It's true. I've been thinking about it for awhile, but figured it was too late to start... or too much work to learn how. Then Katie said to me on twitter a couple weeks ago, "it's not too late to start!" as if she read my mind. Then we had a discussion about cloth diapers at BlogHer... this is when it really hit me. Sure they're better for the environment and sure they'll save you money. I already knew that. But why do I feel REALLY stupid? Because I didn't seem to know about all the terrible chemicals in disposable diapers. On my poor baby's bottom! Shari Criso asked me - "has Ryan had those little beads on him?" Yep. Chemicals. I said, "that's it, we're switching NOW!"
Why didn't we chose to cloth diaper before? A number of reasons. 1) We both work and figured we wouldn't have time for all it entailed. 2) We lived in an apt building at the time with shared laundry and we thought.. that's just gross... and that'd be a hassle. 3) I tried to google info about it, what we'd need, etc. and I thought my head would explode. 4) We read about the pain of shaking or spraying off the poop, letting the diapers soak (how many times? how long?), then washing them, having them (and the bucket) stink, etc etc etc. It was more than we could handle.
But I’m hearing from cloth diaper lovers that all of that just isn’t true. It’s not as hard as it seems and googling it will just make me crazy (as it did). Now we have our own house with our own laundry and.….…… WE HAVE OUR FIRST CLOTH DIAPER! Thanks to Gina (@feministbreeder) who was sponsored at BlogHer by FuzziBunz, we’re the proud new owners of a lovely green diaper!
OKAY, now I REALLLLLLY need your help. Assume I know NOTHING about cloth diapers (oh, because I don’t). Tell me everything you know! How many do I need? What KINDS?! What brand? Do I really have to shake or spray the poop off? Do I need to soak them?! If so, in what? What laundry detergent is safe, what isn’t? Will they leak at night? Do I have to wash them separately from clothes? What other accessory products do I need? (like, what’s a wet bag?)
1… 2… 3… GO! (but don’t overwhelm me, hahaha)
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Don’t forget to check to see if you have cloth diaper service as you ease into it. There are services in various cities that will bring you weekly deliveries of clean cloth and take the dirties thus you are responsible for the washing of the diaper covers if you don’t want to hassle with cleaning the majority of the poop off.
For people reading this to help friends these services make great registry gifts for new parents who are learning their routine and can be purchased in week increments at a time.
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Here are your answers:
How many do I need? I have about 22
What KINDS?! Both snaps and velcro!! My daughter is now learning to undo her velcro diapers :-/ Hubby never could master putting the snap ones on her though. A mixture of the two is most versatile IMO.
What brand? I recommend getting and trying one or two of each that you think you like. We have BumGenius diapers, 1 FuzziBunz, a HautePocket a Happy Heiny, two GroBaby, two Kushies and 2 pair of plastic pants as well as several prefolds (to use as liners).
Do I really have to shake or spray the poop off? Depends on the child’s age and diet. We just now had to start poop shaking and spraying at 13 months. We didn’t use formula, only breastmilk so her poops weren’t totally solid for a long time.
Do I need to soak them?! I don’t. Unless they need to be stripped.
If so, in what? Dawn dish soap, vinegar or some use bleach (can harm some diapers)
What laundry detergent is safe, what isn’t? Check kelly’s closet for detergent lists. I use Planet detergent (ordered from amazon.com)
Will they leak at night? Mine don’t unless her water intake is high. Look up woolies. They are a godsend and will cure all your leak woes if you have issues.
Do I have to wash them separately from clothes? Depends on what detergent you use on your clothes. I do wash separately from clothes but I wash my reusable pads with them.
What other accessory products do I need? (like, what’s a wet bag?) It is a bag that keeps the wet in, great product!! Get a diaper sprayer and some clothes pins for sun drying the diapers.
Sun bleaches out the stains.
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I have…57 diapers in total. I use Flips during the day an I love them, never had a leak or poop explosion. I have 7 nifty nappy’s for night and one wool wrap (which I need to relanolize) I wash my diapers every 3 days and go through about 20 – 25 flip inserts, 2 – 4 flip covers (depending on how much he poops lol) and 3 nifty nappy’s. I use the nifty nappy’s at night.
I wash my diapers in rockin’ green and just follow the directions on the tag of my diaper. Cold wash without soap, I try and let my diapers just soak in the cold water for about 30 min before I let the washer do it thing, then hot wash with soap and a double rinse and then dry on low. I rock a soak every few months or when I notice my diapers are repelling.
Anything I forgot just ask…I don’t consider myself an expert, I have only ever uses flips and nifty nappy’s but I love cloth diapers and am so glad we made the switch.
I used to live in an apt. with shared laundry so I got lots of diapers just in case all the machines broke down…I’m not addicted I swear!
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I started at 8 months so its never too late!
Safe detergent: Rockin Green Soap
You do not need to soak unless you have build up(brand new dipess dont have build up) and/or stink. Microfiber gets pretty stinky after a few months.
Wash the diaper 4 – 5 times (wash-dry wash-dry etc no soap) if the diaper is brand new.
I LOVE One size pocket diapers.
–fits from birth to potty training.
