Diaper Prepping

I got some new fluff mail today! 

Kittens, the Blueberry and Me exclusive for July got here this past week.  I justified the purchase for a few days and finally pulled the trigger.  I woke up Thursday to find out it was out for delivery.  Hurray!  Perfect timing since it was diaper laundry day!  Prepping Kittens will started asap.

Prepping diapers correctly is as important as fit.  A diaper that is not well prepped can leak and repel water.  I used a partially prepped diaper a few weeks ago and ended up with pee all over myself. 

Prepping involves washing and drying a diaper to increase its absorbancy and to wash out the ickies that it has picked up during the manufacturing process.  Natural fibers need to be washed up to 10 times to reach maximum absorbancy whereas synthetic fibers just need to be washed once, however, decent absorbency is achieved after about 5 washes so I begin to use them partially prepped.  Let's be real.  Who can really wait ten washes to use the cute little diapers?

On to prepping.  Here are some general things to remember.

1. First. DO NOT prep natural fibers with synthetic.   Natural fibers have an oil that washes away with the first few washes and that oil can coat your synthetic diapers causing them to repel liquids.  Once the diapers are prepped it is fine to wash them together, but the first few washes need to be separate.  This includes a diaper such as a pocket that has a natural insert.  The pocket will need to be prepped separate from the insert.
2. Second.  You don't need to dry most diapers between washes with one exception.  Cotton.  Cotton needs to be dried between each wash since drying helps fluff the fabric which increases it's absorbency.
3. Third.  Prepping does not require much detergent.  Use a minimal amount.  Save it for when the diapers actually have some poop on them.

So here is what you need to do.

1. Determine your fiber type using the following chart.

Synthetic Fiber	Natural Fiber
Microterry	Cotton
Microfiber	Bamboo
Microfleece	Hemp
Minky	Wool
Suedecloth	Birdseye
Zorb

     2.  Separate your diapers into two piles.  Natural and synthetic.

     3.  Wash

• Synthetic: Wash synthetic fibers with minimal detergent between one and three times before using. Drying is not required between washes. 
• Natural: Wash natural fibers at least five times before using with a normal amount of detergent.  If you choose to use before at least eight washes, don't use the diaper for nap or overnight.  You will most likely get leaks.  If the diaper leaks, don't write it off, wash a few more times and that may just do the trick!