Baby Gear: Cloth Diapers
If you’ve missed the other posts in my Baby Gear series this month you can catch the earlier posts by going to my Series Listing page.
I was surprised at the number of people who had no idea that people still used cloth diapers. People who looked at me like I was a purple alien from outer space, because I chose to not use paper and chemical diapers on my baby. Or people who said “I work, I don’t have the time for that.” What time? It’s two extra loads of laundry a week.
First, let me say that I used a three layer process. The outer layer is a waterproof and breathable diaper wrap, the middle layer is the diaper, and then there is a microfleece liner placed inside that keeps baby dry. Oh, and diaper pins are history, there are these neat t-fasteners now that hold them closed (though some people just use the wrap and no fastener at all).
After a decent amount of experimenting I ended up with Proraps covers, Chinese prefold diapers, and liners that I cut out of a blanket (the blanket was cheaper than buying the fabric at the fabric store). Oh, and you want the Classic Proraps, not the cool colors because the colored ones were awful.
To the left you’ll see pictures of what I’m talking about, except for the liners. I understand they are making liners of other fabrics besides just microfleece and microfiber -but basically as long as it is not absorbent and the liquid travels through and leaves baby dry, that’s all that matters. You can buy them, but you can cut fabric into 4.5″X12″ rectangles yourself a whole lot cheaper than you can buy them.
Katie’s Kisses has a package of 24 prefolds and 4 proraps for $80. That’s enough so you’ll be doing laundry every three or four days – two loads a week is perfect. To do a load of laundry you do a soak cycle with vinegar, then you do a regular wash cycle with an extra rinse using a detergent without perfumes. And I love the prefolds that Katie’s Kisses has. Or, the ones they had a long time ago, anyway. I assume they still carry the really really really nice ones. The next question is… how to put on a Chinese prefold.
There are actually a whole lot of ways to use them, this seems to be the most common way, but there is also the newspaper fold, and the bikini twist. The beauty of it is that different folds work better on different babies, so you can use what works best. Also, you may need the angel fold for a little one, but the bikini twist may work better when they are ten pounds heavier.
The two most common “eeewwwww” questions seem to be “what do you do for a BM?” and “isn’t the diaper pail gross”? First, the solid matter is generally solid and you just dump it into the toilet. When it isn’t solid then you dunk it into the toilet to rinse it off and hold onto it while you flush so you can rinse it in the clean water too. But that doesn’t happen a whole lot, the fleece liners usually catch whatever it is. You really only have to the dunk thing for diarrhea, and luckily that doesn’t happen very often. As for the diaper pail, there are three basic ways people do it: 1) wet pail, 2) dry pail that seals itself off, 3) dry pail that breathes. You can read about the first two on your own, but I’ll explain the last one because that worked for us. I used a wicker basket with a lid, tossed them in and forgot about them until time to wash. I washed on Wednesday and either Saturday or Sunday, so they were never there more than four days. The diapers dry as you put them in, so there is no smell. If you seal them up then the ammonia smell can knock you down when you open the lid, but when you let them dry as you go, there is no smell. I used a cloth liner in the wicker basket and I washed it when I washed the diapers. You may want to spray Lysol on the inside of the wicker basket when it’s empty just for good measure, but it’s really no big deal.
And finally, I will tell you about the all-in-one diapers, even though I didn’t use them. I bought two of them, so my parents could change diapers when they babysat, but I really didn’t like them. They just didn’t wash as good, being that they were all together. And they don’t last as long. My prefolds lasted through both girls, I just had to buy more Proraps. But, if money is no object, then you may like the AIO diapers better.
I did use disposable diapers some. When baby was sick and there were intestinal issues we switched to disposable, and when we were in China we obviously used disposables. Also, I didn’t buy the cloth swim diapers, I bought disposable swim diapers. But the vast majority of the time my girls were in cotton, not paper and chemicals. There are people who say cloth diapers are as hard on the environment as disposables, but I don’t buy that. Perhaps in a drought area you might have to weigh the differences, but my area has plenty of water so that wasn’t a concern.
Disposable diapers are around thirty cents each. Figure $15 a week for disposable diapers. That means in six weeks you’ve paid for your cloth diapers, and then your only expense is vinegar, laundry detergent, and the electricity to run two extra loads a week.
Oh, there are also cloth diaper wipes, but that didn’t work for me. We used regular disposable wipes – the Huggies Natural Care Fragrance Free Baby Wipes 
* I’m not affiliated with Katie’s Kisses in any way, I’m pointing there because they gave me good products at a good price long ago, and because their package is an easy way to get what you need.
July 19th, 2009 at 10:31 am
We used G diapersa nd LOVED them! I highly recommend them! http://www.gdiapers.com
July 19th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Thanks for that post. I am planning on using cloth and I always get that reaction too… “Have fun, a baby is work, who needs to create more!” All my friends use cloth and you are exactly right it is just 2 loads of laundry! Luckily, I have a wonderful store nearby that hosts a Diapering 101 class that goes through all the cloth options so we could make the best choice. There are compostable (expensive for every day use) disposables now that we are planning to use for travel! Excellent post, thank you again!!!
