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Saving Money with Cloth DiapersNot only are cloth diapers available now, but they are becoming more popular all the time. They are the obvious choice if you want to prevent more garbage from going in the landfills. Baby will need to be changed more frequently than they do with disposables, but this is a perk for baby… sitting in a wet or soiled diaper is not good for baby’s tender skin. Cloth diapers may seem old fashioned, but now there are all sorts of designs for cloth diapers to choose from. You can use the old fashioned flat cotton diapers if you want. They need to be folded to fit the baby. There are prefolds, which have a thicker section in the middle of a flat diaper. These need to be folded when you use them as well. Then there are fitted diapers. They may look kind of like a disposable, but they are cloth that are cut and sewn to fit easily on baby. You’ll still need a diaper cover for these. Finally, for those that want it all… there are all-in-ones… or AIOs. They are a fitted diaper with snaps or other fasteners and a built in cover to protect from wetness. Whew! Once you’ve decided which type you prefer, you’re on your way. If you are using AIOs or fitted diapers, it isn’t much different than putting a disposable diaper on a baby, except that they are made of soft cotton instead of paper and plastic. If you are using flat folds or prefolds, it is simple to learn a couple easy ways to fold them, like the angel wing or the twist. Flat folds and prefolds will need to be fastened… either with diaper pins or with a Snappi fastener. AIOs and fitted diapers are usually fitted with either snaps or Velcro. You’ll need diaper covers of some sort for all types of cloth diapers except the AIOs. Diaper covers can be made of polyester or wool… the important part is that they keep baby from leaking between diaper changes. You may see a cover called a soaker, too. These can be hand knit or crocheted, or sewn from wool fabric. Soakers are treated with lanolin for waterproofing. Changing babies in cloth diapers isn’t much different than using disposables… you just don’t throw the diapers away! Wet diapers can go right in the pail. Soiled diapers need to be rinsed or scraped into the toilet, then put into the pail. Baby can be cleaned up with a wipe, air dried for a few moments, then put into a clean diaper. Now comes the part every parent contemplating cloth dreads… how do you wash them? One of the important tools you’ll need is a diaper pail. Dirty diapers will live in the diaper pail until time to wash them. An inexpensive top loading washing machine works best… you can run rinse cycles, or soak cycles… whatever you need. For detailed instructions, be sure and read our article on caring for cloth diapers. You don’t need to spend a fortune on baby products to wash your cotton diapers. See? It’s not hard to use cloth diapers. Infant diapering isn’t a science. It’s an art.
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