As both eco-friendliness and frugal living become more mainstream, more and more people are open to the idea of using cloth rather than disposable diapers on their young children. However, the choices available in modern cloth diapering can be overwhelming, so here’s the answers to some of the most frequently asked cloth diaper questions.
How many do you own?
The amount of diapers needed depends on how frequently the baby needs a diaper change and how frequently you chose to wash a load of diapers.
We own enough diapers to wash a full load about two or three times a week. We chose to cloth diaper partly because of the monetary savings and partly because of our desire to reduce waste so we wanted to go about cloth diapering in a way that was the most eco-friendly. With these goals in mine, we chose to buy enough diapers to be able to run a full load, and we hang dry them which also extends their life. As a side note, if you are able to dry them in the sun, the sun works as a natural stain and odor remover. We own 16 medium pocket diapers, two one-size pocket diapers, two medium diaper covers and a handful of prefolds. We also own an additional 18 small diapers and several more prefolds and small diaper covers. We recently added two fitted diapers to our stash for use overnight.
How often do you wash them?
We own enough cloth diapers that we only need to wash them about twice a week. When our daughter was younger, we washed a full load every two days because she used so many more diapers than she does now. (I remember changing 6 diapers between the hours of 1 and 3 am one morning during her first week of life!)
What kind of equipment do you need in order to get started?
There are several products available that make cloth diapering easier, but many of these products are unnecessary. Here’s my list of products we use for cloth diapering in addition to the diapers themselves.
Cloth wipes: In addition to cloth diapers, you many also choose to use cloth wipes. To use, just wet them down with a little water or mix up a solution of water and a little bit of baby shampoo. Wash them as you would the cloth diapers.
Diaper cream: Diaper cream works by creating a layer between baby’s skin and outside moisture so it is important not to get any on your cloth diapers as it is almost impossible to remove and will affect the absorbency of the diaper. Diaper creams that are compatible with cloth diapers are available at most cloth diaper stores and websites.
Diaper liners: Diaper liners can help protect the diapers from diaper cream and speed up messy diaper changes. Both cloth and disposable liners are available. We have used microfleece liners and Kushie flushable biodegradable liners successfully, but we rarely use them any more. We found Walmart’s Site to Store program to be the most inexpensive way to purchase the flushable liners.
Diaper pail: We use a dry pail in the form of a simple plastic trashcan with a lid and a washable diaper pail liner to store wet and dirty diapers until it is time to launder them. We have never had any issues with smell when storing them this way.
Detergent: In order to prevent soap buildup that can affect the absorbency of the diaper, it is important to use a small amount of a detergent that will rinse away completely. The detergent should not contain any brighteners, perfumes or enzymes. We generally use Charlie’s Soap, but we’ve also used Allen’s Naturally in past. We also add vinegar to the wash to help the diapers rinse clean. Vinegar is also useful for ridding the diapers of unpleasant smells. Here is a helpful list comparing several detergents and their rating for use with cloth diapers.
You may also chose to purchase a small wet bag for storing dirty or wet diapers when on the go, but we have found a recycled plastic bread bag or grocery sack to do the trick. One other piece of equipment some chose to purchase is a sprayer that attaches to the toilet and aids in messy diaper cleanup, but this is another piece of equipment we have found to be unnecessary.
Do the diapers wear out?
The short answer is yes, eventually, but not for a long time. Some of the diapers we purchased used and the elastic around the legs needs replacing. Here’s a tutorial on how to replace the elastic. Other than loose elastic, we have had no issues with the diapers we’ve purchased wearing out.
Where do you buy them? Can you buy them used?
There are many wonderful cloth diaper retailers online, and there may be a cloth diaper store located nearby. I suggest doing an internet search for retailers of the brand of diaper you have chosen to purchase. In addition to the larger brands, many work-at-home mothers sew high-quality diapers available for purchase. Hyena Cart and DiaperSwappers are two sites where these mothers advertise their products.
DiaperSwappers also offers forums for trading or selling and purchasing used cloth diapers. Please be aware that as of last year it is against eBay policy to sell used cloth diapers on that site.
What do you do when you travel?
We do our best to use cloth as much as possible, but, for us, the whether or not we pack cloth or disposable diapers depends on how far we’re going. My choice when we travel far from home is to pack and use disposables. If we’re leaving the house for a short day trip or outing, we use cloth and I store the wet diapers in a plastic bag in the back of the car or under the stroller. A couple of times when we’ve taken a trip farther from home we’ve used cloth, but we have always made sure that we will have access to a washing machine while there.
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