Use Cloth Diapers
Parents choose cloth diapers over disposables for environmental, health and comfort reasons. Cloth diapers are made from cotton, which is soft on the baby's skin and able to absorb any mess your little one makes. Instead of disposing of the diaper after a single use, you wash your cloth diaper and use it again after it is clean and dry. Use cloth diapers by determining which type of diaper is best for you and your baby and cleaning the soiled diapers as soon as a mess is detected.
Contents
Steps
Choosing the Right Cloth Diapers
- Test a few options before you buy a batch of cloth diapers. They come in different forms and features.
- All-in-one diapers (AIOs) are most like disposables. They are made with the absorbent cloth inside next to your babies skin, and a PUL cover attached to the outside.
- Use pre-fold diapers for simplicity. These are rectangular in shape and divide by length into 3 sections.
- Follow the divisions that show you how to fold, and use a Diaper safety pin, or a snappi (stretchy plastic T shaped thing with teeth) to hold the diaper together, or place a diaper cover that snaps over it.
- Try a pocket cloth diaper for extra protection against wetness. This type of diaper has a waterproof exterior and a pocket where you put the insert.
- Shop for extra inserts (also called soakers) that will fit any diaper size. These provide the baby with extra protection for nap and nighttime.
- Use a fitted cloth diaper. Perfect for nighttime because the front, back, and side tabs hold pee where any other type of diaper does not. They usually fasten with snaps or Velcro, and are easy to take on and off. Fitted diapers need a cover.
- Place a diaper cover over a fitted cloth diaper, flat or prefold diaper to keep them from leaking.
- Wool diaper covers are great for nighttime use also instead of a PUL cover. Just be sure to read about washing and applying lanolin to waterproof them.
Buying Enough Cloth Diapers
- Remember that a newborn requires 10 to 12 changes per day, and older infants and toddlers will need 8 to 10 changes.
- Pay attention to sizing. Many brands offer a "one-size" diaper that will fit after the newborn stage until potty training. One-size diapers save much more money than buying cloth diapers in many different sizes.
- Think about how often you want to wash diapers. If you want to wash every 2 or 3 days, buy enough cloth diapers to keep your clean supply well stocked. Never leave dirty diapers unwashed for more than 3 days.
- Buy necessary accessories. Such as diaper covers, extra inserts, Diaper liners (reusable, or disposable make cleaning poo much easier!) Snappies or pins, cloth diaper safe rash cream, a pail or bucket with a lid to store the dirty diapers.
- Consider using your cloth diapers for other things. Some parents also use them for burp cloths, bibs and changing pads.
Cleaning Cloth Diapers
- Change your baby as soon as you notice she is wet or soiled.
- Remove a wet diaper and place it in a diaper pail for washing.
- Rinse the wet diaper before placing it in the pail if you prefer. While this is not necessary, some parents prefer to rinse it out before placing it a pail to eliminate the odor of urine.
- Allow your baby's bottom to air dry. If you want, you can use a wet or dry wipe to clean the diaper area.
- Remove a soiled diaper and clean the baby's bottom with a soft damp wipe, consider buying a wipe warmer which is perfect for storing cloth wipes.
- Shake solids into the toilet and flush. Rinse the diaper and place it in the diaper pail for washing. If your baby is having only breast milk, there is no need to rinse or dump because breast milk will be broken down in the wash waster.
- Scrape unformed poop into the toilet with a spatula or other tool that is set aside for this specific purpose. Rinse the diaper to remove as much poop as you can, and place the diaper in the pail for washing.
- Remove any diaper inserts, such as a soaking pad, before you wash them.
- Start your wash cycle with a cold rinse (to prevent staining and rise out pee.) Then add a small amount of laundry soap to a hot wash (too much soap will cause build up, and your diaper will leak.) It helps to do an extra rinse to make sure there is no extra soap left in your diapers.
- PUL covers need to be air dried. Anything else can be dried in the dryer.
- Wool covers must be hand washed in cold water, and air dried.
Tips
- Do not become discouraged if figuring out your cloth diapers takes time.
- Don't go overboard buying diapers. Try out a few different types and buy what you need. Your baby's needs may change as he or she grows.
- If your diaper pail starts to smell, think about washing more frequently and adding a sprinkle of baking soda to the bottom of the pail.
- Research different ways of washing your diapers and figure out what works best for you.
- Store the dirty diapers in a dry pail. Soaking them in PUL or other types of diapers will cause them to wear out much faster than in a dry pail.
- If your diapers are leaking try adding more to the absorbency. Or it may be time to Strip them. (washing out all the extra soap and oils.) There are a few ways to do this, so research first.
- If the diapers develop ammonia build up (a strong pee/bleach like smell, or cause burn like rashes) Try soaking them in fish tank neutralizer for a few a hours than wash more often.
- You can find many different folds online and/or on Fold a Cloth Diaper.
Warnings
- All cloth diapers need to be prepped before using. Some are fine to wash and dry once before using, but others made from natural cotton need to be washed and dried about 5 times in a row to remove the natural oils or else they will not absorb and leak.
- Talk to your pediatrician if you notice any rashes. All babies get diaper rash from time to time, but you want to make sure there is not an allergy or sensitivity present in the cloth diaper or detergent you are using.
Things You'll Need
- Cloth diapers/covers
- Laundry soap (without enzymes or brighteners)
- A bucket or trash can with a lid to store dirty diapers.
Related Articles
- Change a Cloth Diaper
- Fold a Cloth Diaper
- Use the Dry Pail Method for Cloth Diapers
- Strip Cloth Diapers by Boiling
- Remove Diaper Pins from Cloth Diapers
