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why rubber pants are tearing????

9K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  Heloise 
#1 ·
I've been using cloth diapers on DD for about 2 months now in order to save money. The problem is that her rubber pants are developing tears or rips in odd places. Any idea why?? I always hang them up to dry and wash them on the delicate cycle, using no bleach or fabric softener. I usually just hand wash them as soon as i change her and only run them through the wash when there's poop on them. Anyone else ever have this problem?
 
#2 ·
I used cloth on both my kids years ago and I was going to suggest everything your already doing. No bleach and line dry. Could the pins be rubbing holes? If you are line drying them in the sun maybe this is causing them to break down quicker. Try hanging indoors.

Not many choices when I was diapering kids years ago but maybe try a different brand of rubber pants and see if they last longer.
 
#3 ·
Depends on where it's rubbing thin/ripping.

Is it in the area of the pins? Is your lil one wearing pants with thick inseams? Could it be the cloth pins? Are the legs too small? Too big?

I know I used rubber pants when DD was 'in training' and they were going thin on the sides and along the backside.
 
#8 ·
I wish that I knew the answer to your question. All my kids used cloth diapers except now for the youngest b/c of sensative skin. I had noticed when #8 & #9 were still in diapers, the plastic pants would have these little tears - sometimes the seams on the sides would rip & I was careful just like you - no dryer or bleach. I would guess that they may be making them from another type of plastic/vinyl & its just not holding up as well.
I got tired of having to buy plastic pants everytime I turned around, so when they began to tear, I would put duct tape over the tears & believe me- although the plastic pants looked unattractive, the duct tape held up for 2 months- even w/ washing them.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for all the suggestions and tips. I've been thinking about getting my sewing kit out and fixing the tears. But, now I think I'll use duct tape!!!
 
#11 ·
yup, I used duct tape too. Worked like a charm. I used Motherease snap covers and really liked them. I used 3 covers that lasted through all 4 kiddos. Best of luck and don't give up. You'll find what works for you and most likely you'll be happy that you used cloth for many, many reasons.
 
#12 ·
the gerber pants don't last long....longest I've managed is about 3 changes.

invest in a different cover, I like Kushies covers, diaperwraps.

a stronger waterresistant material makes a world of difference. PUL is what most are made of - its polyurethane latex, or laminated jersey.
 
#13 ·
I had a friend tell me that they aren't making them like they used to. I rem when I was w my exbf that I helped potty train his daughter and I had purchased the cloth trainers and vinyl covers that I had no issues...even w fluffing them in the dryer(it was in the instructions)-I think they were gerber...this has been like 5 yrs though and even in that time my friends said they have changed. They have two girls who are like 7&8 and a boy who is 3 and he's going through training and they have noticed the difference. So no it's not you. I think they are making them cheaper so you have to buy more often.
 
#14 ·
I diapered all 6 of my kids in rubber pants. From the time my oldest (born early 80's) was a baby, to when my last child was a baby (early 90's), I noticed a big difference in the quality. Elastics weren't as stretchy, nor did they last like the old, and the plastic ripped, cracked, and split more frequently. Definitely not the quality I remember from my babysitting days.

Rubber pants were laundered in warm water (often hand-washed), line-dried, and I always used pants that were one to two sizes larger than needed, which made for easier changing (pulling them off and on at change-time). I always double diapered which made for bulky diapers, and found that smaller fitting rubber pants often split down the side seams, or the elastics would go around the legs, but with bigger fitting pants, I found the pants lasted way longer.

I tried a number of brands before I hit upon a brand that worked, and I stuck with that brand right through. Never had a problem with diaper pins wearing through or poking through the pants.

I also never changed the rubber pants at every diaper change, so less laundering of the pants equaled longer wear. When my kids daytime trained and were down to wearing diapers only at night, I seldom had to buy rubber pants, unlike when you have a baby or toddler in diapers, where not only are you pulling their rubber pants off and on multiple times each day changing their diapers, in addition to said kid playing outside and tearing the seat out of their rubber pants playing on swing-sets, tricycles, and shuffling their diapered bottoms around on rough ground.
 
#15 ·
Bottom-line (pardon the pun)... rubber pants take/took a beating, at least in my home they did.

Was just giving thought to this. Considering how many times rubber pants are pulled off and on in a day when changing diapers... I recall anywhere from 8-10 times a day, and I'm not talking about the newborn stage, I'm talking about the older baby/toddler stage. Now, multiply that by 7, to calculate a weekly number, then multiply the weekly number by 4 to calculate a monthly number, and you have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 200 - 300 changes. Add in how many times in a day diapers were checked for wetness... I used to pull-back/stretch-out the elastic waistband on the rubber pants when checking, and I checked both front and back... every hour, on the hour (when I was on top of my game), the wear-and-tear of the pants soaking in the diaper pail with all of the ammonia diapers, then the pants being laundered, then hung on the line to dry in the sun... those plastic baby pants got a real working-out.

Additionally, figure in how speedily rubber pants are pulled off and at change-time (we each had or have our own style)... me, I was old-school and practiced the lightening-speed method (LOL), where rubber pants were whisked off smartly, in a no-nonsense, all business like fashion. (((Swish-swish))), the pants would sound, and I repeated the same when rubber pants were pulled back on after diapers were changed and pins refastened. I still remember the plasticy-rustling sound the rubber pants would make when I'd change a diaper. The final tug of the pants over diapers resulted in the snapping sound of the elastic waistband being let go and snapping against said child's tummy at the front, and when my mom (grandma) babysat, she, too, was a no-nonsense diaper changer, so the pants got a further thorough workout when grandma was in charge, and one of the college babysitters that regularly sat for us (evenings) used to put the pants through their paces.

Yep, those old rubber pants took a serious beating, right from the time I brought the pants home from the department store, until they met their demise and I'd deposit them in the plastic garbage pail. Hundreds of changings, months of use, dozens upon dozens of washings, countless spankings, and let's not forget about how many times those pants were dunked up and down in the toilet with the diapers when baby did a poopy, sometimes with diapers still inside rubber pants.

I'll save my cigarette/rubber pants story for a later topic of conversation. The only thing I have to say about is, the rubber pants suffered an embarrassing defeat. :redface-new:

A refreshing walk down Memory Lane this thread has been!
 
#18 ·
Your words are so true about the quality of goods today, Martha. IMO, there's no excuse for poor quality either.

I've seen the All-in-Ones and they seem like a nice alternative to all of the folding and pin-fastening that the old-fashioned variety required. Hopefully today's modern cloth diapers entice more mothers to go back to using cloth.
 
#19 ·
I used to have a friend who would wear plastic pants with me. We would pull at each others plastic pants at various places and maybe rip them at the seams from top to leg holes or at the back down to the crotch strange i know but we enjoyed wearing our fairly tight plastic pants together. They were called Brumas and Kintal baby pants remember them?
 
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