I have a 4 year old daughter and a 20 month old son and both have worn cloth diapers…my son Frankie from birth and my daughter from 1 years old and on. I was so scared to start. I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter, I researched for hours on cloth diapers, but became so overwhelmed that I didn’t even give it a try. When she turned 1, I read an article on how much this mother had saved using cloth diapers. I did the math and realized I had thrown so much money away on disposables.
So, I ordered a trial package of like 10-15 different types of NEW cloth diapers from this site and gave it a try on my daughter. I fell in love! She looked so cute in them and they were so easy. I kept the diapers I liked from that package and returned the rest. I then ordered more diapers for her.
During this time I was confused on how to actually set up the diapers. Where do the poop diapers go? Do they all mix in together in one wetbag? How do cloth wipes work? Should I do cloth wipes too? So, to make it easy on you, I’m going to explain what has been working for me for the past 3 years.
This is my cloth diaper system…
I keep all my cloth wipes near the sink. In our house we are able to fit the changing table in the bathroom. In our last house we couldn’t fit in the bathroom so I kept the wipes on the changing table. When my son was a newborn and very sensitive to temperature, I put a batch of cloth wipes in a wipe warmer on the changing table. Now, that he is older and doesn’t mind cold water, I just keep them near the sink and wet them when I need them. I’ve also used a spray bottle to spray the wipes but this works better for us in this house.
Cloth wipes are just easier when you are cloth diapering. You don’t have to worry about throwing anything in the trash, it all just goes in the wetbag. I also don’t ever rinse off cloth wipes. They all go in the large wetbag (I have 2 of these; one for current use and one to use when the other is in the laundry) next to the changing table. I also don’t use anything fancy, just baby wash clothes work great!
Here is my changing table area…
All my diapers are underneath for easy access and there is a large wetbag, in a trash can, next to it. All the WET diapers go into that trash can and also all the cloth wipes
Aren’t the diapers so cute?!?!
So, what about the poop? If you plan on cloth diapering, I HIGHLY recommend you get this lifesaver…
It is called a diaper sprayer and it attaches to the toilet. You just spray the poop right off! It’s awesome…just make sure you have it pointed down when you squeeze it, cause I have, totally, sprayed myself in the face before! Then I have a bucket next to the toilet that LOCKS and I throw the poopy diapers in there. I keep the poopy diapers separated in the bucket because they get really sopping wet when I spray them and I would rather quickly throw them somewhere close instead of carrying across the room. Also, the bucket locks any kind of smell in and locks my kids and dogs out! :/
What are some other brands I have tried that didn’t cut it?
1. GroVia (one-size pocket diapers) – they are great for smaller babies, but if you’re gonna pay over $20 for a one-size diaper, then they better be able to convert to all sizes. Well, these didn’t do it for me. At around 20lbs, my son outgrew them. Thankfully, I didn’t spend over $20 on them since I got them online during a half off sale, but still…I was still upset they didn’t live up to the “Gro” part of “GroVia.”
2. FuzzyBunzs (one-size pocket diapers) – These are another that didn’t grow too well with my kids. They are another one-size diaper and I ended up selling them off before my son was even a year old.
3. I’m not a fan of microfiber – even though many of these diapers come with a microfiber insert and I still use them, I have my issues with them. Since it is not a “natural” material, it does not clean that well and requires extra care. However, microfiber is cheap and makes cloth diapering even cheaper, so I grudgingly use it.
What are my favorite brands?
1. I love BumGenius diapers. Anything BumGenius is great! I have never had any issues with them. In fact, they are on their 3rd year and going strong. I’ve tried other brands but they never worked as great as BumGenius.
2. For night-time, I really love Chelory Night–time Inserts. They are really thick and I stuff them inside a BumGenius pocket diaper. My kids pee A LOT in the night and these are bulletproof!
3. I also love the Flip System using their organic inserts. This is a diaper cover with an insert. You can use the cover over-and-over before washing, until it becomes soiled on. This is a very frugal way to cloth diaper. I also love the Flip system when we are traveling. It only requires you pack 4-6 covers and then the inserts. It takes up less space than packing a bunch of BumGenius pocket diapers.
4. Wetbags – I love this pail liner for in-home use. It fits perfectly into a trashcan with a lid. I recommend 2 of them. One for current use and one to use when you are washing one.
I use this wetbag when we are out-and-about (also, recommend 2 of them). You throw the diaper, with the poop, in there, zip it up, and take care of it when you get home! Very easy! I never use disposables when we go out…like some people.
