Have you considered cloth diapering your baby or toddler? I jumped into cloth diapering without knowing much about it and have learned a lot that I’d like to share. I’ll cover some key areas such as the types of cloth diapers, washing routine and answer such as how many cloth diapers do I need?
What are cloth diapers?
Cloth diapers are made from material and often a waterproof outer. They come in different styles, sizes, materials and most interestingly in a range of fun patterns and colours.
Using cloth diapers are a more eco-friendly option than using disposables, as with clothing they are washed and worn again. If you care for cloth nappies properly they will last for years and can be used for more than one baby.
Cloth diapers are also commonly known as
- cloth nappies
- modern cloth nappies
- reusable nappies
- reusable diapers
I’ll use some of these names interchangeably but I’m referring to diapers that you use over and over again.
Our cloth journey
I started using cloth nappies after trying out some newborn sized reusables that I borrowed from my sister. I remember being completely clueless about the different options available and how to even put on a diaper. After seeing my sister use cloth nappies on my nephew and that alone normalised using them when I had babies.
After a quick lesson and a stash of newborn nappies to try we jumped in and started our cloth journey. There was a lot for me to learn in the early days but once we got into a wash routine and built up our nappy stash we were away.
Types of cloth diapers
Cloth nappies come in various different styles and sizes these days compared to traditional flat square shaped nappies with the pink line down the sides. I’ve tried a few of these and overall I prefer pocket nappies. Here are some common types.
Flat traditional nappies
Flats are usually made of a single layer of cotton and are a square of fabric that are folded and pinned around the baby. These traditional styled nappies have been used by parents for over a hundred years. They are the nappies that our parents may have used. I have around 15 flats but have not used them to diaper my children. Instead I use them for other purposes including:
- as baby burp and spit up cloth
- to clean up spills
- wipe grubby little hands
- as a drop cloth for eating or painting
- spare in the car for car sick incidents
- window cleaning
Pros:
- quick to dry
- cheap to purchase
- long lasting
Cons:
- can be bulky compared to other options
- requires folding and pins
- tricky to put on
Prefold
A prefold diaper is smaller than a flat cloth nappy and is thicker and more absorbent. Prefolds come in different sizes from newborn to infant.
A prefold diaper is rectangular in shape and consists of multiple layers of cotton or bamboo sewn together into three panels. The centre panel usually has more layers for greater absorbency. The diaper is secured by a snappi (or pin) and covered with a waterproof cover.
Tip – make sure the prefold is fully tucked under the waterproof cover to avoid leaks. Any fabric sticking out of the cover can wet the baby’s clothing which means more frequent outfit changes.
Pros
- economical
- can be quickly dried in the dryer
- no preparing, folding or stuffing ahead of time
Cons
- can be bulky around the legs
- trickier to put on, especially for a wiggly baby
All in One – AIO
An All in One (AIO) diaper has the insert permanently attached to the waterproof cover. AIOs are an economical option as they are one size fits most (OSFM) that can be adjusted from newborn to potty training. This style, along with pocket diapers, are similar to a disposable in the way you put them on a baby.
We used this style for our newborns and they were convenient and super quick to stuff the insert in. We would snap on additional booster inserts for our heavy wetter.
I prefer to use velcro tabs rather than snaps for a newborn as they are quick and similar to use as a disposable nappy. As babies get older the snaps are harder for them to open so they shouldn’t be able to take off the nappy themselves until they are around 2 years old, however all children are different!
Pros
- adjustable
- easy to use, great for grandparents or others to use
- convenient with insert attached
- fun designs and colours
Cons
- slower to dry
- difficult ot replace inserts once they are old, compared to other styles
Pocket diapers and All in Two
Pocket diapers have a pocket opening for the insert to be stuffed inside. The All in Two style is similar to the pocket diaper however you can snap in the insert into the pocket to keep it in place. I use both of these styles interchangeably. The AI2 that I use also has built in absorbancy to the body of the nappy.
The outer is a waterproof layer and they are lined with a fabric such as bamboo which goes against the baby’s skin. These diapers are our go-to as you can tailor the absorbency with the type and number of inserts.
Pocket diapers can be snapped down in size for a newborn and unsnapped as the baby grows to fit. I love that this style is a one off purchase that can be used for a newborn right up to toilet training, thus being low waste and economical.
Pros
- Adjustable in size from birth to toilet training
- Tailored absorbancy to suit needs
- Cute and fun designs
- Quick to dry (not including the insert as these take longer)
Cons
- More expensive than flats and pre-folds
- Patterns are so cute that you may buy more diapers than you actually need 🙂
- Have to stuff inserts in before you can use them
Fitted
A fitted cloth nappy has two parts, an absorbent fitted inner and a waterproof or wool cover. The entire nappy is absorbent and for a heavy wetter or overnight you can add inserts or boosters for some styles.
Fitted diapers are commonly made layers of cotton, hemp or bamboo. The nappy is adjustable with snaps or velcro to suit the baby’s size. The fitted nappies that we used included bamboo and hemp for absorbency and we used them with an adjustable PUL cover.
Pros
- super absorbent which is great for night time use
- easily adjustable to fit baby
- often natural fabrics (cotton, hemp, bamboo) so no microfibre or fleece
Cons
- slow to dry due to the layers
- bulky on baby
- a little bit more care if needed for night diaper – you will want to rinse before you add to your pail
- a good wash routine is needed to clean all the layers properly
How many cloth diapers do I need?
