All About Cloth Diapering

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I've been meaning to write this post for months because a few of my girlfriends are currently pregnant and asked me about cloth diapering. 

I gave them a quick rundown of the basics then promised them a more detailed post. 

So here it is.

When I first decided I wanted to cloth diaper I felt overwhelmed with all information I needed to know and questions I had. There was info on the different styles, how to properly wash them, prep them, how many you need, etc. So my goal is to give you all that info in one post so that you don't have to do weeks worth of research like I did. Basically, I hope I'm saving someone time and I hope it makes the thought of cloth diapering more doable because it totally is! I get so excited when someone chooses to cloth diaper so I hope I can persuade some of you to do just that. But all this info also means a pretty long post too, so hold on tight!

Types of Cloth Diapers (CD):

First let's start with the different types of cloth diapers, beginning with all-in-ones (AIO). BumGenius All In One Cloth Diaper  happen to be my current fave and have always been Seth's fave. He likes them because they are most like a disposable diaper in that you don't have to "stuff" them. Simply put: you grab a diaper and put it on baby. I like them because now that Avery sleeps pretty soundly all night and doesn't need a diaper change until morning they hold in more pee. When I use all in ones during the day I use it as is. When I put one on her at bedtime I add an extra insert so that I don't have to worry about leaks the next morning.

You can "stuff" the insert or you can simply lay it on the inside of the diaper, or if you have a heavy-wetter you can do both.

Next up are pocket diapers. 

These were my favourite when she was littler simply because they aren't as bulky as AIOs and they dry faster after a wash. Some people, ahem Seth, don't like them because they have to take the time to stuff them. But seriously folks, it takes seconds. Not a big deal. Besides, my husband has changed like four diapers ever, no exaggeration, so I don't worry too much about his opinion on this topic. Love you baby! 

Comparing the AIO and the Pocket you can see how the AIO might be a better contender for nighttime. It has two 'flaps' if you will and you can add more inserts. The pocket has one insert and you could add another but it's still not as thick as an AIO. Of our stash I'd guess that half are AIO and half are pockets and that has ended up working really well for us. When we have another baby (yes, we're gonna have one more if fate allows) I plan to buy half and half again. Unless of course Av is already potty-trained by the time kiddo five comes along, in which case s/he will just use our current stash.

Pre-folds. 

I have not used prefolds regularly or in the way most do so I can't give you any personal insight. I do know though that these are good if you don't want to take the financial hit of cloth diapering. I say financial hit but seriously, even if you buy the more expensive diapers at $20 a pop you still save thousands in the long run compared to using disposables.

I digress.

Think old school cloth diapers with a cute cover over top. That's a prefold. When Avery was itty bitty I used prefolds as burp cloths (a trick I learned from my Mom when I had Ethan). You can get like 20 prefolds for $15. No joke. Now that A no longer spits up on the reg I use the prefolds every once in a while as an insert in my pocket diapers (for instance if the diaper is dry and the real insert is still damp/drying) and they work flawlessly. So don't knock them until you try them. I have a girl friend that uses them and loves them. She simply puts a waterproof cover over them.

This brings me to all-in-twos (AI2). They are similar to prefolds as they have a cover and an insert that you snap into the cover. I've never used these but again know people that do and swear by them.

Wash Routine:

Now that you know the different types of CDs let's move on to washing them. This seems to be what turns a lot of folks off cloth diapering. I don't really understand the big deal but then again I have a family of six so I do laundry every single day when we have a full house, therefore laundry isn't a big deal for me.

Personally, I wash diapers either every day or at the very least every other day. One, I don't have a huge "stash". I think I have about 20 diapers. And to be honest you don't need more than that unless of course you're diapering more than one child at a time.

The reason you don't need more is because you need to wash dirty diapers at least every other day or every two days anyway in order to keep them in tip top shape. If you let dirty diapers sit for three, four, five days it's going to affect the performance of your diaper as they aren't going to get as clean and then they aren't going to absorb as well and then you're going to complain that your diapers suck then you're going to give up on cloth blah blah blah....

Anyway, I don't want to be tempted to be lazy and blow off washing diapers so I keep my stash small so that I'm basically forced to wash diapers or else I would run out and that would not be good.

Washing: Prep

Before you can initially use the diapers you have to prep them. Every brand will come with instructions on how to prep that particular diaper so my advice is to follow that. Depending on what your diaper is made from (wool, microfibres, etc) your prep will vary. So trust the company you buy from and prep the way it states on the packaging. Easy as pie.

Washing: Detergent

The detergent you use is critical to the performance of your diapers. Dyes, perfumes, brighteners that are in most standard detergents are going to ruin your diapers. They are going to prevent absorption and damage the material. So naturally, you want to use a detergent that doesn't contain such ingredients.

I personally use BumGenius Liquid Detergent  on all my diapers regardless if they are bumgenius or not. It's a bit pricey but it works better on our diapers in my experience.

Washing: Routine

When I'm changing A's diapers I obviously toss them in a wet bag when I'm done. But as I put them in the wet bag I remove the liner first then toss it in. That way when it's time to wash all I have to do is dump the entire contents of the wet bag into the wash rather than picking through the pockets diapers and unstuffing them. It's simpler, and Lord knows I need simple. I also use cloth wipes that way I'm not picking out disposable wipes from the diapers or needing to keep a trash bin by me during a diaper change. I simply clean her bum with a cloth wipe and toss it all in the wet bag.

When it's time to wash I empty the wet bag's contents into the washer. Then I run a 30 minute rinse cycle in cold water with half the amount of detergent I'd use to wash them. Next I do the wash cycle on 60 degrees with the full amount of detergent. When that's done I line dry them. Sometimes I'll do another rinse at the end if I still see suds in the machine but it's rare that happens.

Line drying will ensure your diapers last longer as it won't wear the elastic, etc. Also, the sun is a natural whitener so if you have a stain on one of the dipes just let it dry outside in a line or in the window if you don't have an outside clothes hanger and the sun will erase the stain. It's like magic, I tell ya!

Details:

You need a Wet Bag. A wet bag is what you will put all your dirty diapers in. It's waterproof, so the stench and pee stay put inside. I have a big one for the house. And I actually use a "bikini bag" (the small water proof pouch you'd stick your wet bikini in when your done at the beach) as a wet bag on the go that I keep in the diaper bag.

You need 15-20 diapers per child. This is if you will wash at least every other day. Which is recommended to keep your diapers in good shape.

Cloth wipes. I posted about it yesterday. And while it's obviously a personal preference just trust me though use cloth wipes. It's easier than disposables, you don't have the chemicals from disposables on your babe, and you don't have to spend money on wipes every few weeks.

Brands:

You might be wondering which brands are best. I personally love BumGenius All In One Cloth Diaper  and Fuzzibunz, Charlie Banana  are good as well. Every baby is shaped differently though so what works for one babe may not be best for another so my advice is to buy one or two or each brand you're considering. Use those on baby and see which ones you like the best then go back and buy more of that particular brand.

I think that pretty much sums things up! I really hope I helped any questions and made CDing sound doable, because it really is. Besides, you'll be helping our landfills, your bank account, and most importantly your baby's little bum. As always, let me know if you have questions or other tips you'd love to share. And if you've used any other brands other than those I mentioned tell us how you liked them (or didn't like them). 

Until tomorrow...