If you know me personally, you know I'm
obsessed with cloth diapers. We use them on our youngest, Parker, and at night for our bedwetting three year old, Grant!
BUT WHY CLOTH?
Cloth saves us money, is economical, adorable, chemical free and saves the environment!
ISN'T IT GROSS?
Ever cleaned poop off a onesie or pajamas? That's way worse! With cloth, you'll never even have that problem, the elastic at the legs and back keep even the messiest diapers contained and off those precious outfits. Bye bye, blowouts. Plus, with tools like a diaper sprayer and a SprayPal, your hands will never even touch poop. Yay!
BUT IT'S SO EXPENSIVE!
Sure, it seems expensive up front. But buying all the diapers your baby will use from birth to potty training would be WAY more expensive if you had to pay for them up front. If you start buying one every two weeks while pregnant, you'll have all the diapers you need to diaper your baby from birth until potty training. How cool is that? And the best part of all, you can SELL them when you're done. That's right, make money off of used diapers. There's a huge market for used diapers, believe it or not. In fact, a huge portion of our stash is made up of preloved fluff. Ever tried to sell a used disposable diaper? Good luck!
IS IT TIME CONSUMING?
No. If you can fit just two more loads of laundry into each week, that is all the time you need!
HOW DO YOU WASH?
First, remove all inserts from diapers and make sure all snaps are unsnapped. Dump any solid waste into the toilet and use a diaper sprayer to spray any remaining waste into the toilet as well. If you are exclusively breast feeding, this step is unnecessary because breastfed baby waste is water soluble and will rinse clean in the wash. Usually, poop will "peel" off the diaper and spraying isn't even necessary. Once the solids are off, it's time to wash. I use a cap full of Tide Original with a cold rinse, hot wash, cold rinse. The key to washing diapers is water! Always set your washer to the largest load setting so your washer uses the most water possible. DO NOT use fabric softener or dryer sheets with diapers!!!! They are made with oils that can attach to diaper fibers and cause build up that makes them repel or be non absorbent. No bueno. After washing, I take anything with PUL (covers, wet bags, pocket diapers, etc.) from the wash and hang them to dry. Heat from the dryer can damage the PUL over time, so air drying is your best bet. Then, I throw everything else, (prefolds, inserts, wipes) into the dryer on high. Since these things are made to hold moisture, sometimes they take an extra half cycle to dry. There are many different brands of laundry detergents for cloth and it takes some trial and error to find out what works with your diapers, baby, machine, and water type. Make sure to do your research on detergents, because not all brands are safe for diapers. It is also possible to hand wash diapers, if you prefer.
DO THEY EVEN WORK? HOW?
Of course! Why would I be gushing over them to the whole world if they didn't?!
Cloth diapers are waterproof because they have an outer layer of PUL (polyurethane laminate) or TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). This fabric comes in tons of cute prints and solid colors to fit your style and personality.
HOW MANY DO I NEED?
This really depends on baby and the diaper type used. Newborns will generally need changed 10-12 times per day, babies 8-10, and toddlers 6-8.
Now, on to cloth vocabulary. Don't be upset if you can't process it all right away. It's a bit of a learning curve and cloth diapering has tons of abbreviations and lingo to be familiar with!
All In One/AIO- This type of diaper is most like a disposable. There is no need to add anything to the diaper, just snap it on baby and you're ready to go.
All In Two/AI2- This diaper comes with an outer shell of waterproof material and a snap in soaker. So once you snap in the soaker, you snap it on baby and that's it.
Pocket- A pocket is similar to an AI2 in that you have to add something to it for it to be absorbent. Like the name suggests, there is a pocket, usually in the back, where you stuff your insert of choice. The layer that makes the pocket and is between insert and baby is usually made of fleece or suede cloth. These are used to help keep baby feeling dry. These are a very popular choice with cloth diapering moms.
Cover- A cover is an outer shell of waterproof material, such as PUL. They do not come with any type of soaker. They are most commonly stuffed with flats, prefolds, or fitted diapers. These are the evolved form of plastic pants your mom probably wore. They are the cheapest and most economical because they can be used for multiple changes if they are not soiled or wet. Just change out your prefold, fitted, whatever, and reuse the cover!
Hybrid- These diapers feature a waterproof, washable outer and disposable absorbent inners. These are great for daycare, dads, being out and about, and those who are on the fence with cloth.
