What to do if you run out of diapers, or wet wipes? Or simply want to try out something new to you?

An einer Übersetzung ins Deutsche arbeite ich gerade…

In this article I write about things I am convinced of are good. I use the techniques described, practice EC and use cloth diapers and sumo style.

I use affiliate links and if you decide to buy something on the respective website, I get a little amount of money. For you the prize does not change. This helps me to support my family and our animals. And to write about more things for y’all 😉

Now and then we might face situations where we have to do things differently from how we normally would. Right now, this is one of the times.

The ideas here are made for short episodes, but can also be used for a new lifestyle you might want to dive into.

So, these ideas are for when you

• have to take care of poopoo and peepee in times of a pandemic, or if you cannot go out to buy diapers and wipes for any other reason
• always wanted to try using cloth diapers instead of producing plastic waste
• want to support your child in becoming more independent by EC-ing, and at the same time build a stronger bond between the two of you
• get back on track with EC if you have done so before, but childcare or a hectic life have made it difficult for you

They can be adapted to meet your family’s needs and tweaked by your own imagination and creativity.

In the end you will have

• mastered on how to stay calm and find solutions to the most profane and yet hard to handle situation with babies and toddlers
• cleaned up some space by developing new ways to get rid of old fabric waiting to be reused or thrown away,
• developed a stronger bond with your child when getting used to its natural toilet time rhythm, sounds, and facial expressions

Let’s start with

How to take care of poopoo and peepee in times of a pandemic, or if you cannot go out to buy diapers and wipes for any other reason

Here are some tricks on what to do if you are facing a situation where stores are empty, or you have a bad cold, your car is broken and you live out in the wilderness like us, or any other reason that keeps you from getting a new pack of diapers, wet wipes and other supplies.

What you will need, and probably have at home:

1. Diapers: wash cloths, old towels, anything that is absorbent and yet not too thick
2. Wet wipes: old t-shirts, etc. that you feel are soft and you do not need anymore, you have to cut these into small pieces
3. Box for wipes: a small container with a lid, anything works where you can put in the prepared pieces of fabric and keep them moistened

1. Diapers (2 more folding techniques at the end)

To use a wash cloth as a diaper it is best to fold it so that it fits nicely between your babies legs. Depending on the age / height of your baby it might be useful to use two wash cloth on top of one another and then fold them. This way there is more fabric to absorb peepee and you do not run into wet clothes as often.

In the back it is good to unfold them a little so that poo can go between the creases instead of coming out on the edges. Now you have the option of securing this with a kitchen towel or some other thin material to keep it in place, or you can simply put some tighter pants over it.

For older babies that are more mobile and for toddlers I would advise you use kitchen towels as cloth diaper with an inlay of absorbent material. This way the diaper can be attached to the child and does not slip off as easy.

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Since you might not have diaper covers, there is hardly a way to avoid wet clothes if you do not want to check every so often if the li’l one has already peed. You might cut some non-absorbent things like plastic bags and cover the diaper, but that would touch baby’s skin and depending on sensitivity and temperature, a rash might develop.

Fortunately you might not have to face this inconvenience for too long when you decide to EC with your baby or toddler.

2. Wipes

To clean your baby’s sensitive area it is important to use some material that is not scratchy. Even terry cloth can become too harsh if you have to wipe often, especially after a poo. So t-shirts or other, smooth material is more useful. Cut that into pieces about 9 inches, fold them into one another and put them in the box. Add a little water to moisten them but not have them dripping. Do not put more than what you might use during one day and one night. Depending on room temperature, they might start to smell, if you prepare for more than 4 days, they might begin to mold.

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3. The Box

To store the wipes and keep them moist, and not have them smell early, it is best to use a container that closes tightly. Yet it should be easy to open, so try to find something that does not have a twist of lid. Also a squared or rectangular shape works best with the folding technique explained above.

If it is a slim container, you can easily take it with you when going outside.

Some of you might already have a good container to refill with regular wipes from the store. They can perfectly be used with selfmade wipes.

You always wanted to try using cloth diapers instead of producing plastic waste

This might be the right time to buy the supplies needed. It is an investment at first, but in the end, you will have spent much less than if you were buying disposable diapers. And it is better for nature and thus for all of us. There are lots of good products out there. At TinyUndies you will find training pants, cloth diapers, potties, and many more very helpful tools and books.

The above mentioned ways of how to fold cloth diapers are the same, if you decide not to use prefolds or something, just diaper covers over other material you want to use first.

You want to support your child in becoming more independent by EC-ing, and at the same time build a stronger bond between the two of you

You can use this time as a chance to start identifying your baby’s sounds and expression for when it is time to go pee and poo and start EC-ing.

