Why Should I Consider Using Cloth Diapers?
There are several factors to consider when deciding which type of diaper is best for you and your baby. Today's cloth diapers are dramatically different than the cloth diapers of yesteryear. But why would you even consider a washable diaper when you could use a disposable? Here are a few good reasons to consider cloth diapers, but in the end, the decision is up to you.
Savings
A baby goes through about 8 -12 diapers a day ~ or about 5,000 - 7,000 diapers before they are potty trained. t $.30 a diaper, that adds up to about $1,500 - $2,100! By using disposable wipes, it will cost at least another $300. While the initial cost of cloth costs a bit more, in the long run you do save. Even when you add the cost of washing and drying, you will save $900 - $1,500 over this 2 - 3 year period!
Comfort
Consider what you will be putting against your baby's skin for the next 2 - 3 years, 24 hours a day. What would you prefer to wear yourself?
Health
Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate which absorbs liquid and turns it into gel. This gel has been linked to toxic shock syndrome and can cause rashes, among other things, such as bleeding when it gets into the urinary tract. Our cloth diapers are gel free. Dioxin, the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals, is a byproduct of bleaching that is used in disposable diapers.
Do you want to have grandkids some day? Studies show that disposable diapers may be linked to infertility in males, due to keeping the diaper area too warm.
Did you know that on the package for disposable diapers it says,
IMPORTANT: When disposing of soiled diaper, empty contents into toilet. Do not flush diaper. Please do not litter.
CAUTION: Choking may result from anything babies might put into their mouths. To avoid risk of choking, do not allow baby to tear the diaper. Discard any torn or unsealed diaper. Like most articles of clothing, ________® diapers may burn if exposed to flame. Always keep your child away from any source of flame.
Most mothers I know don't realize they should put feces into the toilet before they discard a diaper ~ I was guilty of this myself. This waste ends up at the landfill, contaminating our land and water, and attracting bugs that carry diseases. If the solid waste was flushed first, it would end up in the sewer system and be treated properly before entering our water.
Cloth wipes wetted with water are a great alternative to disposable wipes. Disposable wipes are chemically treated. If you must use them, please rinse the whole package under running water first to remove the chemicals on them. Remember, babies have sensitive skin.
Environment
A baby goes through about 5,000 - 7,000 diapers before they are potty trained. That adds up to about 2 tons of used, non-biodegradable waste per baby! Not only that, the gel used in the disposable diapers retain water, plus absorb even more, causing our water supplies to be tied up. You will only need about 48 - 72 cloth diapers for the entire diapering period! What a difference!
Convenience?
Yes, convenience. Today's cloth diapers are as easy to put on as a disposable. With home-laundered cloth diapers, you'll never have to run out and buy diapers. Just wash them at your convenience. It's only about an additional 2 - 3 loads of laundry per week.
What Do I Need to Get Started With Cloth Diapers?
How many cloth diapers will I need?
This depends on how often you intend to wash them and your budget. The typical baby uses 8 - 12 diapers per day. With a supply of 24 diapers, 4 diaper covers and 24 washable liners, you would need to do laundry about every other day. The ideal amount of diapers would be 36 - 48. This way you should be able to go 3 - 4 days between washing diapers. Diapers can be found at our cloth diaper page.
What other supplies will I need?
Washable liners - great for keeping your diapers free from stains and for adding extra absorbency - a must for nighttime! They are also great for making a diaper more snug. We suggest you buy about the same amount of liners as diapers, although some prefer to buy less and use them only for nighttime. Reusable liners can be found at our diapers accessories page.
Diaper covers - these go over your diaper to keep baby's clothing/bedding dry. We suggest 6 - 8 covers since they should air between uses and this way you'll always have some available, even while doing laundry. For nighttime covers, such as the Aristocrats Wool Soaker, we suggest having at least 2, as these take time to dry.
Washable wipes - great moistened with water for a chemical-free rinse! We suggest at least 2 dozen and more if you go longer than 48 hours between washings. Store in a used wipes/margarine/Tupperware® container. Simply throw used ones into the diaper pail and wash with your diapers. These can be found at our diapering accessories page.
Waterproof Tote Bag - for the times you're away from home and need something to carry your dirty diapers. We have four sizes available ~ for the afternoon outing to one that fits an extra large diaper pail! These are machine washable. Find these at our Bummis Totes page.
