These cloth diaper tips were written for a new cloth diapering mama, by a mom who has cloth diapered 4 little men and is now diapering her first little girl over the course of the last 12 years. It was written to be a cheat sheet of tips, not a full blown tutorial. You may also like to read about my favorite cloth diapers.
- When changing baby, make sure you fold the Velcro laundry tabs down as you remove the diaper.
- Wash every 2 to 3 days at least. Going longer makes it tougher to get them clean.
- Start with a soak cycle. If you don’t have a soak cycle, drench the diapers to their full absorbency before washing by adding extra water to the washer drum or adding to the pail liner before tipping into the washer. (You don’t need to rinse until baby is on a lot of solid foods. At that point, tip any poop that comes off easily into the toilet and do a rinse cycle before soaking.)
- Use an eco friendly detergent (My favorites are Norwex, Rocking green, or Charlie’s)
- Dry until fully dry, not damp. I just throw the covers and pail liner in the dryer too but you could air dry them (they should last longer if you do).
- Chuck them in the basket or drawer and they’re ready to use again.
Extra Tips:
- Disposable wipes have a tendency to go through the washer so most people find cloth wipes (I use baby face cloths) much more convenient. 30-40 wipes should be plenty for a newborn. You’ll need less for older babies/toddlers.
- A mesh laundry bag (held up in something like a large peanut butter container) for dirty wipes prevents wipes from getting lost. Be sure it is big enough to give the wipes lots of room to wiggle clean. Get two, one to wash and one to use. (I also has issues with wipes getting into my washer drainage hose and the mesh bag solved that problem.)
- A small container of water on or near the change table, freshened every few days, makes it easier to wet a wipe when needed. Pre-wetting wipes is quick but can result in musty wipes that need to be washed even if they haven’t been used.
- Wet and wring wipes and put them in a plastic sandwich bag for going out.
- Use a reusable diaper pail liner. Turn it inside out to push the diapers into the washer and you’ll never have to touch the dirty diapers and you’ll rarely have to wash your diaper pail.
- Keep the diapers in a cool part of the room with good airflow. Avoid sealing the lid onto the diaper pail because they may start to get hot and fermenty. They actually smell less than disposables because you don’t have that icky chemical smell mixed in.
- Under normal circumstances, you should not have to strip diapers more than about once a year. If you are having problems that require your to strip more frequently, try revising your wash routine.
- Most diaper creams are not cloth diaper safe. Coconut oil may help any bum rashes you encounter or there are some great cloth diaper safe creams put there. My personal favorites are Earth Mama Angel Baby and Thirsties.
- For using cloth on the go, remember your diapers, covers, pre-wetted wipes, a wet bag, and a change pad (I ADORE these waterproof change pads and can’t believe it took me 5 babies to be introduced to them. Just chuck them in the wash with the diapers and presto!).
