I didn’t intend for this to become cloth diapering week, but once I had three articles written it seemed good to finish up with some good cloth diapering resources from around the web.
For starters, the articles on this blog:
When I was making my decision on what cloth diapers to use, the best resource I found for reviews was DiaperPin.com
I bought my diaper covers from NickisDiapers.com and they arrived quickly.
If you are more the do it yourself type, check out diapersewing.com
Another link for sewing fitted diapers
If you are looking for a baby shower gift–Diaper cakes are all the rage right now. Look here and here for how to make a cloth diaper cake.
I’ve read a lot of opinions on how to properly wash cloth diapers. Some say use bleach, others say don’t bleach. Some articles insist on HOT water, others say it doesn’t matter.
Here is my simple routine for washing cloth diapers, everything seems to come out clean and stink free and that’s what’s really important isn’t it.
My dirty diapers get stored in a trashcan that is lined with a laundry/duffle bag. I wash the diapers as needed (which means whenever I notice I am getting low or when I decide the dirty ones are stinking up the bathroom). On average, I wash a load of diapers about once every 3 days.
Rather than rinsing out poopy diapers, I start my wash with a pre-wash cycle, cold water with 1 oz (1/8 c) of All Free & Clear 2X concentrated laundry detergent–this is 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent per load. If your washer doesn’t have a pre-wash cycle, use a short wash cycle.
*note–once we start with solid foods, I will have to shake any solid waste from poopy diapers into the toilet before putting them into the diaper pail.
After the pre-wash cycle I set the washing machine to a regular cycle, cold water, with 2 rinse cycles. I then add 1 oz of detergent and put 1 T lime juice in the fabric softener cup.
I originally used vinegar instead of lime juice, but that is not recommended PUL (Poly-Urethane Lamiate) fabrics like the Thirsties cover or for diapers made from synthetic fibers (like fleece). The acid in lime juice helps rinse out all the detergent and disinfects the diapers.
From there, I just drop the diapers into the dryer. Once it gets warm enough, I will be hanging them out on the line to flap in the breeze and bleach out in the sunshine–not to mention that line drying is cheaper than doing it in a machine.
There. That was easy.
Back when I was still pregnant, people would ask me, “Are you planning on using cloth diapers?” When I answered affirmatively, they responded, “You won’t do it.” I talked to several friends who had briefly attempted cloth diapering and then gave up. “It was too hard,” they said. Momentarily, my resolve wavered, but I found my inspiration within myself.
I gave myself permission to get my feet back under me after Wiggles was born, but at about 2 months, I was ready to stop spending money on disposable diapers. We’ve been doing cloth diapers for about a month now, and I honestly haven’t found them to be much more work that disposables. I do have to change diapers more often during the day, but Wiggles is very aware of a wet cloth diaper and doesn’t like it at all! He always rewards me with smiles when he has a fresh diaper in.
Honestly, I have loved using cloth diapers, and I really haven’t found them to be any more trouble than disposables. Actually I think they may be less trouble because I can wash the diapers any day of the week rather than keeping them around, smelling up the house, until the trash service comes.
When I was doing my research, I really wanted to use Bum Genius diapers. They are just so cute! One evening I even had them in the shopping cart ready to press the order button. My financial sense beat out my fashion sense, and I just couldn’t go through with the order.
Rethinking, I decided to go the cheap route–prefolds with covers. Then one of my friends who had tried cloth diapering and gave up made me an offer I couldn’t resist–free! My biggest challenge at that point was figuring out what accessories were necessary and which ones were just an added convenience. Simplifying the list, these are the supplies that I started out with:
My wish List:
- 1 more diaper pail liner (so I have one in while the other is in the wash)
- 2 or 3 more diaper covers
I would highly recommend the Thirsties Diaper covers. They are super easy to use, no pins involved, come in a variety of colors, and they are cute. The covers were the most expensive part of the set up, and I love that I only need a few. They can be reused between washings until they smell or become soiled.
For my diaper pail liner and wet bag, I raided my camping and kayaking gear. For the pail liner, I used a water-resistant Coleman duffel bag. It’s washable and has a drawstring top. The main advantage of using it is that I didn’t have to buy something else. For the wet bag to carry in my diaper bag, I a nylon dry bag–which is designed to keep gear dry while you are in a kayak. Both of these items were purchased (a year or so ago) in the camping section of Walmart.
Any old trashcan will work for a diaper pail, but I recommend one with a lid that is easy to open (like with a foot lever) so you don’t have to fight with your trashcan when you are trying to hold a baby on the changing station and toss in a dirty diaper.
The cost of these supplies purchased new would be between$80-$100 (for the basics), and about another $40 for my wish list. With the Thirsties Diaper covers, the X-Small size fits 6-12 lbs, Small 12-18, Medium 18-28 lbs, Large 28-40 lbs. Estimating $10 per week spend on disposables, each diaper cover would be paid for in about 1 week of cloth diapering. The total cost of getting started would be recouped in 8-10 weeks, and you could diaper your child from birth to potty training for about $300 (estimating 5 covers per size).
I can say with absolute certainty that we will continue with cloth diapering with Wiggles and will do it again for any more children we have in the future.