I did cloth diaper my son from birth as well. He was a chunk at nearly 10lbs so it took him about 2 weeks to fit into the one-size diapers I had for him (his sister’s hand-me-downs!). However, the first few weeks we used Thirsties covers in extra-small and GMD prefolds. They worked out great for that tiny phase!
I hope this helps you get an understanding of how SIMPLE cloth diapering can be. There are some things that make it even more simple:
– If you are breastfeeding for the first 6 months, you don’t even have to rinse the poop off. Breastmilk poo disintegrates in the wash.
– You can RE-SELL your diapers if you don’t like them or if your baby outgrows them. You can sell them on Craigslist or Diaperswappers.com.
My Wash Cycle goes like this…
- Throw all the diapers from the poop bucket and the large wetbag into the washer.
- Wash on the longest cycle, in warm water, without soap.
- When the cycle is over, put on HOT water and wash again, adding soap (I now use Ecos detergent with no problems).
- When the second cycle is over, put on an extra rinse. This gets rid of any detergent left on the diaper.
Let me know if you have any questions!! I love converting people into cloth diapering ::insert evil laugh:: and over to the dark side! 🙂
“Posted at Small Footprint Fridays, Natural Family Friday, and Thank Your Body”
I’m 12 weeks today and trying to make decisions like what kind of diapers to use so this is a great article!! Lots of info!
I do have a question: When someone else keeps your kids, do they use the cloth diapers or do you have disposables for that? I just don’t know about asking my mom or sister to do the cloth diaper thing. They’ll probably think I’m slightly weird anyways (but who cares) but I hate to put an added burden on them if they are doing me a favor and keeping the little one!
Love the site! So much great information!
I don’t ever have to do disposables. The nursery workers at church are awesome and have several other moms who cloth diaper. The gym I go to is fine. And family members just need direction and then they should be fine. So many moms are choosing to cloth diaper so I don’t think it’s that “weird” anymore!
We cloth diaper as well… I’ve never used a separate pail for the poopy diapers.. I’m just curious, why do you have a separate pail? Also, is it a specific “diaper pail”? Very interesting… 🙂 Great blog! I look forward to reading through it! 🙂
I do a separate pail because it’s just easier for me because the diapers get so wet when using the diaper sprayer. The pail just holds it all together better without any leaks. Also, it’s right next to the toilet so I don’t have to drag a sopping wet diaper across the room. It’s a Bambino Mio diaper bucket. I think I paid $8 for it on clearance.
Oh and it also locks in the smell too. That’s another reason
I wish you would come over and organize my nursery- you have it all down! I love the bumgenius cloth diapers out of all that I have tried- those inserts make them so easy to use.
How many do you need to start from scratch, including how many cloths for wiping? Would a “starter pack” be enough?
Thanks! This article was helpful. I too researched and researched and felt so overwhelmed that I used disposables for 2.25yrs with my first, thinking next time I’ll brave the wilds of cloth diapering…cheaper, better for the environment, better for the baby bum 🙂
Oh and what do you use for diaper cream?
Thanks,
Mel
I think around 20 diapers is perfect! YOu want to have enough to cover for washing day. Cloth wipes…probably around 20-30. They can be old fleece baby blankets cut in squares! Diaper cream I use coconut oil! Works awesome!!!!
Love this! I cloth diaper also and was just working on an entry like this for my blog. I’ve also tried many brands and prefer BumGenius!
Thank you for writing this article. I wanted to cloth diaper with my daughter (she’s 20 year old now) but I was extremely young and steered towards disposables by all of the “adults” around me for convenience. I will be re-starting my family again within the next year and now that I’m older, I will stick to my guns about my choice. You have made it so much less terrifying and confusing.
Just wanted to thank you again for this article!! I’ve been doing additional research on the cost savings and different options and I just got my husband on board. So we are going to give cloth diapers a shot! So I have until October to get my act together when our little Kiwi (not the real name, just the placeholder) arrives!
Where do you get the diaper sprayer? Can you provide a link? I am helping my daughter set up. Great blog!
I use the BumGenius brand. I didn’t splurge and get it for a few months cause it’s a little pricey. However, I would NEVER go without it again. It’s awesome. It has so many uses, not just for cloth diapers, but for cleaning little potties, also for post pardum care, and also for cleaning dirty undies from toddler accidents. Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/13vUhXu
When you wash your diapers do you take them out of the wet bag? Or do you throw the whole thing as is into the washer? For your cloth wipes, do you just use water on them? I see you use a regular plastic garbage can for a “diaper pail”, how does it do holding in the smells? What brand wet bag do you have that fits in a garbage can like that?
