Cloth Diapering 101

I remember the warm summer day like it was just yesterday, though it’s been almost 4 years ago now! I was four months pregnant with Eden, our first. I was brand new to the whole mommy thing, but it was like a dream come true! I spent hours trying to perfect my Amazon registry, decorate her nursery, and research all I needed to know to be the best mama ever! Wow, I’ve learned so much since then! But that’s for another day, back to summer of 2016. In my exorbitant amount of research, I stumbled across cloth diapering. All that I knew of it up until this point was stuff from the ‘old days.’ Rubber pants, safety pins, and messes galore! That did not interest me one bit! Then I stumbled up a class that a local baby store was offering- Cloth Diapering 101. In the description of the class, it literally said something like what I just described, but went on to say that things have changed A LOT since then! It invited any mamas who were wondering if cloth diapering might be an option for them to the class to learn about how easy it can be! I was intrigued! So that’s where I found myself that beautiful summer day. A new mom with a tiny baby bump, a load of questions, a skeptical husband, and a notebook ready to write down every word of the class. I soaked in the whole hour of instruction, and when I left my first thought was, “I can do this, and I really want to!” My still skeptical husband said, “Well, we’ll see how long it lasts.” Before you judge him, that was just about everyone’s response to me, which just made me even more determined. (Spoiler: Keep reading and you’ll find out that Simeon might just like using cloth more than I do!)Since then, I’ve cloth diapered 2 littles, and will soon make that 3! Eden has been completely potty-trained since last summer. I sadly put away all my adorable girl diapers, but we found out earlier this month that our new baby is another girl! I was thrilled to pull back out all my girlie diapers. Knox (17 months) is still in them, and I don’t foresee potty training anywhere in the near future!I am far from an expert on this topic, but I have learned a thing or two that has helped me along the journey.  If this topic doesn’t interest or apply to you, don’t waste your time. It will probably be lengthy! But if this is your thing or you wonder if it could be, I hope you will find info here that will help and encourage you, just like that class did for me years ago. Let’s dive right into it!

Types of Cloth Diapers

There are three main types of cloth diapers. (Info on AIO and pocket style taken from www.blueberrydiapers.com)All In One Diaper (also known as an AIO): This is the diaper that‘s just about as easy to use as a disposable diaper in that it’s a one-piece design that includes all the components such as a waterproof exterior, elastic around the waist and the legs, the absorbent layer, and a fastening system.This is the simplest, easiest and most convenient system of cloth diapering. They are great for if you’re going to have babysitters, grandparents or dads changing the diapers, and especially if you will be having your baby in daycare.Pocket Diapers: This is a 2-part system that involves stuffing the absorbent layer, otherwise called an insert, inside a pocket opening of the diaper that is composed of a lining fabric and a waterproof outer layer with elasticated waist and legs and its own fasteners.Now you may ask why would you want to do that? Well, the biggest reason is for thorough cleaning and faster drying. Pocket diapers dry super fast. And if you don’t mind taking the extra few seconds to stuff them, they’re just as convenient as all in one diapers.Covers/Capris: The Capri Diaper Cover is an easy to use cover that comes in 2 sizes with snap closures. These reusable and waterproof covers have true leg gussets to hold in wetness and messes. The adjustable rise snaps allow the cover to grow with your baby. The 2 rows of snaps at the waist allow you to adjust the fit at the waist and legs. (info taken from www.nickisdiapers.com) For this style, you will have to put in your own inserts or prefolds.)*We decided to use the AIO style. While it is usually the most expensive option, I wanted something that other people were comfortable using. It literally looks just list a disposable diaper; the diaper is one connected piece, so you don’t have to stuff or add inserts.*I’ll go ahead and state that I am a HUGE Blueberry Diaper fan! While there are many reasons for this, the one I’ll mention here is the design of their AIO diaper. It has an extra material layer that is connected to the diaper for more absorption, and the diaper has openings where you can tuck it in. I love that it’s connected which means less pieces to mess with. I also love the design of the openings. For boys, I fold the lining in half and lay it on top for extra absorption where their pee is concentrated. For girls, I tuck the extra lining piece inside the diaper since their pee tends to spread out.

*I do not use cloth diapers at night. My babies don’t do well getting a diaper change at night, and cloth just wouldn’t hold for 6+ hrs. You can add extra inserts to help with absorption, we just found it was easier to use a disposable for nighttime.

