Ok... So.. First things first...
First thing you need to know about cloth diapers is... THEY ARE NOT A LOT OF WORK... I found myself looking into this 3 years ago thinking, yes I want to do something for the environment, yes I want super cute diapers, yes I want to save money. BUT I can’t have it take up a lot of time or energy, I'm a workin mumma and don't need another thing to take up my time... The good thing is... It doesn’t..
Depending on what you have and how long you choose to go between washes, it can be as little as 1 or as many as 7 little loads of laundry a week (which when you have a husband and 3 kids you don’t even notice).. The washing is the easiest part! Most of the time I wash after Ive used my favourite diaps.. haha
Washing tip: Having a few years to perfect my wash cycle (with my top loader) I will share my routine!
Soak overnight in HOT HOT water (if the diaps are a little heavy on the soiled side, I give them a quick rinse and light spin before I soak), in the morning I pop the detergent in then start the cylce, sometimes I do an extra rinse, sometimes I don't. And, with this routine they are ready to be put on the line by the time the sun gets to my backyard. If you have some nasty stain, I would suggest not letting the spin cycle finish, that way there is more water in the dips to attract the sun!
Second thing is storage… You can do a wet bag storage.. Which is what I used to do all the time, but now I only do when we are out, and you just toss all the soiled stuff in a bag… Once baby #3 came I change over to a closable bucket instead, I just use a stainless steel garbage can that has a plastic removable insert, sooooo easy.. And much to my surprise, no stinky's escape! Thank goodness because its in my living room beside the pack and play! With that said I LOVE my wet bag.. It keeps all scents inside and everything outside dry.. And you just toss the bag into the wash with the diapers…
With EBF poop you don't have to worry about doing anything with the diaps before tossing them in a wetbag... Otherwise however, with a poo diaper I generally rinse it off in the laundry sink and let it dry a bit on the side then put it in the wet bag.. I have a gf who just puts the poo diapers right in the bag (that’s not for me but hey to each their own!)..
If you don’t have a laundry sink you can get a little spray handle thing that attaches to the toilet which apparently work really well (or, if your handy, make one!) and then you just flush the solids down the toilet…
Third thing is washing…. Cloth diapers require a different soap than regular laundry (and truth be told that detergent is better for our clothes also). They require a detergent that is free of: dyes, brighteners, softeners, enzymes, scents, etc, etc.
Anyplace you get cloth diapers at they also have the special detergent.. Which is free of loads of chemicals, etc.. Which helps them stay absorbent..
If you don't want to bother with the fuss of finding a special detergent I suggest Arm and Hammer essentials scent free, this is what I use, never any issues, best!
And then once they are washed you can either hang dry them or toss them in the dryer WITHOUT a dryer sheet.. The dryer sheet puts a coating on them which makes them less absorbent and breaks them down.. And of course this continues to build up the more you do it.. So, don't do it!
Also, if you can, avoid drying your covers, it can cause added wear to them, and we don't want that, we want our beloved diapers to last a long long time! :D
If you find your diapers are a little stinky after washing them a quick stripping will clean them right up! You can find many strip routines online.. But really, its all about water.. The more water the better.. Rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, without detergent... Even a wash cylce with no soap is good..
*Note* Traditional diaper creams cannot be used with cloth… There are several CD friendly bum creams, but, if you need some cream sooner than later, pop on a disposie and some cream, or, if you have one, pop in a fleece liner over your insert to protect it from the cream and BE CAREFUL!
Fourth thing is diapers! Now, if you’ve read through the first 3 and still want to do it.. Awesome.. Like I tell everyone, you WILL NOT regret this! There are A LOT of different kids, brands and styles of cloth diapers…
STAY AWAY FROM ANYTHING MADE BY Kushies FOR CLOTH DIAPERS… THEY ARE GARBAGE! I cant tell you how many mums have used Kushies as a first time CDer and HATED everything about their experience, avoid the disappointment and just stay away!
Prefolds: This is what I started with… They are cheap and hold a lot of pee! They sound scary but I found them pretty easy… So you have the insert and the cover.. The best part about prefolds is you can use the covers multiple times and just change the inserts.. If you are going to go this route I would suggest (again because I love them and they are cheap AND they also convert from small to medium to large OS) either Econobum which comes with inserts that you fold in 3 and put into the cover and slap on or, if you can, fold it all fancy, put a snappi on (a thing that holds it all in place) then a cover..
All-In-Ones: These are exactly like a disposable.. You just put it on and when it’s soiled just take it off and toss it in the wetbag.. The thing I don’t like about these is that they are a one-time-use thing and expensive.. AIO's are... Convenient.... Easy... BUT.. Only a one time use and take FOREVER to dry.. Some people like these best because they are the most like traditional disposables and you don't have to touch any soiled parts... I find they keep in smells and stains more than the others and they hold less pee and leak more than the others also... And they stink! Yuck!
Pocket: This diapers look like a disposable and you put the insert inside the cover which has a top and bottom the insert goes in the middle… Stuff, stuff, stuff, oh and destuff... Problem with these I found is you can only use the cover once.. So you used and need way more just like the AIO's.. And But, there are plenty of them out there and people seem to love them..
Hybrids.. They are like a prefold where you can reuse the cover and just change the inserts.. But the inserts are contoured and much much nicer.. No folding required.. These are our diapers of choice.. Robs fav too I may add.. Oh, and unlike pockets, you don't have to stuff, and then destuff a soiled diap.. And unlike AIO they don't take ages the dry!
Got stains?! No worries.. All stains are easy removed with a little sun! Hang to dry in the sun and poof stains are gone!
Wanna hear something great???? THERE ARE CANADIAN CD COMPANIES! Which is awesome! My fav so far are monkey doodlez (I really like their tuck and goes it’s like a more appealing prefold or Hybrid system). There are also glow bugs, AMP, Applecheeks, motherease and Wee Ones by JaJoC and many others...
We also used cloth cloths or wipes… Which are awesome because you just use water on baby… To make this even easier I used the traditional wipe warmer with a little water in it and turn it on to keep it warm and just pack some cloths in there so they are always handy and away you go.. And then after use just toss the cloth in with the wet diapers..
Cloth can be a little pricey at first but it certainly saves TONS of money in the end… And if you are smart about your purchase, the wallet can stay intact a little better.. :)
We were poor at the beginning of my last mat leave (story of every mat leavers life) I bought a starter kit of econobums to start for about $60.. And then slowly added here and there.. You can buy cheap seconds (which generally just have an unstraight stick line etc) or gently used, and they always have sales.. Now, well, I have quite a collection especially since I went back to work… I have a little bit of a lot :)
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