Why We Chose to Begin Cloth Diapering
Cloth diapering for beginners will feel like a lot but don’t let the fear get to you! From the moment we got our positive pregnancy test I knew we where going to cloth diaper! And just like that we did! When I first started telling people that cloth diapers where the path we where going we where met with lots of opinions! Comments like “that is gross” to ” I give you a few months” were not uncommon comments I heard. That being said being a beginner cloth diapering parent was not as hard as imagined.
As of now we still cloth diaper not only one child but two! Specifically two under two! I am not going to lie but the thought of having two in diapers seemed pretty intimidating. But now that it has almost been 6 months of doing just that it has become second nature! Cloth diapers for beginners, today I will be talking specific to pocket diapers!
How We Got Started with Diapers
As I think about how we got started with cloth diaper I realized we where extremely blessed! I don’t think we had to spend a penny on cloth diapers in the beginning. Not even now! That being said I do plan on purchasing more because all of our current diapers are second hand, and I want to cycle in new ones as the old ones bite the dust.
I have the sweetest cousin that cloth diapered her little ones. Through the grape vine she heard my husband and I where going to tackle that chore as well and passed down diapers she had used!
So don’t be afraid to check out your local thrift store or Facebook marketplace! You may also be able to find Facebook groups specific to cloth diapering that may also buy, sell, and trade as well!
Cloth Diaper of Choice
In addition, we have been blessed with getting so many diaper that we have used brands that one probably would have never heard of before! In fact, I have found that I grab for a couple of brands over the others.
My two favorite brands to cloth diaper with are Noras Nursery Diapers, and Alva baby diapers!
With pocket diapers both diapers and their liners are compatible and customizable!
How to Wash Cloth Diapers
Assume you get new, or even used, diapers you should always prewash! It helps with the absorption as well and protecting your babies precious skin! You have to protect your newborns and toddlers skin always!
Picking out the detergent to use with your diapers will be determined whether you have hard or soft water.
We like to go back and forth with Purex and Arm and Hammer detergents due to having hard water in our home.
- Make sure you remove the liners from the diapers and wash 2-4 times(before your first use)
- You do not have to dry you diapers between your washes
- After your wash cycles are done allow to dry! My favorite method of drying is outside in the sun.
Its as simple as that!
Furthermore, as soon as your diapers are dry you can stuff them and put them in your changing station to get ready to be used! Cloth diapering for beginners isn’t all too bad if you break it down!
How to wash soiled diaper?
Its just as simple as doing laundry with a couple extra steps!
As always check with your diapers manufacturer instructions! This is how I do it and it has served me well in my 2+ years of cloth diapering.
- Clean of soiled in the toilet or garbage.
- Remove liners from the pocket diaper.
- Wash without detergent on cold to rinse off left over solids.
- Run again with detergent on warm/hot.
- Let try in the dryer or line dry
See not to bad! Like most things you have to do and see what works best for you and your family.
How to Use Cloth Diapers
The pocket cloth diapers come with liners, typically microfiber, and you put one- two liners within the diaper.
As my daughters have gotten older I found that two liners in the pocket diapers work just fine!
After you have customized the absorption of your diaper it is time to size to your baby!
For my two year old who is 23 pounds I find snapping the bottoms at the second set of snaps works best and adjusting the waist snaps so what is snug without any pain or pinching.
For my 6 month old who weights about 15 pounds snapping the bottoms all the way is perfect.
Cloth Diapers in the Newborn Phase
Now the newborn phase can be a tricky one being that they are only so little for so long. I found buying newborn cloth diapers where not worth it.
Our oldest daughter was born weight 5 pounds, that being said it took her a tad bit longer to fit in to cloth diapers.
Our youngest daughter was born at right around 7 pounds and could fit them right away!
Use your judgment on whether or not purchasing newborn diapers are beneficial for your family. Don’t forget you could always look around for used ones! Beginning the cloth diaper journey is more simple that one would think. When we were cloth diaper beginners I am very thankful I didn’t fall down the newborn diaper hole.
Cloth Diapers for Beginners in the Toddler Years
Disposable Liners
It took me a good year before I found out about disposable liners! But they are a thing! And in my opinion they are well worth the investment!
Just for around $25 you can get about 400 liners! That is significantly less than any disposable diaper on the market! We have now found our selves using it just for the sake of convienance. They are not a must but are not a bad idea.
All you have to do is lay them right on the diaper! No fuss at all! Cloth Diapering for beginners isn’t as hard as it may seem!
All in all, this is the the perfect start when trying to learn how to cloth diaper your beautiful babies! Congratulations! You’ve got this!
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