Cloth Diapering | Birth & Mother's Milk

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Cloth Diapering

Traditional Mother Care For Today's Woman

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In today’s world when so many of us are concerned about preserving the environment and resources, cloth diapers just make sense. I was in them, as were my brothers and cousins and some of the kids I babysat. I learned about changing babies in cloth diapers from the time I was small. Those were the days when pins were the only things used to close the diaper and plastic or “rubber pants” were used to keep baby’s clothes dry. Some baby clothes even came with a plastic liner in the bottoms!

But maybe you’ve never even laid eyes on a cloth diaper let alone changed one… do you still have to fold them to fit the baby? What about washing? Will they smell? You certainly don’t want to poke the baby with a pin. You have a lot of choices today… different kinds of diapers, different kinds of covers, different sizes, and different ways to keep the diaper on. But no matter what you use, you’ll love the softness of the cotton on your baby’s bum. And you can rest easy knowing that the landfills are not loading up on the many hundreds of diapers your baby will go through before he is potty trained.

Below you will find ways to care for your diapers and some local places to purchase the items you’ll need.

Setting up for cloth diapering

You will need:

Minimum of 3 dozen diapers

6-12 diaper covers depending on the style

4 pins, or 2-3 clips

Wipes

1 diaper pail

One bar of soap in a cheap plastic dish if using pins

Dreft, Ivory Snow, or Purex baby soap

Borax, Oxyclean, and vinegar

Optional: Clothesline or drying rack

Cloth diaper doublers or liners

Recommendations

Diapers: I like the flat prefolds, Chinese, Gerber diaper service quality, or other brand. I do like the inexpensive Gerber birds-eye cotton flat prefolds that can be purchased at discount department stores and come in packs of 1 dozen, for use with a newborn. Don’t get the ones that have a “lining”. These little diapers work well as thick liners at night when your baby is 10 months older and up. Prefolds are the most economical way to diaper in cloth.

There are many styles and other kinds of cloth diapers… terry cloth lined nappies, hour glass shaped, snap on diapers, all -in-ones that work like a disposable, etc. As you shop around ask if you can get a sample of the style you are interested in… you’ll get a few different kinds to try and to compare right there in your hands. There are hundreds of sources on-line to purchase diapers.

In Rochester you can buy locally from:

Luvaboos (585) 729-8675 formerly known as Time to Change the Diapers http://www.luvaboos.com

In Canandaigua you can buy locally rom Kae'sKloset www.kaes-kloset.com

Coming Soon you can buy toddler night-time diapers, cotton wipes, wool soakers, and diaper bags from me! sites.google.com/site/bottomsupdiapers/

Diaper covers: There really was only one style I really liked; pull on covers. There are a few ways to go with these. Plastic/vinyl ones are inexpensive, come in packs of 5, can be purchased at most baby departments of discount department stores and you can wash them any which way and they can go into the dryer. This means you can have LOTS of them. The other pull on covers I really loved are Bummi nylon “whisper pants” . They are soft, lightweight, washable, come in 2 or 3 packs, and worked wonderfully. They are a little more expensive but much less than other types of covers. The thing I like about both these pull-ons are that they completely cover the diaper ( no leaks), are very washable, inexpensive enough that you can afford to have many of them and they come in lots of sizes so you can afford to keep the baby covered.

There are lots of styles of covers, some snap, some are covered in cloth, some come in great colors, some you never have to use a pin or clip with, some Velcro, some "grow" with your baby. All these styles are more expensive but may be the best choice for your family. Some down sides are: Velcro can stick to your baby’s other clothes like terry sleepers and lace and ruin them, they take longer to dry, and some need to be cared for carefully. Explore, find the style that works for you.

Fasteners: Pins, Clips, or Snaps

Pins: Don’t be afraid! Slip your fingers between the diaper and your baby’s skin to hold the diaper in place and if anyone gets poked it’s you… and you will learn quick if you prick yourself! Pins are versatile, inexpensive, close securely, and last a very long time. I recommend Dritz diaper pins because they are very sharp so they can go through many layers of cloth easily. You can purchase them at fabric stores in the notions department… no need to order on-line. You can get other pins in almost any baby department, they work well too and sometimes have cute little ducks or other designs on the “cap”. Both these kinds of diapering pins have safety features to keep them secure in the diaper. A secret: Stick the pin into a bar of soap and your pin will glide right through the cloth without a struggle!

