I was a baby. THAT’S proof that they really are good quality!
• PEACE OF MIND! With all the other issues of being a new mother (tired! pain! back ache! lack of sleep! hungry! etc! etc!), I feel cloth diapering using lampin/flat diapers is hassle-free and less tedious compared to using modern cloth diapers. I will reserve the pocket diapers, etc when I get more efficient with being a mom

Read more about Cloth Diapering a Newborn & Flat Diapers/Lampin:

1. My 10 Problems in Cloth Diapering a Newborn
2. Cara Mudah & Murah untuk Cloth Diaper Bayi Baru Lahir
3. 5 Ways to Fold & Use Prefolds/Flat Diapers (Lampin)

]]> http://clothdiapermalaysia.com/2010/03/how-to-cloth-diaper-better-using-flat-diapers-kain-lampin/feed/ 10 http://clothdiapermalaysia.com/2010/02/my-10-problems-in-cloth-diapering-a-newborn/ http://clothdiapermalaysia.com/2010/02/my-10-problems-in-cloth-diapering-a-newborn/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:28:53 +0000 Farhana (ClothDiaperMalaysia) http://clothdiapermalaysia.com/?p=524

*This post is part of the Cloth Diaper Carnival VII:  Newborn Cloth Diapering at Dirty Diaper Laundry*

So sorry about the very long absence… But it was not for a better reason – I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Rafee 1 week ago! So imagine the hectic-ness I have to undergo for this while, I hope Cloth Diaper Malaysia readers would understand

Just so you know, one of the many reasons I started Cloth Diaper Malaysia, apart from wanting to promote and encourage Cloth Diapering to Malaysians, was to also prepare myself with the knowledge to Cloth Diaper my newborn baby. I researched, read and wrote articles related to Cloth Diapers for myself, and also to share with the others about Cloth Diapering.

UNFORTUNATELY, I learnt that theory and practical were two VERY different things. Despite the preparations I made, my Cloth Diapering journey with my newborn wasn’t so smooth sailing and easy.

Here were some of the problems about Cloth Diapering a newborn that I have encountered, which were oh-so frustrating!

1) None of my bought cloth diapers seem to fit my small newborn!

Apparently I was too cautious, not wanting to buy Extra Small sizes because I thought “they wouldn’t last too long.”

2) My prefolds and diaper cover plan to cloth diaper my newborn was a failure.

How silly of me, I have a stash of prefold diapers that were Regulars (again, I thought buying Infant size would be a waste) which did not fit my newborn at all, NOR did they even fit in ANY of the XS or S sized diaper covers that I had.

3) Leaking problems!

Again, this was a sizing issue, even with a small sized Fitted Diaper. I was breastfeeding one time, and my boy leaked all over my lap, grr!!
4) My little boy LOVES pooping on freshly changed diapers.

Happened so many times after I put on a clean diaper, to find out that minutes later he “felt” like the diapers were just too nice not to poop on immediately!

5) My social support system wasn’t really so “supportive”.

My husband was joking with me that I put so much effort in wanting to Cloth Diaper, but apparently so many things tend to go wrong! And I don’t think my mother in law was into the idea of Cloth Diapers too much either!

6) The cloth diapers were so bulky!

On a tiny newborn, almost everything I put on makes my baby an awkward sumo wrestler on his crotch (which didn’t look too comfortable). I was critcized again about this by my social support system, heh.

7) Could I even be bothered with laundry right now??

Cloth Diapering requires ULTIMATE care, but seriously, with a million other things to do with the baby the first month, should I really put so much effort in it?

8 ) I couldn’t figure out how to Snappi lampins (or prefold for that matter) properly.

In the end I gave up. Needs more practice. Sigh.

9) My “one sized” pocket diapers were not really “one sized fits all”.

It certainly did not fit on too well on my newborn. Even at the smallest setting, it was still huge and left gaps at the legs.

10) My apartment laundry area had no direct contact with the sun.

So the stains on the diapers couldn’t benefit from the sunlight. Also, they take ages to dry. Sigh….

So I guess my cloth diaper start was bumpy indeed. Will it stop me from trying? Of course not! After all is sorted, I’m ditching those darn disposable diapers! But now with breastfeeding, identifying baby’s needs and wants, trying to get enough rest, being a zombie during the day…. It’s going to be tough indeed!

But never mind, the good news is, my little baby is born healthy and happy!

(Thanks Adriana for making the birth announcement! )

*UPDATE! One month after I got used to the craziness of becoming a new parent, my Cloth Diapering journey was more successful… Read about how I did in this post: My Newborn Prefold Experience. Yay!!!

