Cloth Diapering Primer

I thought it would be fun to pass along some words of wisdom from my cloth diapering journey. Been meaning to write this for a while but was motivated by my friend asking for tips as she is expecting her first! http://www.tapestrychronicles.com/

My third baby is the first I have done cloth diapering from the start. She is 18 months now and we're still using cloth. So much to say so you'll have to pardon my many tangents!

I really like to use pocket covers (BumGenius, Blueberry and Thirsties come to mind as good brands to look for), but I actually put the stuffers right on top next to baby's skin, I don't "stuff" them in the pocket because then I can reuse the covers more times. I love diapers with a lot of snaps for a good adjustable fit. I don't even use snappis or pins; if I put a rectangular absorbant "stuffer" in the middle (more later) and secure the cover snugly then the stuffer stays in place just fine.
While they come adjustable there is such a thing as too big and it won't stay put well, so while baby is little use a smaller size cover, and a bigger size cover as baby gets bigger.

For stuffers (absorption), you can use ANYTHING. You can buy stuffers that are a long rectangle shape, they come in a variety of materials. You can cut up old flannel sheets or cotton tshirts and sew a few layers together into a long rectangle. You can fold up small towels or cut up larger terrycloth towels. Flannel receiving blankets work really well too. The patterned burping cloth diapers you can get at the store work if you fold them into a rectangle and layer them. Finally my favorite is birdseye weave flatfold diapers - it's a single layer you fold to the right size. Nice because it dries easily. Typically cotton based materials become more absorbant after a couple washes.

Again, for a smaller baby use (or fold into) a smaller size and fewer layers. As baby grows, add more absorbancy. Finding the proper absorbancy is more important than how leakproof the cover is because if there isn't enough absorbancy then you'll get leakage, period. Also, it goes without saying but it's also important to change the diaper as soon as possible after it's wet. Moisture on baby's skin can cause rashes. (so can eating sugary or acidic food or drink like apple juice but that's beside the point). Cloth seems to be gentler on my babies' sensitive skin than disposables.

Cleaning: As long as baby is EBF (exclusively Breastfed), the poops dissolve in the washing machine so you don't have to clean off the poops before washing! (side note: while handwashing can certainly be done, I have a lot of respect for people who cloth diaper while not owning a washing machine. Personally I can only manage it if I had a washing machine in the house) I keep in an open basket in the bathroom (exposure to air is good) and do a wash about every two days (or about every 20 diapers). From my experience, disposable diapers in the trash smell at least as bad as if not worse than cloth diapers, so the smell isn't a huge deterrent. For older babies (older = once anything besides breastmilk has been introduced - I don't recommend introducing anything before 6 months and even then have feeding be baby led, only offering when baby shows interest and has the mobile dexterity to pick up food and put in own mouth), I use a designated rubber spatula to scrape the solids into the toilet, then I rinse any remainders in the toilet or sink, then throw in the basket with the wet diapers.

I found it's good to own about two cycles worth of diapers (about 30-40 diaper changes - technically that might be upwords of 80 stuffers for me since I double up) and about 15-20 covers so while you are washing one lot of diapers you have the other lot to use. I use regular Trader Joe's coconut based laundry detergent, you don't want something with fragrances and you don't want to use too much of any detergent and have residue left on the diapers. For drying, in the summer I line dry when I have the time, otherwise I dry the covers on a drying rack and throw all the stuffers in the dryer on high heat.

I went budget by getting my diapers second hand from a local diaper swap, sometimes people will give a good deal if they are unloading their whole stash as their baby gets older. However, even if you buy new I think you will save a good amount of money by not having to purchase disposable diapers all the time, and save space in your garbage can - and the landfill too!