Your Guide to Cloth Diapering |
Cloth diapering is not the same across the
board. There are several different versions, and they all get treated
differently:
What you'll need each change: flat diapers, pins and/or snappi, waterproof cover
How they work: Flats are the old diapers our grandmothers used. Big squares of fabric that needed to be folded to shape, pinned into place and a water proof cover put over them. These still exist and are the most complicated solution as far as use, but the simplest as far as cleaning - being as they're one layer, they wash really easily and dry quickly. They're very inexpensive assuming you don't go for some exotic fabric, and easy to make yourself. They're also a one size solution - the diaper, with rare exceptions can be folded to fit a tiny newborn, or a husky toddler.
What you'll need each change: Prefold diapers, pins and/or snappi, waterproof cover
How they work: These are flats somewhat newer cousin - my mother used these on me, and I'm nearly 30. They are not waterproof in and of themselves, so they need a cover, and there is some folding required, but not nearly as much as the flats. Basically they are what a flat would be if someone folded most of the middle part down and permanently sewed it in place. They also wash up pretty easily, and dry fairly quickly, and are pretty inexpensive, but they're easier to use than flats. They however are a sized solution, your child will go through several sizes of these from birth to potty training.
What you'll need each change: Fitted diaper, Waterproof cover
How they work: While these still require a cover to be waterproof, these look more like a disposable diaper - narrow in the middle, elastic on the legs and waist and a built in closure, either velcro or snaps usually. These are usually pretty thick, so they lose the ease of washing, requiring fairly hefty dry times, but are much easier to use than flats or prefolds and are less intimidating. Fitteds can come in both a one size solution and in a sized solution.
What you'll need each change: Pocket Diaper, absorbant insert
These are my favorite. These look like a disposable diaper, and don't require a cover. The inner material that will be closest to the baby is a material that wicks moisture away from baby, the outer material is a PUL (Polyurithane Laminate - a plasticised fabric, usually polyester, but more breatheable than the outer on a disposable) which is waterproof. There is an opening between them, into which you stuff absorbant material to taste - lots for times you won't be changing baby often - naps and over nights - and a little for mobility when baby is up and around. Because of the stay dry fabric, it can be finicky with some detergents - you want to avoid anything with fabric softeners built in. However, because the absorbant material comes out, they wash easier and dry easier than some solutions. Pockets are typically sized, but there are some one size solutions.
What you'll need each change: All in One diaper
How it works: For ease of use nothing beats it. No stuffing, no folding, no covers. The diaper goes on like a disposable and off like a disposable. But instead of throwing it away, you throw it in a pail to be washed. It's stay dry inner, absorbant material, and waterproof cover all in one easy to use package, hence the name. Like pockets, and for the same reason, they can be finiky with some detergents, and like fitteds, the dry times can be long. These are almost always sized, and are usually teh most expensive of the cloth diapering solutions - you pay for the convenience of them.
Pail - Some use a wetpail - a pail with water in it to soak the diapers. Because this is, beyond generally gross, a drowning hazard for young children, it's not recommended. It's also harder on diapers with elastic. A dry pail is what's most often used now - some use a large bag made out of that PUL waterproof material either all on its own or inside a converted garbage can. I use a stainless steel pedal garbage can that I got cheaply at canadian tire.
Wetbag - A wetbag is a PUL bag to store diapers in. You can get ones that fit inside your dry pail, to be used instead of your dry pail, and smaller ones to keep inside your diaper bag to bring dirties home.
Snappi - a modern invention for flats and prefolds to take the place of pins. Think of those little metal things you use with elastic bandages to hold them on - snappis are very similar. You can still use pins, some still do, but this is an alternative.
Liners - These make clean up a bit easier, and can enable you to use creams that might otherwise harm or stain your diapers. Fleece ones are reusable and have the added benefit of acting like a stay dry inner in diapers that don't have one built in. Biodegradable or flushable ones are simply flushed down the toilet.
Soaker - This could have two meanings depending on context. One meaning is a wool or fleece cover used over the non-waterproof diapering solutions to make them waterproof, or at least more so. Another meaning is a peice of absorbant material that is laid inside the diaper to make it more absorbant. You'd have to check context here to be sure which they're talking about.
Doubler - another name for a lay in soaker - makes the diaper more absorbant in key spots.
Cover - most often made of PUL, but can be made of certain types of fleece or wool (often called soakers if those materials). These make the diaper waterproof. Not needed for a pocket or all in one solution.