Jika anda masih baru dalam dunia Cloth Diapers, mungkin anda merasakan Cloth Diaper itu mahal. Banyak Cloth Diapers yang jenamanya “established” dan telah lama di pasaran adalah jenama luar negara (Rujuk posting “Top 15 Cloth Diaper Brands” untuk mengenali jenama-jenama CD yang popular sekarang). Mungkin dilabel “mahal” kerana harga sekeping sahaja sudah mencecah RM60 ke atas (selalunya jenis Pocket Diapers). Saya setuju kita boleh dapatkan Cloth Diapers yang lebih murah harganya jika ianya bukan jenama antarabangsa atau yang kurang “dikenali” (besar kemungkinan ia Made in China, dll), tetapi saya sendiri belum berkesempatan untuk mencuba untuk menilai kualiti dan keberkesanannya. Namun begitu, saya tahu akan ibu-ibu yang cukup serasi menggunakan jenama-jenama ini, dan berpuas hati dengan pilihan mereka.

Tidak dinafikan juga ramai pengguna lebih cenderung untuk memilih Cloth Diapers jenis POCKET DIAPERS kerana ianya cukup popular dan dikenali. Namun begitu para pengunjung sekalian, eloklah saya memperkenalkan Cloth Diaper jenis PREFOLDS – sebagai salah satu jenis Cloth Diaper yang MURAH dan MUDAH untuk digunakan!

Cloth Diaper untuk Bayi Baru Lahir (Newborns)

Menggunakan Cloth Diapers ke atas bayi baru lahir memerlukan Cloth Diaper dalam kuantiti yang banyak dan juga agak melecehkan. Cloth Diapering pada peringkat awal ini juga mungkin agak sukar dan memerlukan kesabaran. Mengapa pula? (Rujuk juga posting “Berapa CDs yang Saya Perlu untuk Bayi Saya?” untuk pemahaman lebih mendalam):

-          Bayi baru lahir (newborns) sangat kerap membuang air kecil dan besar. Lampin perlu ditukar lebih kurang setiap 2 jam sekali, 12 kali sehari!

-          Ini bermakna, kita memerlukan stok 24-36 keping Cloth Diapers untuk newborn! (jika kita membasuh Cloth Diaper 2-3 hari sekali)

-          Air besar newborn amat cair, sukar melekat pada lampin dan senang bocor di sisi dan belakang (masalah biasa jika menggunakan lampin pakai buang)

-          Newborn masih bersaiz kecil (terutama bahagian peha) dan mungkin tidak sesuai untuk dipakaikan “One Size” Cloth Diapers (kebocoran jika saiz CD tidak sesuai).

Mahu tahu cara paling murah dan senang untuk Cloth Diaper bayi baru lahir? Menggunakan PREFOLDS/FLATS (kain lampin)! Ianya adalah jenis CD yang paling versatil, menjimatkan dan sesuai untuk keperluan newborn:

-          Sekeping Prefold diapers harganya RM8-12 setiap satu. Di mana nak beli Prefolds? Klik link ini untuk senarai kedai: Prefolds di Malaysia.

-          Harga Flat diapers (kain lampin biasa) juga amat murah dan senang didapati di mana-mana pasaraya.

-          Prefolds/Flats sesuai untuk pencucian yang kerap kerana ianya kain yang tahan lasak, dan ianya cepat kering.

-          Kombinasi lengkap yang boleh digunakan adalah Prefolds + Snappi + Diaper Cover. Sistem ini sesuai untuk mengelakkan kebocoran dan penggunaan kerap bagi bayi baru lahir.

-          Diaper Cover menjadikan penggunaan Prefolds sebagai kalis air, dan juga tidak perlu dibasuh setiap kali digunakan kerana ianya lapisan luar. Memadai jika kita ada 4-5 keping Diaper Cover untuk digunakan. Di mana nak beli Diaper Covers? Rujuk di sini.

-          Terpulang kepada bajet, sistem Prefolds+Diaper Cover kosnya hanya RM30-40. Ianya lebih murah jika menggunakan Flats (kain lampin).

-          Jika tidak mahu menggunakan Diaper Covers pun tidak mengapa, prefolds/flats boleh dipakaikan dengan Snappi sahaja. Cuma bersedia dengan alas kalis air jika berlaku sebarang kebocoran!

Siapa kata Cloth Diaper tidak berpatutan harganya? Sesiapa pun boleh menggunakan CDs, dan tidak semestinya membiasakan diri dengan CD jenis Pocket Diapers sahaja. Saya setuju, ada juga Cloth Diapers jenis One Size Pocket Diapers yang berharga RM30-40 sekali dengan inserts, tetapi fikirkan semula: Tiada bezakah CD yang berharga RM30 ini dengan CD yang berharga lebih RM60? Kita juga perlu realistik, jangan hanya kerana “murah”, kita terlalu ghairah membeli. Fikirkan tentang kualiti juga!

