I've wanted to write this blog for a while, and am finally getting to it. I've heard from a lot of people that they can't believe that I use cloth diapers, and how I have the time or drive to do it. Honestly it all came down to money, and once I started using them I realized that I actually prefer cloth instead of disposable. The idea of this blog is to inform people how to prepare a cloth diaper, and how to take care of one. If you've looked into cloth diapers you can see that they are kind of expensive(I spent $300 on a pack of 20). It seems like a lot of money, but it was an investment. I plan to have 3-4 children and all of them can use the diapers. My son is 9 months old, and he's already used the diapers over 500 times (I keep track because I wanted to make sure I was getting my moneys worth). I only use cloth during the day. I figure the disposable diapers absorb better and I don't want my son laying in his pee all night. All the products that I am showing you I bought off the website
www.nellsnaturalbaby.com. Except for the wipes, I bought those at my grocery store. You can use any website that you like, but I liked this one because everything is there and it's easier to get it all at one place.
These are all the products you need for cloth diapers. Starting from the top: Wet bag, bio-soft diaper liners (These come in roll of 100, this is how I know how many diapers I use), wipes (I use cottenelle for poopy diapers because I can flush them in the toilet), bumGenius pocket diaper, diaper inserts (the short one is for newborn, I double mine for added protection against leaks)
Step 1- place newborn liner on top of bigger liner. I match the tags together, but it makes no difference.
Step 2- Open pocket of diaper and place inserts inside. I insert the liners with the newborn insert facing down.
Step 3- make sure liners are flat, and that the flap is laying down to close the opening of the pocket.
Step 4- Tear off a piece of the disposable liner. (These work great for poopy diapers because you can just grab the corners and then put it in the toilet without there being a mess)
Step 5- Place liner on top of diaper
Step 6- button up diaper so it's ready for baby when needed. Also have wipes on hand and rash cream just in case. It's very important to use a natural diaper rash cream. Do not use diaper creams that contain cod-liver oil, wax, or paraffin It could mess with the absorbency of the diapers.
Place used diaper in wet bag when finished. Do not let diapers sit more than two days. I have two wetbags, that way I can wash one and use one.
My son in his cloth diaper.
He loves his cloth diaper. :)
You can dry the diaper liners (don't dry the pockets though), but you can't use dryer sheets because it could mess with the absorbency as well. I just hang dry everything to be safe. When you wash the diapers you want to first rinse the diapers in a light wash of cold water (No soap), then add soap and wash in hot water on a light cycle. Line dry afterwards.
I lay my wetbag on the washer to dry, you can hang it too. Also use a natural cloth diaper safe detergent. One with no additives. I bought this, but am thinking of making my own detergent once this runs out. Use very little detergent. Once a month you might want to clean your washer with bleach on a light cycle with nothing in it just to strip the washer from any smells.
Hope this helps everyone. I promise it's not that hard. I developed a routine overtime so its easier. I wash my diapers every two days and in the morning my son plays with the liners while I prepare the diapers.
