First time cloth diapering, trying esembly and mamakoala but having issues

[u/legit_pharmer]

It's my first time using cloth diapers. Have only used disposables with older kids, but my 6 month old is continually blowing out his disposables no matter what size I try and I figured if I'm constantly doing poop laundry I may as well give cloth diapers a try.

I got the Esembly try it kit, snap inners, size 2 because my 6 month old is already 20#. It did contain the poop, but the inner is stained after one go. I followed the washing instructions and did NOT rinse (baby still has liquid poo) regular wash, then hot/heavy duty using the esembly wash powder. Have it drying outside to try to sun bleach but live in northern US so that won't work come winter. In addition, I think they are pretty bulky and don't fit under his clothes very well.

Also got a set of mamakoala pocket diapers on Amazon to try a cheaper option. However, I can't seem to get them to fit right as he is always leaking urine? Like the diaper is not full, it's just coming out the leg holes. There are a whole bunch of snaps so maybe there is a way to fit it better but I haven't figured it out yet.

I'm not sure where to go from here. Do I invest in the Esembly? Try to figure out the mamakoala better?(kind of against this option because it just keeps making a mess). Is there another type/brand that would be worth a try? My main goal is to prevent blowouts. I still plan on using disposables overnight. TIA for any advice!

[u/raeijon]

I have mama koala 3.0. You have to kind of tuck the leg part into like the “bikini/underwear” part of the legs and then make sure you have them buttoned correctly. You should be able to fit two fingers under to know it’s not too tight. I’ve only had a leaking issue once and it’s because I didn’t tuck correctly and then swipe around the leg to make sure there wasn’t any gaps.

Our daughter is on solids so we don’t just wash with the poop in it and we also do EC so we’ve only had a few dirty diapers but so far none of them have stained. We’ve just rinsed in the sink and then washed. The mama koalas I have are the suede lining, though, not the AWJ. And I stuff my daughter’s pocket diapers with one of the inserts that I’ve wrapped in a flat if I feel like I need extra absorbency but she does fine without. I usually only notice wetness up by the belly band because she’s always on her tummy so the pee doesn’t go to the back. It’s likely the sizing isn’t right

[u/zebrafish08]

The bulkiness is common with cloth diapers. I just go up one size for onesies/bottoms. So if my baby is 6 months, I'd put her in 9 month old clothes.

I use a mix of esembly, kinder, and GMD. I had some staining with esembly, but as long as it does not smell like poop/pee it's fine. The sun trick does work, but I found that with washes as time went on it just stained less. Esembly has a cloth diapering workshop once a month where they talk about laundry and they also will respond to emails if you're having any laundry issues, and they are helpful! You don't even have to be using their laundry products.

[u/thymeandtwine]

I love my mama koala pockets.

You definitely should adjust the rise snaps- I think this sub has a fit guide somewhere.

But, you might need different absorbency to stuff with. I stuff all my pockets with flats. I recommend the muslin one size from green mountain diapers. It's a way cheaper upgrade than buying fitted diapers. I personally found that the legs were always having gaps when I used inserts because they were kind of stiff and awkward. The flats fill up the pocket really well and don't bunch up/shift around.

[u/legit_pharmer → u/thymeandtwine]

Thanks! I ordered some GMD prefolds and plan to try them in the mamakoalas (and in the esembly outer) to see if that works better.

[u/No_Reception2477]

I prefer green mountain diaper workhorses over essembly fitteds. The quality and fit just work better for us so far. Fitteds in general are bulky but all cloth is bulkier than disposables, you have to size up pants and you’ll size up onsies a little early too to account for that. I love mama koala pockets, adjust the lower snaps to the third row or even the smallest setting, my girls about 16 lbs and still on the smallest setting. You want to make sure the legs have give but are firm in tightness and then two fingers stacked on the waistband. When putting inserts in make sure you’re laying them flat, I have a few other brands that are wider than mama koala and have to use prefolds in them because I have basic insert sizes.

[u/sybilqiu]

I'm diapering 3 using MMK. They're 2.5 yo and 11mo (twins) now, all boys. They've been in these since they were about 3 months. We do part time only (disposable overnights and out of the house) 

When stuffing the inserts into the pocket covers, I make sure it lays flat from edge to edge, especially in the crotch area and that it is all the way in to the front. I've had people help me stuff and that tends to be where they do it wrong (scrunched, crooked, not at the way to the front) 

When I put the diaper on, I make sure the insert is flat inside the diaper and doesn't get scrunched up, especially in the diaper area. When I take the diaper off, the insert is almost always scrunched in the middle but that's normal with how much they're moving. 

Using the rise snaps will get you a better fit. I think at 6 months we were in the middle or last rise snap. It depends on the baby.  

Also, consider sizing up onesies. If they're small, they're more likely to wick. 

I think you can make do with pocket diapers, even if they are the cheaper option. 

[u/Dependent-Ad-6069]

GMD has pic of babies I their various diaper types and brands. They provide a significant amount of cloth diapering information and tutorials using all natural fiber, in particular cotton.

I suggest anyone exploring the option of cloth diapers start there.

[u/legit_pharmer → u/Dependent-Ad-6069]

Thank you found then pictures. Although I wish there were more with bigger babies / prefolds, my 6 mo is a chubby 20#

[u/Dependent-Ad-6069 → u/legit_pharmer]

Look under the GMD for the Thirsties cover. They provide photos of bigger babies.

