Five Things I Wish I Had Known About Cloth Diapers

After cloth diapering straight for 9 years 5 months {Seriously??? Wow time flies!} I’ve tried hundreds of cloth diaper brands, styles and accessories. I’m forcing myself to pick the bare naked necessities. This will be hard.

In June 2012, I published what would come to be one of the most highly viewed and shared posts on All About Cloth Diapers. 7 Things I Wish I Knew About Cloth Diapers summed up what I felt were the seven basic how to use cloth diapers tips and necessities every beginner could start with and be successful.

All are still valid and if you started there you’d do great. But, after looking over the list I think I could further simplify it for you even more.

1) Wetbags

No matter what system I’m using, problem I’m having or whether I’m moving halfway across the country or camping for a week, I always have a wetbag. It’s the one accessory that makes life easier for everyone.

You might be inclined to think any ol’ wetbag will do the job. Alas, not all are created equal. I’m a sucker for prints and have bought several brands that, although uber cute, leaked smells and left my guests green when using our bathroom/laundry room. In case you don’t believe me, these wet bags are so good even NASA used them at the International Space Station!

Over the years, Monkey Foot Designs has been that top performer in combining cuteness and functionality.  It’s a no brainer in my book, buy 2 or more XL Monkey Foot Designs wetbags and store all those nasty cloth diapers without any worries of stinking out your guests.

Once you’ve tried an MFD wetbag you’ll soon start collecting them. A few medium sized bags for outings, a couple of small ones for wipes/makeup/mama cloth/snacks/etc, a large one for swimsuits…you get the picture. They even work for carsick bags.

I have a couple of Ragababe and Rumparooz wetbags in rotation as well, but after a couple of days I can smell an odor.

2) Detergent

What are you supposed to use to clean, and I mean really clean, those stinky cloth diapers?

Over the years I’ve tried nuts, powder, liquid, chemical laden liquid, and kinda-in-between-maybe-good-maybe-bad liquid.

Purex Natural Elements worked for a long time for us. I used it with soft and hard water. But, then I had to switch because it wasn’t available at my local store. I then switched to either Tide or Persil.  I haven’t had problems using either. I have hard water and my routine consists of warm quick wash for prerinse (nothing added), hot wash, heavy duty with and warm quick wash for 2nd rinse. Then I airdry wetbags and the rest goes in the dryer on medium. I use the same amount of detergent I would on a same size load of heavily soiled clothing.

A really good place to start is whatever you already use on your clothes. If it works well on that, it will likely also work well on the cloth diapers.

3) Buy used

When you are starting out you have no idea what is going to work for your child. It’s a good idea to buy a few different brands and styles second hand. You can try buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook, ebay, mercari, or Facebook market place. Be sure to also check out the ‘Gently Used’ section on most cloth diaper boutique sites.

For info on how to safely buy used check out Buying and Selling Cloth Diapers .

Read that before you make the purchase! Not everyone is as honest as you may be, shocking I know.

4) CJ’s BUTTer Spritz

Having an easy to apply rash remedy is a necessity for me! I can’t always get right to a sink to wash my hands so a mess free applicator is needed. CJ’s BUTTer Spritz gets my top recommendation because the scents have me almost loooking forward to diaper changes and it quickly clears up minor rashes. I have at least 6 bottles of spritz in my house right now because I hate running out!

For a more than minor rash {like yeast} I either use CJ’s BUTTer PLUS! or Pooters Skin Therapy (it’s a little pricey, but totally worth it and the bottle lasts forever!) I also use Grandma Els and love it. It’s a great moisture barrier especially for nights!

If you are just switching from disposable diapers it’s important to remember that no matter how “stay dry” the fabric is your baby will feel more wetness than in a ‘sposie. This can sometimes cause a slight rash but shouldn’t cause major alarm. Providing a moisture barrier with these sprays and creams will help your baby’s skin remain smooth and blemish free.

5) Start simple and know your situation

Flats are super simple to clean and are an inexpensive way to cloth diaper BUT if you want a system that is a quick change and is easy for everyone they may not work for you. They don’t for me or my family.

Pocket cloth diapers are probably the safest recommendation for all cloth diapering families on any budget, at any experience level and in any environment. You get to add the absorbency your child needs, you can buy China-cheap or WAHM handcrafted and they can still be hand-washed fairly easily if needed.

If you need help navigating the plethora of brands for each cloth diaper system check out the My Recommendations page.

Let’s sum up this summary. How I wish I had started:

• A couple of high quality wetbags from Monkey Foot Designs.
• A good detergent like Purex or if your heart desires go for Tide. But just don’t stress out about it. They’re just fabric and they need to be cleaned.
• Buy used and try out a few brands and types of cloth diapers before you invest in a stash.
• A mess-free rash spray and maybe a major rash remedy on hand.
• Simplicity is the key to long-term success.

Here are a few links to further answer any questions you may have:

How Many Cloth Diapers Do You Really Need?

Cloth Diaper Mysteries Solved! Wicking, Stripping and PUL

You can cloth diaper on a budget!