Ok I’ve officially gone off the deep end with my blog topics with today’s post!
So I’m sorry for those of you who aren’t interested in baby stuff at all because this is going to be a *very* dry post!
Ok so short story – we use cloth diapers and have exclusively since she was 3 months. When I was pregnant we realized that all our friends in Lexington used cloth, so I got curious. They seemed normal (not super hippies) and really loved them. So I started researching and realized that we could spend a few hundred dollars and be set!
The idea of not buying diapers constantly really appealed to me from a budget and convenience standpoint. My favorite place for information that is simple, straightforward, and not crazy is Green Mountain Diapers. They are where we buy everything now and we love their quality!
After throwing away SOOO many diapers in the newborn stage, I also realized I was happy to not have to do that any more.
We love cloth and they are waayyyy easier than we expected. But it’s an overwhelming world with obsessed people (if you google cloth diapering you will get some crazy forums and opinions….), so I wanted to share a simple guide if you’re curious. Basically, it doesn’t have to be that complicated and it’s super doable!
But know this – you will do laundry and you will handle literal crap. If you don’t want to add another two loads a week to your plate, or if you don’t have laundry in your house or apartment, this 100% won’t work. Just know that before you keep reading!
What You’ll Need
Covers – you need to “cover” the cloth diaper because you can’t have cloth (that will get wet) hanging out there haha. Our favorite brand is Flip! We have 12 – so we can go about 3/4 days between washing them.
- Pros: Affordable and you can use one cover for multiple diaper changes.
- Cons: Require assembly.
Inserts – prefolds and flats. This is what you put in the cover. We got all organic cotton because it is the most absorbent and also the softest to use. Microfiber is the cheapest by far but isn’t nearly as absorbent. You can read more about inserts here.
- Pros: TONS of types of inserts so you can find what you like.
- Cons: Does require some folding/stuffing.
Pocket diapers – we use these for nighttime because we can add a few extra absorbent layers. We’ve used Charlie Banana and Bumgenius.
- Pro: easy to use.
- Cons: hard to clean (long drying time). Not as absorbent as the covers/prefolds combination. Removing an insert from a pocket is nasty…..
All-in-Ones – for babysitters, or people unfamiliar with cloth diapers. They are basically like disposable diapers (all one piece) that you wash. We’ve used Bumgenius and Thirsties.
- Pro: easiest to use.
- Cons: hardest to clean (long drying time) and the most expensive. Not as absorbent as the covers/prefolds combination.
We have 12 covers, 24 prefolds and flats, 4 pockets, and 3 AIOs. We can get through three or four days with this combination! Flats and covers are our absolute favorite to use and we’ve never had any issues with leakage. Sure they’re bulky – especially on smaller kids – but we change them every 2/3 hours like a disposable and we’re good. Basically I change them right after she eats – so every 3 hours.
How Do You Clean Them?
The next question I get asked is how to wash them. Here is the easiest way to think about it.
- You need to remove the crap so you don’t wash it with the diapers.
- You need to wash the diapers.
- You need to super rinse.
- You need to dry.
Here’s how I do it…
- Put everything in the washer and run a full cycle on hot with no detergent, add an extra rinse
- Run another cycle on hot, with detergent, and add an extra rinse. We use Target Up & Up Free and Clear – basically you don’t want anything with scent that can destroy the absorbency of the fabrics.
- Dry flats and prefolds in the dryer on low
- Hang dry the covers, AIOs, and pockets
See, super simple! It probably takes 2 hours of washing (since it’s two cycles) and then 30 minutes in the dryer. You don’t want to use a sanitary cycle (if you have one) because that’s too intense and will wear out your diapers much faster. If you want more information, you can read this guide as well.
Then I throw all the covers in a drawer, haphazardly fold the inserts, and we’re set!
So basically cloth diapers require some extra planning and cleaning, but they aren’t that crazy to use. If you want more convenience and can spend more, you’ll do laundry less frequently. If you want to save money, skip and all-in-ones and just use prefolds!
Overall we like them much more than we expected. That might change as we delve deeper into solids, but I’m happy we went this route. I hope this has been helpful if you’re curious or considering cloth diapering. It’s definitely not just for granola people – I definitely wouldn’t consider myself super crunchy 🙂 But I’m happy to have this setup and love how it works!
