Abby at 23 months when we first started using cloth diapers

I have mentioned in my writings before that I am a cloth diaper user (both in regards to my favorite items and in working to be a better steward of the earth).  I think the subject of cloth diapers is one that I hear from other women on almost more than anything, especially from those women who live abroad and want to know how it works.  So I thought I would dedicate one post to cloth diapering so that in the future when asked, I can just refer to this post.

First of all, this is simply what I do. There is tons of information out there about different kinds of cloth diapers and ways to care for them.  I certainly don’t do everything by the rules that the manufacturers of the cloth diapers recommend, but I have had to make the necessary adjustments due to living overseas.  Anyone else who would like to share their own experiences, tips or recommendations is welcome to in the comments section.

First of all, why did I start cloth diapering?  When Abby was about 20 months old I started toying around with the idea due to a number of factors:

1. I first started thinking about it because Abby had really bad diaper rash at that age.  I was reading a book by a pediatrician at that time (it had nothing to do with cloth diapers), but in a Q&A section, he was asked what one recommendation would he make to the parents of his patients.  He said “Use cloth diapers.”  At that time (and still today) I found that a very strange answer.  He went on to explain how cloth diapers help facilitate earlier potty- training (hasn’t always held true for us) and how most diaper rashes are cleared up instantly with cloth diapers.  He said he found it a very unnatural part of the westernized world to allow children to sit for hours in soiled, wet diapers that simply absorb it away from their skin.  So that got me thinking and I mentioned it casually to Joe.

2.  A little while later, Joe went to the grocery store where we lived in Italy one time to pick up a pack of diapers when I had run out.  He came back and said “Do diapers always cost that much?”  I said that they did and he said I might want to look a little more closely into the whole cloth diapering thing.  He was really amazed at the amount of money we were putting towards diapers.

3. Joe brought up cloth diapering again later when he was taking the trash out.  Bag after bag would be filled with dirty diapers.  He said he was feeling uncomfortable thinking about these diapers sitting around in a landfill for hundreds of years before decomposing.

So when Abby was 23 months old, I started her on cloth diapers.  I was due to give birth with Elijah in about 2 months, so I wanted to try it on her first before I decided to do it for a newborn as well.  After some research I decided to go with the Fuzzi Bunz brand of diapers.  Abby’s diaper rash cleared up almost immediately and never really returned.  Plus she loved learning all her different colors (like turquoise) through what we put on her.

So here are some of the basics to get started with cloth diapering if that is the route you would want to go:

1. There are tons of brands out there, but different types of diapers.  I have only used pocket diapers, which are basically a diaper cover where you can stuff inserts in.  The more inserts you put in, the more absorbent they are.  The two brands of pocket diapers I have used are Fuzzi Bunz and Happy Heiny’s.  Both brands I have been pleased with.

2. I started out buying 12 pocket diapers for my almost 2 year old.  That gave me enough diapers so that I was doing an extra load about every other day.  When we decided to go with them for Elijah as well, I got 24 diapers for him.  At that time there were no one size pocket diapers as there are now.  So we had diapers in two different sizes.  Those two size diapers have lasted through 2 and 3 children (the smaller size Abby never used) and will hopefully make it through our next child.

3. As far as inserts, there are lots of brands out there as well and different materials.  I have heard the hemp has excellent absorbency, but have never used anything but the microterry.  I got the basic Microterry Soaker from Nurtured Family as part of my original purchase of each pocket diaper.  I then purchased 6 extra Microterry Doublers for night times and extended times when they would be in the diaper.  You can just as easily add a second insert, but it tends to become a little bulky then (and cloth diapers are already pretty bulky!)  I have been pleased with both inserts and the originals are still being used.

4. I also purchased cloth wipes.  These are simply pieces of cloth that can be used and then washed with your cloth diapers.  I cannot even remember which brand I bought now, but I have the original ones that have held up over almost 4 years of constant use.  To use these, all I do is get a airtight plastic container, fill it with water and some mild soap and then put the cloth wipes in there to soak up the mixture.  Then you place the top on the container and they are ready to be used.  Sometimes it takes a few tries to figure out how much water you need or they are either too wet or too dry.  I have never bought the solution specific for cloth wipes, but I do add some tea tree oil drops in at times for a disinfectant quality.

Ok, so now that I had my supplies I had to figure out what to do with the diapers once they were worn and dirty (the actual process of putting them on is very easy, just like a regular diaper with snaps).

1. We keep a simple dry pail for the diapers.  I think some cloth diapers require a wet pail filled with a solution of some type, but the ones I have can simply be thrown in a bin with a top (unless you want to smell the mess) and wait until they get thrown in the washer.  If the diaper has feces in it, all you do is shake off what you can in the toilet before putting it in the bin.  One thing we discovered later on that was a great help were flushable liners.  We use the Kushies brand, but again there are various types out there.  With these, you lay a liner in the diaper before putting it on and then if there is a bowel movement it catches much of it so that you can simply put the liner in the toilet and flush it all down at once.  It makes for a much easier clean-up process.

2. Once it is time to wash them, I make sure the inserts are out of the pocket diaper and everything gets thrown in the washer.  I try to keep the load small but if I can set the load size (you usually can’t with European washers) I keep it at a higher setting.  Then  I run the diapers through a rinse cycle.

3. Once the diapers have been rinsed, then they need to be washed in a hot water cycle.  The biggest challenge with living overseas has been to find an appropriate detergent to use with the diapers.  I guess you could have the detergent shipped over, but that might cancel out the money you are saving in using cloth diapers!  So I simply use baking soda on my diapers.  I try to avoid anything that is a baby detergent or anything with bleach or extra whitening agents.  When we are home, I use Allens Naturally Detergent.

4. Once they have been washed, now it is time for the dryer.  If the weather is decent, there are times I will hang the diapers up and just put the inserts in the dryer (this can also help to bleach out some of the stains the diapers will get).  But most of the time, everything just gets thrown in the dryer on a low setting.  When we first started doing cloth diapers, I hung everything up because we didn’t have a dryer where we were in Italy.  But now it is a priority for us to have a dryer in the contract with whatever team Joe is playing with.  I am doing laundry for 5 people as it is, so a dryer is considered a necessity by me!

5. Every once and awhile I do some extra washing of the diapers.  After I have washed them, I will run them through a hot water cycle 2-3 more times until I no longer see any foam in the water.  Detergent will build up on the diapers which will make them less absorbent.  So the extra washing with plain water will have a “stripping” effect to get much of the build-up off the diapers.  I will also do a wash with baking soda and vinegar every once and awhile to work a little harder to get some of the stubborn smell out.  Overall, they don’t really smell too much.  But after having been through 2-3 kids, they certainly don’t smell as fresh!

So I think that is pretty much the basics of what I do.  At this stage in life, I am doing a load of cloth diapers/pull-ups every day.  I tend to do it after my 1-2 two loads of regular laundry, so that I can throw the diapers in the dryer before bed and then get them out in the morning.  In general, it is really not that much extra work.  I can’t tell you the exact amount of money we have saved, but some sites can give you an estimate of how much you might save.  If you have any additional questions that I have not answered, please feel free to let me know.

And for those of you who have no interest in this subject whatsoever, sorry for boring you (if you made it to the end of this post!)