Like my oldest, baby moss is a heavy wetter. And my mama moss diapers hold up. Like his oldest sister though he needs a diaper cover full time. That's a little sad cuz it covers the super cute cloth. however I am very happy with the wool. I made wool covers in a wrap style and for myself I made some pull on ones out of upcycled sweaters. Cuteness-wise I like the sweater ones. Function-wise the wrap ones are so much easier to change.
Baby Moss arrived last night at 10:28pm est. He is 8lbs 3oz and 20 inches. Heisman wearing his Mama Moss Diapers I designed for him. Test 1 - they fit √ Test 2 - hold pee √ (of course its tiny newborn pee, but for now its what I got (other then my personal test lol.
I am finished! Well I'm waiting for daddy moss to put away the laundry I washed and folded :/ but otherwise I am finished chores and baby sewing. I feel I can incorporate so much into making both a quilt and a moss bag. Being 1/2 Lakota and 1/2 Cajun I can bring both sides together. my Cajun ancestors would have been busy sewing quillts for their babies and quilting is a skill my Lakota ancestors became well known for after colonization with our star quilts. And the moss bag (in various forms) was used throughout the America's by all our Indigenous Nations.
I will be 40 weeks on Sunday. I have been focusing on being ready for baby. My mama moss diapers are all sewn and ready for sale but my own baby's sewing was not done.
I was getting anxious to have baby as im tired of pregnancy lol. However like my diapering preferences my birthing preferences are also natural so im waiting for nature to decide It's time for labour. And term is 37-42 weeks so really it could be tommorow or in two weeks, but any day.
I rested a few days. Spent a few days walking. Then I decided I needed to finish all the last minute stuff that wasn't finished. It was quite the list:
• laundry
• household chores
•minor organizing
• few baby items to be purchased
•postpartum mom items
•labour and post birth food
•easter stuff for kids this weekend
•my baby's moss bag needed straps and trim
Nope, I am not recommending bleach but I will explain why some companies do. Some of these same companies say don't use vinegar or baking soda. There is no good reason for this. I will explain all three things in this post.
Also this post isn't putting down these companies or their products. They provide a good CD option. but like all diapers they have their pros amf their cons. Understanding the cons allows you to better care for these diapers so you can enjoy all the pros they offer. Also I would say these are quality companies. The instructions they give are to simply make sure the products they make will work for you and they have conveyed that advice in as simple and basic a format as possible by creating their own basic care instructions.Why some companies recommend bleach: What is known as the modern cloth diaper are diapers with synthetic materials such as microfiber, suede cloth, minky, binky (bamboo minky), fleece etc. The construction and shape of the fiber is different then natural fibers. In fact when microfiber was designed (by the cleaning industry) it was designed this way on purpose to pick up and trap dirt, bacteria etc. At the end of this post are some pics from a microfiber industry site - check it out. Since its designed to trap these things, they are harder to wash out. The result is that these fabrics are more prone to ammonia (which some people refer to as stink), which makes your diapers smell bad and will cause a rash on babies bum, in bad cases it will cause ammonia burn. If your using a "modern diaper" which also has thick layers then your increasing the difficulty in washing the diaper because there are more layers to wash through. This is also why its important to remove inserts from pocket diapers. Washing inserts that have been seperated from the diaper allows you to wash through less layers resulting in a cleaner diaper. The solution is that some of these companies will suggest a monthly bleaching, to combat the problem. Am I saying people shouldn't use thick "modern" diapers? No. These diapers have qualities Moms like. And if for you their pros outweigh the cons then use them. Just be mindful of the drawbacks. Change the diaper even though the fabric leaves it feeling dry. Remove all poop before placing in your diaper pail or wet bag (should be done with all diapers). Rinse out overnight diapers (should be done with all overnight diapers). Wash often (again as with all diapers). And make sure you have a very thorough wash and rinse routine. It will need to be more intense then with flats, prefolds and basic fitted's made of natural materials. Keep a