S'more Fluff : Bottom Line of Cloth Diapering

As a cloth diapering mom, I am frequently asked about our experience with cloth diapering Marshmallow. And I am always willing to share.

I know that cloth diapering is not for everyone, but I think there is a lot of misconceptions about cloth diapering. I know I did not know what we were getting into when I first started to get the idea in my head to cloth diaper, and what I pictured is NOT what cloth diapering looked like for us.

I pictured using the system my mother used over 25 years ago on me, that consisted of cotton prefolds, diaper pins and plastic diaper covers. While that option still exists, gone are the days of that being the only option. And I would NOT recommend plastic covers to anyone to use, as there are much better options available today to use on your little.

Along the way I am asked lots of questions and told many comments. These are the ones that most frequently come up in conversations about our cloth diapering.

"Why do you cloth diaper?"
For me it came down to two very specific reasons, but the reasons for why people choose to cloth diaper varies. Skin sensitivity and cost savings. I was concerned Marshmallow was going to have sensitive skin like me, so this was a huge factor in me deciding to research cloth diapers. Also the cost savings was extremely appealing, especially if we cloth diapered multiple children. Yes, I feel we have saved money in making this choice. While Marshmallow, does not seem to have my skin sensitivity, I do still like him in cloth better than disposables. They worked better for his bum, especially when he did get rashes.

"Isn't it inconvenient?"
I am not really sure how it is thought that it is inconvenient. Since we started out from day one with cloth diapers, I never really knew any other way of diapering. Yes, I do 2-3 extra loads of wash a week to keep up with diaper wash, but it is just part of the routine. I am actually better about keeping up with our diaper laundry, than I am with our regular laundry. I just consider it laundry. No big deal. But on the flip side, I never have to worry about running out of disposable diapers and having to rush out to the store with a little (or now two littles) in tow to buy more diapers. I feel the convenience all evens out in the end.

"What about for child care?"
You have to ask your child care provider. Most locations are now cloth diaper friendly. They may require certain type of diaper to be used, something easy. But I have heard very few people say that their child care provider will not allow cloth diapers to be used. Know that if you do send diapers to a day care, that you tell them and label your diapers. I have heard stories of diapers being thrown out. So make sure each person that handles changes knows they are cloth diapers and they are not to be thrown out. Thankfully, in each of those cases I personally know about the family was reimbursed for the cost of the diapers lost. Keep a list of what you send, so you know if any do happen to go missing. But child care, should not be an issue in cloth diapering.

"Gross, I would never wash poop in my washer!"
HAHA. Good luck being a parent. Now, there are parents who do throw out anything that gets poop on it and just call it a day. I was never one of them, even before becoming a parent. I did not throw out shoes because I stepped in dog poop, as an example. But the reality is, that as a first time parent you may think you will never put that in your washer machine, until the day you do. One day your child will have a blow out all over EVERYTHING, and in the washer it all goes. The seat cover for a bouncer, sheets, blankets, clothing, your child's favorite item. Whatever it may be, in the washer it goes because most of us just do not have the money to replace things every time they get gross. The truth is that there is much worse things that have gone into my washer machine than poop. Guess that is my first responder mindset, but our washer has certainly seen worse. Plus that is what a washer machine is there for! To clean things that are dirty! All the gross leaves with the rinse cycle.
So yes, I throw dirty diapers in my washer machine. Until my son started solid foods, I actually just threw the diapers in the washer machine as is. Poop and all. At that point it is all water soluble and no need to do anything extra. Once your child starts on solids, then you have to remove the poop before putting in the washer. But do not worry, there are several options available to make this less gross as well.

