Frequent Questions About Cloth Diapers
What do you do with the poop?
If your baby is breastfed, the diaper goes right into the pail. No rinsing is necessary as poo from exclusively breastfed babies is water soluble and will come out in the wash. If your baby is formula fed or on solids (which mine is both) the poo will need to be dumped into the toilet. Washing them out in the toilet is usually not necessary, unless it is particularly messy. Then just hold by one end and either use a diaper sprayer or hold it in the stream of water that flows into the bowl when you flush. I don't have a sprayer, so when needed I do the latter. Most people don't know, but all poop is supposed to be dumped into the toilet and not thrown into the trash. That includes disposable diapers. Think of it like this, would you poo in a trash can? Neither would I ; )
Where do you put them until you wash them?
Most use the "dry pail" method, which is just a container of your choice that you put the diapers in until you're ready to wash. Some use a plain trash can, some use a large "wet bag" which is just a reusable waterproof bag that can typically be hung up. I have a can similar to the one on the left. You can also purchase a "pail liner" which is almost like a reusable trash bag, to put in the trash can. But it isn't necessary.
How often do you wash them?
This mostly depends on how many diapers you have. Some wash every day, where others only wash every 3 days or more. Less frequent washing will cut down on the wear of your diapers, but there isn't really an exact frequency that everyone should follow. It's whatever works for you and your family.
But don't they stink just sitting?
Typically, no. I could leave my pail open in my kitchen and never notice. Part of this is because anytime there is a poopy diaper, the poo is emptied into the toilet.
I don't want to use diaper pins on my baby, I'm afraid of poking him/her!
Well, good news! Diaper pins are no longer a necessity! There have been major advancements made in the world of cloth diapering. One of which is the Snappi. It's a nifty little device used to secure prefold or flat diapers before putting a cover on your baby. Here is a snappi on my daughter with a prefold diaper.
Another option of fastener is the new Boingo's. I haven't used them before, so I can't give personal experience on them. But here is a photo.
Most diapers won't even need any added closure, as they come with them now in the form of snaps or aplix (velcro). Here are a few examples of those. These are simply examples, as there are many many more brands available.
Don't cloth diapers leak?
Nope! My daughter is even in cloth diapers for 10-12 hours at night, and no leaks at all! When she was in disposables for the first few weeks she would have leaks on a daily basis and almost every single night. We never have "blowouts" (poo messes) either. Everything is contained very well. If your baby has especially messy poo, use a diaper or cover that has double gussets. Gussets are the elastic bands around the legs. The Bummis Super Brite cover I pictured above is a great example of double gussets.
How often will I need to buy diapers?
After you have enough diapers to last your desired time between washing, you should only have to buy more when it's time to move to the next size. One-Size diapers can help with not having to buy as many diapers over the course of your baby's time in diapers. They typically fit babies from about 8-10lbs up until potty training, or close to it. My personal experience is one-size diapers are quite bulky on newborns (my daughter was about 6.5lbs at her lowest weight). So I would suggest if you have a smaller baby to go with newborn sized diapers for the first few weeks or so. After that you can choose to go to one-size diapers, or use specific sizes.
But they're so much more expensive than disposables!
At first, yes. You might pay $10 for that small package of disposables, and a new cloth diaper might be $12-$15. But if you think about it, the cloth diaper will last much longer than those disposable diapers. In the long run, you will save your family a decent amount of money by using cloth. Not to mention it's better for the environment and your baby!
How do I wash them? Do I need special detergents?
There are numerous washing options for your diapers. The best advice is to do what works for you. Some cloth diaper users have great results from Diaper-Specific detergents. These can be purchased online or at cloth diapering stores. They are typically comparable in price to name-brand detergents. I personally use Tide detergent on my diapers, and know a lot of parents that do so as well. It's more readily-available to people that don't have a cloth diaper store or order online regularly. One general consensus is that regular fabric softener is a big no-no. It contains surfactants that will attach to the fibers of your diapers and stop them from absorbing. There are some brands that are okay to use on cloth diapers, and the one I use is Ecover. I only use it every few washes, and only on my natural fibers. I don't use it on my diaper covers or diapers with waterproof materials built in.
After you have enough diapers to last your desired time between washing, you should only have to buy more when it's time to move to the next size. One-Size diapers can help with not having to buy as many diapers over the course of your baby's time in diapers. They typically fit babies from about 8-10lbs up until potty training, or close to it. My personal experience is one-size diapers are quite bulky on newborns (my daughter was about 6.5lbs at her lowest weight). So I would suggest if you have a smaller baby to go with newborn sized diapers for the first few weeks or so. After that you can choose to go to one-size diapers, or use specific sizes.
But they're so much more expensive than disposables!
At first, yes. You might pay $10 for that small package of disposables, and a new cloth diaper might be $12-$15. But if you think about it, the cloth diaper will last much longer than those disposable diapers. In the long run, you will save your family a decent amount of money by using cloth. Not to mention it's better for the environment and your baby!
How do I wash them? Do I need special detergents?
There are numerous washing options for your diapers. The best advice is to do what works for you. Some cloth diaper users have great results from Diaper-Specific detergents. These can be purchased online or at cloth diapering stores. They are typically comparable in price to name-brand detergents. I personally use Tide detergent on my diapers, and know a lot of parents that do so as well. It's more readily-available to people that don't have a cloth diaper store or order online regularly. One general consensus is that regular fabric softener is a big no-no. It contains surfactants that will attach to the fibers of your diapers and stop them from absorbing. There are some brands that are okay to use on cloth diapers, and the one I use is Ecover. I only use it every few washes, and only on my natural fibers. I don't use it on my diaper covers or diapers with waterproof materials built in.
What if my baby gets a diaper rash?
I have had a couple of issues with diaper rash since my daughter was born, and there are a few options. One is to use a regular diaper cream like Desitin or Boudreaux's and use a diaper liner to keep the cream off of your diapers. They can stain your diapers or cause repelling issues causing the diapers to leak. There are disposable liners, as well as reusable ones.
I have had a couple of issues with diaper rash since my daughter was born, and there are a few options. One is to use a regular diaper cream like Desitin or Boudreaux's and use a diaper liner to keep the cream off of your diapers. They can stain your diapers or cause repelling issues causing the diapers to leak. There are disposable liners, as well as reusable ones.
An alternative to using liners with typical diaper creams, would be to use creams that are safe for cloth diapers and do not require a liner. My personal choice is CJ's BUTTer, but I will include examples below of others as well.
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