You know what you need to get started CDing, but now you have to decide what you want to do with all of those poop catchers after they come off your baby's precious bottom. There are a couple of ways of handling this, so let's go over them as I have done both and can def offer some insight on the topic!
One option is to wet pail. Wet pailing simply means that you store the dirty dipe in a container filled with water. Some people wash the diaper off first, but that's not always necessary - especially if its BF poop. When you are ready to wash, the diapers have already been "pre-soaked" so to say. Here are a couple of caveats to know about wet pailing, however, as it often gets a bad rap. Many people say wet pailing can help get rid of stains, but in my experience and in many of my friends who have tried it, if it helps remove stains it's minimal at best. It is also said that this method is dangerous for the home as a child can drown in it, but honestly who has an open bucket with dirty diapers sitting around any more? I mean, I am sure this was a more serious problem a few decades ago, but with the invention of plastic tubs by the almighty Rubbermaid Gods who wouldn't put a lid on it? I've also heard that keeping diapers soaking in water for an extended amount of time can be harmful to the elastic and cause it to break down. I have no idea if this is true or not, but it seems plausible. Still others say that wet pailing is no bueno because of the bacterial growth that can occur and ultimately make your diapers super stinky. Again, I don't know about this first-hand, but it seems reasonable.
When I did wet pail, I used a 5 gallon plastic Rubbermaid container (with a lockable lid) and filled it half way with water and added vinegar and baking soda to help contain the smell. After the bucket was full, I dumped my diapers into my washing machine and started the process all over again. Some people pour the water down the drain and just throw the soaking dipes into the wash, but some others, like a good friend of mine, dumps the whole kit-and-caboodle into the washing machine and turns it on the spin cycle to filter the poop water out. What I didn't like about this method was that 1) it uses a lot of unnecessary water and 2) you're toting poop water all over your house to take it from say your bathroom to your laundry room...that's a lot of space to have droplets of poop water all over your floor people...not to mention how heavy it was! After spilling poop water on myself one time, I decided it was time to look into alternative options and promptly decided to try out dry pailing.
With the second option being the dry pail system, you take the diaper off your kiddo and toss it into your wet bag or hamper. When it's time to do laundry, you dump those diapers into your washing machine and let it work its magic! Seriously,...that's it...easy right!?!?! This was a much better option for me since it was WAY easier and so low key...exactly what I needed after my mom went home, and I was left alone to take care of my newborn by myself. If your kiddo is eating solid foods though, you'll want to spray off the poop, wring it out, and then put the soaking diaper into the wet bag/hamper. Even though your diaper is technically wet, this is still considered dry pailing just to clarify. One complaint about the dry pail method is that your house may stink of baby poop. I use a tall kitchen garbage can with a pop lid to help contain any smell that may occur and add some baking soda to the bag just for good measure because I figured it can't hurt, right?
So, I admit that the inner science fair nerd in me did take over and I felt the need to experiment with different approaches to taking care of those dirty dipes before they went into the wash. Truth be told after experimenting with both the wet pail and the dry pail method, I didn't see much of a difference in stains and the thought of lugging that poop water around my house was just too much to take in so I decided to stick with the dry pail way. I personally LOVE dry pailing and couldn't even consider going back to the wet pail method, but that's what works for me. What works for you?
No comments:
Post a Comment