The number of diapers that you need in your stash will depend on some of the following key factors:
- how often you wash them (eg main wash every second day or main wash every 3 days)
- how long they take to dry in your climate if line drying
- method of drying and access to a dryer
- the age of your little one
- part time of full time cloth diapering
- whether you are using cloth at night or just during the day
- whether your baby is a heavy wetter
Newborns and infants require more frequent diaper changes, roughly every 2 hours. If using reusables you will want to have around 10 to 12 diapers per day.
During the newborn phase I’d recommend using a mix of prefolds and pocket nappies/AIO/AI2 in order to keep the initial costs down. It is best to experiment with different styles and brands to see what fits your baby best and which ones you prefer. You don’t want to spend money on a whole lot in a particular brand or style that you don’t like once you actually use them. A great option is to borrow or purchase some second hand nappies to try.
Infants who are not yet eating solids would use around 6 to 8 diapers per day. You may from around 6 months old you may only need 5 to 7 nappies per day as the amount of milk feeds decreases.
For toddlers to toilet trained children you’ll need 5 to 7 diapers per day.
Guideline for how many cloth diapers that you need
Newborn – Birth to 3 months: 10 – 12 diapers per day
Infant – 3 – 12 months: 6 – 8 diapers per day
Toddler – 1 year to toilet trained: 5 – 7 diapers per day
If you are cloth diapering full time then you will need around 4 days worth of nappies to account for a 2 to 3 day main wash and then drying time before they can be used again. I’d recommend around 30 to 40 nappies. You can certainly get away with less but I find having more on hand dry and ready is worth it when life gets in the way of stuffing or during the winter months when they take longer to dry.
When you are first starting with cloth diapers I’d recommend you use a mix of prefolds and pocket nappies/AIO/AI2 in order to keep the initial costs down. It is best to experiment with different styles and brands to see what fits your baby best and which ones you prefer. You don’t want to spend money on a whole lot in a particular brand or style that you don’t like once you actually use them. A great option is to borrow or purchase some second hand nappies to try.
How do I wash cloth diapers?
Gone are the days of soaking nappies instead you can throw them in your washing machine in a separate load. Here is a basic overview of the wash routine:
1 – Dry Pail
Remove the diaper from the baby and separate and remove inserts from the cover/outer. For wet nappies, place them straight into a dry pail. A dry pail is a basket with holes and no lid for air flow. Knock off, scrape or spray solids into the toilet then separate inserts and put into your dry pail.
Just a side note – at first you may think that you would want to put dirty diapers in a bucket and put a lid on it to avoid smells stinking out your home. Bacteria thrive in warm, wet and damp places so adding air helps dry out nappies, reduces the growth of bacteria.
Air flow also allows for the ammonia gas in the wees release into the air rather than become concentrated in a bucket. Higher concentration of ammonia damages the fibres of the inserts which degrades and breaks them down which reduces the absorbency.
2 – Pre-wash
Every day you wash the dirty nappies on a ‘pre-wash’ hot/warm cycle. You can push this out to every 2 days however be aware that the longer the dirty diapers go unwashed the greater risk of ammonia damage and bacteria growth.
For this cycle I use about a scoop of laundry detergent and do a double rinse as part of the cycle. Total cycle time is around 70 minutes.
Once washed, put the washed diapers and inserts into a different dry pail until they can be washed in the main washing cycle.
3 – Main wash
Once you have enough pre-washed diapers for a main wash cycle (roughly half full to two-thirds of your machine) you will do a long hot wash with a generous amount of laundry detergent.
I find that I do a main wash every two days, so every second day I do a pre-wash followed by a main wash, which includes the pre-washed load from the day before. You do get in your groove with this process.
Depending on how many children you have in cloth nappies you may do your main wash every 2 to 4 days.
The main wash cycle can also include bibs, burb cloths, cloth wipes, dirty baby clothes.
4 – Drying
Once washed you can line dry everything or use the dryer for inserts, bibs, cloth wipes. I don’t recommend using a dryer for the PUL (waterproof covers/outers) as the heat can damage them. Some brands state that you can use a dryer on a low heat setting. I have avoided using a dryer for the nappy shells and when I can’t line dry I use a drying frame or hang the covers in the laundry.
Will cloth diapers really save me money?
That is a good question to ask because with the time and effort doing the additional laundry should be worth it financially. On average a child will use 7,100 nappies in their lifetime.
Cloth diapering will save you money compared to the disposable diaper alternative.
Things to consider when weighing up costs
- Initial cost of purchasing reusables
- Additional electricity and gas usage for washing loads
- Water charges/rates if you pay for water
- You can buy second hand or sell good condition cloth diapers
- Reusables can be used for multiple babies within your family
For a full pros and cons review of whether to use cloth diapers check out my article – Cloth Diapers Pros and Cons you need to know to compare what to use
Conclusion
This overview of cloth diapering just touches on the world of modern cloth nappies. These days cloth diapers come in a range of styles and there are a huge range of brands to choose from. They are just as easy as disposables to use and do require a bit more work in terms of washing and stuffing.
I’ll be writing more blog posts about cloth diapering in more depth so will link to them as they are posted.
Over and out,
Eddie
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