benefits of using cloth diapers

Cloth diapers are better for your baby's skin because they are naturally comfortable, free of chemicals, and gentle on sensitive body parts. Also many parents report that using cloth diapers instead of disposables reduces the occurrence of diaper rash.
The choice to use cloth diapers makes a positive impact on the quality of your environment. Disposable diapers can take up to 500 years to decompose and one baby can produce up to 2 tons of landfill waste. Reusable cloth diapers give you and your baby a safer, cleaner world to live in.
And you can save money by using cloth diapers! Compared to disposable diapers, the cost of using cloth diapers is significantly less. Diapering a baby with disposables for only one year costs as much as diapering a baby with cloth for up to three years. Furthermore, high quality cotton diapers can be used on more than one child.

Prefold Diaper or Chinese Prefold or Diaper Service Quality (DSQ) - a large, rectangular shaped diaper that, despite the name, still needs to be folded to fit into a cover. Prefolds are usually either six or eight layers thick in the middle, and two or four layers thick on either side, thus the terms 2x6x2, or 4x8x4.

Contoured or Hourglass or Shaped Diaper - a diaper that requires no folding because of its hourglass shape. These usually have a thicker center panel to increase absorbency.

Fitted Diaper - a diaper that usually snaps or Velcros™ onto baby, and has elastic sewn around the legs. These diapers require no folding, however, they do require a cover.

All-In-One Diaper (AIO) - This diaper requires no cover, because the diaper and cover are sewn together. The easiest of all diapers to use, they usually Velcro™ or snap on.

Diaper Doubler - multiple layers of fabric sewn into a rectangular or hourglass shape that can be laid into any type of diaper to increase its absorbency.

Diaper Liner - one layer of fabric (usually fleece) cut into a rectangular or hourglass shape that can be laid into any type of diaper to wick moisture away from baby's skin without adding any absorbency or bulk to the diaper.

Diaper Wrap - a diaper cover with Velcro™ or snap closures.

Pull-on Cover - a diaper cover that must be pulled up onto baby. These are easiest used with fitted diapers. If prefolds are used with pull-on covers, the diaper must be pinned.

Wool cover- Wool diaper covers were used for centuries to keep babies dry and comfortable. Then rubber and plastic pants were invented and wool was abandoned as old-fashioned and messy. Fast forward a few decades and you'll find cloth diapering moms and dads in the know using wool diaper covers to keep their babies dry. Why do they choose wool?

Wool has a number of unique properties that make it perfect for diaper covers. Wool is extremely flexible and resilient. Wool fibers can bend 20,000 times or more before breaking. Compare this with just a few thousand times for cotton and you get some idea how long a well made wool diaper cover will last. In fact, properly cared for wool diaper covers will still be working hard for your children's children.
Another remarkable aspect of wool is the ability to absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture before it feels damp. Coupled with the ability to let moisture evaporate, your wool covers will allow a lot of moisture to evaporate while it is still on your baby. This is especially helpful at night to keep your baby dry all night. Many parents swear that a hemp diaper and wool cover are the only way they can keep their heavy-wetting babies dry overnight.

The lanolin in wool will react with urine to create a kind of mild soap. This keeps your wool diaper cover smelling fresh for a week or more at a time, reducing your washing time. Reapplying lanolin (called lanolizing) every few washes will keep your covers functioning well and smelling great.

Here are some suggestions to help you decide exactly what you need 
to get started with cloth diapering your newborn baby. 
Please size up if you are getting started with cloth diapering on your toddler.

Diapers
2-3 Dozen Diapers (any combination of prefolds, contours, fitteds, or all-in-ones)
6-12 Diaper Doublers or Liners

Covers
4-6 Newborn size wrap covers (Velcro or snap)
6-8 Small size covers (Any combination of wraps or pull-ons)
2-3 nightime covers (such as Imse Vimse covers or wool soakers)
 

Accessories
2-3 Dozen cloth wipes
Baby wipe cleanser

folding tips

Prefold diapers can simply be tri-folded and laid directly into a wrap style cover. This method requires no diaper fasteners.
Or, try one of our favorite folding techniques illustrated below.

