
I started using cloth diapers back when Matthew was about 4 months old. I have actually never even bought a pack of disposable diapers. I used up the ones that were given to me by family and friends and then went right to cloth. My first cloth diapers were these 12-year old fitted diapers and rubber covers that my aunt handed down to me. They did the trick, but they sure weren't pretty. It didn't take long before I started to seek out the cute diapers that are so popular these days!



Snappis are bendable little hooks that secure the ends of diapers as an alternative to using pins. It's tough to explain but if you click on the link there are pictures and directions for use.



Fitted diapers are simply an absorbent diaper that has no waterproof layer. They usually have snap closures and are used under a waterproof cover, some cute wool pants or something similar. I absolutely love fitted diapers for newborns since they are more cost effective than all-in-ones but still contain that runny newborn poop. We have used many different brands (and I have made my own) and I really love both Kissaluvs and Heiny Huggers. I used the Kissaluvs colored diapers (lavender, of course!) on the girls when they were little after winning a video contest. I also love the Heiny Huggers that come unbleached and then I can dye them any color I want. As a matter of fact, Joshua was the model for one of the Heiny Huggers ads when they first came out a few years ago. And that stack of fitted diapers in the picture above is a sample of what you can do with a bit of dye.


I used to be a loyal Fuzzi Bunz fan but their quality went down the drain. Now I'm a Thirsties or Happy Heinys girl. That top photo is a Thirsties pocket AIO (a cross between a pocket and an all-in-one) and the bottom photo is a shot of the girls in their Happy Heinys.



One Size Diapers are relatively new to the cloth diapering scene. These are just diapers that have rows of snaps that can adjust to fit a growing baby. They are great if you are trying to cut costs by using the same diapers until your child potty trains. In reality, the more often you wash the diapers, the shorter their life, so it's probably a wash either way. I have used the same diapers through many kids (I still have some of Matthew's old diapers!) so the one-size is great but they probably won't live to see the next baby (or babies?) so keep that in mind. Also, many children stay in medium size diapers for a year or two and only wear the smaller or larger sizes for a few months.

Wipes? We use cloth. Just toss them in with the diaper and they all get washed together. Easy peasy! Some simple washcloths work well for wiping.
Poop? I dump solid poops in the toilet. Breastfed poop just gets left in the diaper. The babies are just now starting solids so they still have easy poops that are not as offensive to my nose. If Sarah has a particularly nasty poop I will rinse the diaper in the toilet for a second before tossing it in the pail. (Gross but not as bad as it sounds!)
Pail? I use a stainless steel kitchen trashcan with a foot pedal. It has a removable liner so that makes it easy to dump the diapers directly into the washer. I keep my pail dry and have a little pail freshener disc in the bottom. I put a few drops of tea tree oil in there every week to keep things clean and fresh.
Washing? I do a cold rinse with no detergent first. Then I put in a bit of Purex (less than what I would use for a similarly sized load of laundry) and do a hot wash. Then I rinse again on cold. That's it! I wash about every other day but have gone longer.
Drying? I like to hang dry my diapers but that was hard in the Georgia humidity. I ended up drying them indoors. Here in Arizona they dry FAST! If I'm in a rush I'll toss everything in the dryer. It won't hurt, I just like to save electricity. Just don't use fabric softener! I use dryer balls for all of our laundry.
Stink? Nope. They don't stink. If the diapers start to get smelly I strip them. Stripping is just removing any detergent residue from the diapers. I rinse them in the washer until there are no bubbles in the water. Sometimes I use a drop of Dawn dish soap. Sometimes I do a little freshening up with some baking soda and vinegar. Nothing fancy here folks.

What else am I forgetting?





On short trips I toss dirty diapers into a small wetbag. A wetbag is just a waterproof bag. I made the one below. I prefer a zippered wetbag to help contain odor. We have several small ones that hold several diapers each. Then we have a MONSTER wetbag that has a drawstring and can easily hold 3 days worth of diapers for twins.
On long trips I don't wash as frequently so the diapers accumulate. On our recent trip I went 4 days without washing so I had a boatload of diapers in my wetbag. I just keep my small wetbags empty so that I can bring a clean one into the hotel each night. Then I use the big one during the day when we're on the road.

When we moved from Maryland to California I drove by myself across the country. I only had Matthew at the time (I was pregnnt with Joshua) but it was still a long drive. By the time we got to CA I had a big bag of dirty dipes. We didn't have a washer and dryer yet because the moving truck had not arrived. Jason actually took the dirty diapers into the barracks laundry room and washed them for me. He can be such a great dad sometimes! Who washes their kid's poopy diapers in the laundry room with a bunch of other Army dudes? My husband, that's who.

In case you were wondering how many diapers it takes to cloth diaper one baby, I can't really remember. It also depends on what type of diapers you use, the age of the baby, and how often you want to wash. To use pockets or AIOs and wash every 2-3 days, I'd recommend 2 or 3 dozen diapers. Expect to wash more often for a newborn. If you use covers and prefolds (or fitteds) you can reuse the same cover a few times before needing to wash it. I'd recommend 2-3 dozen prefolds (or fitteds) and at least 1 dozen covers. You can never have too many cloth wipes.
If you have twins, just double those numbers. And count on washing more often unless you buy an extra pail. We have 2 pails since Joshua is still in cloth trainers at night and all 4 twins were in diapers until very recently. Now I only have 3 in diapers during the day and 5 at night. Oh, how I long for the days of less diapers. But hopefully not too soon. I want another baby or two before those days are over.
Lastly, I imagine that someone will ask how many diapers we have. And I don't know the answer right now. It is an unmentionable amount. Several hundred. I don't even have any recent pictures. But I do have a picture of about half of the girls' diapers from about 2 years ago. Yes, this was taken when I still had dirty diapers in the wash. It's sickening, I know. Prepare yourself...