1) What do you do with the dirties?
I use pocket diapers primarily. If the diaper is wet, I pull out the insert and drop both cover and insert in the dry pail. If it's messy, I set the diaper on top of the dry pail and finish changing baby into a clean one. Once she's done changing, I pull out the insert and go to the bathroom where I dump out the worst of the mess. If it's runny, I rinse it in the toilet. Then wring it out, walk it back to the pail and toss it in, then go wash my hands.
2) How do you wash the diapers?
Every other night after DD goes to bed, I pull out the plastic liner on my pedal can and grab a cloth wipe from the pile. On my way through the kitchen to my laundry facilities, I wet down the wipe. I walk the pail downstairs and literally just upend it into the washer, and start the washer on a cold prewash cycle. I then wipe down the inside of the pail with the wet wipe and toss it in the load as well. Once the prewash finishes, I put it on a hot wash with a half cap of Sunlight sensitive detergent and let it run. If the next day is nice, I'll run another rinse afterwards with a biodegradable fabric softener (I use simply clean) and then go to bed. The next morning DD and I will put them on the line. If the next day will be miserable, I'll just run the second rinse and go to bed and then toss them in the dryer when I get up. I do not use dryer sheets, only dryer balls.
3) What do you do with diapers when not at home?
I have a small wetbag that I use out of the house. If the diaper is wet I just put it in there. If the diaper's dirty, and I have easy access to a toilet without leaving DD alone, then I'll dump the worst of the mess in the toilet and put it in the wetbag. If not, it just goes in the wetbag to be dumped when I get home. If my wetbag is in the wash I'll use a ziplock bag, but I'll probably get another wetbag before too long so that I can alternate them.
4) Do cloth diapers smell?
Of course they smell. They hold pee and poo! However, they smell less in my experience than disposable diapers do. Disposable diaper pails aren't emptied as often as cloth diaper pails and disposable diapers as a rule are not dumped out like they're supposed to be, so there's a lot more poop hanging around in a disposable diaper pail for a lot longer time than would ever happen in a cloth diaper pail.
5) How many do you need?
Simple equation:
[Number of changes per day] x [number of days between washes].5
Take my DD for example. She goes through about 8 diapers a day, and I wash every other day.
8 x 2.5 = 20
The extra .5 is to allow for the time to actually do the laundry. For a newborn I personally would assume 14 changes per day. They wet a lot at that age. More is a better idea than less, because one never knows when the laundry can be delayed, and the larger the rotation the less wear and tear on your diapers.
6) Are they really environmentally friendly?
Well, everything leaves a footprint. For disposable diapers, it's all the natural resources used to make them. Some are renewable, like paper and the water used in production. Others, like the oil in the plastics, are not. Then there's the constant carbon footprint of shipping these things, your own carbon footprint of having to go and buy them, and the years and years they live in landfill. With cloth, it's any chemicals that are used on them in the washing process, the water used to wash them, and the electricity to run the machines. So evidently, cloth is better for the environment. You can even reduce that by using a high efficieny washer, an environmentally friendly detergent, limit chlorine bleach, and line dry when you can.
7) Are they cheaper?
Yes, but depending on the solution you use it may take a while before you break even. If you're using flats with recycled handmade wool soakers, then most definitely, you'll probably start seeing savings before baby's second well baby visit. If you're using All in ones in exotic materials that are sized, it's going to take a while before you break even. Diaperpin.com has a calculator to help you figure it out.
8) Is buying used diapers safe?
If you're concerned about it, use some bleach in the wash for the first few times. But I've just put used diapers I've bought in with the dirty diapers to wash once before my DD wears them, and not had any issues at all. After all, they've been washed by the mama who had them before. One mama on Diaperswappers did a bacteria test on her washer and her clothes and diapers when they came out of them and compared it to neighbor's who'd never used or washed cloth diapers and the results were pretty much identical. Once washed, they're clean
1) Flats
What you'll need each change: flat diapers, pins and/or snappi, waterproof cover
How they work: Flats are the old diapers our grandmothers used. Big squares of fabric that needed to be folded to shape, pinned into place and a water proof cover put over them. These still exist and are the most complicated solution as far as use, but the simplest as far as cleaning - being as they're one layer, they wash really easily and dry quickly. They're very inexpensive assuming you don't go for some exotic fabric, and easy to make yourself. They're also a one size solution - the diaper, with rare exceptions can be folded to fit a tiny newborn, or a husky toddler.
