When my daughter was born we had a package of Pampers Swaddlers ready, and we thought we’d be using disposable diapers until she was potty trained.  We had a couple of packages of cloth diapers, but they were too big for my daughter for the first month or two.  Also, because I didn’t know anything about modern cloth diapers, I wasn’t in a hurry to use them.  I’ve heard some horror stories from my mom about cloth diapering, so I didn’t think I’d ever want to do it.  I later found out that modern diapers are not the same as what my mom used on my sister and me when we were babies.

So, we used disposable diapers for a couple of months until I couldn’t handle the rashes anymore.  My daughter was a lot more sensitive to the chemicals in disposable diapers than my friends’ babies, and there was no cream that would prevent the rashes from coming back every few days.  The constant rashes led me to do some online research.  After reading about the chemicals in disposable diapers, I decided to give cloth diapers a try.  Even though the diapers we had weren’t amazing, I kept using them.  Thanks to more online research, I found out about bumGenius diapers and just had to try one.  Thanks to the bumGenius diaper, I actually enjoyed changing my daughter – a task that I’ve always hated before.  Also, the rashes weren’t as frequent anymore which made me want to stick with cloth diapering.  So, I decided to buy 6 more bumGenius diapers.

Even though my daughter had fewer diaper rashes, she still had some from time to time.  One day while doing more online research on cloth diapers, I discovered that some babies can be sensitive to synthetic fibres.  I knew that the bumGenius pocket diapers had a synthetic lining, so I decided to look for diapers made with natural fibres.  The diapers I decided to purchase next included an AMP hemp fitted diaper, a Sugar Peas hemp fitted diaper and six unbleached Indian cotton prefolds.  I couldn’t believe how fast my daughter’s rashes went away and stayed away after I started using those diapers.

In the first couple of months, I also learned which detergents to use and which not to use with cloth diapers.  However, I still run into detergent issues many months later.  Whenever I use a different washer or want to try a new cloth diaper detergent, I’m running into some issues.  The one thing that’s never given my daughter rashes is soapnuts.  To find out more about the soapnuts I use, please visit the Superior Soapnuts website or the Eco Bebe Boutique.

Today, most of my daughter’s diapers have been made by me.  I’ve tried a lot of other diapers, but there was always something about each diaper that was bothering me.  It took me many months to perfect my diaper pattern, and since I’m a bit of a perfectionist, I’m still not 100% satisfied with it and probably never will.

I’ve never regretted switching to cloth diapers even when the poops got more stinky and detergents almost drove me insane.  To find out exactly why I’ve stuck with cloth diapering, please read one of my previous posts titled, “Things I Love About Cloth Diapers“, if you haven’t already done so.

2. Storing the Dirty Diapers

If you’re just trying out cloth diapers, you probably don’t want to purchase a diaper pail – a good wetbag or any other waterproof bag will do the job.  Then when you decide to buy more diapers, you can buy a diaper pail or continue using a wetbag.

Some people will put dirty diapers in a wet pail which is just a container partly filled with water.  Others will place the diapers in a wetbag once the waste has been rinsed off .  Diaper sprayers are quite popular for diaper rinsing.

3. Washing Cloth Diapers

The information on cloth diaper washing is of course the same for those who are switching to cloth diapers and those who are planning to cloth diaper from the beginning.

Probably the most important part of washing your diapers is detergent.  Always check the ingredients to make sure there are no optical brighteners, fragrances and dyes added.  Enzymes should also be avoided since they get activated when wet and start digesting organic matter, including your baby’s bum!  Tide Free & Clear or President’s Choice (PC) Ultra Free are two examples of detergents that include enzymes.  For cloth diaper safe detergents please see Diaper Jungle’s chart.  Diaper Jungle has a separate chart for front load washer which you can find here.  Please note that Nature Clean detergent in powder form is safe for cloth diapers and nowadays is available in a lot of supermarket stores.  Recently, a new detergent has been gaining popularity in the cloth diapering world.  It’s called Rockin’ Green Soap and it has been specifically made for cloth diapers.  For now the detergent is available in the US only, but don’t be surprised if you see it in Canada very soon.

Once you think you have the right detergent, here are the steps most people follow:

(1) Cold rinse (or short cold wash with no detergent).

(2) Hot wash with 1/4 – 1/2 of recommended detergent followed by a cold rinse.  It might be a good idea to start with less detergent and if that doesn’t get your diapers clean, add a little bit more.

(3) Smell the diapers, if they smell clean, run another rinse.  If they do not smell clean, run another wash cycle with some detergent.

(4) Tumble or line dry.  Please note that the sun is great for bleaching poop stains.

Remember not to wash too many diapers at once, especially if you have a front loader.  We recently purchased a front load washer and after a couple of unsuccessful washes, I finally figured out that I need to set the machine on a “whites” wash with a pre-wash (it’s always cold).  I also set the water on hot,  the soil level on “heavy” and I choose “extra rinse”.  This is what works for me, but it might not work for everyone.  After a few washes, you’ll find out what works best for you.

4. Detergent Build-Up

Once in a while, something happens and you end up with stinky diapers.  Sometimes you’ll get stinky diapers because they haven’t been washed properly, but a lot of the time the reason for stinky diapers is detergent build-up.

To remove detergent build-up, wash the diapers on hot (without detergent) a couple of times.  Keep washing until you see no more bubbles.  I think I’ve only had to do two hot washes at the most.