Aplix/Velcro/Hook & Loop- These terms are interchangeable and are called different things based on their brand. (Similarly to how a Kleenex is actually a tissue, or a Band-aid is a bandage) This refers to the closure type of the diaper (your other option being snaps). Aplix is preferred by some for it's ease for dads and babysitters. Over time it may wear out and need to be replaced. Diapers that use this type of closure will also have "laundry tabs". These are tabs that you hook your Aplix on to before they go into the wash so they don't snag other diapers.
Snaps- These are the alternative to Aplix/Velcro/ Hook & Loop closure. (My personal preference)
Insert/soaker- The absorbent material used in a diaper
Doubler- An extra bit of absorbent material used for older babies or when changing frequently is more difficult (like during a car trip)
Fitted- This is similar to a prefold diaper but instead of being a big rectangle of fabric, it is "fitted" to baby. They can be one size or sized, and can have snaps or be snapless. The come in different fabrics such as cotton, hemp, or bamboo. These come in prints and colors and look like a complete diaper, but are not, and need a cover to be waterproof.
Prefold- a multi-layer rectangle of cotton, hemp, or bamboo. They can be folded into a variety of folds and used in a cover or pocket diaper. They are not waterproof alone and require some type of cover.
Flat- a huge rectangle made of one layer of cotton, hemp, or bamboo. Can be folded into a wider variety of folds than prefolds. They are very trim.
Snappi or Boingo- These are rubbery closures with little "claws" that hold a folded flat or prefold, or a snapless fitted onto baby. These replace old fashioned diaper pins.
Hemp- A super absorbent natural fiber. This fabric is a great choice for heavy wetters as it is the most absorbent material in the diaper world.
Bamboo- Contrary to popular belief, bamboo is not a natural fiber. The actual bamboo is made into a pulp, then turned into rayon. It is very absorbent and also a great choice for heavy wetters.
Microfiber- This is what will likely come with a pocket diaper. It is quite absorbent. It is recommended that you use microfiber under another material since it absorbs so much so quickly that it can actually dry out baby's skin.
Cotton- A very absorbent material for diapering. It usually comes in the form of flats, prefolds, or fitted diapers. They come in organic and non organic, bleached and unbleached, and Indian or Chinese cotton.
Diaper pail- A place in your home to keep soiled diapers. Can be lined with a PUL liner to keep it clean and ease the transport of dirty diapers to the wash. I use a Rubbermaid container with a lid in my boys' closet.
Wet bag- A bag made of PUL with either a drawstring or zipper. It's great for putting soiled diapers in while out and about so that they don't get on other things in your diaper bag. They come in multiple colors and prints just like diapers. They can also be used to keep dry things dry.
One Size- Most diapers around are one size. This means that by adjusting snaps, the same diaper will fit your itty bitty newborn and your big chunky toddler. The snaps that allow this are called the rise snaps. There are usually three rows of three snaps-- one for small, one for medium, and one for large. These types are great if you're diapering two or more babies at once since the same diaper can be used on each child with a quick adjustment of rise snaps.
Sized- Some diapers are not one size and come in multple sizes. This is not as economical, but some people prefer this type because they do not have to mess with rise snaps and they can get a more personalized fit.
Newborn- These are ultra tiny diapers made to fit-- you guessed it-- newborns! If you have small babies, one size diapers may not fit the first few weeks. There are tons of newborn rental programs invented so you don't have to buy a stash of NB size and a stash of one size, just use them until baby grows into one size diapers and then return them for your deposit. Even these rental programs cost less than buying newborn diapers for two months :)
Stripping- Sometimes diapers get build up, be it from minerals in hard water or incorrect washing. It happens to the best of us. There are many methods of stripping diapers and restoring their absorbency or eliminating stink issues. Some methods include boiling, RLR, blue Dawn soap, bleach, etc.
Diaper sprayer- this is a sprayer much like one you would find in the kitchen. It easily hooks up to your toilet and helps to spray off any solid waste that doesn't easily fall off diapers.
SprayPal- this is a shield that you can clip a diaper to that keeps all the mess from spraying a diaper
in the toilet. It's not really necessary and I have gotten along just fine without one.
WHEW! I think that's all. If you have questions, please leave me a comment! I will get back to you ASAP! :)
-The Kinda Crunchy Momma