Clips: Nothing sharp here. Just a stretchy plastic ”T” with teeth in the 3 ends to catch in the cloth of the diaper. It takes practice to learn but some moms love them. They do wear out and need replacing several times a year. Great for the pin shy parent.

Snaps: If you think you’d like a snap on diaper you won’t need pins or clips. Most snap diapers have several snaps on both sides of the diaper for adjustability. They are usually plastic snaps. You may not be able to get the diaper as tight as you’d like because the snaps may not be in just the right spot. The downside for an older baby is that he/she might learn to get it off her/him self.

Wipes: You can use the little baby wash cloths you get at the dollar store in 6 packs or make your own of soft flannel squares (about

6”x6”). These can be thrown right into the diaper pail and washed right along with your diapers. Using a box from disposable wipes works for storage and keeping them moist. I used Baby Magic baby wash diluted with water to moisten them.

Diaper Pail: You’ll want a medium sized unseamed container for your diapers that has a lid of some sort. It will need to be big enough to hold 2-3 dozen wet diapers. Gerry used to make a good diaper pail. A kitchen garbage can will work as well. Search around till you find something that works for you. True diaper pails often have a lid that locks… keeps baby’s hands out of the mess… and some have a spot for a deodorizing disk. A full diaper pail can be heavy… you may want to keep a big one near your washer and a little one to empty every day or so near the changing table.

Cleaning supplies: I recommend baby soaps because they are designed to clean baby’s stains, they have a light scent, are non-irritating to baby’s tender skin, and have no softeners in them. You don’t want softeners because they reduce absorbency. Borax reduces odors and helps your detergent work better. Plain inexpensive vinegar in the rinse neutralizes the ammonia in the diapers, and cuts the soap for very soft fluffy cotton. Oxyclean is a once in a while overnight soaking agent that won’t harm your diapers and gets stains and odors out. NEVER use bleach on your diapers!

Your Clothesline: Why have one? Clothes lines are great for diapers and your other laundry. They dry your clothes with solar and wind power which means you aren’t using electricity or gas. It also means that you are putting less wear and tear on your dryer for a longer life of the machine.

Line drying your diapers in seasons that allow it means less wear and tear on your diapers! It also allows the sun to naturally bleach them removing stains and odors. It’s good for you and your baby to get out into the fresh air, too!

What if you don’t have a yard of your own or the space to put one up? That’s where a clothes drying rack can come in handy. You place the rack in the sunny patch of a room, on the porch, lanai, or deck, or even near your heat vent or radiator. For moms who use covers that shouldn’t go in the dryer that rack is a handy place to dry.

If you diapers come off the line a bit stiff… pop them into the dryer on “Air Dry” and tumble them for 10 minutes, they will be fluffy and soft when they come out.

Diaper doublers/liners: These strips of cotton flannel sewn together in layers slip into the center of your diaper for extra absorbency. Small or thin diapers make good doublers too. You’ll want to consider these when you baby gets to be a year old, especially at night!

Taking care of dirty diapers

I don't soak, but you can. But NEVER soak in bleachy water; it eats away at the cotton and reduces the life of your diapers rapidly.
Wet diapers just get tossed into your pail, they don’t need rinsing, but what to do about poop?

In the beginning the baby's poo will be paste and will not be able to be shaken off. I don't really rinse these early diapers. Just throw them in the pail and wash when ready... the first few weeks you may do a load of 3 dozen 1-2 times a week.

Later if the poo is a big one and messy I might rinse the pasty poo in the toilet before putting in the pail. By the time the baby is 5 months you will probably want to do this. When spoon feeding and solid foods are started the baby's poo may become solid... these you can shake into the toilet then put the dipe in the pail without rinsing.

Even if you soak your diapers, you’ll want to rinse poopy diapers before soaking.

Washing

I always had a top loader machine. I don’t have a lot of advice for you moms with front loaders… soaking might be good but you’ll

need to be sure you have a utility sink in your laundry area for dumping the pail.

*If you soak: Dump your soaking diapers into the machine... set the machine to do a spin only cycle. If you have a front loader, dump into the sink and using rubber gloved hands transfer the diapers to the machine. If you don't soak go to the next step.

