Every time someone finds out I use cloth diapers on our son, their first question is, “Why?!?”  Most people associate cloth diapering with a certain, shall I say, “ultra-green” lifestyle.  And while the “green” aspect of cloth diapering is a nice perk, it is not my only (or my main) reason for doing it.  My short response to the questions is typically, “because they work better than disposables.”  In reality, though, this is just a tiny part of the overall reason.  So, for anyone who is interested in why someone might choose to use cloth, here are the top 8 reasons I think cloth diapers are awesome.

 

1) Cloth diapers work better than disposables.

Cloth diapers contain newborn poo-splosions WAY better than disposables.  Unlike disposable diapers that have pretty weak elastic around the waist and legs, cloth diapers have much better elastic that is capable of containing messes that most disposables could never handle.  We had originally planned to use up the disposables the hospital sent home with us… but after a day of explosions, I couldn’t take it any more and switched to cloth.  This next example might be way TMI (so feel free to skip ahead to #2!), but our son once went 11 days without a bowel movement.  When he finally went, he was jumping in his jumper.  Had he been wearing a disposable, I can guarantee he would have had a mess up his back and down both legs… but the cloth diaper contained EVERYTHING despite it being (literally) full to max capacity!

 

2) Cloth diapers are much cuter than disposables.

Have you seen all of the cute colors and prints available??  Enough said

 

3) You will never run out of cloth diapers.

How many times have you heard horror stories from parents about running out of diapers in the middle of the night, during a snowstorm, or while their child was sick?  With cloth diapers, you never have to worry about needing to run to the store in the middle of the night, during inclement weather, or with a sick child.  Running short on cloth diapers?  Toss a load in the washer and you are good to go!

 

4) Cloth diapers do not stink like disposables.

Have you ever noticed the smell of a disposable diaper straight out of the package?  That fake baby powder smell that smells even worse the minute the diaper is wet or dirtied?  Cloth diapers do not have a smell.  Before having my own child and using cloth diapers, I just associated the smell of disposable diapers with a typical nursery.  Now I know that a nursery does not have to smell like a diaper!  The only “downside” to using cloth diapers in this respect is that I can smell a disposable diaper a mile away!

 

5) With cloth diapers, you know exactly what is on your baby’s bum.

With cloth diapers, you know exactly what materials are touching your baby’s bum – and you have many options!  With disposable diapers, your baby’s bum is covered in paper, plastic, and a long list of chemicals.  While many babies admittedly do just fine in disposables, I would never personally wear plastic undergarments as they would be neither comfortable nor healthy in comparison to natural fibers… so why would I choose to put my baby in plastic?

 

6) Cloth diapering can save you money… A LOT of money!

There are many factors that go into figuring out exactly how much cloth diapering will save you.  A standard estimate is somewhere between $2,000 and $2,500 in savings from birth to potty training (assuming this is approximately 2 ½ years)… and your savings will increase if you use your diapers for more than one child.  Of course, there are two basic factors that will determine your actual savings… the type/brand of disposable diaper you would have bought and the type of cloth diapers you actually buy.  On the inexpensive end of cloth diapering, I know women who have spent as little as $100 on their stashes of covers and flats and/or prefolds.  On the expensive side, well, let’s just say that buying cloth diapers can be extremely addicting and there are plenty of WAHMs out there who make extremely adorable (but incredibly pricey) custom diapers… so the sky is truly the limit!  I would estimate an average/modest stash costs somewhere between $300 and $500.  While this is a bit of an upfront investment, just remember you can cross diapers off of your monthly shopping list!  An additional perk is you can often recoup part of your investment by selling your diapers after you are finished with them.

 

7) Cloth diapers equal less trash.

Most people I know who use disposable diapers empty their diaper pails at least every other day.  If you use both cloth diapers and cloth wipes, you completely eliminate your diaper trash.  If you use disposable wipes, as I’ll admit I do much of the time, you still have virtually no diaper trash.  Even a month’s-worth of wipes is only equivalent to about a quarter of a trash bag.

 

8) Cloth diapers can help your child potty train earlier.

When potty training, a child needs to a) be able to identify when he has had an accident and b) have some motivation to use the toilet rather than his diaper.  With disposable diapers/training pants, a child will always feel dry.  This can make it difficult for the child to identify that he has had an accident.  Additionally, a dry-feeling diaper is a comfortable diaper – so there is no motivation to use the toilet rather than the diaper.  With cloth diapers, there are many options of materials that do not have the stay-dry feel to them.  When it is close to potty training time, parents can choose to stop using stay-dry materials in their child’s diaper so he can identify when he has had an accident and to also provide motivation to try to make it to the toilet the next time rather than simply going in his diaper.

So there you have my top 8 reasons for using cloth diapers.  In my next post, I’ll be addressing many of the questions/comments I get from skeptics such as, “Cloth diapering is gross and causes rashes.”  I love proving skeptics wrong 😉

As promised – here are more simple parenting life hacks to make your life a little easier!

