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Home-Laundered Cloth Diapers
Buying cloth diapers and washing them yourself is the cheapest way to resolve the diaper dilemma. (Be sure, however, to factor in the time and labor washing takes, as well as the cost of the soap, water, and electricity or the cost of using a coin-operated laundry.)
Cloth diapers are available in a range of fabrics, cuts, and colors. Unlike the flat diapers of the past, which were constructed of a single, large piece of fabric, you may now choose from a variety of diapers, such as pre-fold, fitted, all-in-one (fitted diaper that has a built-in waterproof cover), and pocket (diaper in which an absorbent material is placed in a pocket between a soft material against baby's skin and a waterproof cover).
If the diapers you choose do not have snap or Velcro fasteners, you'll also need diaper pins. In addition, you'll need diaper liners for extra absorbency at night and waterproof covers. When washing cloth diapers, be aware that fabric softener, bleach, and even some detergents can irritate a baby's skin.
If you choose not to wash your baby's diapers, diaper services are convenient. Diaper services pick up dirty diapers and drop off clean ones.Diapering Hazards
Regardless of which type of diaper you use, you'll inevitably run into diaper rash. It's caused by a combination of moisture, warmth, and contact between the skin and irritants in urine and stool. Plastic or rubber aggravates it; cool, dry air makes it better. So be sure to change your baby's diaper as soon as possible after it becomes wet or soiled. And, whenever feasible, let your baby's bottom air dry.
Another diaper danger is the substances that your baby may eat or inhale during diapering. Usually what happens is that the person diapering hands the baby something to hold for entertainment, or the baby grabs it himself. The baby then ingests or inhales the baby powder, the ointment or cream, or the baby wipes. Symptoms can include coughing, wheezing, choking, shortness of breath, and vomiting. It's important to keep these products away from the baby while diapering.
Diaper pins carry with them the danger of a puncture injury to your baby. When diapering, always be sure to keep your finger between the pin and the baby's skin to avoid an accidental stabbing. Most accidental injuries occur when the pins get dull and the diaperer uses extra pressure to get the pins through the diapers. Occasionally sticking the pins in a bar of soap or petroleum jelly helps, but you should discard and replace dull pins and pins that show signs of rusting.
The best pins are those with safety locks that snap down over metal latch sections. Buy several pairs. Avoid diaper pins that have plastic tops in decorative shapes. These are unsafe because the plastic eventually becomes brittle and chips off, exposing the sharp edge of the pin.
Regardless of what type of diaper you opt for, you will still have to answer the question of clothes. We'll examine baby clothes in the next section.
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
The Manufacturin
Process
Clothing manufacture is completed in several basic processes including cutting, sewing, assembling, decorating, and finishing the garments.
Fabric for a garment is stacked one length on top of another in reaches or lays that may be over 100 ft (30.5 m) long and hundreds of plies (fabric pieces) thick. These stacks of fabric are constructed by spreading machines. A pattern, called a marker or cutting lay, is fastened to the fabric with adhesive stripping or staples; the pattern includes all the pieces of the garment carefully arranged so a minimal amount of fabric is
The fabric is cut by an industrial saw into pattern pieces. Many pieces are cut at once.
wasted. Any one of several types of machines may be used to cut out the garment components. The machine is selected depending on the type of fabric and other considerations. These machines include band cutters that work much like band saws, cutters with rotary blades, machines with reciprocal blades that saw up and down, die clickers that are a form of die or punch press, and computerized machines that use either blades or laser beams to cut.
The cut pieces are taken to sewing stations where operators typically perform only one operation on one piece or set of pieces being sewn. The industrial sewing machines vary in the type of stitch they make and the configuration of the frame. Both are factors in the manner in which the machine sews and, therefore, in the part of the garment that can be sewn at that station. Operator A may make only straight seams, Operator B may make sleeve insets, Operator C sews the waist seams, and Operator D only makes buttonholes. Some machines work in sequence and feed their finished step directly to the next machine, while others (called "gang machines") have multiple machines performing the same operation under the oversight of a single operator.
The final sewing step is assembly when all the pieces put together in segments (like sleeves or pant legs) are assembled into the final product. Either finishing or decorating is performed next depending on the configuration of the garment. Finishing may include a variety of steps that manufacturers call "molding"; molding changes the finished surface of the garment by applying pressure, heat, moisture, or some combination. Pressing is a basic molding process, as are pleating and creasing. Creasing may be done before other finishing if the finishing involves stitching a cuff; creasing is also done before a decoration, like a pocket, is stitched in place. Other decorations that may be damaged by molding processes, like silk flowers or raised embroidery, may be added after the product has been finished. Completed garments are collected by size and type and are bagged or otherwise packed.
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