Cloth Diapering 101
Here is a cloth spiel I email to my doula clients if they are interested in cloth. I havent tried the links in a while so if they dont work let me know.
Cost
Although the inital costs are much higher for cloth diapers, the savings in the long run are great.
The average baby, birth to potty training will use 9,000 diapers. That is a cost of more than $1,200 per year not including wipes! There are also lots of toxic chemicals in diapers that are used to make them absorbant.
http://www.ecobaby.com/cloth.htmhttp://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...-of-cloth.html
You would need about 30-40 diapers for a newborn, about 24-36 small and maybe 18-26 mediums and larges along with 1 cover for every 4-6 diapers unless you are using wool then you would need less. You could spend anywhere from $100 just prefolds and covers to $1,000 if you went crazy with diapers and accessories until your child was potty trained, which is usually 6mo to a year shorter than a kid that uses disposables, you can use them for multiple children, AND you can sell them and get some money back.
Here is a
cost calculator.
Types
Flats -These diapers are just one layer of fabric that you fold and pin on your baby. They are the most versatile for fitting, but have a huge learning curve. Not for everyone. These also require a cover which I will talk about later.
Prefolds(PF, UBCPF) -This is what most people think of when they think about cloth diapers. Those Gerber prefolds in the store are not designed to be used as cloth diapers. Honestly they are there as a deterant in my opinion. Making people steer clear of cloth but the underground world of cloth is so much better that even prefolds are cool. Here is what a prefold should look like
prefold instructions. Now the biggest thing to hit prefolds is the snappi, seen further down on that page. It secures the prefold without pins. I have learned to love these things. They fit a wide range of sizes and shapes. They do require a cover.
Fitteds -The description says it all, they are designed to fit the baby with contoured leg cutouts. No folding required! These can have snaps, velcro, or use the snappi to secure them. There are lots of varietys and brands of these. They are quickly becoming my favorite type of diaper. These also require a cover.
Pockets -These diapers usually have a water-proof outer layer, an inner layer of stay dry absorbant fabric that will be on babies skin, and a pocket in the back between the two layers. Most pocket diapers can be purchased with inserts especially for that diaper or you can put whatever you want in there, prefolds, washcloths, anything, lol. They can have velcro or snap closures. This type of diaper dries really fast has customized absorbancy and when pre-stuffed they are just as easy to use as a disposable. Great for outings, babysitters and others pre-stuffed. These do not require a cover.
All in Ones or Twos (AIO)-These diapers are the most similar to a disposable. They contain the outer water-proof layer, the inner absorbing material, and the stay dry liner all in one (or two which means they snap in). They are usually the most expensive and they take the longest to dry, but you cannot beat the simplicity. Great for outings, babysitters and others. These can have velcro or snap closures.
One Size (OS)-Some brands of fitteds, pockets and all-in-ones come in a one-size diaper. This means you could use that single diaper from birth to potty training. They usually have a snapping system that adjusts to the height of your baby as they grow. And the velcro or snap system that goes out with the width.
Covers
All diapers without the waterproof outer layer are usually used with a cover (unless you are going to change your baby as soon as they go, you can get by without it). You will probably need 4-6 covers for 24 hour diapering. Less if using wool exclusively since it does not need to be washed just air dried between usage.
Polyurethane laminate -This is a material that is most commonly used in covers it is a cloth with a special lamination that prevents leaks. There are tons of different types of these and they are easy to use. Most have velcro, snaps or they slide on, this is true of all covers.
Fleece -This is used for its water-fearing nature. It is very breathable and waterproof.
Wool -Wool now is tons better than the itchy stuff we used to wear as kids. It is the most breathable cover option, super soft for babies and the most absorbant. You dont even have to wash it after each use. I cannot even go into detail about all the benefits of wool. Lots of mamas knit wool soakers, shorties, longies and skirties at home for pretty cheap.
Materials
Seriously cloth diapers can be made of anything. Cotton, cotton blends, fleece, hemp, velour, bamboo, minky, wool, and polyurethane laminate to name a few. The most absorbant are hemp, bamboo and minky. Bamboo and velour are sooo soft, wool is breathable, fleece is waterproof, and cotton is absorbing.
Accessories
Wipes -Well if you are going to use cloth diapers you might as well use cloth wipes! You can buy them, or you could use baby wash clothes. That is what I do, I had 12 white washclothes and I just use those. Someone just gave me ten real cloth wipes so I might invest in a couple more, they are so soft. 2-3 dozen is a good number to have. No point in throwing a wipe in the garbage on top of throwing the diaper in the pail. You could just throw the whole mess in the pail.
Diaper pail -You will need a place to put dirty diapers. You could use a regular trashcan with a lid and buy a pail liner. Pail liners are waterproof, and one paticular brand, Wahmies makes them with a piece of cloth to put lavendar or tea tree oil on to eliminate the smells. Once the pail is full take the liner and dump the liner and the dipes in the wash. Thats it.
Sprayer -If your baby is not exclusively breastfed you will probably need one of these. It hooks on to your toilet and sprays pressurized water to remove poop from diapers. No dunking or soaking necessary. Exclusively breastfed poo can go straight to the washing machine.
Travel bag -Just a smaller version of the pail liner to use while on the road.
Wipe solution -This is a special solution made to be antibacterial and antifungal. It can come in a concentrate, blocks, or you can make it yourself. You can put it in a wipes bin or a bottle sprayer.
Disposable liners -if you dont want to deal with poop at all you can buy disposable liners that are made out of paper and just peel it into the toilet.
Wool care -If you use wool covers you will need a special wash, and lanolin, the easiest available form of lanolin is in lanisoh the cream made for breastfeeding mothers. Wool only needs to be washed if it gets poo on it otherwise they should be handwashed every 2-4 weeks. Lanolizing can be done at the same time as the wash, but that is too much for me to explain (it is really easy to do though).
Doublers -This is just the diapering worlds way of saying extra material to increase absorbancy. That is just what they do, and they come in all the different materials listed above.
Washing
Everybody washes differently but the most important thing about washing diapers is that you need to use a detergent with nothing extra in it. No brighteners, stain removers or scents because they could cause a build up which will ruin your diapers absorbancy. Different diapers have different instructions but in general you want to wash as hot as you can and do more than one rinse. Most are machine dryable unless the manufacturer state otherwise. If you get stains sit the diapers in the sun for a few hours. They will be gone, I promise. Here is a
detergent chart.
Check
Diaperswappers.com for used diapers and more in depth help. Hope this helps you guys. Or maybe you are even more overwhelmed
.
) faced this dilemma down? What did you do?
. They are totally crappy diapers in larger sizes, but so cute and easy on a NB! As you can see, they retail for $10 new. Used is significantly cheaper (here on MDC, Diaperswapper or Ebay), and you can totally get by with 10-12 of them if you wash every day and have a package of NB sposies on hand for any emergencies. They are also very easy to wash and dry in a reasonable amount of time.
