Cloth Diapering 101

Where Frugality meets Green Living

By Amy Allen Clark

If you think of diaper pins and plastic pants when you think of cloth diapering, you have not seen the cloth diapers for today’s mom. Cloth diapers are a far cry from this image, and cloth diapering is definitely something to explore when you are a frugal or environmentally-friendly mother.

How much money do you really save?

Let me start out by saying that you can make cloth diapering as expensive or as inexpensive as you want. As with all things, there are the Cadillacs of the cloth diaper industry as well as Pintos. Your savings will be different depending on what you have decided to purchase.

For disposable diapers, the average cost per diaper nationwide is $0.28 per diaper. Figuring that the average mom for one child will use diapers for 3 ½ years, averaging eight diapers per day, we’d estimate the total cost to be $2,862.72

For cloth diapering, the costs range widely, and it is hard to give exact figures on how much these cost. Cloth diapering (including the cost of cloth wipes & laundering) can range between $400-1300 dollars. This figure ultimately depends on whether or not you choose the Cadillac diapers or the Pintos.

What are the different types of diapers out there?

Here are just a few options:

Prefolds: Prefolds are the types of diapers you probably think of when you are considering cloth diapering. They are a traditional cloth diaper with a thick strip down the middle. These are typically worn with a diaper cover and are one of the least expensive options for cloth diapering. They come in three sizes- Preemie (4-10 pounds), Infant (newborn to 15 pounds) & Premium (15-30 pounds). Keep in mind there are many types of prefolds available.

Diaper Covers: If you are interested in using the prefolds, you will probably want to purchase waterproof diaper covers too. A prefold can be folded inside of the diaper cover and the diaper cover simply covers the prefold and acts as a waterproof barrier.

Fitted Diapers: Fitted diapers can also be used with Diaper Covers. Instead of using a prefold, you can use a fitted diaper, which has elastic gathering around the legs and usually has snaps or a Velcro closure to keep the diaper together. Place the diaper cover over the fitted diaper, and you are ready to go. These types of diapers are less expensive than other options, however, they are more expensive then using prefolds. Despite the cost, these got the thumbs up from my husband who found them to be much easier to use than the prefolds (particularly in the middle of the night).

Pocket Diapers: Pocket diapers are usually made with two layers of fabric sewn together to form a pocket for an absorbent insert. This type of diaper just fastens on and does not need a diaper cover over it.

Inserts: Inserts are used for pocket diapers. They can be made of a variety of materials- micro-terrycloth, regular terry cloth, hemp, or you can just use prefolds as inserts.

All In One: An All in One is a cloth diaper that has a waterproof cover and an absorbent inner liner that is all in one piece, thus the name. These diapers fasten usually with a hook/loop or snap fasteners. The choice fabric for these is usually wool for the outer layer. These types of diapers are heavily relied on by a lot of parents who need a convenient diaper for daycare or for babysitters.

One Size Diaper: A one size diaper usually fits the child from the day they are born until they are thirty to thirty-five pounds. These diapers usually have snaps that go across the diaper (making it smaller or bigger) and can be folded over to create smaller sizes. As the child grows, the snaps on the legs can become larger.

What do I need to get started?

The answer to this question depends on how much you want to invest to begin and how often you want to do laundry. If you are doing a load a day of laundry, you would need enough to do six to eight changes. If you plan to only do laundry every other day, then you would probably need enough to change your little one twelve to sixteen times.

When I began cloth diapering, I bought two dozen infant prefolds, four diaper covers, and had twenty pocket diapers. I could wash diapers every three or four days, which worked well for our family.

As my daughter has gotten older, we have needed less and less diapers so I have bought less as she has moved up a size.

Other items worth purchasing before you begin cloth diapering are cloth wipes (a couple dozen), a diaper pail (I used a trash can with a flip top lid), two wet bags (so you have one to line the pail while a load is in the wash), a diaper sprayer (if you plan to rinse your diapers) and a small wet bag that you can use to keep your dirty diapers in your diaper bag.

How do I launder and care for the diapers?

The answer to this question depends on a couple of different factors. One factor is if you plan to resell them and the other factor is the type of diapers that you buy. Each person develops their own system.

My daughter was exclusively breastfed for the first six months, so taking care of her diapers was very easy. The diapers were thrown into a trash can (lined with a waterproof wet bag), and I did not rinse them or dispose of anything inside of them.

As your child ages and they begin eating solids, their poop becomes more solid. With my pocket diapers, I can just shake the solids into the toilet and throw them in my wet bag, just like before. You can also purchase a diaper sprayer, which attaches to your toilet and give your diapers a spray to insure all of the solids have been removed from the diaper. Another option would be to purchase a diaper liner which would act as a barrier between the diaper and the solids. You would just pull the liner out (solids and all) and either throw it away or flush it down the toilet (if the liners are flushable). Please note that a diaper liner is not absorbent; you cannot use this in place of an insert. These just act as a barrier, not as an absorber.

All of these diapers were then thrown into the washing machine. I put in two tablespoons of detergent and then selected hot/cold, heavy duty cycle, with a second rinse.

After the diapers were done washing, I then threw all of the prefolds and diaper inserts into the dryer and dried them on medium-high heat. The diaper covers and pocket diapers were all line dried. These dry quickly and were usually dry by the time the inserts and prefolds were dry.

If there was any staining on them, I would hang them on our line outside. The sun acted as a bleaching agent and took any staining out of them, literally within a couple of hours.

Never ever use any fabric softener or fabric softener sheets when washing your diapers. The fabric softener leaves a residue that can cause your diapers to no longer absorb.

You will want to check the manufacturer’s guidelines for each particular type of diaper that you buy on how to launder it and if it needs several washes before being used (prefolds & inserts usually need a few washes before use). Read those guidelines and use your own best judgment on how you choose to launder your items.

I planned to resell our diapers, when we were done using them, so it was important that all of my diapers were line dried and well-cared for. The diapers were in excellent condition when I sold them and I was able to get a higher dollar for them then if they had went through several dozen times in the dryer.

What about the smell factor?

To be honest, this was one of my main concerns about cloth diapering. In the beginning, there was no smell factor at all because breastfed baby poop does not smell. Now that she is older, the diapers can really smell.

There were precautionary things I did to reduce the diaper pail smell. I put a plug-in next to the diaper pail to help reduce the smell. I also wetted a wash cloth and sprinkled two drops of tea tree oil on the washcloth and threw it into the pail, which kept the smells to a minimum. On occasion, I would sprinkle baking soda into my wet bag to cut down on the odor. They also sell diaper pail discs that you can stick into your wet bag or pail to reduce the smell. I thought the tea tree oil was a little less expensive and used this so it would be a little easier on my wallet.

I think the smell factor is no worse than a disposable diaper and the Diaper Genie that we used with our son. Diapers smell whether they are disposable or cloth.