The skinny on cloth diapers

I’ve had a couple of people ask me about cloth diapers recently, so for those of you who are curious to learn more, read on.

Disclaimer: This post is about diapers.  There will be talk of poo.  You've been warned.

First, I was introduced to cloth diapers long before Caitlin was even conceived. Two bloggers posted about them and that’s what initially piqued my interest. If you’re totally new to the concept, I recommend starting there and reading their posts. The first is a blog post by my friend, Shawna of styleberryBLOG: Cloth Diapering for the Modern Mom. (She also has a FAQ post.) The second is a post written by Sherry of YoungHouseLove: The Much Requested Cloth Diaper Post.  (She also has a one-year follow-up post here: Dog Days & Cloth Dipes.)

Now, as for me, all of my diapers are FuzziBunz One Size diapers. FuzziBunz are called “pocket diapers” because the diaper shell is made of stay-dry fleece and then there are inserts, made of microfiber, which go inside the diaper to soak up the urine. I’ve bought them over a span of a couple of years, so I actually have 3 different versions of the FuzziBunz, but they’re all the same brand. I have a stash of about 21 diapers (I had intended to get a total of 18, but thanks to a mix-up on one of my orders, I ended up with a few more). This is a good number for me, as I can do diapers either every other day or every third day, depending on when I can do laundry. I like that they’re “One Size” because they’re adjustable and should last us through potty-training Caitlin. I also like that they’re snap closures and not velcro, as they seem to be more durable.

I started using cloth diapers when Caitlin was 12 weeks old. (In hindsight, I could’ve started earlier, but the truth was I was hesitant to try something new. Now I love them and can’t imagine diapering any other way!) In the early days, breastmilk diapers are the easiest. Breastmilk poo is water soluble, so they get thrown straight into the washer. After the first wash, I did notice some staining on my microfiber inserts, so I was going to bleach them in the sun after the next wash, but they actually came out after the second wash. So, I just wash and dry my inserts as-is and they eventually come out stain-free. I have never bleached them in the sun, but if I wanted to whiten them up quickly, I could.

Once you introduce your baby to solids, poop starts to resemble more like an adult’s; it becomes more solid and a lot stinkier. I waited until 6 months to introduce solid foods (as per AAP guidelines) and I practiced Baby Led Weaning (here's a super quick intro), so I skipped purees entirely. Caitlin got the majority of her nutrition through breastmilk and formula-fortified yogurt. She didn’t really take off with solid food until she was about 9 months old. I used diaper liners for a short period at that time, but I soon realized that pooping was uncomfortable/a new sensation for her, so I ended up having to “coach” her several times to go on an open diaper. Once she did that and I could recognize the signs of when she had to go (also known as Elimination Communication), I decided to just put her on the potty instead. Caitlin first pooped in the potty at 9.5 months old! Now at nearly every diaper change, I put her on the potty first and that really seems to work for us (I highly recommend this potty BTW). More often than not, my 14-month-old poops in the potty instead of her diaper (pee is totally different and something I’m not at all concerned with at the moment!), so the nice thing is that I typically only have to wash pee diapers now.

The way diaper liners work, they act as a thin barrier between the waste and the cloth diaper; the pee goes through, but the poop does not. They resemble very thin dryer sheets. They’re flushable, so they make it easier for the poop to separate from the diaper and get tossed into the toilet. I use them very infrequently now. Caitlin typically only has a BM after large meals (usually breakfast), so if she doesn’t go in the potty, I might use one in anticipation of her going in her diaper later. But if I miss it, it’s not a big deal either. The poop is formed enough that it usually rolls off the diaper anyway. If there’s anything left behind, I use some toilet paper or a baby wipe to clean up the rest. Once the diaper is clean of waste, I pull out the microfiber insert, lay it on top of the diaper, and put it in the diaper pail. (When we go out, I bring a wet bag for dirty diapers and then when we get home, I empty the wet bag into the diaper pail.)

On laundry day, I take the FuzziBunz diaper pail and unzip the bottom directly into my washer, so I don’t have to touch the dirty diapers again. My washer is a front-loading LG Tromm and it’s PERFECT for washing cloth diapers. I use 1 Tablespoon of detergent called Rockin' Green (check out this list for more cloth-diaper safe options) and wash my diapers on the Cotton/Normal setting with hot wash & cold rinse plus three additional options: pre-wash, extra rinse, and water plus. The whole cycle takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Every once in a while (about once every 2 weeks), I’ll wash the diapers on the Sanitary option, which uses extra hot water, to combat ammonia build-up (that cycle is much longer, at about 2 hours). The settings you use will depend on your what kind of washer you have, but this is what works for me. As for drying, I line dry the FuzziBunz diapers (I use two of these awesome hangers from IKEA) and throw the microfiber inserts into the dryer for 50 minutes on low with 4 wool dryer balls (bought locally from this store).

There are just a couple of steadfast rules when using cloth diapers. One, DO NOT USE REGULAR DIAPER CREAM. Zinc-based diaper creams are not meant for cloth diapers. Caitlin has hardly ever had diaper rash, but when she looked a little red, I would use Earth Mama Angel Baby’s Bottom Balm. Love that stuff! Two, DO NOT USE DRYER SHEETS. Dryer sheets are not good for cloth diapers and a majority of them actually contain animal fat (tallow), so we just stopped using them completely.

I think that’s everything. If I missed anything or you have any questions, ask away!