July 19th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Did your daycare providers use cloth? How did you handle that? I used cloth with DD#1, but #2 I will be working. I would like to use them, but is it difficult to find people that are willing to use them for you?
Jen
July 19th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I used cloth diapers with my youngest bio child (my two from China were older when we adopted them), and I loved it. I would’ve used them again if we’d adopted babies. I didn’t use the chinese prefolds, though, I used a combo of different pocket diaper types. They were a little pricier than getting chinese prefolds and wraps, but I couldn’t resist how adorable the covers were. I think if I were going to do it all over, I’d get some plain prefolds and wraps for around the house, some really cute pocket diapers and covers for going out, and a couple of all in ones for grandma’s house. I’d also keep a few disposables around in case baby is sick.
I don’t know if I can link here, you can edit it out if I can’t, but you can get some reviews on cloth diapers at http://www.diaperpin.com in case anyone here would like to research different brands and styles.
Marsha
July 19th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
My daytime care provider had no problems with cloth. I carried clean cloth diapers to her, and waterproof seal-able bags for soiled diapers to be returned to me. I bought enough diapers and bags so I could carry a whole week’s worth of clean diapers in on Monday, as well as five bags. We took a bag of dirty diapers home every evening that got dumped into the diaper bin. She always had one spare wrap to use as a just-in-case, but mostly the one I sent on the baby that morning lasted all day. If it didn’t then I would bring another spare wrap in the next morning for her to put in her stash.
I used a plastic bin to carry the diapers to her, and on the weekend when I folded diapers some of them went into the plastic bin that stayed home and some of them went into the plastic bin that went to daycare. It had a lid and was easy to carry, so there was no extra effort involved.
July 19th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Wow, thanks for this info. I thought hard about using cloth for my first daughter (now just about to be potty trained — woo hoo!) but at least one of my “taking care of baby” books said not to use cloth unless you could use a diaper service because there was no way you could get the diapers clean enough in your home washer.
July 19th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Another cloth diaper fan here. I used a combination of the chinese prefolds or fitted diapers, wrap and liner. I tried a few wraps…liked Thirstys the best because DD was a bit chubby and had big thighs so these worked well for her. Generally DH used the fitteds(kissaluvs) whilst I used the prefolds. I also got into using Charlies soap and now use it for all our laundry. If you go to the Diaper pin site (listed in prev post) you can get reviews on products, retailers and then lists of sales etc. Pretty much each site gives info on how to wash the diapers. It was like 2 extra loads a week (3 if we had any nasty days) and honestly i would do it again if we had another.
Now DD is potty training and I like the Bummis trainer pants.
July 19th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Thxs RQ. My family thought I was crazy for wanting to use clothe diapers with our dd.
It’s so cool that families want to use clothe diapers today. Hey if they were good enough for us growing up then they are good enough for our children. Once your little one/s have out grown the cloth diapers. The cloth diapers make great dust clothes, spill clothes, the uses are endless. A great way to help Mother Earth.
July 19th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Good post. I’ve always wanted to know more about cloth diaper options available, now days. My mom used cloth on both my sister and I. I’ve never actually changed oneso I was curious how they worked now days. I’m sure quite differently than when my mom was using them in the early 70’s and 80’s. :)
July 19th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Boy do I wish these product reviews had taken place two years ago. But, if DH changes his mind I’ll be remembering THIS post for sure.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I tried cloth when DS starting tearing apart the things in the early morning hours. I found some wet diaper in his mouth. I got scared of choking and bought a few all in one velcro wrap cloth diapers with absorbant pad attached to the inside. I wasn’t worried about leaks and was sure that this diaper wouldn’t leak.
BUT in the morning the smell of amonia was a knock down smell. Is it stronger coming out of a boy? Oh my…
Kristine
July 19th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I tried to use cloth diapers with my first child, but I have a strong gag reflex and just couldn’t handle dealing with poopy cloth diapers. I know they are better for the environment—-I just couldn’t do it. I recycle my newspapers, plastic, and glass, but I still used disposables.
July 19th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
This is prob. a dumb question but as we get closer to referral I was thinking about it. It’s my understanding that most of the babies (or I guess all) are in split pants and aren’t accustomed to diapers. Does anyone just try to go with that–potty train–at that time. It seems like we are going backwards to then put her in a diaper. OR is doing that at around 1 too early for them? To clarify–we put her in diapers when we get her and then try to potty train around/by 2?
LID 3/28/06
July 19th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
We’re on our third kid in cloth. We use the pocket diapers as well, it’s the ease of an all in one but washes like a prefold and cover. I wash every third day and then stuff them and stack them ready to be grabbed just like any other diaper. Plus they are super cute and can be much cheaper than disposables.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Even if you are using disposible diapers, you are supposed to put the stool (or as much as possible) in the toilet. Most people just put it in the garbage but really it should be flushed.
July 19th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
We used Fuzzi Bunz with both our boys. We also used prefolds and Bummis Super Whisper Wraps. ILOVED cloth diapering our boys. We also used Elimination Communication and the combo of the two had our boys out of diapers by 18mos.
