Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Tomorrow your children will thank you.
How Does it Work?
How Does Modern, No-Pins Cotton Diapering Work?
It combines a soft, three-panel diaper (the center panel is extra-thick and absorbent) with a velcro-fastening diaper cover. You just fold the diaper in thirds and trap it in place under the cover. That's all. No pins needed. (For summer and other times when you might want your baby to wear a diaper with no outer cover, you can use either pins or diaper clips. The slight added effort for these few occasions is balanced by the fact that disposables don't ever allow you the option of shedding the outer plastic covering for your baby's summer comfort.)
If I Want To Fold A Cotton Diaper The Traditional Way, How Do I?
It's easy with today's three-panel diaper, which is a far cry from the big, gauzy rectangle of yesteryear. Just follow these simple instructions:
1. Fold the diaper in thirds.
2. Open overlapping back section. Place baby on diaper with the wide top section centered at the baby's legs. Close in between the legs.
Bring the wide back ends of the diaper over the baby's hips and pin to the front section. Ease the pad section wider as necessary to comfortably encircle the baby below the navel. While pinning the diaper, insert your finger between the baby and diaper for baby's protection. Pin out as the picture shows.
Again, using a modern diaper cover over the diaper eliminates the need for pinning.
What if my baby has large thighs? Are there other traditional alternatives?
You might want to try a "bikini twist" fold. Again, just follow these simple instructions:
1. Lay the diaper flat.
2. Twist the diaper in the middle.
3. Bring the back ends of the diaper over the baby's hips and pin to the front section. Ease the pad section wider as necessary to comfortably encircle the baby below the navel. While pinning the diaper, insert your finger between the baby and diaper for baby's protection. Pin out as the picture shows.
Again, using a modern diaper cover over the diaper eliminates the need for pinning.
View a diapering video provided courtesy of Baby Diaper Service, Greensboro, North Carolina. This video requires the Standard RealOne Player available free of charge from Real.com. Click here to download it now if you don't have it installed already.
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How Does A Diaper Service Work?
Although each diaper service may operate a little differently, here is a general idea of how the process works.
Diaper services are professional laundries, who rent reusable cotton diapers to families of infants, hospital nurseries, and day care centers. The diaper service delivers clean diapers, and picks up the soiled diapers on a weekly basis, and launders them, using professional equipment, and specially developed laundering formulae. The service essentially rents you the use of the diapers your baby needs, sized for the baby's age. Diaper services also sell or rent diaper covers to make using cloth diapers as convenient as using single-use diapers. Diaper services launder diapers to rigorous public-health standards that you couldn't possibly match at home, with thirteen changes of water and high-temperature drying that eliminates bacteria.
The service supplies a special hamper, with a professional quality deodorant, and a heavyweight plastic bag/liner for the hamper. Services will also provide professional automatic-closure diaper covers, if the customer wishes.
Price is based on the number of diapers contracted for, and the number may be increased or decreased, as needs change.
The following are step-by-step instructions to walk you through the process of starting service.
Instructions courtesy of Brian O'Neil of Dy-Dee Diaper Service of Pasadena, California.
Call your local diaper service (click here to locate a service near you), and a customer service representatives will help you decide the following questions or will provide you with the answers:
- How many diapers should I order per week?
- What size diapers would be best for my baby?
- What time of day will my diapers be delivered?
- Should I rent or purchase diaper covers or use pins?
- How do I fold the diapers?
- What much is the cost and when will the bill come?
- Help! How do I . . .?
While on the phone you can schedule your prebirth delivery. For your convenience, most services bring your first delivery of diapers a couple of weeks before your due date. That way you have diapers at home ready to use.
Contact your service when you need more diapers and are ready to begin the regular service.
No rinsing or soaking is required. It's as simple as placing the soiled diapers into the deodorized diaper container that your service provides.
Once a week, a driver will come right to your front or back door to pick up your soiled diapers and leave fresh ones for your baby. Your driver will come on the same day of the week every week, at around the same time of day, with a few exceptions during holidays. You don't need to be home for your delivery.
On your first and second deliveries you will receive the full number of diapers ordered. Thereafter you will be on a rotation system: the number of diapers you turn in one week will be returned to you the following week.
If you need to adjust the number of diapers in your order, or if you're going on vacation simply contact your service to make arrangements.
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