I use cloth diapers on Mabrey. Back when my boys {ages 8 and 5} were babies, cloth diapers weren’t on my radar. None of my mom friends were using them and they weren’t as popular as they are now. When I found out I was pregnant for the third time, I knew I wanted to give cloth diapering a try. My motive was strictly economical. HH and I had decided I would quit my job to stay home with the kids after #3 was born. That meant our household income would be cut in half. I was looking for any way to save money. Cloth diapers seemed like the way to go. Keeping disposals out of landfills and chemicals off our baby’s bum were just added bonuses. Now that I’ve been using cloth diapers for over a year, I thought I’d share what works for me.
1. I use organic bumGenius cloth diapers. We bought a dozen at $25 a pop. That seems like a lot to spend at once but when you do the math they pay for themselves after roughly 4 months of use compared to disposables. And since they’re one size fits all, we can use them up until Mabrey is potty trained. I didn’t know Mabrey’s gender before birth and I bought the white, butternut, clementine, grasshopper and ribbit colors. After a year of use, all twelve diapers are in excellent condition – no rips, no tears, no stains. They are all one piece – no absorbent layers to add, no separate outer cover. I would highly recommend them!
2. I started cloth diapering when Mabrey was ~3 months old. The three month mark was ideal for us. That’s when the cloth diapers fit Mabrey’s petite legs and that’s also about the time her diaper changes consisted of less #2 and more #1. Her diaper changes were becoming less frequent then too. To be honest, when I was just starting out with the cloth diapers sometimes I wished I had six more on hand so I didn’t have to wash them so often but I stuck it out and now twelve is the perfect number.
3. We installed a diaper sprayer on our toilet to rinse the cloth diapers. I don’t rinse #1 diapers – only #2’s – and I rinse them right away if I can. The diaper sprayer works great for this. Basically, I dump the solid waste into the toilet and flush. Then I give the diaper a good spray with the toilet sprayer making sure to rinse away any remaining waste. HH isn’t keen on rinsing poopy diapers so this usually falls on me. When I told him he had to hold the diaper down in the toilet to rinse it {not up above the toilet like he was initially doing and subsequently sprayed the entire bathroom}, he was like “what?!” But that’s what you have to do. Rinsing dirty diapers in a toilet isn’t my favorite thing to do but I tell myself it’s one less diaper I have to buy. After the diaper is rinsed, I spray a little Bac-Out on it, put it in a plastic bag and place it on a rolling cart next to the dryer in the laundry room until wash day. {If it’s just a pee diaper, I roll it up and place it on the cart unbagged.} At first, I had a wet bag to throw rinsed diapers in but after only three washes it started leaking and that was the end of that.
4. I use vinegar and Charlie’s soap powder to wash the cloth diapers. We have a front loading washer. Before I wash the diapers, I usually throw them in the washer with ¼ cup of distilled white vinegar on the soak cycle. This cycle can be pretty lengthy so if I’m in a hurry, I’ll skip this step but it does help strip the diapers of funky smells. Next, I wash the diapers with Charlie’s in cold water + an added rinse cycle. Then I wash the diapers with 50% less Charlie’s in hot water. If it’s cold or rainy, I throw the diapers in the dryer. Otherwise, I line dry them. Sunlight is the best natural bleaching agent! FYI – I know Bac-Out and Charlie’s seem expensive but I’ve only had to buy one bottle of Bac-Out and three containers of Charlie’s in the past year! A little goes a long way.
It does take a little planning on my part to wash the diapers at the right time so I have a few clean diapers on hand to use. When I notice that I’m down to two clean diapers, I’ll throw in a load of dirties. That’s usually enough to get me by until the dirties are clean. If I know I won’t be using cloth diapers for an extended period of time {i.e., we’ll be out of the house most of the following day for whatever reason}, I’ll wait until all twelve diapers are dirty to wash them. Typically, I’m washing cloth diapers every two days. Which brings me to #5…
A side note: Charlie’s soap powder contains coconut so if your baby is allergic to coconut, you’ll want to use something else.
5. I don’t cloth diaper 100% of the time. It’s more like 80% and it varies from day to day. If we’re going to be out of the house for longer than an hour or two, I’ll usually throw a disposable on Mabrey. I keep only disposables in the diaper bag. I also put disposables on her at night to avoid leaks. I used to feel guilty about not using cloth diapers all the time but it’s much easier on me this way. Running around town with three kids and dirty cloth diapers isn’t fun {there’s nowhere to rinse diapers in public} and changing crib bedding every morning from a leaky overnight diaper isn’t my idea of a good time either. So I always have a small box of disposables on hand. At first, I bought the jumbo boxes but I was having a hard time using up all the disposables before Mabrey outgrew that size. For instance, I would buy a jumbo box of size 2 diapers but Mabrey would need size 3’s before I had used up all the size 2’s. I don’t let myself feel guilty now. I’m still saving money and putting less waste into landfills.
6. Cloth diapers don’t give Mabrey a rash. When I tell people that I’m cloth diapering Mabrey, they usually ask if she has problems with diaper rash. Contrary to popular belief, diaper rashes aren’t a problem. In fact, the only time she gets a diaper rash is when she wears disposables. I think this myth about cloth diapers causing diaper rashes dates back to when folks were using bleach to clean cloth diapers. Even then, I don’t think it was the diaper causing the rash. Most likely, it was the bleach.
7. Cloth diapers look way cuter than disposables. They just do. Sometimes I use Mabrey’s cloth diaper as part of her outfit and forgo bottoms all together.
8. After Mabrey is potty trained, I plan to pass down or sell the cloth diapers. Cloth diapers are durable and long-lasting. There’s no reason why they can’t be used on subsequent babies. Neither of my sisters have children yet. When the time comes, I’d be more than happy to give them our cloth diapers if they choose to go that route. If not, I’ll sell them.
That’s cloth diapering from my point of view. I understand that it’s not for everyone. If you’re working out of the house, some caregivers won’t cloth diaper. It does take a little extra work but it’s become part of my everyday and I don’t really notice it anymore. What I do notice is that I’m not buying diapers every week {maybe once a month?} and that makes me happy.
If you’re interested in cloth diapering, be sure to check back later today for a giveaway related to the subject!
I was not compensated in any way for this post. Just sharing what works for me.
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
DIY, family life, housekeeping, kid-friendly