sharp eye on the diaper for signs of ammonia or build up. Extra detergent or water will not clean better. An extra washing, boosters (some if which are hard on fabrics), vinegar presoak or rinse should help. In the end you might need to follow the company advice of monthly bleachings. If this is the case absolutely do a vinegar rinse at the end of multiple post bleach rinses. And do not expect all these diapers to last forever. In the end the bleach and washings will cause wear, it just happens. If the only way to keep ammonia at bay is a monthly bleaching then that's because they could not be completely rid of ammonia. I would suggested not reselling or donating a diaper with this issue because it's just not right to be passing an ammonia problem on. In addition I recommend looking a cloth diaper blogs. Find one by an experienced CD mom. Experienced as in over a year, at least, multiple children is even better and doesn't have repeated ammonia or leak issues (which build up creates). And lastly one that uses the same or a similar diaper. A mom using the same or similar diaper and successfully keeps the diaper free of its potential issues will be a good resource. I can only advise so far. I understand fabric and sewing very well. I've always been good at science and research. And I've been cloth diapering longer then most but my hands on experience is keeping basic fitted's and prefolds made of cotton clean.
* If you are using a diaper made of natural fabrics but 8+ layers thick, you also will need a more thorough wash and rinse routine in order to wash through all the layers. This means you might need to follow much of the same advice.
Why white vinegar is safe:
White vinegar is also called distilled. Technically speaking, its not. What it is, is 5% to 8% acetic acid (that's vinegar) in water. With a pH of 2.2-3. This makes it too weak to breakdown fabric fibers. It will however breakdown detergent and uric acid. So what's their problem with it? Well it is possible that striping with vinegar might not be strong enough on synthetic fabrics to strip them. So what you could do instead is use white vinegar in a presoak before washing or add to the rinse cycle after washing. Do that with each wash to help hard to clean synthetics.
Why baking soda is safe: Baking soda (and washing soda) have been used in laundry and cleaning for over 100 years. They are safe and they are gentle. They do not have the ability to harm fabric (they are not strong enough to do so). They also clean nicely. Washing soda cleans better then baking soda however. And if all you have is baking soda you can bake it and it will turn into washing soda. So why do some companies say not to use them? Same issue as vinegar, these are safe gentle cleaning products which may not be strong enough to clean synthetic materials in a diaper.
White Vinegar is a great thing for a cloth mama to have (I included it on my list of needs for my baby shower). White vinegar is a very mild acid. To mild to harm fabrics. It balances pH levels, removes residues by breaking them down in detergents, softens and fluffs fabrics and disinfects (so good for cleaning out diaper pail and regular household cleaning too). Our mothers and grandmother's know this. Laundry experts know this.
Someone recently said my vinegar advice was bad for synthetic materials in diapers including PUL. This makes no common sense but I dug around and found out I was right. I also dropped the issue with the person since common sense dictates that sometimes that's the wisest choice. Also I used PUL for years and vinegar never had a negative effect.
So if your diapers need a boost in brightness, softness or disinfecting then give white vinegar a try. Usually 1/2 a cup. If you have hard water, vinegar might not be as great as it might cause an odd smell.
If your struggling to rinse all detergent from your diapers add.vinegar to your rinse cycle.
If there is strong urine in your diapers then presoak in vinegar prior to washing (also rinse out overnight diapers and encourage older babies to drink water between nursing) .
There is a great blog post on vinegar (here). I suggest it for further reading. Questions in the comments are also answered.
Today I posted all my current items for sale on the Mama Moss Facebook Page . Please check the page and the posts titled "FOR SALE" to view items. you can order by commenting on an item or by email at mamamossdiapers@gmail.com. PayPal arrangements can be set up privately for payments. Also feel free.to ask questions through the comments or email. I will also soon be setting up a giveaway and finding people to test and review my diapers. Below are some pics but many more on Facebook.
