Cloth Diapering Info

Three great reasons to use cloth diapers:

1. Great on baby - Soft on their skin with no harsh chemicals and plastics.
2. Great on the environment - No more contributing to the huge waste in landfills.
3. Great on your budget - Disposable diapers can cost $2000 to $4000, while a complete cloth diapering system(from birth to potty training)  can cost as little as $500.00!

Does it all seem completely overwhelming?  Here are some tips on getting started and keeping it going.

All the different types of diapers:

Prefolds - These are the most economical way to diaper if you are working on a tight budget.   You can use these with pins or without.   Be sure to wash your prefolds 4-6 times before use in warm to hot water.  This will help remove the natural oils and help them and quilt up for maximum absorbency.  Prefolds have a great life and will often last through many kids.  They are also great for dusting, cleaning, burp cloths and more! Click here to see the prefolds. 

Contour diapers - These work just like the prefolds, but without the added bulk and folds.  Simply lay them in the diaper cover and go!  The contour diaper is the trimmest fit for diaper/cover combo.  The contour diaper also makes an excellent postpartum pad. Click here to see Kissaluvs fabulous contour diapers. 

Fitted Diapers - Super easy and no sagging whatsoever!  Choices include snap or Velcro, and hemp, cotton colors, or organic cotton.  The gusseted legs and snapped or velcroed waist keeps messes in the diaper.  Fitted diapers are great for out an about and for runny newborn breastmilk poops.  Fitted diapers are also excellent with a booster at night to ensure no leakage into the pj’s.  Click here to see the variety of fitted diapers we have.

Hemp diapers - Hemp provides extra protection from yeast with their natural antimicrobial properties.  Click here to see our hemp diapers.

You will need diaper covers with all of these diapers.

Cotton Covers:  Elan makes a fantastic all-cotton cover.  Be sure to close the Velcro before washing, and never use bleach, fabric softener, or a dryer on these covers.

Wrap style covers:  These come with snaps, Velcro, and even prints.

Side Snap covers:  Also known as the Pull on Snap off Diaper (POSO).These work like a pull up as well.  They are great for potty training, as they can be pulled down and pulled back up without unsnapping. Click here to see the POSO cover.

Which combo do I use?  Here is what some of our customers have suggested.  If you have a different experience than what we listed here, please let us know!

Scale: 
3 - Excellent Fit
2 - Good
1 - Fair
                                   

We carry the Blue Penquin all in ones (snaps), Bumkins all in ones (Velcro), and a hemp all in one (Velcro or snap).

Add a liner to the all in one to help with clean up, or add a doubler for extra absorbancy.

Doublers and boosters are great for minimizing the bulk and giving the extra absorbency needed for naps, trips, and nighttime.  You can also use the flannel liners all the time for easier clean up with fitted and contours.  Simply rinse the liners and put the diaper directly into the pail.(For more on cleaning see below).

Click here to see our samples of doublers and wipes.

Doublers can also be folded into the prefold diapers for added protection without adding the bulk of another diaper.  Picture here.

Wipes are simply that, a way to wipe the baby’s bum. 
Terry wipes are thick and can be great for washing baby’s bum. 
Flannel wipes are thinner and can also be used as burp cloths.
Click here to see the options for wipes.

We recommend warm water for your wipes.  If your changing table is not near a sink, you can keep a peri bottle by the changing table.  The peri bottle is great in the diaper bag or simply wet a few wipes and keep in a sealed plastic bag.

Now you know what kind of system you want to try, but how many cloth diapers do you need?

We suggest:

Prefolds/covers -  3 dozen prefolds in newborn and 2-3 dozen in standard sizes.
4-8 covers in each size.  Start with the newborn to medium in case you are potty training before you need the larger sizes.
8-20 doublers and/or boosters
10-20 wipes
2-6 all in ones for nighttime or on the go.

Contours - 3 Dozen in small size and 2-3 dozen in the larger size. 

Again, 4-8 covers in newborn to medium.
8-20 doublers and/or boosters
10-20 liners if you are planning to use them
10-20 wipes
2-6 all in ones for nighttime or on the go.

Fitted - 3 dozen in the newborn, 2-3 dozen in each larger size.
6-16 doublers and/or boosters
10-20 liners if wanted.
10-20 wipes

All in Ones - 3 dozen newborns and 2- 3 dozen small and medium.  Again, wait on the larger sizes to see when your child potty trains.

Click here to see some of our starter and sample diaper packages.

Baby Bum Butter  - This salve is fantastic and great for more than just bums! 

Diaper Lotion Potion - Great as a protector against infection and makes cleaning easy.

Weleda Diaper Care - When there are open sores, or just severe rash, this zinc cream creates a barrier between baby’s bottom and acidic urine.

Cloth diapers are great when your child begins potty training because they will feel the wetness and start to make that association.

Bumkins training pants are great for transitioning as they feel like undies going on and off, but can catch accidents. 

The Under the Nile organic training underpants are a wonderful pant as well.  If you are on the go, simply use the POSO over and your toddler can pull both up and down like regular undies while keeping clothes dry in case of accidents.

My son used a nighttime diaper until he was 6, and it was hard to find one that fit him.  He used the youth sized Bumkins until the pull ups came out, and was much happier.  We used the under the nile undies and the pull up together until the nighttime wetting was less frequent.

First get a system going that works for you.  You will need some sort of pail for the soiled diapers.  Any plastic bucket or small trash can will work.  A flip lid is fine for a “dry” pail, but if you plan to soak your diapers it should have a tight seal for your child’s protection.  Click here for an option on diaper pails. 

Do not soak your covers or all in ones.  If you are using a soaking bucket, then try a Bumkins tote to keep your rinsed covers and all in ones in.

Newborn diapers from breastfed only babies can go straight into the bucket.  Otherwise, shake poop off into the toilet and rinse any that doesn’t come off in the bowl.  If you want to keep your hands out of the mess we recommend the minishower. It is so easy to use, just spray the poop into the potty and no more dunking!

When your bucket is full, just dump into wash and rinse in cold water.  Then wash in warm/hot water with a natural soap.  Detergents with dyes and other additives can irritate baby’s bottom.  Do not use bleach or fabric softeners- this will greatly decrease the life of your diapers and will ruin the waterproofness of covers and all in ones.  Line dry in the sun to help sun bleach the stains.  If you use a dryer, be sure to pull out your covers and all in ones to hang dry- the dryer can decrease their water proof ability too.

Covers only need to be changed when they are soiled on or just get too wet and smelly.  You can change the diaper and reuse the cover throughout your day.  When rinsing covers, be sure to close any Velcro tabs so they don’t catch on things in the wash.  Covers can be washed by hand or in with your diapers.   Do not use bleach, fabric softeners or dryers on your covers.

All in ones should be washed like your diapers.  For Bumkins all in ones, be sure to flip the added layer inside out to ensure a thorough clean and help the dry time be faster.  Do not use bleach or fabric softener.  Hang to dry.

TIPS:

Use 1/3 cup vinegar in your rinse cycle to help restore normal pH and soften your diapers.

Use a few drops of essential oil of Rosemary in the rinse cycle to freshen your diapers.

• Dry pail:  Use a Citrus disc in your pail to help eliminate smells
• Wet pail:  Use 1/3 cup of baking soda to neutralize smells.
• Keep your pail closed.

Still have some questions?

Give us a call and we are happy to help you figure out what is right for you.

1-800-370-1683