*Untuk pengetahuan anda, kualiti Prefolds adalah sama dan standard. Harga Diaper Cover jenama Thirsties dan Bummis yang memang dikenali ramai dengan kualitinya pula berharga RM30-40 setiap satu. (Saya juga beli second hand sahaja, boleh dapat dengan harga RM20 )

Ingati semula mengapa kita mahu menggunakan Cloth Diapers untuk anak kita: Untuk menjimatkan wang? Untuk kebaikan alam sekitar? Untuk keselesaan bayi? Saya rasa penggunaan CD jenis Prefolds/Flats memang mencapai kesemua matlamat ini! Cubalah

If you have read about “10 Things to Consider Before You Start Cloth Diapering”, your next question as a potential or new Cloth Diaper user will be: “How many cloth diapers do I need in my collection”? How many is “too little”? Is there such thing as “too many”? What is “JUST NICE”??!! Argh… Cloth diapering is so confusing and difficult!! *starts pulling hair*

Calm down, it doesn’t have to be difficult

Like I’ve mentioned before, it all depends on how often your baby wets/poops himself in a day, AND how often you are doing your cloth diaper laundry. Even better, the Cloth Diaper Blog came up with a simple enough “mathematical calculation” to determine how many cloth diapers you need for your child:

No. of Diapers You Need =

No. of Times you Change your Cloth Diapers per day  X  No. of Days Between Washings

See, not really rocket science right?

So, what exactly does this mean? Some things to keep in mind:

1. If you wash your cloth diapers LESS OFTEN per week, you need MORE cloth diapers in your collection.
2. If you do MORE cloth diaper laundry per week, the LESS cloth diapers you need (the opposite of the above)
3. Consider the climate: Our weather has its ups and downs. If it’s sunny all day, CDs would dry in no time. If it’s rainy season, longer drying time is required!
4. Also consider the type of Cloth Diapers you use: All in Ones (AIOs) take longer drying time as compared to Pocket Diapers, for example.
5. How many Cloth Diapers you need depends on: Your child’s age and wetting/pooping pattern.

Let’s see how the above formula works with babies and children of different ages:

A) Cloth Diapering NEWBORN BABIES

-          Newborn babies pee and poop VERY often. We will assume newborns do so at least 12 times per day (12 diaper changes).

-          Option 1: 12 diaper changes per day X Washing every day = 12 Cloth Diapers (1 dozen) – include some extras

-          Option 2: 12 diaper changes per day X Washing every 2 days = 24 Cloth Diapers (2 dozen)

-          Option 3: 12 diaper changes per day X Washing every 3-4days (twice a week) = 36 – 48 Cloth Diapers (3-4 dozen) – this is more than enough

B) Cloth Diapering OLDER BABIES

-          Older babies (crawling age) do not pee and poop as often as newborns. We assume they go through 8 diaper changes per day.

-          Option 1: 8 diaper changes per day X Washing every day = 8 Cloth Diapers

-          Option 2: 8 diaper changes per day X Washing every 2 days = 16 Cloth Diapers – include some extras

-          Option 3: 8 diaper changes per day X Washing every 3-4 days (twice a week)  = 24 – 32 Cloth Diapers – more than enough

C) Cloth Diapering TODDLERS/CHILDREN

-          Toddlers (talking and walking babies) require less diaper changes as they approach potty training age. We assume they only change diapers 4 times per day. This also means you won’t have to wash you diapers too often as before.

-          Option 1: 4 diaper changes per day X Washing every 2 days = 8 Cloth Diapers

-          Option 2: 4 diaper changes per day X Washing every 3-4 days (twice a week)  = 12 – 16 Cloth Diapers

See, it is very simple! Let’s summarize:

1. Newborn babies require MORE cloth diapers compared to Older babies and toddlers.
2. The more often you do your cloth diaper laundry (e.g: every day), the less cloth diapers you need.
3. The number of Cloth Diapers that you need to start with (from newborn), can range between 12 – 48 cloth diapers. Amount needed will decrease as you baby grows older (time to sell off your used cloth diapers maybe?)

If anyone else ever asks you this question again “HOW MANY CLOTH DIAPERS DO I NEED??!!”, just refer them this article and hopefully they’ll get it too. Cheers!

QUESTION: How many Cloth Diapers did YOU start off with? How many do you have in your collection now?