1. Set your machine to do a cold rinse only. Rinse with plain water.

2. Then do a hot wash/ cold rinse with baby laundry soap... Ivory Snow or Dreft. You may add 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax to the wash.

*If your diapers are stained you can add 1+ cup Oxy Clean, fill the machine with hot water (even adding a big pot of boiling water) and leave over night to soak then proceed in the morning with the remainder of the washing.

3. Do a second warm wash/cold rinse but in this rinse add 1 cup white vinegar to the water. The vinegar changes ph to neutral, whitens and cuts any soap residue.

4. Do a final rinse only, in cold water.

5. Line dry in summer if possible... kills germs, whitens, and deodorizes. You can air tumble to soften for 10 minutes after dry, if desired. Machine dry in winter... mine take about 50-60 minutes, I use cotton wipes and liners so it is a big load.
If I have no liners or wipes, or if I washed sooner and there are fewer diapers it takes less time.

That's it. It takes time but isn't hard. I fold for use after washing and stack near the changing table. Other moms leave them in a neat stack and fold as they use. I wash the diaper covers in the baby's clothes not with diapers unless they are totally covered in poo.

Troubleshooting stinky or stained diapers

Have you used borax in the wash water? That can boost the soap but it also freshens the cotton. It works with dish towels and rags too. About a cup in an extra capacity toploader. It really seems to help get the stink out of stuff.

Are you using hot water? Cold is great if it works for you but I always found hot water to work better on the stains.

How many washes are you putting them through? Sometimes as the diapers get smelly or stained you may need to do a double wash. Follow this pattern: rinse, wash in hot with borax and soap, rinse, wash in warm with less soap and less borax, rinse with vinegar, rinse with plain water.

Have you done an overnight soak? Do an overnight soak in the hottest water (adding a big pot of boiling water as the water fills the tub) and adding a full cup of Oxyclean. Agitate the diapers for a few minutes then stop the machine and leave overnight. It removes stains, freshens to fabric, and a long soak allows time for it all to work. The oxyclean will not hurt your cotton diapers. It's environmentally sound and *gets out juice and banana stains completely on bibs and other clothing!

Are you over loading your machine? If the diapers are sitting for a week or a little more between washes you may find washing a little sooner helps keep odors down. ( I had a lot of diapers and they sometimes did go for a week or more between washes. As my kids got older and the pee got stronger and poop was involved I couldn't wait as long because the smells seemed to set into the cloth more.)

Are you getting the diapers in the sun? From April through October hang the diapers on the line in the sun to dry, it bleaches and freshens the cloth. Smelly diapers usually happened in winter for me.

Troubleshooting soaking through the diapers

How old is the baby? Often times newborns have spindly legs and the diaper covers aren’t close enough in the leg openings to keep moisture or loose stool inside. You may need a different kind of diaper or cover. Always check this as your baby grows to ensure a close fit around the leg and waist. If this is occurring in the night or early morning and your child is a toddler now it is because babies learn to hold their pee while they sleep, then when they wake they flood the diaper. You’ll need more thickness for night time diapering.

Are you using soap that has softener in it? Stop, put your supply through a hot wash, using borax in the wash water, and vinegar in the rinse. Be sure to use plain detergent and no dryer sheets or liquid softener. It may take a few washings like this to get all the softener residue out of the cotton.

Is the diaper thick enough or big enough? If your baby has grown a lot lately you may need to go to a larger size diaper. If your diapers fit baby just fine you probably need more absorbency. Add another layer with a doubler or second diaper. Use two of your largest thickest prefolds together and add a soaker panel or even two. Another way to do it is to use small diapers (like you might have had when baby was a tiny infant) as the extra absorbent layer. If you use all-in-ones you’ll add that doubler inside the diaper. The baby will have a very thick and padded bottom but most kids don’t seem to care. You may need to use a larger size cover if the diaper is especially thick.

Are your covers wearing out? Eventually even the best covers get worn out, elastic gets over stretched, coatings wash off, flake off, or just wear out. Especially check this if your covers are second hand.

Have you tried a wool soaker? Wool soakers are pull-on covers made of wool. You can make your own out of old wool sweaters that have been shrunk. They are expensive to buy. The thing about them is that they are very absorbent but also breathe and wool doesn't feel cold when it's wet the way cotton does. I used them if my baby got a rash because it helped the healing.