— customized absorbancy (1 inserts for at home or 2 for when out)
Fuzzibuns are one size pockets!
I usually buy diapers from moms on etsy.com hyneacart.com or diaperswappers.com so most diapers i have arent name brand
I do love Lollidoo, fuzzibunz and grovia.
GroVia is a hybrid diaper. it is a shell with a little sling pocket. you put a disposable inserts in or a washable insert in (prefolds usually) and when dirty, take insert out and reuse shell.
I prefer hybrids when we are out and about. The flushable liners are FLUSHABLE and have less chemicals than a sposie.
for my son, i usually shake the poop off because it is solid. When he was younger or if he had peanut butter like poop, i rinse it in the bathtub
Us twitter mommys will help u! dont worry!
you learn as you go.
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Good for you for making the switch! With the Tyke (the boy I nanny for) we used FuzziBunz and BumGenius. We had a diaper pail with a wet bag (a bag that has PUL/other form of waterproofing layers so none of the *ahem* liquids get out) inside it. After changing him, we put the liners and pee diapers (make sure to remove the liners from the pockets before washing!) straight into the bag in the pail and closed the lid. For poo we shook off any solids, then used a diaper sprayer (one of the ones that attaches to the toilet) to spray off the remaining bits. Then the formerly poopy diaper went into the pail. We kept it super simple, no soaking, sprinkling with baking soda, or anything like that. As long as the lid stayed closed, the smell stayed in. When the pail was full, we put all the contents-including (but outside of) the bag-into the washer, did a rinse cycle, then a wash on HOT. Dry on normal, stuff, and you’re done! My boss is a single mom who works full-time, so if she can cloth diaper, anyone can! Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me via twitter or email
–Faedra
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I have about 25 diapers. I use pockets (mostly SmartiPants — love them) during the day and fitteds with a cover and a doubler at night. My guy is a really heavy wetter, but I really think there is a solution out there for everyone. I also love the Nifty Nappy pockets and woolies.
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I have ‘had’ 21 but lost one (don’t ask me how)so were holding at 20. I am considering buying a few of the new snap BGs. I started when my son was about 3 – 4 months. I only have tried 5 brands:
Fuzzibunz
Babykicks
Happy Heinys
Thirsties
Bum Genius
My favorite even with its flaws is the Bum Genius. The Fuzzi Bunz held the poop closely to my son’s bum and even with quick action was a MESS to clean. The Babykicks I wanted SO much to love (…organic, bamboo *sigh*) they are TINY my son is only ~ 22/23 lbs at 17 months and ALL muscle and they are on the last snaps and snug. Plus they stain very easily (The PUL not the fleece). I have a BG organic in white, I’ve had longer than the Babykicks, its pristine and the Babykicks are stained all over. The Thirsties are always falling off my son and the velcro refuses to stay attached ( I think its the legs are not cut for full range of motion for a VERY active boy). The Happy Heineys are cut too full for my trim son and ALWAYS leak. The BGs leaked when my son was younger…till his legs grew large enough to fill the leg holes, but now work the best I just hate the velcro which always seems to come loose especially, for some reason, on all the blue colored diapers (?). I wish my BGs had snaps. So in short, I have not found the perfect diaper (for my son) these were my experiences with these diapers.
I did not buy a sprayer. I used TP to remove the poop and flushed it away. Yes, it can be nasty on looser stool, but it seems like the sprayer would cause tiny bits of stool to become airborne.
Planet Wise has THE BEST wetbags and YES you definitely need one …or three.
I never soaked my diapers. I LOVE Charlie soap, but have been using a mineral oil ball I won for the last ~6 months and it works great. I ALWAYS wash separately. Well, because there is still a film of poo on the diaper and it seems more sanitary.
All the diapers I tried LEAKED at night or whenever my son was prone until he grew. If I had to do it over again, I would either buy sized diapers till he was larger or use prefolds. For a larger or chunkier baby there may not be these problems.
PS. Cloth Diapering is the best! Even though I have not had smooth sailing with my diapering quest I would not go back to disposable
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I started cd’ing pretty late as well. DS was about 6 months when I began using cloth part-time (only when we were at home & only during the day) He was about 8 – 9 months when we switched to full-time. In retrospect, I don’t know what I was waiting for! I have close to 30 in my stash right now. I think the # depends on how often you want to do wash. You don’t want to let the dipes sit for too many days in your pail, so keep rotating them if you use a lot. Plan on having to do a diaper change at least every two hours, more if your boy is a big, regular pooper. I think this is true regardless of age. I wash every other day. My son is 21 months old so he has solid poops — he breastfed until 20 months. He did not start on real solids until after 9 months. During the bf stage, I never shook or sprayed his dipes. I would just do an extra cold rinse at the beginning of the wash. Now, I shake off the poop as best I can — then I use an old spatula to scrape off what doesn’t shake off. Sounds gross, but we can’t attach a sprayer where we are so this was my alternative. I still do the cold rinse at the start of the wash though. Always wash your dipes separate from your clothes, or anything else, and NEVER use fabric softener or dryer sheets. I never soak the dirties before-hand, we use a dry pail; soaking would be called a wet pail. Actually we use a wet bag (Which is a bag made of waterproof material — really it’s fabric with one laminated side called PUL) inside of a diaper champ. The combination keeps any smells contained. I have had worse smells with disposables in the diaper pail. AS far as brands, I actually prefer WAHM made dipes. In my experience, they are better quality since they are individually made, plus you can get much cuter looking ones. I have used about 4 – 5 different commercial brands, but I prefer my WAHM dipes. Plus I have quite a few that I have sewn myself. I think you should get 1 – 2 of each type of diaper you think you want to try to find out what works best for you. I don’t just mean brands either, try out pockets, fitteds, all-in-ones etc. If you want to jump right in but don’t want to spend a ton, I would suggest getting a dozen prefolds and 2 – 4 covers. Prefolds are your bare bones stash, but they can always be used as doublers later if needed.
