Our Adventures in Cloth Diapering

*This post is dedicated to Emily TC over at Baby Bee Clark who is about to become a Mommy any day now.*

I've had several friends recently who've decided to cloth diaper. Since we've been going strong with one or two children in them since May 2008, I thought I'd write a little bit about some of the tricks I've learned along the way.

I recently came across this article in Carolina Parent, a free magazine around here. It has a nice summary of all the diaper types. From the article:

"All-in-ones: Both the diaper and diaper cover are in one piece. Goes on and off like a disposable. You'll need: 24.

All-in-twos: The two pieces — cover and diaper — are separate, with the diaper fitting into the cover. The diaper is changed every time, but the cover can be reused two to three times. You'll need: 24 diapers and 10 diaper covers.

Pockets: Features a cover with a fleece piece inside to keep babies dry, into which you stuff a diaper; change the system each time. You'll need: 24, purchased all together.

Fitteds: An inside piece used underneath a cover, mainly for overnight; especially good for heavy-wetters. You'll need: two to three.

Basic prefolds: Large pieces of prefolded fabric, though it takes additional folding and pinning to make them fit your baby; used with a cover. You'll need: 24 prefolds, 10 covers.

Traditional flats: The old-fashioned cloth diaper: a large piece of fabric you fold and pin to fit your baby; used with a cover. You'll need: 24 flats, 10 covers."

I chose to go with "pocket diapers". These consist of a diaper cover that has a pocket to stuff with an absorbent insert. Each are washed after one use. The cover has a layer of PUL (polyurethane lining) on the outside and some type of fleece on the inside (ie what is next to the baby's skin). The fleece wicks the moisture away to the insert, so the baby doesn't sit in pee. I've used three types of pocket diapers, Bum Genius (BG), Fuzzi Bunz (FB), and Tiny Tush Elite (TT). 

Of those, Fuzzi Bunz, is a "perfect size diaper", meaning that you would buy a size small when the baby is little and then a medium when they grow out of the small, etc. Bum genius and Tiny Tush are "one-size diapers" meaning they have adjustable snaps, so that your diaper grows with your baby. I think fuzzi bunz has come out with a one-size, but I've never used it.

Bum genius are my favorite - they have a great warranty (one year), and the fit has worked for Clara, Jack, and Meghan. This picture says it all: Clara at 2 (30 lbs) and Jack at 1 month (10 lbs) are wearing the "same" diaper just adjusted to fit each one.

Last year BG came out with a new design (version 4.0) that actually offer snaps (their previous styles have been all hook & loop (generic term for vecro)) and replaceable elastic in the legs. Really the only reason I even tried the Fuzzi Bunz and Tiny Tush brands was because they had snaps. Once BG created a product that contained snaps, I never looked back. I prefer the fit of the hook & loop, but the snaps have a durability that can't be beat. I have some of each. 

Cotton Babies also sells BG refresher kits for $1 that contain 3 new pieces of elastic for the back and two legs, new tab closures, and new laundry tabs. If you are sew inclined ;), you can refurbish your old diapers to get more wear out of them.

I use "Full Circle" brand detergent which is the organic brand made by the same company that carries Top Care products. Lowe's Foods carries it around here. It is important to choose a detergent that is free from dyes, fragrance, optical whiteners, and enzymes. Those substances can harm the diapers. 

Pin stripes and polka dots is a really good reference for choosing a brand of detergent for HE washers and conventional washers.

In my HE washer I wash 2 days worth of diapers with a cold pre-wash, hot wash, and double rinse using 1 Tbsp of detergent for the prewash and then 2 Tbsp (1/8 c) for hot wash. The inserts, which for BG are microfiber, are virtually indestructible, so I dry them in the dryer, and I hang the covers outside on a drying rack. You can dry them on low; I just prefer not to. Less wear and tear on the elastic and PUL. 

Occasionally I have had stink issues which mostly seem to arise when all of the detergent has not been rinsed out of the diapers. The BG website claims that is is ok to bleach the diapers once a month, but I never bleach mine. When extra rinsing doesn't seem to do the trick, I've found that white vinegar does. I'll actually boil the clean inserts (again indestructible) in a large pot of vinegar and then run a cycle of the covers and the inserts with 4 c of vinegar, a process I adapted from this original post on Diaper Swappers.

My clean diapers are then stuffed, folded, and placed into a wicker basket ready for use.

One thing I cannot stress enough to people who are thinking of cloth diapering is how great cloth wipes are. Rather than having to separate the paper wipes into a trash can, it simplifies things by being able to toss it all into the laundry together.

I make my own wipe solution by pouring baby oil and baby wash for about a 3 count into about 20 oz of water and then squirt this onto a rectangular piece of fleece. More wipe solution recipes can be found here.

I line our diaper pail (which is a garbage can from Target) with a Happy Tushies pail liner. I have two of these, so that every time a load goes in the wash, the bag goes with it, and I can put a clean one in the can.

Whenever the topic of cloth diapers comes up, the first thing many people focus on is the poop. Specifically whether or not the diaper pail stinks. I can honestly say that with the lid closed there is not a hint of stench in the nursery. And I think that the can smells better than it did when we used disposable diapers way-back-when because the majority of the poop has been cleaned out of the diaper before it lands in the pail. In the beginning while on a strictly breastmilk diet, the poopy diaper can actually be dumped directly into the pail. Upon introduction of solid foods, however, things change for the worse, and the solids need to be dumped before laundering. Some people like to dunk the diapers in the toilet which works. BG actually sells a diaper sprayer that I've heard works great. We have a "poop knife" which is a plastic utensil that we keep clean by the toilet and use to scrape the diapers clean. 

For nighttime diapering we've always used Punkin Butt Hemp Inserts as doublers.

Last but not least, diaper cream! You can NOT use conventional zinc oxide based diaper rash creams like Desitin with your cloth diapers. Not to worry though, there are literally hundreds of "cloth diaper safe" rash creams out there. They are typically made of olive oil and will wash off the diapers in the laundry no problem. The two that I've used with success are Baby Bottom Butter by Moondance Soaps & Brigit True Organics - Baby Bottom Balm. The first I got from our local cloth diaper store because it's made in the Durham. And the second I got from my brother who used to live over the woman in C'ville who made the soaps. He'd given me the Baby Bottom Balm as a gift for Clara, but I'd forgotten about it, since I didn't use cloth with her in the beginning. I actually just found it in the attic and have used it on Meghan and prefer it of the two. Thanks for the gift, Uncle Jack, five years later! :)

If you have a really bad diaper rash that just doesn't seem like it's going away with the olive oil based creams, you can used a zinc oxide cream with a fleece liner. That is take a piece of fleece and place it between your baby's bottom and the diaper so that the excess diaper rash cream gets on it rather than the diaper cloth. I've had luck with the Aveeno Diaper Rash Cream in this particular situation. I still would never get the mega-strength Desitin near my cloth diapers. It contains 40% zinc oxide and cod liver oil, a stink may never come out even with the fleece liner. If you need that or have to use some prescription rash cream, I recommend using disposables for a day or two and not putting your baby back into cloth until they've had a bath. Desitin never comes off!

I think that about does it. Ok, Emily TC, you can have your baby now, since I know you were holding out for this post. :)