Diaper Pins with Secure Safety-Locking Heads - not required for our fitted diapers, but great with our prefolds. These can be found at our Dritz Pins page.
Diaper Pail - If you plan to use the presoak method in your diaper pail, make sure it has a locking lid, as children have drowned in diaper pails. .
How Do I change a Diaper
Put baby on a change pad on the floor, change table, bed, or by the bathroom sink. Make sure to have one hand on your baby at all times (unless he's on the floor). Remove lower clothing, folding undershirt back away from bottom. Remove soiled diaper, wiping poop off with clean spot on diaper liner. For Velcro® diapers, be sure to fold down the fastening tabs to prevent them from sticking together in the washer. Fold diaper underneath bottom until you take a moistened wipe and wash baby's bottom (make sure to wipe girls front to back to prevent urinary infections). For boys, place a dry wipe over penis to prevent fountains. Remove folded diaper and replace with a clean one. Put diaper liner inside diaper. Velcro or snap diaper closed. Put on diaper cover, making sure the whole diaper is inside of the cover to prevent leaks. Remove cover and diaper as baby has just soiled again (aren't you glad you didn't put a disposable on him/her!?) Repeat :) Proceed to diaper pail instructions.
Diaper Pail Instructions
Most people prefer a dry diaper pail, but if you prefer to soak your diapers, here's how to do it properly:
Half fill the diaper pail with cold water.
Add 1/4 cup baking soda, vinegar, OR washing soda to the water to help control odors and staining.
Never soak with bleach, detergent or pure soap. This will cause premature breakdown of fibers and wear out your diapers.
ALWAYS keep your pail locked if it contains liquid to prevent drowning.
For both wet and dry methods, follow these instructions:
For wet diapers, throw directly into the diaper pail.
Covers should be kept separately (see directions below).
Breastfed babies will have loose stools that don't require rinsing prior to washing. These can be thrown directly into the diaper pail.
For babies on formula or solids, shake stool into toilet. You may choose to rinse the liner if the poop won't shake off, but this isn't necessary as today's washing machines are very efficient.
If you prefer, you may spray a solution of baking soda and water on the diaper to help cut odor (for the dry pail method). Similarly, you may wish to use a DeoDisk or a cloth wipe soaked in vinegar in the compartment in your diaper pail for deodorizer.
Put in diaper pail.
Continue with washing instructions.
Diaper Wipes Recipes
Plain water is best on cloth wipes, as it cleans baby's bottom or face without unnecessary chemicals. If you find that you prefer something more, here are a few recipes that are baby tested.
Basic Recipe
2 tablespoons baby shampoo (or baby wash)
2 tablespoons oil (such as olive, or other food grade cooking oil - not baby oil or mineral oil as it is hard to wash out)
2 cups water (distilled is best as it will last longest)
Tea Tree Oil
2 tablespoons olive oil or other food grade oil (or 1 TBS. Calendula Oil)
2 tablespoons baby shampoo or wash (may be omitted if it dries baby's bottom)
2 cups water
2 drops Tea Tree Oil (helps reduce mold - but if you only do up enough wipes for a couple days' time, you don't need to worry about mold)
Aloe Vera
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup Aloe Vera Gel
2 drops Tea Tree Oil
Allow to cool.
Anti-Fungal Baby Wipes - adapted from Snowy Mountain Botanicals
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar (omit for use on red bottoms)
1/4 cup Aloe Vera Gel
1 tablespoon Calendula Oil
2 drops Lavender Essential Oil
2 drops Tea Tree Oil
For all recipes, mix in a jar and then pour over wipes (do enough for a couple days at a time). Store extra solution in the fridge.
Wipes work great stored in a used wipes/margarine container. You can even fill a thermos with warm water and keep it by the change table to wet wipes as needed.
A squirt bottle works great for the diaper bag to wet wipes as required.
How Do I Prevent and Treat Diaper Rash
Diaper rash is a reddening of the skin in the diaper area and is caused by bacteria taking advantage of the warm moist environment inside the diaper. Urine and bacteria mix to create ammonia which burns baby ~ this occurs in disposable diapers as well as cloth. Many perfumes, detergents or ointments may cause diaper rash, as well as tight diaper elastic or spicy/citrus foods.
