Ella Bella Bum Cloth Diapers, arrive to you prepped and ready to use! 

Inserts/Boosters arrive to you having been washed ince. While usable upon receiving, please note that they will increase in absorbency and reach their maximum absorbency over the next 5-6 washes.

Ella Bella Bella Bum Diapers should be washed following the following guidelines;

Top Loading Washer

• Cold rinse with no detergent.
• Hot wash with the highest water setting on the longest cycle with 1/2 the amount of detergent you would normally use. You may need to experiment with using more or less detergent depending on your washer, how many diapers you are washing and your local water conditions.

Front Loader or HE Washer

Since front loading or HE machines use much less water, wash no more than 12-15 diapers per wash.

• Cold wash with no detergent.
• Hot wash with the highest water setting on the longest cycle with 1/4 the amount of detergent you would normally use. You may need to experiment with using more or less detergent depending on your washer, how many diapers you are washing and your local water conditions.
• Cold wash with no detergent to rinse out any residual detergent.

The detergents used for cloth diapers should have no fragrances, phosphates, enzymes, bleaches or softeners. These items can irritate babies' delicate skin and affect the performance of the diapers. For detailed info on which detergents and additives are safe or harmful for cloth diapers, please visit:www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com.

Do not use liquid fabric softener It will cause buildup on your diapers, which will result in retained odors and/or poor performance of diapers.

Drying

For the first few washes, dry diapers on hot. After subsequent washes, dry on low heat or line dry. Line drying will be helpful in cleaning as the sun is a natural sanitizer and will also bleach out stains.

Do not use fabric softener sheets they will cause buildup on your diapers, which will result in retained odors and/or poor performance of diapers.

How Often

It is best to wash every 2-3 days. Allowing the diapers to sit longer may allow ammonia to develop and will actually damage the fabric.

Dirty Diaper Storage

For wet diapers, simply place them in the pail until washday. For poopy diapers, use the front of the diaper to wipe as much poo off the baby as you can. Discard the majority of poo in the toilet and place the diaper into the pail until washday. There are several methods for poo removal:

• A diaper sprayer. These are great for keeping your distance and really getting the diaper clean.
• Poo-spatula. Some like to keep a designated spoon or spatula in the bathroom to scrape the majority of the poo off and toss what's left into the wash.
• Shake and go. Shake whatever you can into the toilet and the rest goes into the wash.
• Dunk and swish. Shake what you can off, flush, then dunk the diaper into the toilet and swish around to get the rest off.

*Poopy diapers from exclusively breast-fed babies do not need to be rinsed prior to being placed in the diaper pail. The poo will rinse away in the first rinse cycle.

Why is my new Pocket Diaper Wicking/Leaking?

It is completely normal for pocket diapers to experience some slight wicking upon the first few uses. This wicking has always, in my experience, been rectified by laying the insert on top of the inner material, as apposed to stuffing the pocket, until the diaper has been washed a few more times (3-4X). If you continue to experience wicking after the first few washes (4 hot wash and dry cycles), please contact me at sam@ellabellabum.com so that we can troubleshoot the cause and find a solution.

Stripping Diapers

Diapers periodically need to be stripped to remove chemical/detergent residues. If you are experience more leaks than usual, stripping your diapers will often rectify the situation.

Please ensure that you do not pull snaps apart roughly, as this may damage the fabric. Snaps are reinforced to prevent this from happening when care is taken to ensure they are not forcefully and roughly handled.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at Sam@EllaBellaBum.com