Dude…epic toddler poops.
Epic. Toddler. POOPS.
They’re no joke.
So let’s talk about them. Here’s my experience with poop: My toddler is a good eater. Heck, he’s a great eater. And with great eaters come…epic poops—the kind of poops that make you close your eyes and wish you used disposables so you could just throw the whole big, intimidating diaper away.
But DON’T do it. Not just yet…
I’ve found a solution. And honestly, the biggest mistake I ever made with cloth so far has been waiting too long to purchase this solution.
Meet Spray Pal’s dynamic duo: the diaper sprayer and the splatter shield.
These are the two products I swore I didn’t need and now I swear I can’t live without. I, like many others out there, had my thoughts about why I didn’t need these products, and I’ve since debunked them. Here’s what I’ve learned; here’s the truth…
FALSE: I don’t need a sprayer because I have a shower head/faucet/make-shift sprayer thingy I can use to spray my diapers clean.
TRUE: I need a diaper sprayer because my shower head/faucet/thingy is not strong enough to spray my diapers clean.
Seriously…When the poops aren’t “ploppable,” I’ve tried everything: faucets, a utility sink with a detached sprayer of its own, detachable shower heads, you name it; I’ve tried it. The water pressure was always way too weak, leaving me with sopping wet, not-so-clean diapers. It just created more mess to clean up, in the sinks or the tub or wherever I was doing the duty.
When I got the diaper sprayer, the water pressure was direct and powerful. It’s like a mini firehose that seriously gets the job done. It has just the right amount of water pressure to clear the poop. Of course, the Spray Pal shield is a must, or else you may get some wild water deflecting all over your bathroom. It folds into a sort of dome over your clipped-in diaper, and the open end fits right into the toilet bowl. All the spraying and all the poopy particles go right into the bowl. No mess. I fell in love right then in there.
FALSE: I don’t need a diaper sprayer because I can scrape the poo off with toilet paper or a spatula.
TRUE: I need a diaper sprayer because scraping poo sucks, doesn’t always work, having a spatula in the bathroom is weird, and a diaper sprayer always works, every time.
Ahhh…the scrape method: It only goes so far. First of all, the poop has to be at least somewhat “flippable,” like a pancake, so that it can essentially peel away cleanly from the diaper as you scrape with toilet paper. But trust me, you’ll want to give that up as soon as you scrape and scrape to no avail and end up accidentally getting poop under your fingernails. It’s just not worth it and always leaves poop behind. Honestly, I never did the spatula method; I only thought about it. We’re big foodies in this house, and I just couldn’t do it. Besides, then I’d have to clean the spatula afterwards too. I don’t want extra work.
The sprayer, again, doesn’t leave poop behind, and paired with the shield, there shouldn’t be extra clean-up work. Once you spray the diaper clean, you can unsnap and unfold the flaps of your “dome” down flat and press the water out of the diaper. Then, you simply unclick the diaper over your wetbag or wetpail, which makes the most sense to be in the room where the sprayer is, and drop it right inside the bag. No need to drip your wet diaper all over the room, and if you want, you can take the shield back over the toilet and spray it down so it’s squeaky clean; although, you should also sanitize it from time to time too since we’re dealing with poop here. It’s pretty slick.
FALSE: I don’t need the diaper sprayer and shield because it just adds extra clutter in my bathroom.
TRUE: The diaper sprayer is hardly noticeable when installed, and there are storage options for the shield that go unnoticed.
Yes, you are essentially adding two items to your bathroom by purchasing the sprayer and splatter shield. But once you hook up the sprayer, you hardly notice it tucked away next to the toilet, and even if you do, it’s quite sleek. I mean, it definitely beats a spatula or poop under your nails or whatever. Storing the shield, on the other hand, is up to you, but there are options out there for storage if you don’t want it out in the open. There are special wetbags you can hang on the door just for the shield. I’ve also seen people tuck them away in drawers (as long as you follow proper sanitary methods before storing). If you could care less about seeing it, I’ve seen simple setups like a towel or mat on the floor hiding next to the toilet for the shield to lay/lean on. You choose, but I found that I cared less about storage and more about how fantastic the sprayer and shield combo was for my diapering experience.
At the end of the day: Epic poops are no match for this Spray Pal duo. Do yourself a favor and invest in one. You’ll be so glad you did.
