My routine

Wash routine, that is.

Wash routines seem to be a hot topic. I, personally, do not feel like anyone needs to follow a specific wash routine. I think you should use what you feel is best for your situation and go with it. Here's some things that I've learned and have found useful.

1) Finding your routine takes troubleshooting. Most everything involved with cloth diapering involves troubleshooting.

2) Using less detergent IS helpful. Fewer suds, less residue.

3) Pre-rinsing is helpful

Here goes...

I DON'T USE "CD-friendly" DETERGENT!!! (*gasp!*)

I use Arm and Hammer with Oxy Clean liquid detergent.

I have a front-loading Whirlpool washing machine and matching dryer. Yes, I am bragging by writing that all out, because I feel I waited quite a while to acquire my dream washer/dryer setup.

I wash my inserts and fitteds separately from the outers. I wash them the same, but I dry them differently.

I wash every two to three days, or whenever the diaper pail is full.

For poop diapers I use an old kitchen spatula to scrape off the poop, and then soak it in a bucket of oxy-clean water until wash day. (*poop-scraping is that spatula's only job*)

I fill my washer with inserts and the shells of the fitted diapers. If it is a two-piece, snap-together insert, I separate the two pieces. Yes, this does make me spend a few extra minutes during the folding process to match things up, but I feel like they get cleaner and dry faster. I run a rinse/spin cycle on cold. Then I run a normal wash cycle with hot water, with an extra rinse added on. During this step I use about 1/2 the amount of detergent that is recommended for the load size according to the detergent container. If the diapers seem a little stinky, or "just cause", I throw in a scoop of oxy-clean. After that cycle is done, I do an additional rinse with warm water.

For the drying cycle, I have four wool dryer balls that I throw in with the load. I dry inserts/fitteds on high heat for 60-65 minutes. I usually hang-dry fleece overnight diaper shells, which were washed with the inserts/fitteds.

I wash my "waterproof" items, such as AI2 shells and pockets, exactly the same, but sometimes I skip the extra rinse. There aren't as many layers in these pieces, so I figure the extra rinse of the wash cycle gets them pretty clean.

For drying my "waterproof" stuff, I hang dry all of my BumGenius shells and any covers. The material dries so quickly, they don't really need the dryer, and I feel like the dryer only fades the print or damages the PUL. I dry the rest of the load on medium heat for 60-65 minutes. I use the wool dryer balls for the "waterproof" items, as well.

I have dried diapers with no dryer balls, and with plastic ones. Everything came out too stiff and staticky without any dryer balls, and I like the idea of using natural fiber instead of the plastic.

I hope someone finds this information useful. I don't use exact-measured amounts of cleansers. I don't use vinegar, wash soda, borax, fels-naptha, or any of that "simple" stuff. If it works for you, fantastic. But I don't have time for that, personally. I don't know if I have hard or soft water. Sorry.

Lastly, I do not use "CD-friendly" detergent because...I'm afraid. The Arm & Hammer is what I use for all my other detergent and it seems to work just fine, and I didn't want to fix what isn't broken. I have sample packets of Rockin' Green and BumGenius detergents, and maybe I'll try them someday.

Seeing for myself

I joined Cuties With Cloth Booties, an online diaper forum through the CafeMom website, about 15 months ago. I can't believe how much I've learned since then, and I've really gotten to know a few of the WAHM's and their work. Most of them are truly top-notch, both in product and personality.

There are a couple of elusive mamas, however, that I have found it difficult to get to know. I also have been watching their work, and have been reluctant to purchase. But I have still been aching to see these brands in person.

One of those brands is Cooshie Tooshies, by WAHM Kristy.

Kristy has been making Cooshie Tooshies diapers for several years, and I have spent a lot of time perusing her listings on her hyenacart, and the congo she mainly stocks on, CWCB.

I've always wondered...are my eyes deceiving me, or is that topstitching really off?

Let me interject here by saying that I plan to be brutally honest in these reviews. Would you really want an inaccurate review that leads you to purchase something you regret? I wouldn't.

Many of the Cooshie Tooshies designs that I've seen in her listings are really cute. She is excellent at using character-themed fabrics and placing them perfectly on the cooshie toosh of her diapers.

But I have high expectations of topstitching when it comes to WAHM diapers. I feel as though if you are going to build a business, you should at least try to make it look professional. When I learned how to sew as a pre-teen, I was taught that topstitching is one of the most important finishing touches on a garment or project, because everyone sees it, and it is a reflection of the time and effort put into it.

I have never been able to get over the topstitching visible in the Cooshie Tooshies preview pictures enough to purchase one for full price, which generally ranges from $14-20. So, finally, the opportunity arose for me to purchase one previously-owned from another mom. It had been prepped, but never used. In an effort to keep this an honest review, I contacted Kristy to get information regarding the diaper.

It is a medium or large size pocket diaper, purchased approximately a year ago. It has a fleece inner, and a cotton woven outer. The pocket opening is at the front, a first for any diapers I own. My hand seemed to fit okay, but it might look funny if the insert started to creep out.

The topstitching is visible in the picture, and upon first impression, I don't think its that great. Also notice how the fabric on the wings looks like it wasn't folded properly, and the inner fabric rolled towards the outer before it was sewed down, and is thus sewed that way. There are several other sewing flaws.

 Here's visibly crooked topstitching and inner rolled to the outer.

 This one really bothers me. The fabric is really lumpy at the pocket opening, and the unfinished edge is visible and fraying.

 

I was also surprised that there are no crossover snaps, and I'm not a big fan of the four-square-snap-wing configuration. It seemed as though it would be difficult to get them all snapped, and a bit unnecessary.

I was reluctant to try this diaper on my son and procrastinated for a couple of weeks. It looked scratchy on the inside. I eventually got around to putting it on him, and it actually did fit well. My guy is pretty big, though, and he was almost snapped all the way to the middle. If he was an average-sized eight-month-old, he probably would have not fit in the waist, and without the crossover snaps, he would not have been able to wear it.

One of my least favorite features of the diaper when it is on my son is the way the inner fabric rolls towards the outside around the legs. I tried tucking it in, but it still kept rolling. When the inner got wet, it started to wick onto the outer.

Other than the questions I asked of Kristy to get more specifications on this diaper, I do not have much to go by on her customer service. Her CWCB feedback seems to contain mixed reviews, but she was quick to respond to my questions and seemed very sweet.

I honestly do not plan to purchase another Cooshie Tooshies diaper in the future, new or used. But I am really glad I was able to finally get my hands on one to see for myself how they are constructed. I guess my eyes were not deceiving me.