Getting Started with Cloth Diapers

How Many Diapers Will I Need?

This depends on how often you want to wash your cloth diapers. If you want to wash every day or two, you will need about 1 and 1/2 to 2 dozen diapers. If you want to wash every two to three days, about 2 and 1/2 to 3 dozen diapers would be enough.

You will need more cloth diapers when your baby is a newborn than when your baby is older, since newborns pee and poo far more often than older babies.

You will need 4-6 covers since you only need to wash these when they are soiled. Switching a couple of them back and forth every diaper change allows them to air dry in between.

Wet Pail vs. Dry Pail Method

The wet pail method keeps water in the pail with your diapers along with baking soda. It is supposed to help prevent staining.

This seems inconvenient and messy to me--not to mention that it presents a drowning hazard.

I have never had a problem with stains using the dry pail method.

The dry pail method is exactly what it sounds like. Cloth diapers are tossed right into the pail and left until wash time. Poop doesn't even need to be rinsed off the diaper as long as baby has not started solid foods and is breastfeeding.

After baby starts solids, you will want to dump/scrape solid poop into the toilet before putting the diaper in the pail. Some people keep a spatula designated for this use in their bathroom, while some people like to use a diaper sprayer to spray solid waste off the diaper.

Accessories

Here are a few basics you may want to get started.

Cloth Wipes: These really make it so much easier than disposable wipes. You only have to toss the cloth wipe in with your cloth diapers after you use it. No searching for a garbage can to throw it away. They are washed right along with your diapers.

You can buy commercial wipes made especially for this purpose, or simply use baby wash cloths (which is what I did) or regular washcloths. I have seen one mom cut a regular wash cloth in half or fourths to make it easier to use.

You can buy pre-made cleansers for your wipes or you can make your own. I just wet a bunch of wipes with plain water and put them in a container for later use.

Diaper Cream: Because of the breathe ability of cloth diapers, and because you will be changing baby frequently, the incidence of diaper rash will be lower. But, occasionally baby may react to something you are eating, to a new food introduced into her diet, or have a teething rash.

Many of the commercial diaper creams are not great for baby's skin and they also can leave build-up on the diapers. The build-up can cause diapers to leak, as well as causing them to retain odors.

I have found pure lanolin to do the best job at healing my baby's skin and I have not had a problem with build-up on the diapers.

I have also used Weleda's diaper cream and California Baby's diaper cream. They performed decently and also caused no issues with leakage. They are highly fragranced and I didn't find them as effective for healing the diaper rash as the plain Lansinoh lanolin.

You may want to try using plain olive oil, sweet apricot oil, or grapeseed oil to coat your baby's bottom after each diaper change, instead of using commercial diaper creams. Keep in mind, however, that I have used plain oil and the lanolin with unbleached cotton prefolds. If you are using all-in-ones, pocket diapers, or a different fabric than cotton, you may get different results with build-up.

Experiment with what works best for your baby and your diapers.

Diaper Pail: For a diaper pail you can use a trash can covered or uncovered with a pail liner/wetbag lining it. I actually use a laundry basket lined with a large wetbag and it works great!

No need for a fancy diaper pail unless you feel like it.

You might wonder about leaving the diapers uncovered. Don't they smell awful?

Well, if you are breastfeeding baby, until baby starts solid foods their poop has a very mild yeasty smell to it. Leaving the container uncovered helps to dissipate any odor that there is.

In fact, I have had people ask me how I keep my diapers from smelling, when they see the diaper basket sitting out uncovered.

Now, after a baby starts solids--well that is a different story!

Wetbag/Pail Liner: These are PUL lined washable fabric bags that come in several different sizes. Some come with a drawstring so you can also use them as a tote bag. Use them to line your diaper pail or diaper basket.

The smaller sizes can be used in your diaper bag when you go out so that you don't need to use a plastic bag to carry home your wet and dirty diapers. You turn them inside out as you dump your diapers in the washing machine and throw them in right along with your diapers. You don't even have to touch the dirty diapers!

Some wetbags come with a small swatch of fabric sewn to the seam on which you can place a few drops of your favorite essential oil. This helps to deodorize the diapers.

Diaper Sprayer: A diaper sprayer comes in handy after baby starts solid foods and their poop becomes more solid. It eliminates the need to dunk, rinse, and swirl in the toilet. It attaches to your toilet or sink and you simply spray off any solid waste into the toilet.

How Much Will It Cost?

Here is what I used to start with:

2 dozen new prefolds in infant size

2 snappis,

1 pail liner

Total= about $50.

I also purchased:

1 dozen gently used AIOs

1 dozen second hand covers--5 small, 3 medium, 4 large

Total= $90. (This comes to $3.75/piece for the used diapers and covers--a real bargain considering that AIOs usually run about $20/diaper!)

When my baby was about 4 months old and weighed 15 lbs I purchased:

3 dozen prefolds in regular size

1 wool cover

another pail liner

a garbage can with a lid to use for a second diaper pail.

Total= about $120.

The grand total amount that I've spent on my cloth diaper stash = $260!

I won't need to spend any more on diapers except for perhaps replacing a cover or two. And I can diaper any future children in them as well!

Not bad when you consider that if I was using disposables I would have spent roughly $333 up to 4 months. I would still have over $2000 yet to spend if she only uses diapers until age 2 1/2!

If you choose to use a whole system of AIOs, it would cost you roughly $500-700 for 3 dozen. Keep in mind, with many fitteds and AIOs you must buy several different sizes as your baby grows.

So, it could cost you around $1500, if you need 3 sizes--still a substantial savings over disposable diapers. Again, they can be used for future children.

Many people use a mix of systems. For example, using prefolds with covers at home, and all-in-ones or pocket diapers when they go out or for the babysitter to use. The cost will then fall somewhere between these two extremes.

Unless you are very particular about getting your diapers new and unused, buying cloth diapers second hand is a very good option, and can save you even more money.

You don't have to buy all your diapers at once. Just buy the bare minimum to start with and add more as you need them.

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