1.  Use a mesh lingerie bag to wash sippy cup parts in the dishwasher.  No need to buy a special basket and it is easier to find space for it in your top rack! -see pic

2.  So many things come in cloth or plastic zippered bags (think sheet sets).  Avoid the frustration of not being able to find small items when travelling and use these to pack small baby (or personal) items (i.e. baby socks, nail clippers, etc) in your suitcase. -see pic

3.  If you cloth diaper and have microfiber inserts you are not using, they make great dusters.  As a bonus, many microfiber inserts from one-size diapers are the perfect size to attach to those dusting/mopping systems that typically use disposable cloths. -see pic

4.  Use an inexpensive toiletries travel bag (or other small bag) as a mini-diaper bag and keep one diaper, some wipes, and a flour sack towel (to use as a changing table cover) in it.  This way you can easily toss it into whatever purse you are using that day or leave in the car as an emergency diaper change while you run errands or whatnot, rather than hauling an entire diaper bag with you everywhere you go! -see pic

5.  A pool noodle can be used multiple ways to help childproof your home.  Cut a 5-6 inch section off and then make one cut lengthwise.  Slide the section onto the side of a door near the top to prevent pinched fingers.  Use a similar method to create bumpers for chair and table legs.  A pool noodle can also be used under the fitted sheet along the edge of your child’s bed to prevent him from rolling off.

6.  Regardless of whether you use cloth or disposable diapers, if you ever find yourself in need of wipes, baby washcloths and warm water make a great reusable wipe!

7.  Dirty diaper and no changing table in sight?  Recline your stroller as far back as it will go and change away!

What parenting life hacks would you add to my list?

Here are some great life hacks I have compiled over my first year of parenthood.  A few are specific to those who cloth diaper… but most are great tips for any parent!

1.  Want to use your portable play yard outdoors but want to protect your little one from bugs and sun?  A standard crib sheet is the perfect size to pull over the top.  Please use common sense and never leave your child unattended while the top of the play yard is covered.  -see pic

2.  Given all of the safety concerns regarding padded crib bumpers, why not repurpose it into a teething guard?  Simply fold it over the top rail of the crib and tie the top row of ties to the bottom row.

3.  Powdered detergent boxes are messy and way too easy for little hands to open.  Use a plastic pet food container with a spout for a cleaner and safer way to store detergent.  -see pic

4.  Poo happens.  Use the peri bottle from the hospital to spray it off of clothing or cloth diapers (much cheaper than a diaper sprayer!) before tossing in the laundry.

5.  Speaking of poo… designate a skirt/pants hanger (the kind the the clips) to use to hold the clothing or cloth diaper while you are spraying it off.  This will keep your hands farther from the mess.  You can also wrap a flat rubber band (like the ones wrapped around broccoli at the supermarket) around the hook of the hanger to add some grip and then hang the freshly-sprayed clothing/diaper on the raised toilet seat to allow it to drip off before tossing in the laundry.  -see pic

6.  A flour sack towel is one of the cheapest (around $1 each at big box stores) and most versatile items you can keep on hand.  I keep one in every diaper bag and purse I own and have used it as a nursing cover, lightweight blanket, burp cloth, and changing table cover.  I have also used them as flat diapers and pad folded in pocket diapers.

7.  Chip clips.  I found some cute monkey face chip clips the other day and always keep a few of them in the diaper bag.  I have used them to clip a blanket or flour sack towel on my shoulder to use as a nursing cover (also used additional clips to keep it in place since my son loves to fling it off mid-meal!).  They can also be used to keep blankets in place when using a stroller on a windy day.

8.  Take a long piece of ribbon or yarn, tie a large loop at one end and a short loop at the other.  Use to secure toys and sippy cups to strollers and high chairs.  -see pic

 
Watch for more great parenting life hacks in Part 2 – coming soon

As promised, here is my super simple wash routine for cloth diapers.  Forget the special detergents, laundry additives, and complicated routine.  All most people need is a scoop of a good detergent and this easy routine.  You might need to tweak it a bit depending on your water quality, how often you wash, your washer type (HE vs non-HE for instance), etc… but this is a good starting point.

Ok – so just a bit of clarification first.  If you exclusively breastfeed, your baby’s poo is completely water-soluble.  This means you do not need to spray off the diapers before tossing in the wash.  This sounds gross, I know – but I swear that the diapers (and your washer) will come out completely clean!  If your baby drinks formula (or once you introduce foods), you will need to remove the poo from the diaper before washing.  You can use the dunk and swish method, a diaper sprayer (a peri bottle also works), or disposable liners.

Step 1:  Pre-rinse

You will want to do a pre-rinse to get rid of the majority of the pee and poo so you will be washing in cleaner water.  Many washers only have the option to run a rinse with cold water.  When my son was exclusively breastfed (and therefore I was putting poopy diapers in the wash), I ran the shortest possible cycle of a warm wash/cold rinse because poo comes out better in warm water.  Now that he eats solids and the poo goes in the toilet, I simply do a cold rinse.

Step 2:  Long warm wash with full amount of detergent

You can wash your diapers on any temperature, but I personally use warm because a) the washing machine fills much faster, shortening my laundry time; b) it requires less energy (gas or electricity) than a hot wash (good for the environment and your wallet); and c) most standard detergents work best in warmer water.  I highly recommend Tide powder, but any good quality detergent will work.

