Last week, a friend of mine announced her desire to cloth diaper her soon-to-be-born baby, as well as her son (13 months).  She asked what I thought she might need, and I was more than happy to give her my opinion (I seem to have a lot of them).  She’s never cloth diapered before, and looked a little overwhelmed as I sat there and folded my diaper stash (I have diaper ADD, very few of the same brands/styles/etc.).  I told her that her stash won’t have to look nearly as confusing as mine, and to cloth diaper her two children as easily as possible, she should start with a list that looks like this:

1. 20 BumGenius diapers (she could start with less, but for one newborn and one toddler, it’s probably best to have a few more than a few less).  I picked these because they’re easy to put on a squirmy toddler, and you don’t have to have two different diaper stashes - just snap to the rise, and you’re off to the races.  I also find that pockets are the easiest for newbies to try… and they wash & dry fastest.
2. 18 Wipes (baby face cloths will be fine, but my preference is cotton - you can often find cloths $1 for 3 at your local dollar store)
3. 1 medium sized garbage trash can with a foot lever to use as a diaper pail.  Don’t get it too big, because with 2 kids in diapers, you will want to do diapers every day to 2 days - any longer and it will stink too much (plus you’d have to buy a lot more diapers!).
4. 1 large drawstring wet bag that will fit your trash can.  This is so you can just grab the bag and head to do laundry - no carrying the garbage can around, and you don’t have to worry about cleaning out the can every time you do laundry.
5. A laundry detergent that is optical brightener, enzyme, and fabric softener free.  Good choices are Nellie’s Washing Soda, Norwex Laundry Detergent, and Allen’s Naturally (people have had differing experiences with each of these - it depends on you water, your washing machine, and how many times you rinse).

I think that there are a bunch of “nice to haves”, and those go on a separate list - you don’t “need” them to start up, but they will help things be a lot easier.

1. A diaper sprayer.  I am still wishing for one of these.  I would love to never have to dunk another diaper!  So yucky.  This way, you can just spray them off and they can go straight into the diaper pail.  No muss, no fuss.
2. A medium zippered wetbag for outings, to hold 4-6 diapers (especially for 2 kids).  You throw the used diapers in this bag.  I find the zippered bags are more secure in regards to leaking liquids and smells.  If you can’t afford one of these right away, you can use (and reuse - just label it DIAPERS) a large ziploc freezer bag.
3. A small zippered wetbag for wipes.  I never leave home without mine - I use wipes to clean off high chairs and tables, bums, hands and faces, whatever you need.  If you don’t have the extra funds for one of these, again - use a ziploc baggie, whatever size you need for the number of wipes you may need (always take extra!).
4. A set of dryer balls.  You won’t be using fabric softener in any of your diaper loads, and these keep your diapers soft and they help them dry faster.  Who could ask for more?
5. An empty diaper wipes tub to keep your cloth wipes and a wipe solution in.  I make my own solution with a bunch of water, a small amount of baby soap, a splash of witch hazel, and a nice sized squeeze of 98% organic aloe vera gel.  It isn’t as nice smelling as a lot of the different premade solutions (concentrated, or in solid form), but it seems to get the work done.

I’m not sure what my friend will chose to get.  I strongly believe that the BumGenius is the easiest cloth diaper to use for first time users - and it’s the ones that my husband/mom/mother-in-law reach for first.

One Final Tip: When your pocket diapers come out of the dryer, adjust the rise (if necessary) then stuff the diaper.  That way, you’re not fiddling with the diaper when you’re going to change the baby.  It’s also easier to encourage a reluctant spouse/baby sitter to use cloth when they’re waiting for them, ready to go.

Brit wrote last week about Mama Cloth (aka cloth menstrual products).  I wanted to expand on that issue a little bit, but I’m going to include a bit more personal information than she did, so if you want to go there with me, follow after the break.  If not - I won’t be offended, and we’ll see you next post!

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Sooooo, what will you do when your babes are all grown up and you have to stop buying super cute diapers and move on to something else? What about diapers for you? If you know what I mean? You don’t…………okay I mean Cloth pads for Mamas.

I know. I know. EWWWWWW Gross. I thought the same way. Until I made the switch and now I’m just as caught up in making cute pads for myself, after all I keep telling myself that we are going to potty train….soonish.

