Cloth Diapering
While I will be the first to admit cloth diapering isn’t the right fit for everyone. We have had a good experience with utilizing cloth diapers and cloth wipes and I wanted to share that with you.
Why We Chose Cloth Diapers
When we started thinking about becoming parents we discussed the baby items, gadgets, and parenting styles we really wanted to focus on. As with any part of life we can only control so much, so it is important to recognize what is in our control and what isn’t. I had some previous experience with reusable cloth wipes from the days of being a nanny, but was fairly unfamiliar with cloth diapering. While doing my research I talked with my mom, and she shared her experience of using disposable diapers with my older brother and then cloth diapers with me.
The first thought train I followed to trigger my desire to cloth diapers is that it is reported to be easier to potty train kids who use cloth diapers. Potty training is fairly intimidating to me personally, so anything to make that process easier peaks my interest. The second primary concern was our family effort to focus on greener options for living. It is important to note, that whatever diapering method you chose you are making that decision as it is best for your family. There is no judgment for using disposable diapers, parent shaming is not our goal here.
After spending too many hours on the internet and YouTube, I was thoroughly convinced we could handle cloth diapering and that it would fit our family’s needs and abilities. When we arrived at our first pediatric appointment, our pediatrician said that cloth diapers are also really good for a growing baby’s hips as well. This sealed the deal for me- doctor approved!
Our Process
We wash diapers about every 2-3 days, especially when the kiddo is wearing diapers full time (pre-training pants). We run the diapers through a stipping cycle every two weeks or so, depending on the need.
We use sensitive skin detergent from Dropps, and run the diapers through a wash cycle with a second rinse with hot water for regular washing. When we do the stripping cycle we use GroVia Mighty Bubbles after a regular wash, and again use hot water and run the cycle with a second rinse. Currently, the GroVia product is out of stock so a suggested alternative is Rockin Green detergent.
Products Used
We started off in these newborn cloth diapers; the charcoal material was a champ with dealing with newborn poop! While generally speaking diapers can be one size fits all, I didn’t like how bulky the big diapers were and was worried about leaking.
We used a transitional size diaper for about 3 months to 5 months, I think. That was a really hard time for me emotionally (I lost two grandparents within a month of each other), so I have a lot of memory loss from those months.
From about 6 months to now we have been using Mama Koala one size diapers (Our first is 3 years old).
As we started potty training, we use the reusable training pants below but during nap and overnight we are using cloth diapers.
We also use cloth wipes, while these can take some prep time, I think it is worth it as the fabric is often softer than disposable wipes. The prep previously mentioned is pouring hot water, I usually just filled up a tea kettle to boil water, into a bowl over Baby Bits Wipe Solution until the bits were dissolved. Once the solution was prepared, we soaked the wipes into the solution and then store them in a wipe warmer. At the bottom of the wipe warmer we use a off brand pillow at the bottom of the warmer.
Some accessories we have for our cloth diapers:
We use this diaper pail with washable bags.
We opted to upgrade to reusable bamboo liners as our first can be a heavy wetter, and we double line while sleeping
We also use these disposable liners during nap time (when our first often pooped), and occasionally during the day if we think she will poop during that diaper. This allows us to dispose of the poop easily, and protects the diaper as well.
We also utilize a toilet sprayer and a bucket to assist with the cleaning of poopy diapers.
Final Thoughts
We are expecting our second child in May and will start the cloth diapering process again. It took some time to fall into a good routine, as it goes with all things parenting, but overall I think we have created a system that works for us. So if you choose to go down the cloth diapering pathway, please know there is no one right way to go about it. You can always shake up the routine or even change your mind and go to disposable diapers.
