Cloth Diaper Basics

Sorry I haven't posted in long time, guys. I kept getting busier and busier, and I really wanted to make time for this before now. Here I am!!

Okay, so I'd like to just run through the basic things you are going to need if you are looking into cloth diapering. Be it online or at a cloth diapering store, you can usually find everything that you could want/need either place.

First and foremost, research your diapers!! If there is a cloth diaper store near you (the ones closest to us are over an hour away, but I guess I consider that close!) try to go there sometime and just do some looking around...finding out how the diapers work, what style you think you would like to try for your little one, and also to check out some of the other products you may need to start your cloth journey.

BASIC THINGS YOU WILL NEED TO START CLOTH:
-Diapers, of course. ;) Whether it be pre-folds, pockets, all-in-ones, you can decide what you love and go for it.

-Wet bags: These are for traveling/outings with your babe in cloth to have a place to store your soiled diapers until you can get home to wash. With disposables, you are able to toss them into the trash. With cloth, you must have some sort of storage system to put your diapers in after they are soiled, and they make all different sizes of wet bags that are easy to tote along with you. They should have a waterproof lining, as to prevent your wet dipes from soaking through and also soaking your wetbag. (Truth: I have a few cloth diaper brand wet bags...but a great, cheap route to go and have yourself an excellent wetbag? Target--Munchkin brand wetbags for kids swimsuits, etc. Works great, and is relatively inexpensive as I recall. :)

-Cloth diaper detergent: Yes, you must use a certain kind of detergent to wash your cloth diapers. Normal detergents like Gain or Cheer (yes, I'm just throwing some random detergent names out there) have added scents or other additives that can cause a build-up on your diapers. You want to avoid any detergents like this. Special cloth diaper detergents (Rockin Green, Charlies Soap, EcoSprouts) are available to wash your diapers safely to avoid any build-up problems. However, just because you have a special detergent does not mean that you will not get a build-up on your diapers, or that that particular kind of detergent will work for you. You also must be very careful about the amount of detergent you use. It is often times a fine line between too much and too little detergent. Each detergent you buy (if cloth diaper detergent) should have a recommended amount of detergent per number of diapers. We used to use Original Tide powder on our diapers...until a few days ago, when we switched to Rockin Green to try to get a fresher scent...and it ended up pulling some build-up to the surface of our dipes that had been caused by using the Tide powder. We had to strip our diapers. I will tell you now...it's not that fun, but isn't all that challenging. We will see how it works. This is the first time I have had to strip diapers, so cross your fingers.
-By the way stripping diapers means to remove an excess build-up from your diapers. Again, this build-up can be caused by too little/too much detergent, hard water build-up, additives in detergent, etc.

-Diaper pail: A diaper pail will be handy to keep in your baby's room (just like a Diaper Champ/Diaper Genie) but is for keeping your soiled cloth diapers before you decide to do your diaper laundry. Cloth diaper stores often sell diaper pails, but they can also be pretty expensive. Another truth? We bought a $6 pop-lid trash can, line it with a vanilla-scented trash bag, and viola!! A place to put those soiled dipes and no smelly baby's room!

-Diaper sprayer: This is not a necessity, but especially when it's cold outside, it is nice to have one. Sometimes we spray ours off with the hose when it's warm enough...but when it's cold, I rinse the diapers that need rinsing into a bucket, and then dump it into the toilet. Easy, quick, and no old-fashioned rinsing in toilet water. Yuck. You can buy an actual diaper sprayer to hook to the back of your toilet if you like. We have not done this yet, but have considered it. It's really up to you. :)

-Special creams for your babe's tush!! :) Unfortunately, regular diaper creams can create a barrier on your cloth diapers that can prevent them from absorbing as they should. Cloth diaper stores sell cloth-safe rash creams, etc., but I have found that the cheapest, best diaper cream to use with my cloth is organic coconut oil. We use the Nutiva brand, and buy it at our local co-op grocery store, or Whole Foods. You can also order it online. Do not use the general cooking coconut oil that you would find at your local Wal-Mart or other grocery store. They tend to have other additives that won't be good on your diapers. You also want to stay away from any wipes that have a petroleum base such as lanolin, etc. If it has something you think may not be good on your diapers, I would stay away from it. :)

That should be the low down to get you started on what you will need to start your basic cloth diapering. I hope I'm not forgetting anything. You all probably know as well as I do how "mommy brain" seems to work. Ladies, if I am forgetting something, please let me know, those of you that cloth diaper already. I'd love any input you would like to give!!

Happy reading!!