2) Prefolds
What you'll need each change: Prefold diapers, pins and/or snappi, waterproof cover
How they work: These are flats somewhat newer cousin - my mother used these on me, and I'm nearly 30. They are not waterproof in and of themselves, so they need a cover, and there is some folding required, but not nearly as much as the flats. Basically they are what a flat would be if someone folded most of the middle part down and permanently sewed it in place. They also wash up pretty easily, and dry fairly quickly, and are pretty inexpensive, but they're easier to use than flats. They however are a sized solution, your child will go through several sizes of these from birth to potty training.
3) Fitteds
What you'll need each change: Fitted diaper, Waterproof cover
How they work: While these still require a cover to be waterproof, these look more like a disposable diaper - narrow in the middle, elastic on the legs and waist and a built in closure, either velcro or snaps usually. These are usually pretty thick, so they lose the ease of washing, requiring fairly hefty dry times, but are much easier to use than flats or prefolds and are less intimidating. Fitteds can come in both a one size solution and in a sized solution.
4) Pocket diapers
What you'll need each change: Pocket Diaper, absorbant insert
These are my favorite. These look like a disposable diaper, and don't require a cover. The inner material that will be closest to the baby is a material that wicks moisture away from baby, the outer material is a PUL (Polyurithane Laminate - a plasticised fabric, usually polyester, but more breatheable than the outer on a disposable) which is waterproof. There is an opening between them, into which you stuff absorbant material to taste - lots for times you won't be changing baby often - naps and over nights - and a little for mobility when baby is up and around. Because of the stay dry fabric, it can be finicky with some detergents - you want to avoid anything with fabric softeners built in. However, because the absorbant material comes out, they wash easier and dry easier than some solutions. Pockets are typically sized, but there are some one size solutions.
5) All in One
What you'll need each change: All in One diaper
How it works: For ease of use nothing beats it. No stuffing, no folding, no covers. The diaper goes on like a disposable and off like a disposable. But instead of throwing it away, you throw it in a pail to be washed. It's stay dry inner, absorbant material, and waterproof cover all in one easy to use package, hence the name. Like pockets, and for the same reason, they can be finiky with some detergents, and like fitteds, the dry times can be long. These are almost always sized, and are usually teh most expensive of the cloth diapering solutions - you pay for the convenience of them.
Accessories:
Pail - Some use a wetpail - a pail with water in it to soak the diapers. Because this is, beyond generally gross, a drowning hazard for young children, it's not recommended. It's also harder on diapers with elastic. A dry pail is what's most often used now - some use a large bag made out of that PUL waterproof material either all on its own or inside a converted garbage can. I use a stainless steel pedal garbage can that I got cheaply at canadian tire.
Wetbag - A wetbag is a PUL bag to store diapers in. You can get ones that fit inside your dry pail, to be used instead of your dry pail, and smaller ones to keep inside your diaper bag to bring dirties home.
Snappi - a modern invention for flats and prefolds to take the place of pins. Think of those little metal things you use with elastic bandages to hold them on - snappis are very similar. You can still use pins, some still do, but this is an alternative.
Liners - These make clean up a bit easier, and can enable you to use creams that might otherwise harm or stain your diapers. Fleece ones are reusable and have the added benefit of acting like a stay dry inner in diapers that don't have one built in. Biodegradable or flushable ones are simply flushed down the toilet.
Soaker - This could have two meanings depending on context. One meaning is a wool or fleece cover used over the non-waterproof diapering solutions to make them waterproof, or at least more so. Another meaning is a peice of absorbant material that is laid inside the diaper to make it more absorbant. You'd have to check context here to be sure which they're talking about.
Doubler - another name for a lay in soaker - makes the diaper more absorbant in key spots.
Cover - most often made of PUL, but can be made of certain types of fleece or wool (often called soakers if those materials). These make the diaper waterproof. Not needed for a pocket or all in one solution.
Questions:
1) What do you do with the dirties?
I use pocket diapers primarily. If the diaper is wet, I pull out the insert and drop both cover and insert in the dry pail. If it's messy, I set the diaper on top of the dry pail and finish changing baby into a clean one. Once she's done changing, I pull out the insert and go to the bathroom where I dump out the worst of the mess. If it's runny, I rinse it in the toilet. Then wring it out, walk it back to the pail and toss it in, then go wash my hands.
