Cloth Diapering Basics

Cloth diapering has undergone a revolution - it's so much easier now, no more pins or plastic pants! But with all of the choices in products comes a little bit of confusion! I hope that this section helps answer any questions about what the products are and how to use them.

Cloth Diapers: Simply put, cloth diapers are traditional cloth diapers. A cloth diaper is folded and placed inside a diaper cover. Together, the cloth diaper and diaper cover work like a disposable diaper, except they are washable and re-usable! The benefits of using cloth diapers are cost - it's the least expensive way to diaper your baby - and that cloth diapers are the easiest to wash and take the shortest time to dry in the dryer. The downsides are that most cloth diapers require some folding, and cloth diapers can shift around or bunch up inside the diaper cover.

Fitted Cloth Diapers: Fitted cloth diapers are cloth diapers that have gathered legs and a fastening system - either snaps or Velcro - at the waist. A fitted cloth diaper is used with a diaper cover. The benefits of using fitted cloth diapers are that the gathered legs help to hold in any baby messes, and the fastened waist prevents the diaper from shifting or bunching inside the diaper cover - plus, no folding! The downsides to fitted diapers are that they are more expensive than traditional cloth diapers, and you may need to buy more diapers in different sizes to accommodate your growing baby.

Pocket Diapers: Pocket diapers are made from water-resistant material on the outside, and fleece on the inside. Between the water-resistant layer and the fleece, there is a large pocket that needs to be stuffed with a traditional cloth diaper, a pocket diaper insert, or some other absorbent material. The fleece layer of the pocket diaper is what touches the baby's skin, and it is very effective at wicking moisture away, which keeps baby feeling drier. However, because the baby wets through the fleece layer of the diaper, they need to be washed after each use. The benefits of using pocket diapers are that once the diaper is stuffed, it goes on just like a disposable diaper - it's easy to use! And because the absorbent material is removed from the pocket diaper prior to washing, they dry very quickly in the dryer. The downsides to pocket diapers are that you have to stuff them, they are more expensive than using diapers with diaper covers, and you need to buy different size pocket diapers as your baby grows.

All-in-One Cloth Diapers: All-in-One cloth diapers are just what the name implies - a fitted cloth diaper with a built-in diaper cover. All-in-One diapers work exactly like disposable diapers, except they are washable and re-usable! The benefit of All-in-One diapers is convenience - no folding, no diaper covers - they are easy to use! The downsides to All-in-One diapers are that they are the most expensive style of diaper, you need to buy different size All-in-One diapers as your baby grows, and that they can take awhile to dry in the dryer.

Diaper Covers: Diaper covers are the modern-day version of plastic pants - but so much better! Diaper covers have gathered legs and fasten at the waist using snaps or Velcro. Diaper covers are made of fabrics that are breathable, to allow air to circulate to baby's skin, and water resistant, to protect baby's clothes from wetness. As long as they are not soiled, diaper covers can be re-used with a clean diaper on the inside, so one diaper cover can be used multiple times before washing. You will need to purchase diaper covers in different sizes to accommodate your growing baby.

Diaper Doublers: Diaper doublers are made of the same fabrics as diapers, but are much narrower. A diaper doubler can be added to any type of diapering system - folded inside a cloth diaper, or simply laid down the center of a fitted cloth diaper or all-in-one diaper - to increase the absorbency without adding extra bulkiness to the diaper. Diaper doublers are great for nighttime for smaller babies, or anytime for older babies or heavy wetters.

Cloth Baby Wipes: Cloth baby wipes are essentially washcloths. Just add a little water, and cloth baby wipes are used like disposable wipes - but without any perfumes or chemicals to irritate baby's sensitive skin! And when you're done, simply toss them in the wash with your diapers to get them clean!

Diaper Tote Bags: Diaper tote bags are water-resistant bags that are used to carry wet diapers when you are out and about. Much nicer to use than plastic bags, and they are washable and re-usable! There is also an extra-large size tote bag that can be placed inside your diaper pail that makes it easy to carry all those wet diapers from the pail to the washer.

Washing Diapers

Washing cloth diapers is easy - no sorting, no ironing, and you can throw them in a basket without even folding them!! There are different ways to wash diapers, here is a routine that is simple and efficient.

Place used diapers in a dry diaper pail - it's not necessary to soak diapers, and adding water to the pail makes the diapers heavy and difficult to put in the washer! Shake any solids from the diaper into the toilet before putting diaper into the pail. It's not necessary to rinse the diapers of breastfed babies - it's too sticky. Just put these directly into the pail, as you do the ones that are merely wet - simple! There's no need to scrape or wring out poopy diapers.

Wash diapers frequently enough so that there aren't too many diapers in the washer - there has to be lots of water in the machine so that the diapers can be thoroughly clean and rinsed. If the machine is about half-full or a little more, that is just fine.

Put the diapers through a cold wash and rinse, with little or no detergent. Doing this removes the baby poop and urine from the diapers. Then run a hot wash/cold rinse cycle using detergent. I like to add a little Borax to the washer in the hot wash cycle (in addition to the detergent) to restore pH, but it's not necessary. Use a half a cup of white vinegar in place of fabric softener in your second wash cycle. Adding vinegar to the rinse cycle prevents ammonia build-up and balances the pH of the diapers. If your washer has an option for an extra rinse cycle, use it with the hot wash/cold rinse. If not, simply set your washer back to run the diapers through an extra rinse cycle.

Then dry the diapers in the dryer or hang them out in the sun to dry - sunshine naturally disinfects and removes stains.

You don't need to use special detergents on your diapers - whatever you use on your own clothes should work well for your diapers, too! Personally, I prefer to use detergents that are perfume-free and dye-free. Do not use baby soaps, like Dreft or Ivory Snow, on your diapers. The soaps can coat the diapers and build-up, causing the diapers to become less absorbent and retain odors.

Never use bleach on your diapers - the fumes are toxic, it leaves a residue on the diapers, and it can cause the fabric to wear out prematurely.

Never use fabric softeners on your diapers. They coat the fabric and make the diapers repel water (and urine!), making your diapers less absorbent.

Washing unbleached diapers and organic diapers: These diapers have a kind of oily protective coating that is found in natural cotton fibers. To make these diapers more absorbent, it is necessary to prewash them at least four times before use. Put them through the shortest, hottest wash cycle and repeat this cycle four times. Use a little detergent on the last cycle. Then throw them in the dryer or hang to dry.