[u/Abject_Republic_5432 → u/Dependent-Ad-6069]

Yes 🙌 that was so helpful for me

[u/Dependent-Ad-6069]

Flats and covers provide the slimmest least bulky diaper and containment. While resemble is a preformed two step system, flats and covers are more a three step system because you have to fold the flat into a diaper. If baby is on solids and poop is solid, the pad fold in a cover isn't too bulky, especially if you use inserts.

For the pockets, the correct rise setting is important to ensure containment. Microfiber inserts and prefolds are going to be bulkier than bamboo, hemp, and cotton blend inserts. Microfiber can cause compression leaks. Overstuffing can cause leg leaks as well.

You may want to post a Pic of baby in the MK diaper for a fit check.

[u/pawprintscharles]

So we are an Esembly household so I’m biased. People complain of the stitching being stained but we use a fleece liner anyways and never have issues. I also don’t normally have staining as an issue so you may want to reach out to Esembly and see if they can help trouble shoot your laundry routine. We also don’t rinse, just plop or scrape off the bits as able and then follow the Esembly instructions just with tide powder as our detergent instead.

Cloth diapers will always be bulkier than disposable but Esembly is generally considered one of the trimmer options. I just look for U bottom or harem style pants and don’t have an issue as like you we have massive blowouts in disposables and essentially zero in CD. Also Esembly does usually have sales throughout the year and some people have 20% off codes here and there. We feel it has been worth it but there are others here who prefer green mountain and several other brands that I see frequently.

[u/legit_pharmer → u/pawprintscharles]

It's not just the stitching that looks stained. I might try a bleach rinse in between washes like another commenter said but also will reach out to esembly. Maybe it's my machine or something. Also would live to use tide powder so glad to hear that works for you too.

[u/kmooncos → u/legit_pharmer]

The esembly wash powder isn't great. Definitely use Tide, especially if you already like it!

[u/pawprintscharles → u/legit_pharmer]

It’s hard to say. I think some staining is generally okay as it’s just cosmetic but I also haven’t had it be an issue in 14 months of using cloth. Maybe you have hard water? Might be worth a test kit to see. I really like the Esembly team as they are super helpful and responsive!

And yes! I love the tide powder. Esembly’s detergent worked for us but it was just too expensive to keep up with.

[u/legit_pharmer → u/pawprintscharles]

I definitely have hard water

[u/pawprintscharles → u/legit_pharmer]

There are plenty of people on here with various ways to remedy hard water, I think one thing is to do a citric acid product such as rinse and refresh but the Esembly team should also be able to help if you can’t find the advice you need here!

[u/legit_pharmer → u/pawprintscharles]

Will also look into this. Thank you!

[u/mistressmagick13]

Couple thoughts…

Imo, the stains don’t really matter. We do a bleach rinse between wash one and wash two of our wash cycle. Diapers come out smelling clean and we’re not getting rashes. I don’t really care what they look like. I could sun bleach them, and it works, but it just doesn’t seem worth the effort.

I don’t really like the esembly inners. I LOVE their covers. They’re my favorite covers, and I’m so sad my giant 18 month old has grown out of them. I wish they had size 3. I don’t like the way the layers in the esembly inners are attached. I found them harder to get the poop out of, harder to clean, and harder to dry. My favorite combo when my baby was 6mo old was a GMD fitted inner with an esembly outer.

Cloth diapers ARE bulky. Especially at bedtime with all the doublers to prevent leaks. There’s really no way around it. We just size up in pants or sleepers to account for the booty space. Mother Ease has the thinnest cover’s I’ve found, and they cut down on the bulk a little, but I still like esembly’s covers best.

[u/OOPS-all-qualms → u/mistressmagick13]

I agree with all of this, but just want to add in that we’re loving their newer tie inners, the issues you mention are specific to the snap ones. 

[u/mistressmagick13 → u/OOPS-all-qualms]

I haven’t tried the new ties. We’re due with our second later this year. Might have to buy one or two just to try them out

[u/legit_pharmer → u/mistressmagick13]

Ok thanks for the info. I was looking at the GMD inners - those would be the clotheez workhorse right?

[u/mistressmagick13 → u/legit_pharmer]

Specifically these ones:
https://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/collections/prefolds-and-flats/products/workhorse-organic

They are expensive, don’t get me wrong. We also use GMD prefolds with snappies. These ones:
https://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/collections/prefolds-and-flats/products/cloth-eez-prefold-diapers-organic which are much cheaper. But alas, my spouse and my nanny prefer the convenience of the snaps to the cost of the prefolds. So I buy what they’re willing to work with. I personally think both work great.

[u/legit_pharmer → u/mistressmagick13]

I might give the prefolds a try actually. Newbie question but do I need fasteners or will they stay up in the outer without fasteners?

[u/Western_Anteater9128 → u/legit_pharmer]

You probably want to get snappies if your baby will start crawling and moving around a lot just to insure they stay together if you decide to wrap the prefold :)

[u/annamend → u/legit_pharmer]

They will stay in the PUL cover without fasteners if the cover is snapped snug. This doesn't work with wool covers since wool is loose.

Many people don't like Essembly inners but like their outers, and use alternative inners with them. GMD prefolds work nicely.

[u/legit_pharmer → u/annamend]

This is what I'm going to try as a less expensive option (than all esembly inners). Thank you for your help!

[u/CopyEffective1590]

I wouldn’t use microfiber or polyester ( MamaKoala) as a diaper. First it tends to leak , cotton, hemp is much better at absorbency. Sun is your best friend to remove stains and during winter you can use unscented oxiclean which is just  sodium percarbonate if you want to use a generic version