Cloth Diapers - Let's Get Started!

Starting from the beginning, do your research, and figure out which types of cloth diapers you want to try. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, after doing my research, Derek and I decided that OSFM (one size fits most) pocket diapers would work the best for us because they are the closest to disposables as far as ease of use. Plus, I wanted to use whatever it took to get Derek on board with using cloth so he helped me with the research and this decision. (Gals, if you need help convincing your husbands to get on board with switching to cloth, I'd highly recommend going through this entire process with them. If they're willing of course! I found that keeping Derek in the loop and showing him the things that I found [articles on why cloth is best, different kinds of cloth diapers out there, etc] really helped keep him more as ease and he didn't feel like he was getting thrown into this without knowing what to do! haha!)

Basic materials needed to get started with cloth for 1 full day (although not ALL are necessary if you don't want to wait for everything, like us, to get started).

• 10-12 cloth diapers (Double this for washing diapers every other day)

• 10-24 cloth diaper inserts (Depends on the diapers, we use 2 inserts per diaper but some only require one. Use the inserts that come with the diapers or what the company recommends you using because this will allow you to get ideal use out of your diaper. All of our diapers came with 2 inserts)

• wetbags (1 large for home, 1 small or medium for diaper bag. Double this for washing every other day)

• diaper pail with liner

• diaper sprayer (If you don't get one, it's not the end of the world. Dunking your diapers in the toilet to get the poo off isn't as bad as it sounds! When you become a mother, you seem to get grossed out by things less and less lol!)

• cloth diaper friendly detergent (Here is a chart of cloth diaper friendly detergents)

Wetbags

Diaper pail and liners

Diaper sprayer

 Depending on the ages of your babes, I recommend having some toys nearby to give to your little wigglers so they stay distracted during their diaper changes! It does take just a little more time to snap those cloth diapers so keeping that baby still helps! :-)

Pre-washing your new diapers...

Most companies send you instructions on how to care for their diapers, which include washing instructions, but just in case, here are some simple instructions for you...

Separate all the diapers and inserts from each other. Toss them in the wash. First, run them on just  RINSE cycle only with cold/warm water. Then, add your choice of diaper friendly detergent (usually only put in half of what you would use for a regular load of clothing) and wash them in hot water. Depending on how strong your rinse cycle is on your washing machine, you may need to run an additional rinse cycle to make sure all of the soap is out. Keep repeating the rinse cycle until you don't see anymore suds in the water. The soap could cause irritation to baby's skin. It's recommended to line dry your diapers and inserts but all of us don't have the luxury of being able to do that. If you live in an apartment, like us, there isn't anywhere to line dry your diapers. So, just put your diapers in the dryer and dry them on LOW HEAT, NO FABRIC SOFTENER! This is VERY important because high heat could damage the cover of your diapers and the fabric softener can cause build up in them. Make sure that your diapers and inserts are COMPLETELY dry before using them.

There has been much debate on how many times you should pre-wash your diapers before use. I read in some places that you should at least wash your diapers three times before use and others say that one time is just fine. What's being achieved by washing the diapers before hand is creating maximum absorbency of your cloth diapers and the inserts. You'll achieve this no matter what with every wash after you start using them.

After using your diapers for a while you'll need to think about "stripping" them. NEVER USE VINEGAR to get odor out of your diapers! The vinegar breaks down the elastic inside the diapers.

NOW YOU'RE READY TO CLOTH DIAPER!! WOOT WOOT!

Hopefully my next post will be to tell you about all my amazing diapers once they are come!! YAY!

I hope this helps all of you! If anyone thinks I forgot something PLEASE feel free to comment! I don't want to lead my newbie cloth diaper buddies astray!