Jade's Epic Cloth Diaper Post

My Cloth Diapered Cuties :)

I'm writing this post because almost every time someone finds out that I cloth diaper my girls, they have lots of questions about it.

Everything in this post comes strictly from my experience, and the little amount of knowledge I have gained over my two years of cloth diapering. Keep in mind that there are countless brands of cloth diapers, and many different ways to make it work for you!

These aren't your Grandma's cloth diapers! Cloth diapering has come a long way over the last few years, and in my experience, I would say that it is almost as easy as using disposable diapers, and more convenient, since I don't really worry about "running out" of them :)

The brand of cloth diapers that I use is Baby Kangas, and I love them. They are a pocket diaper, which means that they are a (usually) waterproof shell, and you put your choice of liners inside the diaper, depending on your "absorbing" needs at the time. The reason I use these is that you can separate them into each piece, and they dry much quicker. I'm sure there are many other brands that I would fall in love with as well, but for the sake of this post, I am using Kangas :D

Here is a step by step post of how I use my cloth diapers!

Step 1: Get the baby :)

2. Choose my liners. I made the liners pictured from leftover bamboo fabric. They are three layers of terry, and I use two or three usually.

3. Pick a color. I have 6 adorable colors to pick from...cloth dipes are sooo cute!

4. Adjust the diaper size. The three rows of snaps on a Kanga are called the rise. You snap the top layer into the bottom for newborn, the middle for older babies, and have no snaps done up for toddlers usually. Once you adjust the rise to your needs, you can leave it snapped until it's time to move up :)

5. Undo the zipper. I believe this feature is unique to Kangas. Other pocket diapers will have a similar pocket though. All in ones have all the liners sewn in already, and there are other types as well.

6. "Stuff" the diapers with the liners and do up the zipper.

7. Now your diaper is ready to go on! I know that seemed like alot of steps, but it really only takes a minute to do. And doesn't that look incredibly soft for your baby's bottom?

8. Put the diaper on the baby just like you would with a disposable...except using snaps :) Although cloth diapers with velcro tabs are also very popular!

9. There we go! One cute cloth diapered baby coming up :)

Wipes: cloth vs. disposable....cloth wipes are pretty simple to add to your regimen. Some people put them in a wipes container with a homemade cleaning solution. Personally, I just keep a stack of Little Lily wipes by the sink, and wet them as I need them with plain, warm water.

Diaper Rash: Cloth diapered babies experience a much lower rate of diaper rash, but it does still happen. If it does, it's important that you do not use any creams or ointments in your cloth dipes, as they lower the absorbency of the diaper and can leave residue even after being washed.

Some tips that I have found helpful in treating diaper rash:

-let them go naked. I just lay a towel under Danica, and let her air out for as long as she is happy playing on her mat! If you can put them in a place where the sun is shining through the window on their bum, even better :)

-Frequent changing to avoid moisture sitting on the rash

-Breastmilk. That may sound weird, but breastmilk is pretty amazing in it's healing qualities! The most effective is if you can use the "hindmilk" since it's creamier.

-Cornstarch, to soak up moisture

If you have tried all of these and need to use a diaper cream, put the baby in disposables to do it :)

Some of the most common questions/comments I get are about cleaning the diapers.

Thankfully, there are ways to make that easy too!

Introducing...my handy dandy diaper sprayer!

It hooks to the valve at the back of the toilet...like so:

P.S. it took alot for me to get over my embarassment of posting pics of my toilet on my blog :p But, it had to be done because the diaper sprayer is awesome!

When you have a poopy diaper, just turn the lever above slightly to the right, hold the diaper over the toilet, and spray all the poo away! I must warn you if you choose to use this though...it's not a wimp. turn it up too high, or point it at the wrong angle, and you'll resemble Katherine Heigl in that scene from "Life as We Know it". Remember? "uuuh dear? you have Sh%t on your face."

The only diapers I really have to spray off are Myka's poopy dipes. Danica still has breastmilk poo, and it pretty much absorbs right in, so there is no need for spraying. So once they are sprayed off, this is where they go! Separate the liners from the diaper, and toss it all in here...No soaking required (although some people choose to). This is called a wet bag, and it's just a large, waterproof bag. It holds the dirty diapers for up to three days (wash at least this often to avoid bacteria buildup).

