"You're doing what?!?"
We got that question a lot in the beginning. And then we got trickles of people asking if we liked it, does it work? Isn't it time consuming? The answers to many of these questions may surprise you.
Yes, we cloth diaper full time. In fact I am pretty confident there isn't a single disposable diaper in the house, and if there is one or two hiding in the dark corners, I'm sure it doesn't even come close to fitting her at this point.
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| Chillin' in the {clean} stash. |
"Aren't they expensive?" Our entire stash ran us a little over $500, give or take a diaper or two. And I feel we have beyond recovered that in the 10 months we've been using cloth. When I say "stash" I'm including diapers, wet bags, diaper sprayer, the few cloth wipes we have (but don't really use), and any creams or such that we've acquired along the way.
Through our cloth diaper adventures, we have learned one thing to be true for everyone: Not all diapers are going to work for you like they do for someone else. Just like you may prefer J. Crew over Target, or Walmart over Macy's for clothing, diapers fit and wear different on every baby. Your best bet is to find a local store that will let you touch, feel, and try on a few different brands and styles.
That being said, here's how it works for us. Keep in mind our little girl was born 9 pounds 13 ounces and is now approximately 25 pounds at 10 months. She is a heavy wetter, breast fed and has chunky thighs.
{When We Started}
Being born at close to 10 pounds, her size was never an issue. We started her on the cloth the second day after her last meconium poop. Some people start earlier and use liners. Part of the reason we didn't was because we were sent home from the hospital with a new pack of diapers, might was well use them, right?
{Diapers Themselves} See below for more explanation of the different styles.
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| First time in cloth, she looks confused. |
For our
everyday at home diaper, we choose a pocket diaper. (Fuzzibunz to be specific) It was quick to get on and off (a must for a squirmy baby), easy to show someone else how to use (no disposables for the babysitter), and cost effective. The lining that is against her bum is soft and stays dry to the touch, another must! Seriously, who wouldn't rather a soft cloth on their bum all day instead of chemicals and paper? {Count: 18}
We quickly found that night time needed another solution. She sleeps stays in her night diaper for approximately 12 hours. We use a bamboo pocket diaper for that (Blueberry makes a great one), it's super bulky and we therefore have a hard time finding pj's that work, but she wakes dry. Another down side of bamboo is that it lacks the 'stay dry' properties of some other materials, so we line them with a fleece liner. [More about these in a few.] {Count: 3}
When we're out and about it's another story. I found that packing enough pocket diapers for the day just overwhelmed my diaper bag so again we looked for another solution. An all-in-2 became our friend (we use Grovia's system). All-in-2's consist of a shell and a snap in inserts. To change the diaper you simply remove the insert and replace with a new one until the shell get's soiled (which rarely happens for us). Grovia's system is great in that the inserts come in cloth or disposable. We keep a mixture of both in he car just incase we're somewhere that cloth just isn't practical. {Count: 3 shells, 6 inserts, and a prefold}
{Storage and Washing}
We own 3 wet bags, 2 large and one small. The two large ones are our at home bags [one to use, one to wash]. We simply remove the liners and the whole diaper goes in the bag. The bag rarely smells, we add nothing to it, just leave it open [counter intuitive I know, but airing out the bag is the biggest help in eliminating odors].
Poop, you ask? Well, it was much nicer before solids I must say. Breastmilk poop can simply be washed, no rinsing necessary. Formula milk I believe you should rinse [don't quote me, another reason to breastfeed in my book, however]. Once you introduce solids ... well for us there was an in-between stage when it was part solid, part liquid. These we rinsed with a diaper sprayer. However, now that she's eating us out of house and home, we simply 'ploop' the poop in the toilet and keep moving.
Our wash routine goes something like this. [We have an older model top loading washer.] We use Planet, research your detergent, this is another thing that will vary family to family based on your water quality/composition. All you have to be sure of is that it doesn't contain brighteners or dyes/fragrances. These will build up and cause your diapers to repel water, not good when you're trying to contain it. We also use the extra large load setting, this ensures there's enough water to rinse thoroughly.
Rinse in cold water.
Wash in hot water with about a table spoon or so of powder detergent.
Extra rinse.
Dry on low for about an hour, or line dry.
Line drying is another cloth drying secret. It gets out ALL the stains, yes all of them! We wash about every 2-3 days, it takes no more time than washing and folding a load of clothes.
{Rash Treatments}
Truth be told, we've only had one rash that really needed treatment, but here's what we've learned over the months. First, using a cream with every diaper change is not necessary and even discouraged. [The in laws were not happy about this at first.] Cloth diapers allow more air to the skin and don't contain the irritating chemicals that promote rashes.
Coconut oil: Great everyday cream [useful in SOOOO many ways, moisturizes baby and momma]. This is a natural antibiotic and antifungal so it will help kill anything that may be growing. Just slather a bit on the bum.
Corn Starch: This is great at controlling excess moisture, but it is food for bugs that may be growing so use it with caution if a rash is present.
Creams: They do make a few cloth safe creams, California Baby makes a good one. Just be careful what you buy and know that any use of creams may void the diapers warranty.
Baking Soda: We have had one yeast infection, started as thrush and made it's way around. During this we learned this AH-MAZING trick. Using 1/3 box of baking soda in the tub during a bath will clear up just about anything. This is the only thing we use now. If we see even a hint of redness, baking soda goes in the bath and by morning she's nice and clear.
They also make great
swim diapers, but remember chlorine will break them down faster, so keep one or two separate from your normal stash for swim only if you choose to use them.
{Tips and Money Savers}
Diaper retailers will try to sell you all kinds of extras, be sure it's something you will use before purchasing. Cloth wipes are one of these add-ons. Honestly, we intended to use them but they seemed more work than they were worth. BUT, if you do intend to use them, skip the expensive ones and make your own. You can get creative or, like I did, keep it simple. I purchased remnant fleece from the local craft store an cut it into strips [this is what we use for liners for our overnight diapers]. There's no sewing necessary, it doesn't unravel, after a few months of washing they may seem a little thin but still soft and absorbent.
My other best tip ever, if you have a chance to be a product tester, DO IT! Even if it costs a few bucks. If you don't like the product, there will probably be someone out there who does and will buy it or trade it after the testing period is over.
Just a side note: When I started thinking cloth, I saw this great all in one package, G Diapers. Look further into them before making the plunge.
Look around on Facebook and the internet for diaper swapping groups, these can save you a lot of money. Read lots of reviews. Like I said before, not every diaper works for every family.
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{Types of diapers}
One size: Adjustable, made to fit a child for the majority of their diapering career.
Sized: Come in sizes, such as small, medium, large. Most are not adjustable other than the snaps and may not fit for long.
All-In-One: Just what they say, you take the whole diaper off and put a whole new one one. Pros: Easy to use, no taking a dirty diaper apart. Cons: Expensive and takes up a lot of room.
All-In-Two: Single shell with multiple lines Pros: Easy to adjust the absorption level, takes up less space. Cons: Can also be expensive.
Pocket: Use a shell with an insert that fits into a pocket. Pros: Easy to adjust absorption and easy to take on and off. Cons: Can take up a lot of space, and some can be bulky depending on how much of an insert you need to avoid leaks.
Flats & Prefolds: The 'old' cloth diaper, flat panel that is used with a shell or cover. Pros: very inexpensive, takes up the least amount of room. Cons: Can be quite messy and takes some practice to get the diaper on just right.
*Please note that this is in no way meant as a review of products,
but as a general guide to how cloth works for us*
