CLOTH DIAPERING 101

Cloth diapers are fun, easy to care for, durable, long lasting, and most of all economically sound.  Please enjoy reading “Cloth Diapering 101.”

Will I save money with cloth diapers?

Absolutely!  The average family spends a little more than $1,000.00 per year to diaper their child.  Many children are not fully potty trained until 3 years of age.  Add that up and you have a cost of $3,000.00 per child.  With cloth diapers you can spend as little as $300 for the entire time your baby is in diapers.  When your baby is through, you can re-sell your diapers or re-use them for the next baby.

How convenient are cloth diapers?

Cloth diapers today are not your pins and pre-folds of your mom’s day.  Nope, these are so easy to use with your choice of AIO (All In One), pre-fold’s with a cover, cloth diapers with a cover, or Pocket Diapers.  These choices all come with Velcro, snaps, or easy to use Snappi cloth diaper fastners.  No more being pricked by a pin.  There are many styles and colors to choose from, so making the choice to go “green” can also be very stylish.

Cloth diapering does not have to be an ALL OR NOTHING endeavour.  I'll admit I'm a bit obsessed with cloth diapers.  I have all in ones, all in twos, pockets, covers and prefolds, fitteds, prints, solids, special diapers for dresses, diapers I'll only use at night, special occassion diapers, traveling diapers...but, my dirty little secret--I use disposables when my family goes camping, which we do quite frequently.   There, I said it (for secret #2, read my confession below in laundry).  For you and your family, there may be situations where cloth just doesn't work out.  There is no need to force cloth diapers for every situation--disposables can fill a very convenient niche.  

How much extra laundry will I have with cloth diapers?

I usually do laundry about three times a week.   I store the diapers in a pail and when its time to wash, I throw them in with a pre-wash cycle and an extra rinse cycle on hot wash/cold rinse and they are ready to hang up in no time. I believe our water bill went up $2.00/month, but with what we save on diapering it is well worth it. 

What type of laundry detergent should I use?

You want to make sure that your diapers are not washed with chlorine bleach, fabric softeners, optical whiteners or brighteners.   Rockin' Green, BumGenius, Allen’s Naturally, Mountain Green Free and Clear, and Country Save are a couple other brands that are recommended as cloth diaper friendly detergents.  

**Honesty Update** 2-15-11:  Cloth diaper laundry has become so complicated!  Reading about striping and stains and build up and stink and ammonia--who would ever want to cloth diaper after all of that?  For the past 8 months I have been using Tide (powered HE) on the cloth diapers, and talk about simple.  The diapers are super clean, soft and fluffy, NO STINK EVER, not one whiff of ammonia even after a long night, and I haven't had to strip since I made the switch.  I can't officially recommend Tide because some diaper companies will not honor their warranties if Tide is used on their diapers.   I have tried every cloth friendly detergent, and have finally found my solution from super complicated and very expensive to super easy.    Tide is not as environmentally friendly as some of the other brands mentioned above (though that has to be tempered with using MUCH more water and electricity to clean diapers with detergents that just don't clean), and the extra additives in Tide may cause a rash on sensitive skin.    

How do I store dirty diapers?

You'll want to store dirty diapers in a pail with a lid.  Do not use a soaking bucking with cold water as it makes the diaper retain the smell and stain, and can be a drowning hazard for small children.  Just a dry bucket with a liner works great (I use a $7.00 trash can with a lid, and a pail liner).   If you have a soiled diaper, just dump what you can in the toilet, throw it in your pail, and throw everything in the wash when needed.

How many diapers am I going to need to get started?

A newborn baby goes through about 12 diaper changes a day.  I would recommend at least 2 dozen, 3 dozen would give more time between washes.  With an older baby around 15lbs or so, you are changing about 8-10 diapers a day.  So you can get away with 2 dozen diapers.  If you are going to use the AIO or Pocket Diapers then you would only need the 2-3 dozen diapers.  But if you are going to use fitted diapers or pre-folds, then you will want the 2-3 dozen along with 6-8 covers.

What else am I going to need with my diapers?

I would recommend the following:

A pail with a lid to store soiled diapers.

A pail liner (I recommend 2 (one for wash days)).

A wet bag to store soiled diapers when out and about.

Cloth wipes.

How do I wash my diapers for the first time?

Wash covers, fitted, and AIO in hot water once, you can hang dry.  Wash pre-folds 3-5 times on hot water with 2-3 tbls. of detergent and then hang or tumble dry.

How long will my diapers last?

Cloth diapers should last years.  Though it is hard to say and no guarantees because everyone launders differently.  If you follow the washing instructions along with taking care to have enough diapers in your rotation, they should last you for a long time.  But like your favorite t-shirt, they do eventually wear, but not before many great uses.

I live in Tucson, AZ.  Do I qualify for free shipping and delivery? 

Of course!  Every order in the continental US gets free shipping!  

I do not see the color or diaper brand or accessory that I would like to purchase.

Please do not hesitate contact me if you do not find the color or selection you want on The Green Pampered Baby website.  I will be happy to work with you to get you what you want! 

If you have any further questions that I can answer please feel free to email me at info@thegreenpamperedbaby.com . Thank you.