Thank you so much for all this information!! 🙂
I do dump my diapers out of the wetbag…just because I feel like it will do a better job washing. I just dump them out…don’t even need to touch them. My wipes…yes, I just use water. I just wet the wipe and use it. The garbage can holds in the smells fine. Actually if I start smelling anything when I come into the bathroom, it’s a good reminder that it’s time to wash. I sometimes forget and have gone almost a week before! The wetbag is a Kissa’s pail liner. I have 2 to rotate when I’m washing one. I’ve used it for 3 years now and they are awesome: https://amzn.to/1cXjAow
Hi! Do you ever “strip” the diapers? I used kissaluvs with my last child and was really not pleased. They leaked soon after starting to use them and then after hours of trying to strip them clean they still leaked. Have you ha this issue in the 3 years of usif the bum genius?
Thanks!
Sarah
Yes, I have to strip every other month now. I think it really depends on your water and a few other things. Where we live now, we have well water which is great but the pressure is terrible so it’s not getting the diapers as clean with the diaper sprayer. To strip I use HOT HOT water and I do like 3 cycles with hot water. I peak in and see if there is any bubbles from soap suds in the diapers…if there is I do another cycle. That is usually why diapers leak…because they have build up and are repelling. So, strip them and see how it goes!
First of all I recently found your website and LOVE IT!! Second I am on my second cloth diaper child and this is the best “tutorial” on how easy cloth diapering is! There is so much information and opinions out there about what brand is best and what style I think it really turns people off. Thank you for giving an honest post about what it really is.
You are welcome! It really is this easy…I know how overwhelming it can be at first. I’m glad you liked my tutorial!
Quick question! I will be using Ecos detergent with my cloth diapers too. You mentioned that it has been working well for you, and I am curious: how much do you use per load? I haven’t found any specific answers to that question. Most websites say “1/2-1/4 of the amount of detergent that you usually use.” And I’ve even seen 2-4 Tablespoons. What works for you?
Ecos works great for me. I do have to strip every 3 months or so, but I think that’s normal. I just use 1/2 the amount recommended.
We use BumGenius, and after a night of sleeping they stink so bad!! I’ve tried methods of stripping, but it’s still there! It burns my nose… Any ideas??
It’s definitely ammonia. Sometimes you got to bleach it to get that out. I know, sounds terrible, and bleach is my last resort.
Did you use the one-size bumGenius? If so, how old was your baby (or what was the weight) when they fit properly? My son is 6 weeks and they leak out the top side (he sleeps on his side) even during naps. I’m hoping this will go away when he gets a little bigger, but wondering what you thought. Thanks!
Yes I used the OS BG however my babies were big. I think my son had to be around 12lbs before I could fit him in them snug.
Okay, thanks, I’ll hold out hope. 🙂 I really enjoy your blog by the way.
Hello there!!! So my little gal is 5 weeks we currently use Thursties OS size 1 & BG Flip OS with osocozy perfect fit prefolds.. However, every single time she poops it explodes out of one side! Staining the tripping of the leg gusset! I wanted to re-sell these on CL when she out grows them how do I get these stains out? She is exclusively BF!
Also, I use mineral oil on my cloth wipes and read you can wash all wipes/covers/prefold/fitted ect together then another post that said it will ruin the prefolds or any type of dipe! 🙁 do you think I’ve ruined my dipes busy doing this on one wash????
Trimming not tripping lol & by not busy**** lol sorry bad typos
I always wash it all together. I don’t think you ruined anything!
How many cloth diapers would you say would be good to have on hand for a newborn?
About 30 would be ideal!
How many diapers would you recommend having on hand for a newborn?
Try a vinegar wash, to neutralize the ammonia without bleach. 1-2 cups white vinegar in the wash with just hot water, on an extra long wash, with a second rinse cycle. Same process works for bath towels that aren’t as absorbent as they used to be.
Whats up very cool blog!! Man .. Excellent ..
Superb .. I’ll bookmark your web site and take the feeds additionally?
I’m happy to search out so many useful info here in the post,
we want develop extra strategies in this regard, thanks
for sharing. . . . . .
Do you use any kind of liner with the pail that you throw the poopy diapers into after you spray them?
I had been using cloth diapers on my son (15months) for about 7 months but he ended up getting a terrible rash and blisters where the diaper would rub along the insides of his legs. Did you ever have this and I tried using a homemade diaper cream and it wouldn’t go away. I changed him every 2 hrs and it still didn’t help the rash.
Did the bum genius diapers wear out and fray at all. I used the little bee company and they are kind of falling apart along the legs where the elastic is. I think that’s what was causing the blisters on my sons legs.
I’m so sorry you had such trouble with your cloth diapers. I did not have any problem with rashes, and the diapers did not fray in any way. I used diapers from this site: https://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10/tryclothfor10