Serious cases can be prevented by following these suggestions.
Change baby's diaper each time he/she wets. Disposable diapers should be changed as often as cloth.
Wash your baby's bottom with warm water at every diaper change.
Pat baby's bottom dry or allow to air dry before diapering.
Let baby spend a few hours each day without a diaper. When wearing a diaper, use a breathable diaper cover such as wool or nylon. Apply a thin layer of diaper rash ointment or use a stay-dry liner. Do not use ointment on broken or blistered skin.
Avoid scented detergents or fabric softeners in your wash. Adding vinegar to the final rinse removes any soap residue, but if the rash continues, try reducing the amount of vinegar as it may also cause rashes if used in great amounts.
Wash your hands after every diaper change to prevent the spread of infection.
If the rash persists after 3 days of treatment, see your baby's doctor.
How to Wash Diapers
Washing diapers is really very easy.
If you've been soaking your diapers, drain off excess solution into the toilet. Empty diapers into washer and turn to the spin cycle to get out extra diaper solution. Continue with washing instructions.
You may wish to run your diapers through a cold presoak cycle, depending on the efficiency of your machine.
Wash only 2 dozen diapers at a time. It's best to use a detergent with no phosphates and minimal additives and to use less detergent than listed on the box. Do not use natural soap products as they contain oils that will coat your diapers and make them less absorbent. On diaper covers, natural soap will cause your covers to leak. Problem soaps are All Free and Clear, Dr. Bronners Soap, Bio-Kleen liquid and powder, 7th Generation, Dreft and Ivory Snow. Detergents we do recommend are anything cheap (Sunlight, Era, Tide, Cheer, Sams Choice). Just be sure to use 1/2 of the recommended amount. Do not wash too many diapers at once or pilling will occur from the friction in the washer.
Use a hot or warm wash and a cold rinse with the highest water level. If rashes are a problem, you may wish to double rinse or fill a fabric softener ball with 1/4 cup (or less) of vinegar and drop in at the beginning of the wash cycle (it will open automatically for the rinse cycle) or add it to your automatic fabric softener dispenser. You could also add vinegar manually right after the spin cycle. Vinegar helps get rid of detergent/soap residue. When washing diaper covers with diapers, it is best to skip the vinegar rinse.
Do not use fabric softener or chlorine bleach ~ bleach causes premature breaking of the fibers and fabric softener adds a coating to the diapers that make them less absorbent.
Dry on normal heat for about 60 minutes. To make diapers dry faster, add a dry towel to the dryer. Drying in the dryer helps sterilize the diapers, as does drying in direct sunlight.
Diapers will not reach their full absorbency until washed and dried a few times. This is because the cotton fibers need to be "fluffed up" a bit first.
How to Wash Diaper Covers
Some covers such as the Bummi Super Whisper Wrap may be machine washed and thrown into the dryer to dry. But other covers require special care to retain their waterproofing.
Allow covers to air between wearing. Once soiled, they should be rinsed off and stored in a small basket until wash day. They should not be put in the diaper pail with diapers, if you use the presoak method, as this will peel the waterproofing off. Some covers can be machine washed, but should be air dried. An exception is made for wool covers.
Wool covers (such as the Aristocrats) should be aired between uses and washed every one to two weeks (unless soiled). Once soiled, they should be hand washed in lukewarm water and baby shampoo or 1 tsp. Eucalan Wool Wash. Soak for 15 minutes. Gently squeeze garment, do not rub or wring. Add 1 tsp. of vinegar to the final rinse (no rinsing required with Eucalan). Roll in a towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Hang dry away from strong heat or sunlight. Life span and performance of the diaper cover will be enhanced by adding lanolin periodically. Proceed to lanolizing instructions.
Lanolizing Instructions
Dissolve 1/8 of a tsp. of lanolin or Lansinoh in hot water and add to last rinse. If you have trouble getting it to dissolve, put it in a bottle or jar and add 1 tsp. vinegar along with the hot water. Shake until dissolved and add solution to rinse water. Soak for about 10 minutes, not allowing water to get cold (warm is OK), gently squeeze garment, roll in a towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Dry as above.
Diapering Decisions