"How do you get poop off your diapers?"
Well,as stated above for the first 6 months or longer, you do not even need to think about this issue. All can just go in the washer, until your child begins solid foods. Solid foods includes rice or oat cereals that you may even use to thicken a bottle. After this point, you do have to deal with poop. But by this point, poop should not be as gross as you thought it once was, as you have thousands of poopy diaper changes under your belt. There are several ways to deal.
1 : Disposable/Flushable Liners : These are liners you can lay in the diaper. So you just dump the liner and flush at diaper changes. Many use these just to help keep the diapers from getting stains in them, which can help if you choose to resell you diapers. I found them to be a hassle and never really got in the habit of using them. Just was not worth it to me, personally.
2 : Diaper Sprayer : This handle tool attaches to your toilet. It is like a hand held shower head, that you use to spray the poop off the diaper into the toilet. I highly recommend using one of these.
3 : Dunk and Swish : The way my mom dealt with poopy diapers. Just dunked the diaper in the toilet and swished around to get the poop off.
Each work. Each get the job done. No big deal. And remember, your child will one day have an accident in underwear and you will find yourself doing this anyways, most likely.

"Have you ever stuck your child with a diaper pin?"
Nope. Never. I actually have never used a diaper pin. However, I do plan to use pins with some of our diapering options this time around. But honestly, there is NO need to use diaper pins with the cloth diapers that are available today. I did find this question interesting though and asked my mom if she ever accidentally stuck me with a diaper pin. Surprisingly, she told me no. But then again, it is like a tailor pinning to do alterations. You are careful not to stick your child, so the likely hood of actually sticking your child is minimal, even if pins were widely used still today. Which they are not!
There is this cool thing called a Snappi that you can use in place of diaper pins. But most diapering systems do not require anything at all.

"Isn't it messy?"

No more messy than using a disposable diaper. And actually, I have found that using cloth is less messy, since I actually have yet to have a blow out diaper using cloth diapers. While the diapers may be messy. My child never is. I have never had to deal with changing my child out of a completely pooped covered piece of clothing. Not once. The cloth diaper has always held it all in place. So no, would never consider cloth diapering any more messy than disposables. I consider it less.

"They seem to be rather bulky"

Yes, they are more bulky than disposable diapers. But I love a cute fluffy bottom of a child in a cloth diaper. My diaper bag was usually more stuffed than those who used disposables, but I just found a system that worked for us. I usually packed an extra bag of supplies in my car that I left there, so I could bring in only a diaper or two while doing many errands in the day and refill my diaper bag as needed. If out all day, I just stuffed it all in there. I found a bag that worked for us and fit it all. Not a huge deal. And there are some diapers available that are pretty trim. Others are more bulky. Depends on what you are looking for.

"What do you do while you are out and about with the dirty diapers?"

I put the dirty diapers in a wet bag. Similar to something you could use to put wet bathing suites in after swimming. Just something to hold them until I get home.

"What do you do with the dirty diapers at home?"
I have two places that dirty diapers go. I have trash can with a lid that I put a pail liner in downstairs. Upstairs I have a diaper champ that I have a pail liner in as well. I just put the diaper in one of those two places and they stay there until ready to do wash. I honestly do nothing special.

"Are there any special washing requirements?"
Yes. You do need to be careful about what detergent is used with your cloth diapers. Some detergents can harm your diapers and can also encourage residue build-up of soap. You can find a comprehensive list of detergents here : Detergent Chart. I personally have used Rockin Green, Ecos, Original Tide & Country Save. I prefer the Rockin Green or Country Save, of the ones I have used.
You also have to be careful about drying your diapers. I recommend line drying. Putting diapers in the dryer can ruin the waterproof layer in most cloth diapers (known as PUL). It can also destroy the elastic in the diapers too. I line dry everything that has PUL or elastic and will use the dryer for all else. This helps to preserve your diapers and make them last.

"Are you happy with your decision to cloth diaper? Are you planning to do it again?"
Yes, I am very happy with our decision to cloth diaper and minimize the use of disposables in our home. Yes, we have used disposable from time to time as well. I would not change our decision to cloth diaper at all and we are planning to use cloth diapers with Skywalker, as well. I have learned a lot in the last 3 years of cloth diapering our son, so because of our experience the first time around we will be approaching cloth diapering slightly different this second time around.

There is a lot more to share about cloth diapering. I will share more about cloth diapers along the way. In the mean time, I will gladly answer any questions or share about what has worked for us with anyone who would like to know more.