There are hundreds upon hundreds of places to buy cloth pads, I know! Who knew! Etsy (online shopping) is full of such stores just type cloth pads into the search bar. Since I have made my own I’m not comfortable recommending any online stores since I haven’t tried their product. But the all seem to have the same basic shape and they often come with snaps to secure them in your pants (like wings on disposable but with a snap instead of sticky stuff). Many cloth pads come with inserts just like pocket diapers, that you can wash, but I prefer the one piecers.

Launching right into the TMI portion of the post, I don’t wear ‘panties’ but instead have always been partial to boxer briefs so the winged pads that are seen most often didn’t work for me. And since I’m cheap thrifty innovative, I made up some of my own.

Here the pad is folded in the manner that it is placed in your underwear, I generally put the ties towards the back so they don’t create bizarre bulk in the front and stay relatively clean, as you’ll use the ties later to secure the used pad.

This is a picture of the pads rolled and secured. I usually carry them in my bag this way until I’m ready to use them, then after they are used the can be secured, soiled side in, this way and placed in any waterproof bag. Many of you probably already have nylon or cloth diaper bags in your repertoire these are perfect for you used pads.

Washing: So, how do you clean them? The pads shown in this post have been in ‘circulation’ for about a year as you can see they are not stained. The key to clean pads is soaking. I usually keep a receptacle in the bathroom, such as an over sized jug (lucky for me my husband is a potter) in the bathroom filled with water** that I keep the used pads in. When it is full I simply dump it into the washer with detergent and allow it to soak (usually overnight) in the morning I run the washer as usual and ouila! Clean pads.

Cloth pads, like cloth diapering isn’t for everyone. One of the reasons I switched to cloth pads was that post partum I was never able to get a good tampon fit (my first choice) once I made the switch to pads, it seemed obvious to go with cloth. It was much easier than I thought and my fabric stash lends it self to fun pads.

Interested? Check out some of the cloth pads on Etsy there are some super cute ones.

The truly green and crunchy among us might use that water on their rose bushes…..

So, if your new to cloth diapering you may wonder about transport. You know when you leave the house and change diapers outside of your home, away from your clean toilet water (it happens!). What to do? How to carry that gift from your cherished babe home to your diaper pail?

For awhile I just carried plastic garbage bags with me like I had done with disposables. Then I started to get jealous of Leah’s nifty nylon bags. (Also the plastic bags were handy when you through the diaper away but kind of ‘leaky’ when you stuffed it in your diaper bag to take home, and frankly, ew.)

Leah’s bag was similar to this sleeping bag stuff sac. These work really well. They are waterproof and washable. In fact our diaper pail liner is a hand me down sac from Leah. These are great, cheap alternative to some of the more popular diaper bag brands.

Of course if money is no option the popular diaper pail liners are super adorable. And not terribly more expensive. (must resist buying!) Marilyn writes at length about diaper liners in this post.

Which brings us to Etsy. Doesn’t it? Not subtle enough? Oh well, We all have our personal favorite places to browse and ahem, buy. I favor Etsy. I bought this cute wet bag at Batik Bags. I love it. It has held up very well in the many washings it has already had since it arrived last month (do I really go out that often?) and it is stylish.

Like the woman who creates these beauties, I soon tired of the baby patterned bags, and these wet bags have a nice grown up feel. They are also suited for Mamas (and non mamas) who use cloth pads.

Some of the bags zipper shut, but I find the drawstring works just as well.

If you search on Etsy for Wet bags you get a fabulous choice of hand crafted goodness. If you are on a limited budget, I have found zippered make up case at the goodwill or other thrift stores work great.

Transporting poop in style. Our new motto here at Cloth diapering Mamas. Catchy, No?

No matter what kind they are, cloth diapers are cute. They are so soft, cuddly and cute. The biggest problem is that eventually they get dirty. Really dirty.

Washing diapers seems to get almost as much attention as the diapers themselves. When I tell people that I use cloth, they almost always ask “do you wash them yourself?” Sadly, diaper services seem to be rapidly disappearing, so if you want to use cloth you will probably need to wash your own diapers. Or teach your husband to do it. Luckily, diaper washing can be incredibly simple. I’ve seen countless complicated wash routines, involving endless combinations of washes, rinses, soaps, detergents and other additives. I’ve found that keeping things simple works best for me and my diapers.