When I'm ready to wash, I dump the diapers in the wash, and then toss the wetbag in for a washing too!

I just just started using soapnuts. They are the dried fruit berries that fall from the soapberry tree in India Previous to this, I used Charlies soap to wash my diapers. I liked it as well, but switched because I got these half price and have heard rave reviews about them. So far, no complaints! Rockin' Green is also a great cloth diaper soap :)

So here's how I wash them. I put 5 soapnuts in the small mesh bag, and toss it right into the drum of the front load washer. I add about a half a cup of vinegar (to cut the ammonia smell) to the Fabric softener dispenser, then I wash them in hot water with an extra rinse.

When you dry your diapers, it is important to NOT use dryer sheets. They add a lot of unnecessary chemicals to your diapers, and they also reduce the absorbency. Instead, I recommend using wool dryer balls. They last forever, absorb extra moisture so your laundry dries faster, and they fluff and soften your laundry as it dries!

I dry them in the dryer usually, but occasionally, it's good to dry them on a line in the sun. It takes out even more odor and naturally bleaches the stains out!

About once a month I "strip" the diapers. To do this, I soak them in a pail overnight with oxyclean, then wash them in hot water with no soap.

When the diapers are dry, I just toss them in this drawer! I don't bother with folding or anything, because I'll be using them all again within a couple of days!

So there you go. That's how I cloth diaper! When I first started, I was warned that it is "addicting". I admit, I thought those people were crazy...I mean, they're diapers! But, now that I've done it for awhile, I do understand. Although I don't think I could explain it. I'll give an example though:

Last week I needed more cloth diapers to keep up with both girls. When those dipes came in the mail, I was so excited to rip open the box, look at the cute colors, and feel the super soft lining! Again, I can't explain why it made me so happy, but it did :)

Like I said before, I have limited knowledge, so I'm providing a link list! Here are my favorites:

Cozybums is where I buy all of my cloth diapering supplies and diapers! Katie has an amazing wealth of cloth diapering knowledge to go with her impressive inventory! Seriously...ask her anything. She's so helpful! Plus, she's a Canadian mom...and who doesn't love supporting Canadian moms!?

Yoreganics is where you can learn all about soap nuts, and if you love the idea of them...buy them there too!

Crazy Colorful Wools is the super bright, fun etsy shop where I buy my wool dryer balls!

Here is a nifty calculator to help you figure out what you would save by cloth diapering. For prices of cloth dipes, refer to the cozybums site above

Here is my site, Little Lily Bamboo, where you can purchase cloth wipes should you choose to use them!

Cloth diapering FUN FACTS:

*Disposable diapers can cost between $2000-$3000 for each child, depending on when they potty train. Cloth diapers will cost $300-$800 (depending on a few factors), and can be reused for all of your children.

*Cloth diapering only adds an extra 2-3 loads of laundry a week...and there's no folding required :)

*If wasting energy with the extra laundry is your concern, think about the energy required to cut the trees, transport them, pulp them, manufacture them, package them in plastic and cardboard, transport the finished product, and finally, transporting the disposed of diapers to the landfill, where they will take between 200-500 years to decompose.

*Cloth diapers are breathable. It's a fact that disposable diapers hold in heat, and can get hot enough over a prolonged period that it can affect your son's fertility.

*Cloth diapered baby's experience MUCH less diaper rash.

*Cloth diapers may mean earlier potty training because the toddler is more aware of the moisture and gets uncomfortable. Myka is proving to be the exception to this however, since she loves picking which color of diaper she will wear next! LOL

*Many people I have talked to choose not to cloth diaper because they are grossed out by the thought of "touching" poo. However, I have not had one poo blowout with my Baby Kangas....as opposed to MANY with disposable diapers. And with the help of the diaper sprayer or flushable liners, your rate of "touching poo" is not high :)

This post is long, and yet, it just touches the tip of the iceburg! I encourage you to google cloth diaper facts if you want to learn more...there is lots of great information out there!

Thanks for being part of the "post where Jade talks about poo alot" :D

Feel free to comment or ask a question that I may have missed!