Good luck & congrats on making the switch!!
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I already talked to you a little and you know I’m new too! The ones I have purchased so far, SoftBums are an all-in-2 diaper with a Slide-2-Size fitting system (meaning they are able to accommodate babies from birth to about 30 lbs!) The cord adjusts around the leg to fit baby’s size and has velcro around the waist (Trayton hasn’t figured that out yet!) The pods easily snap in/out and the shell can be reused as long as it isn’t dirty/wet. They have pods of varying thickness and mini pods too so you can easily adjust your needed absorpency.
As far as washing I really need to do more research and just followed the instructions online from SoftBums, pre-washing several times with no detergent. When they got poopy, I removed as much as I could of the pasty stuff with an old, hard plastic spatula I had from college, lol, rinsed them right away (even though you don’t have to) because I can’t sand the thought of all that just sitting there , and then washed them with a small amount of Dreft. I haven’t had to soak them yet but I can say they have stained yet either!
I like reading the more seasoned responses, especially when it comes to the different detergents! I will have to look more into that!
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- here’s some good how-to tips: http://www.diaperpin.com/howto.asp. there aren’t a lot of “rules” set in stone, cloth diapering is quite flexible!
- try out a bunch of different brands/styles to find what works for you… a cheaper way to do this is buy used from diaperswappers.com. i’ve got most of mine from here for a great price! i prefer pocket diapers for days (these are easy!) and a good fitted with a wool cover or Bummis cover for nights… and i never have leaks with that. they shouldn’t leak if you have enough inserts/etc to absorb throughout the night. my guy sleeps 11 hrs w/no leaks!
- i have enough diapers to get me through 3 days/nights. so depending on how often you want to do laundry, that’s how many diapers you’ll need.
- poop — you can shake it off into the toilet
- don’t need to soak them… just put them in a wetbag until laundry day. a garbage bag works too if you don’t have a wetbag.
- laundry detergent — here’s info on what’s safe for cloth diapers or not — http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html
- other accessories… you can go as basic or crazy as you want to! start with the basics with your supply of diapers, a large wetbag for at home and a small one to take along for going out, and diaper safe detergent.
GOOD LUCK!
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We have 26 Fuzzibunz for an 8-month-old and a 21-month-old. They’re both size M and fit both kids. I have to wash every day. Yes, you need to shake the poop into the toilet. A diaper sprayer is nice, but you don’t HAVE to have one. I read a stiff spatula will also work (if you’re not too grossed out by the idea). You’ll need two pail liners that are waterproof that you can just throw into the wash with the diapers. Some recommend a special laundry detergent like Rockin’ Green or Charlie’s. I just use regular powdered Tide. I just use a lot less than is recommended (2 tbs) and rinse a lot. Get some hemp inserts for overnight – no leaks. Hang the diapers outside or inside to dry, and dry the inserts and cloth wipes in the dryer on high (all my inserts are hemp, so it takes FOREVER to dry – that’s how absorbent hemp is).
We have ordered more diapers so I don’t have to wash all the time.
But! Cloth diapering is addictive. Be warned! Good luck, and don’t worry. It’s not hard.
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WOO HOO!
I have A LOT of diapers, way too many. (Email me if you’re interested in buying some. I have a lot of Fuzzibunz)
You should probably get 20ish. That’ll get you through 2 – 3 days of washing.
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I forgot! Just throw the dipes into a dry pail (with the waterproof liner). Soaking diapers is a drowning risk for kiddos and is stinky and a pain.
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I was going to write a WHOLE page for you but I see you have a ton of advice. You’ll do fine. Stick with the basics and it can get addictive. My fave’s are Smartipants and Softbums. I never had the opportunity to try Fuzzibunz/bumGenius. Make sure you have a few wet bags that zip and snaps last longer over velcro. I used to clean the poop with my hands in the toilet but there are easier ways. It is very rewarding to cloth diaper. Good Luck
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Just grab some Fuzzi bunz or Bum Genius and wash them on hot. The one size pockets are EASY and you won’t get overwhelmed. You can use Tide, Gain, or Rockin Green. I know most people say don’t use those soaps, but don’t listen lol. Ive been using Gain for a few months and its working perfectly. If your diapers get stinky at some point, soak them in Rockin Green until they smell better. Fitted diapers and covers are also super cute and easy!
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