Spencer showing off his cloth diapers

Cloth diapering can be overwhelming and can definitely appear confusing, especially to a mom who hasn’t seen modern cloth diapers.  Most envision the days of old when their moms and grandmoms used to use square cotton cloth diapers, sharp pins, and itchy plastic bubble pants that were reminiscent of an ugly shower curtain liner.

To make matters worse there’s the issue of what to do with the poop?  Another common conclusion those considering cloth jump to is that poopy diapers have to be washed, by hand, in the toilet, swished around, wrung out….I think this is where the thought process ends for most who don’t have a cloth diaper role model to show them the ropes.  I must admit, I cloth diapered my sons but I did not cloth diaper my daughter, in fact I never even considered it because of the HUGE inconvenience factor that I thought existed.  I can see it clearly in my minds eye, my visions of cloth ended as quickly as they began with me bent over a toilet, sopping wet poopy diapers in hand, making a huge mess.

But the truth is that cloth diapers are NOT inconvenient and while the old fashioned diapers our moms and grandmoms used still do exist, there are many other options available that make cloth diapering as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Once you learn the basics you’ll be a Cloth Diapering Hero in no time!

• Prefolds, Fitteds, Flats, Covers-First step is recognizing which are waterproof and which require a waterproof cover.  Prefolds, Fitteds and Flats all require a waterproof outer layer which means a cover of some sort is required.
• Pocket Diapers, All-In-Ones, Onesize Diapers, Hybrids-All of these styles have a built in waterproof outer shell that contains moisture and aside from the AIO, all can be customized to suit your needs by using them with various types of absorbent inserts and some even have a biodegradable option.
• Fasteners-While pins are definitely still available, the evolution of cloth has led to much more tailored diapers and covers and in many cases the cover or outer shell fastens with either velcro-like tabs or snaps which hold the diaper beneath in place without the need for pins.
• How many do you need? This answer depends on how often you want to wash diapers.  I do not recommend going more than 2-3 days without washing.  Treat your diapers like you’d treat a basket of wet laundry, the longer you let them sit the more likely they will be to develop odors and sometimes even mold.  If you have a newborn in cloth, newborns need changing more frequently than older babies, and you want to do laundry every other day, then I recommend you have approximately 24-36 diapers.  If you were to be using prefolds and covers exclusively then I would suggest 6-10 covers and 2-3 dozen prefolds.

How many you need is really open to interpretation and depends a lot on what styles you have and the age of the baby or toddler.  No matter what, you’re going to end up wanting more than you need, trust me!

• What about the poop? The poop factor is really not that bad. First let me share with you a little known fact, in fine print on each package of disposable diapers it informs you that you should be shaking the poop off into the toilet before disposing of the diaper.  Human waste is not intended for landfills. When you take that into consideration, the fact that you have to deal with the poop either way, cloth starts to seem a whole lot less inconvenient when compared to disposables.

You might be surprised to read this, but baby poop, especially breastfed baby poop, washes out nicely in a rinse cycle.  If you prefer to keep as much poop as possible  out of your washing machine then you can invest in a diaper sprayer.  Diaper sprayers  attach easily to your toilet and allow you to hold the soiled diaper over the toilet and spray off the poop.  When solids are introduced and poop becomes more firm you’ll be happy to know that most can simply be shaken off into the toilet.

• How do you wash them? First you need a cloth diaper safe detergent, something free and clear of fabric softeners and fancy fragrances.  Fabric softeners should never be used in either the wash or the dryer when laundering your diapers because it coats your diapers and can cause them to repel, leak, and also get the stinkies.

I recommend a rinse cycle to help rinse out the urine and any extra poop that’s adhered to  the diapers.  Leave the diapers to soak in the rinse for 30 minutes and then finish the  cycle.  Add your detergent and then wash.

There is a learning curve when washing diapers because of all the various detergents, front loaders, top loaders, well water, soft water, etc.  Trial and error is the best way to  find out what will work best for your specific set of circumstances.

So these are the basics in a nutshell.  We’ll cover some of these topics in depth in future posts.  It’s important to remember that cloth diapering becomes not only a lifestyle choice like recycling your aluminum cans, but it also becomes a hobby and for most an addicition.  Cloth diapering moms don’t stay newbies and beginners for long because once you get into it you’ve researched and read all you can get your hands on and that will make you an expert real quick!

Julie, a.k.a The Cloth Diaper Geek, is a wahm to three crazy kids; Guinnevere age 7 and identical twin sons Mason & Spencer who are almost 4.  She owns Earth Angels Diaper Co. and her blog Diaper Discussions.  She resides in Central Florida.