Many factors can affect your diaper washing: the hardness and chemical composition of your water, what sort of washing machine you have, and the types of diapers that you use. I have fairly hard well water, a mixed stash of diapers and a front loading HE machine.

The first thing that I do is spray my poopy diapers really well before they even go into the pail. You can skip this step if you are dealing with the innocuous, sweet smelling poop of a breastfeeding-only little one. Diapers that are just wet can go straight into the pail. Our diaper pail is an old step trash can with a plastic inner liner.

When the pail starts to look fullish I dump it into the washer. I try to wash every other day or so. Dirty diapers shouldn’t marinate in the pail too long, so don’t put off diaper laundry. If you have a top loader, try to wash fewer than 18-24 diapers at a time. They need room to agitate and move around in the washer. Front loaders actually work a little better when they are full, so cram as many in as you can.

I start my diaper laundry with a cold rinse. This will get the last of the solids off any dirty diapers.

A bit about detergent: There is much disagreement about detergents in the cloth diapering world. I can only tell you what has worked well for me. My favorite detergents are

1. Tide HE Powder: yes the original, scented, stinky kind

2… Tide HE Liquid: I had to switch to this because the powder didn’t dissolve well in my new HE washer

3. Kirkland Signature Powder from Costco: this comes in a giant 5 gallon bucket and is super cheap. Cheap Detergent=More money for diapers!

4. Allen’s Naturally: my favorite of the “natural” detergents.

I like Tide HE best, even if you have a non–HE washing machine. HE detergents are meant to rinse cleaner and suds less, which makes them perfect for diapers.

I’ve had terrible luck with the “free and clear” detergents. I’ve tried the Costco and Tide versions, and both gave my sensitive skinned kid a terrible rash.

I use about half as much detergent as the label specifies. Remember, we want to clean these diapers! Detergent is not the enemy; it dissolves the icky stuff and then holds it in the water so it can be rinsed away. Don’t be afraid to use a generous helping. So we’ve had a cold rinse and added a half scoop or so of your favorite detergent. What next?

On my washing machine I choose the cycle that has the longest agitation. I wash in the hottest temperature possible. If you have a sanitary cycle or an internal heater in your washer, even better. If you don’t, consider adding some water that was heated on your stove top, or running a nearby faucet to allow the water in your washer to be as hot as possible. Hot water makes any detergent work better, and it kills bacteria. Please don’t turn up your water heater! Hot tap water can cause serious burns very quickly.

Rinse in warm water if possible. The goal of rinsing is to get the soap dissolved and out of the diapers, and warm water does this best. One extra rinse at the end of a normal cycle should be enough. The rinse water should be fairly clear and free of bubbles. A few bubbles aren’t the end of the world, especially if your diapers smell clean and are working well. If you see a lot of bubbles then go ahead and rinse again. I always feel that plenty of soap and an extra rinse are better than diapers that aren’t clean because I skimped on the detergent.

At the end of the wash I pick out my pocket diapers and any PUL covers and hang them to dry. I know that many manufacturers say you can dry PUL and pockets, but I’m a nervous nelly about it. Some of my fuzzibunz are 4 years old and still going strong, so I’m sticking with the air drying. Everything else gets thrown into the dryer on medium. Medium heat is easier on fabrics and elastic than high. In the summer I love hanging my diapers outside, but here in the Northwest that only lasts for a few brief months. The sun is a great sanitizer and stain remover, not to mention cheaper and greener. So, if your weather allows get the diapers out on the clothesline.

The only additive (other than detergent) that I have ever needed is bleach. Regular use of bleach can cause your diapers to wear out quickly and will also bleach the color out of all your cute things. There are times though, that a little bleach can be a good thing. If I buy used diapers or we have a nasty bug I like to use a little bleach. I add 1/8 to ¼ cup to my regular wash. I’ve never had any problems with the occasional use of bleach, and it seems to freshen the diapers well.

After things are clean and dry, all that is left is to fold stuff and tuck away all your fluffy clean diapers, ready to use again.

I find washing my own diapers to be a rewarding experience, rather than a chore. The time that I spend washing, hanging and folding is a moment of reflection and connection for me. All over the world and all throughout time, women have been lovingly washing diapers for their children. I feel a spiritual bond to mothers everywhere who may be doing the exact same thing as me at that moment.