Regular cloth diaper changes are one easy way to help keep your baby healthy. Surprisingly, there are no instructions included about how often you should be doing cloth diaper changes. I’ll show you the why it’s important and also how often you should be doing it.
How Long Should You Wait Between Changes?
During the day, cloth diapers should be changed about every two hours or when they go poo.
At night, there is no need to wake a baby for a diaper change. The diaper, and child, will be fine if you change them in the morning. However, if they wake up it, go ahead and put a fresh diaper on them.
Benefits of Regular Cloth Diaper Changes
Less Leaking
The beauty of cloth diapering is that it really is so easy to adjust absorbency. It’s as simple as choosing a different insert that has more layers or that is made of a fabric that is more absorbent. Or you can also add another insert to act as a booster.
However, every cloth diaper has its limits. At some point, no matter what, if it’s not changed it will start to leak.
If you stick to the about every two hours for a cloth diaper change you’ll likely be putting a fresh diaper on before the old one is ‘full’ enough to have a chance to leak.
Healthier Skin and Less Rashes
There is no faster faster to cause a blistering rash than to have poop sitting against a baby’s skin. Often times it’s not on purpose. Maybe they went during the night and never woke up to let you know they needed it changed. Or maybe they were being watched by someone else who doesn’t take care of babies often. I’ve heard a few stories where a clueless babysitter didn’t change a diaper only to leave the kiddo with a terrible rash that took days to heal.
Regular changes will hopefully stop this from happening. Our skin, and especially the skin of an infant, just isn’t made to sit forever in moisture and soil. The more it can have a clean dry environment, the healthier the skin will be.
Let’s make this last benefit a fun one!
More Chances to Use the Next Fabulous Cloth Diaper You Have
This is one that might only be understood when you are an active cloth diapering parent/caregiver. One of the great joys of using cloth diapers is all of the adorable prints and colors they come in. Many of us can’t wait for the next cloth diaper changes to put that new cover on!
Sadly, there are families that have to leave diapers on longer or even try to reuse them because they can’t afford more. Cloth diapers are completely reusable. Once you have them, you don’t have to keep buying more. Just use, wash, and repeat. If you or someone you know suffers with diaper need please look into the many cloth diaper charities that are available.
Final Thoughts
The takeaway here is to do cloth diaper changes on a regular basis. Two hours or when soiled during the day and when baby wakes at night. If they sleep through the night, just give them a change in the morning. Remember, because cloth diapers reusable, there is no need to try to stretch them. If you need more, you can just wash sooner and start the whole process over again.
I’d love to hear from you if you have any other benefits you can add to the list! Please be sure to Pin this and share it with anyone you think might find it helpful!
Jenn is a long-time cloth diaper educator and a passionate small business advocate. She has worked in the reusable diaper industry for over a decade, helping millions of families via her websites All About Cloth Diapers, Thinking About Cloth Diapers and Cloth Diaper Geek as well as hundreds of small businesses during that time. Her goal always to provide simple, reliable information.
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