I have been using cloth diapers on Asher since he was born. Two years now! If you are looking for an all-natural solution to diapering, this is the way to go! Are you considering cloth diapers but don’t know where to start? I’ve been there and hope to simplify it for you. Here are all the reasons why cloth diapering is a healthy solution for your baby and all the stinky details that come along!
This is a very honest review; I did not find cloth diapering to be 100% easy at first. There was a lot of trial and error involved and it took me some time to find my own personal system that actually worked. In my opinion, the whole process is easy and simple, but there are a few things if I had known prior would have made it even easier.
After much, MUCH, I’m talking hours upon hours (in the midst of my nesting phase) time spent reading posts about how to cloth diaper like a pro, I decided I had all the knowledge to dive in and start! After all the hours I spent researching, surely I was an expert by now, right?! Nope. Not even close. Not only did every post I read point out only the positives of cloth diapering, every single article seemed to contradict each other. I was certain I could figure it out, but I was also extremely overwhelmed. Not to mention, there are hundreds of cloth diaper brands and wipes out there. This did not make it any easier for a new and confused mom!
^ Asher’s bed head, cloth diaper modeling pose. 🙂 haha
We chose cloth diapering for 4 reasons:
1 YOU SAVE SO MUCH MONEY! How can I emphasize this any more?
2. It is better for the environment.
3. It is healthier for babies bum.
4. They are just SO cute!
- I spent $100 total to buy a full set of cloth diapers and reusable wipes. I actually first started out with a more expensive brand, but after using a few brands, found them all to work the same. Currently, I am using Alva Baby at $30 for 6 diapers (you will need at least 12 diapers) and I love them! When we go out of town, we use disposable diapers because it is just easier. I am always shocked by how many disposable diapers we go through and how expensive it is! Funny story. When Asher was 6 months old, we went on a trip overseas. I was determined to take my cloth diapers, and I did. I’m not sure how thrilled the TSA agent was when they opened my large baggy of dirty cloth diapers to inspect. I did warn them though. The experience actually wasn’t too difficult since we had a washing machine in our hotel room. However, I will say I now only take disposable diapers on trips, haha.
- Did you know that it takes around 500 years for disposable diapers to decompose? Think of all the landfills full of billions of diapers. Just sitting there. I really did not like the thought of this, so this was my reason number 2!
- Unfortunately, there are chemicals present in disposable diapers. As I was nesting, waiting for Asher’s arrival, I was triple washing all his baby clothes, inspecting every little nook of the house, researching every cool baby gadget, and shocked by all the chemicals I found in disposable diapers. Thankfully, after being a mom, I’ve calmed down. I think. But I still am not a fan of these chemicals on my baby’s soft bum. Here’s the list.
Chemicals present in most disposable diapers:
-Chlorine-diapers are bleached for that pure white appearance.
-Dioxins-carcinogenic chemical that causes skin irritation and altered liver function
-Sodium Polyacrylate-a super absorbent chemical that is linked to skin irritations and respiratory problems. It has been removed from tampons due to toxic shock syndrome but is still present in diapers.
-Tributyl-tin-disrupts the hormonal system
-Volatile organic compounds-cause eye, nose and throat irritation, liver damage and are cancer causing (EPA.gov)
-Others: dyes, fragrances, plastics, petrolatum, adhesives
- Okay, onto a positive note. Cloth diapers are just so stinking cute! I get complements all the time on Asher’s bum. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing… and I will say it’s a lot of fun choosing all the fun colors and designs of your new cloth diapers. The extra padding also makes it look like they have a huge baby badonkadonk. It’s very cute. Priorities.
The cons:
- Time–It does take slightly more time and work than disposable diapers. However, once you find your system, it is very easy and fast! The thing that takes the most time (about 7 minutes) is stuffing the diapers if you use pocket diapers (in my opinion they’re the best in terms of longevity and soaking abilities).
- Stinky—If you are extremely easily grossed out, this may not be for you. The stinkiest time is when you are pulling the insert out of the diaper to throw in the wash. This doesn’t really bother me. I just hold my nose if I’m up close and wash my hands after. I personally have a harder time dealing with throw up. 🙂
- May need some disposable backups—I found going on trips to just be easier with the convenience of disposable diapers. I buy a chlorine free, all natural diaper and wipes and always have them available just in case!
- Nighttime diapers—When Asher was closer to a year, I found him to wet the bed ALMOST every night. It was so frustrating. I tried a multitude of things, like adding in more inserts, then switching to more absorbent inserts when that became too bulky. After a lot of failures, I ended up switching to disposables at night. It made our life easier. Again, this didn’t happen until he was older. I also still nurse through the night, so a baby who sleeps through the night or is not such a heavy wetter might not have this problem!
My cloth diaper system:
Everyone has their own cloth diapering system. Here is mine!
I have everything available on my changing table. As you can see in the photo, I have the reusable wipes, diapers, a spray bottle, miscellaneous, and disposables just in case.
Once changed, I carry the dirty diaper and throw it in my large wet bag that hangs in the laundry room. When it is full, with 10 or 11 of my 12 diapers, I wash them!
I take out the inserts about half way from the diaper and drop in the machine. If your baby is old enough that they have solids, then you can dump that in the toilet prior. Some people use a sprayer. I personally never did this.
My washer has a pre-set that I programmed. You absolutely do not need to do this; I just find it to be an easy click of the button!
My Preset Wash System
Prewash with a 1/2 cap of vinegar. Normal wash (warm or hot*) set on heavy soil & high spin with a full cup of 7th generation lavender detergent.
Mine runs for an hour and 10 minutes. When this is done, you can either add an extra rinse cycle or not. It is common to then run a rinse cycle after this. I personally never found this beneficial. If you have hard water, I highly recommend adding borax to your wash to prolong the diapers. We recently switched to soft water, so I stopped adding borax. I then dry all the wipes and diapers on a very delicate cycle. You can also lay them out to dry, but I was way too impatient for this.
* I have experimented with both warm and hot water. Warm water prolongs your cloth diapers while hot water helps with extra stinky ones. I usually start with warm water for newborn poop and switch to hot when they are toddlers or start eating lots of solids.
What I use:
- My spray bottle was $2 dollars at Target and I fill it with water, a squirt of Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap, and a couple drops of lavender essential oil. I love the mix!
- Reusable wipes (I currently like these).
- Cloth diapers 12+ (I like these).
- Newborn diapers (These are awesome)
- Inserts (Not needed with newborn diapers. The Alva diapers come with inserts but these are more absorbent).
- Natural disposable wipes for backup/travel
- Natural disposable diapers for backup/travel/nighttime
- Small wet bag that stays in my baby bag
- Large wet bag in laundry room
- Natural detergent
- Heavy wetter nighttime disposable diapers (Honest Brand)
- If you have hard water, I highly recommend adding a scoop or 2 of borax to your wash! This helped prolong my diapers tremendously!
- GroVia Mighty Bubbles-If you get to a point where your diapers are beginning to have a slight odor that won’t go away, try these every so often! I found this to prolong my diapers as well!
I think I have covered everything! If you have made it to the bottom of this post, then you must be considering cloth diapering! I love it and intend to do it with all my future kids. If you have any questions please write a comment and ask! And tell me what works with your cloth diapering system! Talk soon!