2) How do you wash the diapers?
Every other night after DD goes to bed, I pull out the plastic liner on my pedal can and grab a cloth wipe from the pile. On my way through the kitchen to my laundry facilities, I wet down the wipe. I walk the pail downstairs and literally just upend it into the washer, and start the washer on a cold prewash cycle. I then wipe down the inside of the pail with the wet wipe and toss it in the load as well. Once the prewash finishes, I put it on a hot wash with a half cap of Sunlight sensitive detergent and let it run. If the next day is nice, I'll run another rinse afterwards with a biodegradable fabric softener (I use simply clean) and then go to bed. The next morning DD and I will put them on the line. If the next day will be miserable, I'll just run the second rinse and go to bed and then toss them in the dryer when I get up. I do not use dryer sheets, only dryer balls.
3) What do you do with diapers when not at home?
I have a small wetbag that I use out of the house. If the diaper is wet I just put it in there. If the diaper's dirty, and I have easy access to a toilet without leaving DD alone, then I'll dump the worst of the mess in the toilet and put it in the wetbag. If not, it just goes in the wetbag to be dumped when I get home. If my wetbag is in the wash I'll use a ziplock bag, but I'll probably get another wetbag before too long so that I can alternate them.
4) Do cloth diapers smell?
Of course they smell. They hold pee and poo! However, they smell less in my experience than disposable diapers do. Disposable diaper pails aren't emptied as often as cloth diaper pails and disposable diapers as a rule are not dumped out like they're supposed to be, so there's a lot more poop hanging around in a disposable diaper pail for a lot longer time than would ever happen in a cloth diaper pail.
5) How many do you need?
Simple equation:
[Number of changes per day] x [number of days between washes].5
Take my DD for example. She goes through about 8 diapers a day, and I wash every other day.
8 x 2.5 = 20
The extra .5 is to allow for the time to actually do the laundry. For a newborn I personally would assume 14 changes per day. They wet a lot at that age. More is a better idea than less, because one never knows when the laundry can be delayed, and the larger the rotation the less wear and tear on your diapers.
6) Are they really environmentally friendly?
Well, everything leaves a footprint. For disposable diapers, it's all the natural resources used to make them. Some are renewable, like paper and the water used in production. Others, like the oil in the plastics, are not. Then there's the constant carbon footprint of shipping these things, your own carbon footprint of having to go and buy them, and the years and years they live in landfill. With cloth, it's any chemicals that are used on them in the washing process, the water used to wash them, and the electricity to run the machines. So evidently, cloth is better for the environment. You can even reduce that by using a high efficieny washer, an environmentally friendly detergent, limit chlorine bleach, and line dry when you can.
7) Are they cheaper?
Yes, but depending on the solution you use it may take a while before you break even. If you're using flats with recycled handmade wool soakers, then most definitely, you'll probably start seeing savings before baby's second well baby visit. If you're using All in ones in exotic materials that are sized, it's going to take a while before you break even. Diaperpin.com has a calculator to help you figure it out.
8) Is buying used diapers safe?
If you're concerned about it, use some bleach in the wash for the first few times. But I've just put used diapers I've bought in with the dirty diapers to wash once before my DD wears them, and not had any issues at all. After all, they've been washed by the mama who had them before. One mama on Diaperswappers did a bacteria test on her washer and her clothes and diapers when they came out of them and compared it to neighbor's who'd never used or washed cloth diapers and the results were pretty much identical. Once washed, they're clean
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Debbie | September 10, 2008 at 6:25 pm - §
were can i buy the all in one diapers? Or is there a wb site with different areas to buy? Thanx
Carrie | September 27, 2008 at 8:16 pm - §
Motherease has all in ones : www.mother-ease.comYou may also want to check out Parenting By Nature: www.parentingbynature.comI got most of my cloth diapering supplies at Diaper-eeze in Toronto, but also got some from Bump in Windsor. www.diaper-eez.comwww.bumpmaternityonline.com I think all the stores I've suggested can arrange for delivery. Hope this is helpful!
Audrey Davis | December 3, 2008 at 10:00 pm - §
I am a first time mom, my little girl is 8 weeks old, and I am so glad that we decided to use cloth diapers. To make things easier - we have used a local diaper service ( called Sweet Peach - in Perth, ON) and they are fantastic - - and inexpensive. They are NO hassel at all - and are really cute too!