Other Essentials

Less is more! At least for me. Everyone has a different opinion on what extras you need when cloth diapering. These are the things that have stuck it out through my babies.-Cloth Wipes: I figured, if I’m already washing dirty diapers, why not wash wipes too? Grovia has the softest cloth wipes!! Grovia Cloth Wipes-Sheepish Grins Washy Wafers: I keep a cheap spray bottle filled with water and one washy wafer to dampen the wipes immediately before use. These washy wafers last FOREVER! One box lasted me through Eden and about 6 months of cloth diapering Knox! Sheepish Grins Washy Wafers-Trash Can and Liners: I just bought a regular trash can from Walmart. Just make sure it doesn’t seal airtight. You don’t want your dirty diapers completely sealed off from air. We’ve never had any problems with odor. (although it will stink when you open the can to throw in a new diaper) I mainly have pail liners from Blueberry, but any brand is fine. I makes laundry so easy when you simply dump the contents of the liner in the wash and then throw the liner in too.-Wet Bags: Again, Blueberry make up most of my collection, but any will do. These are great for keeping in the diaper bag to hold dirty diapers. I’ve actually used them for lots of things- wet clothes after a splash pad play date, dirty clothes, etc.-Diaper Cream: You DO NOT want to use a zinc oxide based diaper cream. Most brands have this in them (Desitin being a main one) The purpose of that ingredient is to seal baby’s skin from allowing moisture to sit against it. Well, it does the same thing to your diapers! You definitely don’t want to seal them off from absorbing! The best thing I’ve found to use is coconut oil. It works miracles and it’s cheap. I keep a jar of it at my changing station.

Laundry

This is where most people wrinkle their nose and say “How gross! I don’t think I can stomach the laundry.” There’s no way around it- you are washing diapers that have been pooped and peed in. But it really isn’t as bad as you think. I’ve been washing cloth diapers for over 3 years, and my washing machine looks as clean as ever, and the diapers do too!I will admit, this was the most difficult thing for me to get a hang of when I first started. It just takes a bit to figure out your baby’s skin, your washing machine, and what routine works best for you. The website Fluff Love University has a ton of helpful info specific to different washing machines. You do need to know if you have hard water or not. We do, so I add about 1/4 cup of Calgon to each wash. This keeps minerals from building up on the cloth Tide Free and Clear has worked great as a detergent. My kids have never had a problem with it, and it cleans well. You do want to choose a detergent that has as little additives as possible. Now I know Tide is definitely not one of those, but the Free and Clear has worked fine for us. Of course, you will have to adjust if your baby has sensitive skin or issues to certain detergents.My laundry routine: I have a Maytag Centennial HE washer. I do two washes. First, I wash on power wash, hot water, heavy soil level. I do not include any soap or calgon in this wash. This is mainly to rinse off all waste. Second wash, I add Tide Free and Clear powder detergent (however much is recommended on box) and 1/4 cup calgon. I was on cold wash, cold water, and regular soil level. Once that is complete, I dry on medium heat for 60-80 minutes depending on the size of the load. You want to make sure your diapers dry completely before you fold and put away. Also, it is best to let the diapers cool to room temperature before folding so that you are not putting strain on the elastics while they are hot. This will make them wear out faster. (If line drying, do not hang vertically. This is also hard on the elastics. Hang horizontally)I usually wash every 3-4 days. The longest I’ve went is around 6 days, but that was rough!Laundry Tips*If baby is exclusively breastfed, you do not need to do anything special to the dirty diapers. Simply throw in the can and wash when ready. Once baby begins to eat solids or is on formula, you will want to scrape or dump solid waste. There are many tools out there to help with this (diaper sprayer, shield, scraper etc) The consistency of their poop changes when solids are introduced, and it’s usually easy enough to just dump it in the toilet. I do keep this under the bathroom sink for diapers that are especially messy Baby Bum Brush*If we are traveling for more than 3 days, and I am unsure what our laundry situation will be, we use disposables. I’ve found this to be easier than carrying around stinky diapers and worrying about finding a washing machine.

Wrapping It Up

If you decide this is right for your baby and family, you CAN do it! Yes, you will have to figure some things out by trial and error, but it works and can be a huge blessing! There are many reasons people choose to cloth diaper- saves money, better for the environment, baby has skin sensitivities, etc. My main reason was to save money. I’ll be honest, it did not save us money with Eden. My cloth diaper stash was a huge investment. Now it doesn’t have to be, but here are several reasons ours was- 1. I bought a high quality brand. 2. I choose to use AIOs. 3. I bought a large stash so there would be a big rotation (larger rotation, less wear and tear on diapers). All of these factors were because she was our first, and we’re hoping to have 5 children. I wanted to make the initial investment in quality diapers so that they would last through all our kids. So far, so good!I hope this was helpful! Fluff Love University is definitely a great resource!

P.S. I mentioned in the beginning that Sim might like using cloth more than me- I’ll never forget the day we were on an extended trip, and he went to change Eden’s diaper. He said, “Is all we have disposables? I don’t even know how to put this on?!? Did you bring any cloth diapers? Those are so much easier!” I think he’s been convinced that cloth is for us haha!