Choose the longest cycle for this wash, set your washer to the appropriate water level for the number of diapers you are washing, and use the full amount of a quality detergent.  After trying several different detergents, I found Tide to be the only detergent that works for me.  Powder rinses out much easier than liquid – but I have used liquid several times in a pinch and it works just fine… just be prepared to do a couple of extra rinses.  Also, just a couple of notes about the amount of detergent…  First, read the label!  Many people assume that Line 1 is for a small load, Line 2 for medium, and Line 3 for large… but this is not always the case.  For instance, looking at my bottle of Tide liquid, those measurements are correct… but the Tide powder box states Line 1 is for medium, Line 2 for large, and Line 3 is for “heavily soiled” loads.  Second, consider the size of your machine.  I have a stacked washer/dryer and, even though it says it is “extra large capacity”, it definitely is not.  A large load in my washer is barely a medium load in a standard washing machine.  Therefore, I always (for clothes and diapers) use the recommended amount for one load-size smaller.  Third, consider your water quality.  Hard water will require the use of more detergent than soft water.  Fourth, start with the recommended amount (or the amount you would use for a similarly sized load of clothes) and check for suds during your final (extra) rinse.  If there are a lot of suds, rinse again and try using slightly less detergent the next time.  Some people recommend starting with small amounts of detergent and increase if necessary, but trust me… it is better to have clean diapers that need an extra rinse or two rather than diapers that aren’t completely clean!

Step 3: Extra rinse to make sure all of the detergent is fully rinsed out.

So there you have it.  1) Pre-rinse; 2) Long wash with a good detergent; 3) Extra rinse.  As I said, there will be a few tweaks you will need to make based on your water quality, type of washing machine, etc… but once you figure out your routine, it is quite simple

If there is one thing that drives me crazy within the cloth diapering community, it is the rampant myths out there about washing cloth diapers.  Special detergents, complicated wash routines, stripping your diapers… yeesh – no wonder people don’t even want to consider cloth!  And in reality, if you follow all of this “expert” advice, I can virtually guarantee you will get stink and/or stains!  So here is a quick breakdown of some of the most common myths.

 

Myth 1:  You should always use the highest water-level setting on your washer, regardless of how many diapers you are washing.

 

Reality:  Choose your load size for your diapers the same way you would for clothing.  Think about it this way… when you hand wash clothing, you don’t just swish it through soapy water and call it clean – you scrub the items against themselves and each other to get them clean.  If you use too much water, your diapers will not scrub against each other and will simply be swishing through soapy water.

 

Myth 2:  Washing cloth diapers in regular detergent will harm them.  You must use special “cloth diaper”/all-natural/enzyme-free detergents.

 

Reality:  Okay – seriously??  Cloth diapers are not made out of silk and lace!  The inner layers are made out of the same materials used to make clothing (cotton, bamboo/rayon, hemp, etc) – and you use regular detergent on your clothes!  Many sources will tell you that regular detergents will prematurely break down PUL (the waterproof layer on most diapers).  This is ridiculous.  PUL was originally developed for use in hospitals where it must withstand repeated sanitizing in an autoclave.  Washing it in regular detergent (and even putting it in the dryer – gasp!) will not harm it!  Honestly, in my opinion, most cloth diaper-safe detergents are pretty worthless.  They just don’t have the cleaning power needed to really get your diapers clean.  While detergent performance varies based on your water quality (i.e. how hard or soft it is), I will just say this – if your current detergent works well on your clothes, it will work on your diapers.  Just don’t use any detergent that has fabric softener in it (and never use fabric softener in the dryer) as it will cause repelling.  Also, in general, powdered detergents are easier to rinse out than liquid detergents.

 

Myth 3:  You should only use a few tablespoons of detergent when washing cloth diapers – otherwise you will get detergent buildup, which will cause your diapers to stink.

 

Reality:  Again – seriously??  You are cleaning human waste out of cloth – so why would you use LESS detergent than you would use to clean your clothing (which, in comparison to diapers, is only lightly soiled)?!?  The reality is that using tiny amounts of detergent WILL cause stink… but not because you have detergent buildup!  If you use tiny amounts of detergent, your diapers might appear clean and might even smell clean for a few days or weeks.  But if you are not using a sufficient amount of detergent (or a powerful enough detergent), you will not be getting a deep clean and, trust me, your diapers will start to smell like a barn.  Start by using a “normal” amount of detergent (the amount you would use to wash a similarly-sized load of clothing) and tweak if needed.

 

Myth 4:  You must wash in hot water to sterilize your diapers.

 

Reality:  The standard “hot” wash on a washing machine does not get hot enough to sterilize anything.  Some newer washers have a “sanitize” option; however, regular use of this option on any type of material (cloth diapers, clothing, etc) may lead to premature wear/breakdown.  While many detergents perform best in warmer water, you can honestly wash your diapers at any temperature.  If you use cold water, however, you might want to consider a detergent specially formulated for cold water washing.

So there you have it… My next post will show you just how simple your wash routine can be while still keeping the stink and stains away