You can start by positioning your baby over a sink or, if you have older children, the potty, and start making ‘shhh’ sounds for peeing, and grunting sounds for poo. Hold the baby close to your belly, so it can feel if you relax or harden your abdomen. You will notice that when waking up, most babys need to pee. So you can catch these. And many babys need to poo in the morning, another pretty easy catch. Also, while breastfeeding or giving the bottle, you could sit with crossed legs, put a potty between them in a slightly tilted way and hold your baby over it or sit it on top of if. Lots of babies take little breaks while being fed and go pee.

For babies it is a great experience to see that their needs are being noticed instead of ignored. And babies do have a need to stay dry and clean. Everywhere. Even in the diaper area. To feel someone is helping them achieve that by reacting to their sounds and expressions teaches them about communication.

When they are older, they might be able to go to the potty themselves, and they will much sooner than most babies wearing disposable diapers and were no EC was practiced. You might still need to help with their pants, so in the beginning it is some team work, and that can be a lot of fun. Imagine a baby or toddler pointing or going to the potty and then sitting there, maybe singing a song with you while waiting and having fun instead of a baby that is more or less passively lying on its back waiting for you to clean her up.

Involvement gives them a chance to develop a lot of skills, and trains them to become more independent.

To have an easy start with EC, Andrea has created a program, the Mini-course, for all of you who want to dive right into the subject and try it out right from the start.

If you also want to learn a lot about the background of EC and get lots of hints for different age ranges, this is all explained in minute detail and super loving ways in Andreas book Go Diaper Free.

Get back on track with EC if you have done so before, but childcare or a hectic life have made it difficult for you

Some daycares are really willing to support parents with EC. Unfortunately, they oftentimes have to take care of too many children at once and if your baby is giving more subtle signals, they might not be able to keep up with it.

Same with cloth diapers. They might want to support, but some people find it really hard to get used to it when your child is the only one wearing them and all the others have disposables.

So, just like long weekends, holidays and vacation time, this is a great opportunity to get back on track with EC, not only in the afternoons and maybe at night, but from morning til bedtime.

Remember the routine you had before childcare. Remind your child by setting things up the way when the two of you where home a lot. Some things are still there, and if you have not given up on EC completely after daycare started, you might find it pretty easy.

If you are in a situation where everything seems forgotten and thrown out with the diapers, there is help. You can refer to certain times and situations again, your baby or toddler might even be able to point or say when she needs to go.

And then there is the Getting EC back on track MiniCourse which will help you and your child to continue where you left of.

After reading all of this, or only the parts important to you, and after trying out all the options and having been through the pandemic, or any other situation, where you did not have disposable diapers ready,

you will have mastered on how to stay calm and find solutions to the most profane and yet hard to handle situation with babies and toddlers.

It is a chance to become creative in how to cover your baby when no diapers are available and maybe find out that EC is right for you.

You will find, that a little pee on the floor is not that bad, and washing cloth diapers and wipes is not htat hard in times where most of us do have a washing machine.

You might have cleaned up some space by developing new ways to get rid of old fabric waiting to be reused or thrown away

by giving old t-shirts, towels etc. a new purpose. Instead of throwing them into the trash, they can now serve as baby supplies. And even if you normally take them to a store for a little discount, why not save money instead of carrying bags there and have a coupon you could not use at any other place?

You will have developed a stronger bond with your child when getting used to its natural toilet time rhythm, sounds, and facial expressions

while observing your baby with another focus added to all the cute and necessary things to watch.

Babies lying naked on a towel or blanket gives their skin a chance to breathe and for them it is easier to move if they are just starting to crawl. It gives you the opportunity to give them baby massages more easily without undressing first, more spontaneously.

New situations, which may seem hard at first, might turn out to be a chance for totally new ways to do and see things.

So maybe you always thought disposable diapers are best. Never believed your baby could communicate about needs other than pain and hunger in at the beginning of her life. Maybe you felt that just because many people try to be or are super hygienic with and around their baby, pee would be very bad and disgusting.

When these trying times are over you might notice a change in viewing and feeling about one or more of these issues. Maybe you get back to the way you have done it all before, but if any of this helped you just a little bit, I would be very happy. And if it changed your mind about some things, even more. Because in the end it is all about your baby’s independence, the environment we all share and children have to spend many more years in it than us, so less pollution is better. It is about saving money for the nice things in life, and about communication.

Have fun, do not let negative thoughts drag you down, you can make it, and in a while you might not even remember how hard it was in the beginning if you change your ways. If you go back to your usual routine, remember this as a time you accomplished to get through with ease and eloquence and were hopefully smiling when things did not work out right from the start.

2 more techniques to fold diapers for squared fabric

First for small babies:

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For older babies and toddlers:

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