Step 1: Lay prefold horizontally under baby. Serged edges should be at top and bottom.	Step 2: Twist center of prefold.	Step 3: Pull twisted prefold up, pull the back corners (wings) around to the front.	Step 4: Attach Snappi Note: For smaller babies, front of diaper can be folded down in front after twisting.

 

Newspaper Fold:

Step 1: Lay prefold horizontally under baby. Serged edges should be at top and bottom.	Step 2: Fold front of diaper up about 1/3 of the length. You may need to fold up more for smaller babies, or less for larger babies.	Step 3: Fold in the left front, while keeping the back fanned out.	Step 4: Fold in the right front, again keeping the back fanned out.	Step 5: Pull folded front up, and pull the back corners (wings) around to the front. Fasten with a Snappi.

 

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washing diapers

When diapers are wet or soiled, throw them directly into a pail with no water.  If they are especially soiled, shake the solids off into the toilet, or rinse the entire diaper out into the toilet, then put it in the pail. If you are breastfeeding, it is not necessary to rinse your newborn baby's diaper in the toilet, just throw it directly in the pail.  Be sure to fold in any Velcro™ tabs before they go into the pail.  

Pour the contents of the pail into the washing machine, and run a cold rinse cycle.  Then, run a normal hot wash cycle with about ¼-½  the recommended amount of detergent.  Detergent build-up can hinder absorbency, and cause odor in your diapers. If the diapers need a little freshening up, add ¼ cup of white vinegar, or a little baking soda to the second rinse cycle. Vinegar is a natural fabric softener, a mildew inhibitor, and it also removes excess soap residue. It's not a bad idea to vary your drying methods. The sun is a natural whitener and sanitizer, while the dryer keeps the diapers nice and soft. 

Some special instructions:

Unbleached cotton, hemp, and organic cotton diapers need to be washed 5-7 times in very hot water and dried once before using because the natural oils in the fabric have not been removed through processing. These diapers include Unbleached Chinese Prefolds, Kissaluvs Fitted Diapers, hemp diapers, Contours, and wipes, doublers, and wipes. You will want to use approximately 1-2 tablespoons of detergent for each of these initial washes. We recommend using a detergent that is free of bleach and fabric softeners like Charlies soap. Fabric softeners leave a coating in the fibers of the diaper which decreases absorbency. Bleach weakens diapers and is not safe for baby's skin. Never use bleach on diaper covers.

nighttime diapering    Diapering at night requires a system that will keep baby's diaper from leaking and keep baby's skin as dry as possible. To minimize leaks, we recommend using a good fitted diaper such as sugar peas or dreameeze fitteds. To increase absorbency and keep baby's skin dry, we suggest using doublers and micro fleece liners.   if diapers leak    Cloth diapers should never leak. Leaky diapers can be attributed to a number of different reasons. The three most common reasons are: 1. Not changing the diaper frequently enough - This is a very common problem, especially for parents who have recently switched from disposable diapers to cloth diapers. Cloth diapers need to be changed about every 1-3 hours. Heavy wetters and newborn babies will require more frequent changes. Nighttime diapering is more involved, and will be discussed in the next question. 2. Poor sizing/fit - When choosing diaper and cover sizes, refer to the size suggestions provided for each individual brand. Most companies size according to baby's weight. Some factors that contribute to a poor fit and can cause leaking are diapers or covers gapping at the legs and waist, and diapers not being completely tucked into covers. A nice fitting diaper needs to be used with a cover that is neither too big nor too small. Ensuring a proper fit depends on a good combination of diaper and cover. 3. Detergent build-up causing decreased absorbency -  If diapers fit well, and are changed frequently, but are still leaking, detergent build-up may be the problem. It is a good idea to wash diapers every once in a while in hot water without detergent. This will remove excess detergent, and return adequate absorbency to the diapers.    Have more questions?  Contact me at holly@papoosebebe.com