We are adopting (not from China) and I can’t wait to cloth diaper again!
July 19th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Forget about who the real RQ is behind the crown, as I believe she is really Superwoman! Your perspective, insights, experiences, statistics, and windows into your day to day life have me convinced.
I am one of those people who would like to have been open to cloth diapers, but REALLY couldn’t figure out how to pull it off. I live in a condo. (as a single mom) with laundry in the basement two flights down. Figuring out how to get our basic laundry done within a week is a huge stress for me. The idea of having to do a few extra loads of soiled diapers was enough to throw me over the edge. I admire all of you who are doing this.
July 19th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Dear Nicki13
Not a dumb question – a good thing to be thinking about and I think you are right that potty training is not the best thing with a newly adopted child. We put all of the children in our batch (aged between 10 months and 12 months) in diapers soon after we received them. Some like my daughter used them as if they had always used them. Others held on until the diaper was removed and then wet everywhere. After a few days they stopped holding on and used the diaper as nornmal. They then potty trained as normal when they were 2+.
The general wisdom around promoting attachment is that we support the children in being regressed/ being a baby rather than encouraging independence in the first year or more even if that means they go backwards in their development and this includes potty training.
Hope that helps.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:50 am
If you don’t want to dunk, swish, and flush in the toilet, you can get a diaper sprayer, which makes this even easier and your hands never even get wet.
You can get your cloth diapers clean in your own washing machine just fine. Just make sure to use a detergent with no additives or brighteners, which will coat the diapers.
There are a number of different types beyond prefolds and AIO’s. Pocket diapers (Fuzzibunz are a popular brand) work well for allowing others to easily use them (just pre-stuff the pocket and it works just like a regular diaper). I also highly recommend diaperpin as a great source of information on all of the variety of diapers available.
Also, some daycare centers aren’t able to use cloth diapers by law (sanitary reasons).
July 20th, 2009 at 4:01 am
Thank you Meimeiandme and nicki3! As I’ve been reading about attachment and regression I’ve been wondering what to do about the “potty problem”. Found lots and lots of info on bottle feeding, sleeping arrangements, etc in attachment books, but nothing about this and was wondering if you weren’t supposed to be asking these questions. Now I feel reassured. Thanks again both of you!
July 20th, 2009 at 4:08 am
Cloth diapers are so much easier to use than people think they will be. I’ve been selling cloth diapers for 3 1/2 years and almost every day a parent tells me that they are pleasantly surprised by how simple and effective cloth diapers are.
Washing cloth diapers at home is simple and easy. It takes me just a few minutes a week to run a cloth diaper load every 3 days. Much faster than running to the store.
There are tons of great information articles at http://www.littlefornow.com and reviews at http://www.clothdiaperreviews.com
July 20th, 2009 at 8:03 am
We use cloth diapers as well (on my third child now).
I want to second Ash2008 about gDiapers. They are the perfect solution for people who think they just can’t do cloth but want environmentally friendly diapers. We used them for travel. But now they have a cloth option too!! I really like them because they are cheaper then most all-in-one type diapers, wear better because they come apart, have the flush-able/disposable option, fit like a disposable diaper (most cloth diapers are very balky which is a bigger issue to me than washing them!), and are almost as easy to use as a disposable.
They are running a sale until the end of July on their covers where you can get a 6 pack of covers 40% off if you have a coupon code. I have one I can share if anyone is interested. PM, same name on the forum.
July 20th, 2009 at 8:42 am
We used cloth also. I always loved the way they felt to hold him with just a cloth diaper, so I knew it must feel better for him also.
I bought the cloth covers from Target because we were “income challenged” back when DS was born. They were cute, but the velcro started giving out at the end of each size. They aren’t usable for a second child.
I didn’t know about the third layer liner that would have kept him feeling dry. Good thing to do the next time. Thanks.
No problem though, he hated being wet and it helped with potty training.
KMS – Since you asked, I always thought I could smell male hormones in DS’s diaper. Husband and male best friend thought I was imagining things. It was definitely a different urine smell than my own.
July 20th, 2009 at 9:09 am
That first morning the smell was so potent.
Some need cloth for rash reasons, a day care should be able to accomodate. I’m quite surprised there is a law preventing. When I was a baby my mom had to switch to cloth.
July 20th, 2009 at 10:38 am
You know, we used cloth diapers for two kids for about 3yrs total, and I’ve NEVER dunked, swished, or otherwise had my hands in toilet water. Poop falls right off of cloth diapers, just shake it over the toilet and the poop falls off.
http://www.diaperpin.com
http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com
lots of good info on those sites. We used Charlies Soap (www.charliesoap.com) for washing, and we used a wets bag from http://www.wahmies.com
Seriously, clot hdiapering is so easy! I know how many of my friend switched when they seen how ridiculously easy it was for us (and cute!). Saves tons of money and waste in landfills.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Thanks Meimeiandme….makes sense. As a first time mom….can’t assume anything!