Cloth Diapering 101

We generate between one and two tons of garbage for every baby in single use diapers. This all goes to landfills.  In ideal conditions, one of those diapers could take 500 years to biodegrade. But there are no ideal conditions in landfills – no air or light to break down diapers. Even “biodegradable” single use diapers will probably take a long time to disappear. So if we follow the 3 cardinal rules – reducing, re-using and recycling – then using cloth diapers is a logical choice.

You can expect to spend anywhere from $2500-3000 in Canada on single-use diapers from beginning to end. A great cloth diaper system for the same 2 and a half years of diapering can cost as little as $300! Phenomenal savings – even when you factor in 2-3 extra loads of laundry per week. 
Velcro closures and hi-tech waterproof fabrics have replaced pins and plastic pants. Flushable liners mean easy clean up – no rinsing, no dunking in the toilet.

Cloth Diaper Dictionary

Prefolds
If you’re on a tight budget and aren’t afraid to do a little folding, then prefolds are the diaper for you! Want to know how to fold your prefolds? The Diaper Hyena site has a great section on folding techniques. Prefolds require a diaper cover, and if you want a nice secure fit, a Snappi is highly recommended.

Fitteds
Similar to prefolds, fitted diapers are shaped like disposables and close with snaps or velcro. The big advantage to fitted diapers is that they have elastic at the legs and back, which makes them excellent at containing messes. They also tend to be a little less bulky than prefolds. Fitteds also require a diaper cover.

Pocket Diapers
Now we’re into the diapers that are more like disposables. Pocket diapers are a two-piece diapering system typically with a piece of fleece that makes up the inner portion of fabric, and a waterproof outer layer. An absorbent material is placed inside of the two pieces, making the whole system act as an all-in-one system that keeps your baby dry.

All-In-Ones
Also known as AIO’s, all-in-ones are fitted diapers that have an outer waterproof layer already attached. These diapers are ideal for out-of-home use, as they are very similar to disposables. You could add extra absorbency via a doubler at night.

One-Size
One-size diapers can be either all-in-ones or pockets. They’re economical, as you don’t need to buy different sizes of each diaper as they typically have snaps which adjust to fit your baby from birth to potty training. The one downside of all-in-ones is that they tend to be a little bulky on newborns.

Fabrics

The most common fabrics for diapering are cotton, hemp, bamboo, and polyester (micro-terry). Cotton traditionally has been the most popular fabric used for cloth diapers; it is the base for which all other materials are measured. Hemp is 3 times more absorbent than cotton, while bamboo and micro-terry are 2.5 times more absorbent.

Getting Started

Here is a quick checklist of what you will need to get you started cloth diapering full-time, and washing 2 times a week. You may need to upsize after a few months, depending on the style of cloth diapers you choose, but this is what is required to put your baby in cloth diapers today.

Required Purchases:

• 24-36 Cloth Diapers (newborn), 18-24 for a baby that is over 8 months (any style/combination)
• 3-6 Diaper Covers (PUL, wool or fleece) (not required if you are using pocket or AIO diapers)
• 24-36 Cloth Wipes
• 2-3 Doublers for naps and use at night
• 2-3 Snappi Fasteners or sets of Pins (only required for flats, prefolds or contours)
• 1 Diaper Pail and 2 Large Wet Bags (1 for holding dirty diapers while the other is in the wash)
• 1 Container of Lanolin (if using wool)
• Detergent safe for cloth diapers

Optional purchases:

• 24-36 Inserts, 24 for an older baby (required if you are using pocket diapers)
• 1 Small Wet Bag for outings
• 1 bottle of wipe spray or solution
• 1 Bottle of Eucalan (for washing wool)
• A diaper sprayer for rinsing poop off of your diapers (once your baby starts solids)
• 2 Wool Covers for bedtime (wool is virtually leak-proof, is warm in the winter and stays cool in the summer and does not need to be washed often, unless soiled)

A Few Things to Consider

• You will go through more diapers with a newborn than with an older baby or child.
• The average newborn will need to be changed every two hours. You should expect to change at least 10-12 diapers a day.
• If you plan to run laundry daily, you can get away with fewer diapers, although it never hurts to have a few extra on hand. For washing every other day, you should have at least 24 diapers.
• If you exclusively breast-feed, solids are water soluble and no rinsing or soaking of your diapers is necessary.
• When your baby starts solids, we highly recommend getting a Mini Shower. This is an amazing invention and will be the best $50 you spend while cloth diapering.
• A cloth diaper “stash” is not complete without at least 4-6 prefolds. These are so multi-functional you will find many, many uses for them outside of diapering. They are always handy to have on hand.
• One-size diapers generally do not fit well on infants or toddlers. While we think it’s a wonderful concept, we have not found a one-size diaper that will actually serve this purpose. They should fit quite well during the time in-between these two stages but you should really expect to use something a little different for the newborn stage and the toddler stage.
• If you are trying to save money, or on a very tight budget, you can get by with 3 dozen regular size prefolds and 4 covers in each size for the entire time your child will be in diapers. This is the most economical route, as well as being dependable and reliable!
• If you want convenience, and ease of use and you don’t mind spending a little more (or at least what you would have spent of disposables!) go for 2-3 dozen Pocket Diapers with Inserts or All-In-One diapers and be done with it!
• If you must use diaper creams, use a flushable diaper liner. All diaper creams are oil based – even natural and organic diaper creams are made with olive, coconut or other oils. The oil in the diaper cream will keep moisture away from baby’s skin, but it will also coat the diaper fabric. If oil permeates the fabric of the diaper, it will prevent absorption.
• Use a recommended detergent. Cloth diapers are easy to care for, and they are very hard working. Using a low residue detergent will help keep them performing well. Choose a detergent that has few ingredients and/or is recommended by the manufacturer or trusted cloth diaper retailer. When in doubt, ask!
• Wash your diapers every 1-3 days. Most families have enough diapers to last two (2) days and are washing every other day. Please don’t leave your dirty diapers in the diaper pail for more than 3 days at a time – urine will take on a strong ammonia smell and diapers left for long periods may develop odours and mildew, both things you don’t want!