u/Horror-Holiday-2678

Hi! I would love to get started with EC with my 6 week old since she's starting to do a better job holding her head up. We use cloth pocket diapers during the daytime, so I'd also like to try and reduce the number if changes since they don't hold as much as our nighttime disposables (Freestyle).

I don't want to use a tophat potty for her because I'd rather be able to just flush the toilet than have to rinse out and sanitize the tophat everytime. Also, we live in an apartment, so I'd like to save the space as well. I found some toilet seat reducers on Amazon that just make the hole smaller so you can hold the infant on the seat, but I think they're more meant for potty training toddlers, and I'm not sure they'd be small enough for her (she's just over 9 lbs now).

Does anyone have any recommendations for seat reducers or any other methods to comfortably sit her on the toilet for EC? Thanks!

Just wanted to come on here and share something I wish I'd known sooner as a FTM. After months of feverishly researching products while pregnant to make sure my baby had nothing but safe, effective ingredients, I finally gave birth to her and discovered that most products that are marketed to us are unnecessary. When it comes to diaper rash, it turns out our bodies naturally produce the best remedy: colostrum, liquid gold.

My 5 week old was dealing with a horrible, painful rash that showed up a couple days after birth and wouldn't go away I matter what I tried. It was raw and bleeding and spreading, and she cried out in pain every time I changed her diaper because it hurt to wipe no matter how gently.

I tried just using washcloths with warm water instead of wipes. I tried three kinds of rash creams (Babo Botanicals, Triple Paste, and Baby Aquaphor). I changed her diaper every time it got even slightly damp -- about 12 times a day! I tried switching from ECF diapers to TCF and even used cloth diapers.

The ONLY thing that worked was rubbing colostrum onto her rash at every diaper change and allowing it to soak in before putting the new diaper on. I think this works because it has antibodies in it. I got the idea from my doula who said she had a girl relieve her eczema by soaking her hand in breastmilk. Colostrum is more concentrated than breastmilk, but if you didn't collect any, I'd still give breastmilk a try too! Sometimes I also rub breastmilk onto her forehead to treat cradle cap and it seems to improve it (at least until her next bath). Anyways, after 3 days of applying colostrum instead of rash cream, her rash is almost completely gone!

Hi! I have a 5 week old and I've been repeatedly trying to switch from disposables to cloth diapers (for the environment, her health, and the money we'll save). I have a collection of OS pockets for when she's larger (mostly Mama Koala with some Happy Flutes, Wegreecos, and Nora's Nursery in the mix). Those all came with microfiber polyester inserts, so I'm assuming I'll need to replace those with hemp cotton inserts or even cotton prefolds, since I've been reading that microfiber absorbency is horrible.

Until she's big enough for those, though, I have some newborn size Alva Baby pockets I've been trying. They hold in the poop (she's EBF), but pee always leaks out from the thighs. They came with microfiber inserts too, so I tried using 2 cotton inserts instead, but she still leaks within an hour. The fit around the thighs is quite snug, and I make sure to nestle the elastic into the crease of her thighs, so I'm guessing this isn't a fit issue. The cotton inserts are always soaked in the front, but dry in the back . . .

What should I do? The Freestyle disposables I have never leak even when she attempts a blowout, and I'm tempted to just give up on the newborn pockets and just try again when she's big enough for the OS, but part of me is worried I'll have the same issues with those too. I don't want to use disposables, and I already have a ton of pockets, but if I can't figure out how to stop the leakage, I'll have no choice. Please advise, thanks!

Also . . . She's 9lbs, 3 oz now. The OS pockets say they start at 8 lbs but they still seem giant on her. When did y'all ACTUALLY start using OS? I'd also love to hear any experiences y'all might have with the pocket brands I have and which inserts worked best for y'all!

Hi! I've been reading this group and r/laundry for a while now, trying to figure out the right washing routine for cloth diapers and baby clothes in general that uses the safest, cleanest ingredients, while still getting out breastfed baby poop. I have a newborn, and am still quite new to this; before her, I always just threw in some detergent and called it good, and never had any problems, but laundry is more complicated now that poop and thin, sensitive baby skin are involved.

I have very hard water and right now, I use Baby Oxiclean and liquid Tide Free and Gentle in a warm wash to get out baby poop. Of course I do an extra wash for diapers before adding clothes to get the initial waste out. I tried using Borax to soften the water and remove mineral buildup to improve softness and diaper absorbency, but I ended up just making the clothes stiff. I used vinegar later to try to fix this, and I think it worked, but the clothes still aren't the same. I haven't used Borax since.

I've been reading that Tide Clean and Gentle powder might be better (especially for cloth diapers) at cleaning and stain removal (and also healthier for baby??). Is that right? Also, is there anything else I should change about my baby laundry routine? Thanks!!