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How to start with Cloth diaper Print E-mail
Starting with Cloth diaper or switching from disposable diaper to cloth diaper is easy. These are the steps for using cloth diapers:
  • Prepare cloth diapers, wipes, diaper pail
  • Change cloth diaper
  • Wash dirty cloth diaper
  • Going out with Cloth Diapers

Prepare Cloth Diapers

First you need to decide what type of cloth diapers you want to use. You can use one type or you can combine different types of diapers.

How many cloth diapers do you need? You can do the math to figure out. Newborns and infants will need 10 to 12 changes a day. Toddlers will need 8 to 10. Most cloth diaperers wash diapers every 2 to 3 days. So you need 20 to 30 diapers for newborns and infants.

You will need:
  • 20-30 cloth diapers
  • 4-6 cloth diaper covers if use prefolds or fitted cloth diapers
  • 1 diaper pail(a garbage can to collect dirty diapers)
  • 2 to 3 dozen cloth diaper wipes(Cloth diaper wipe is just a piece of cloth)

Changing Cloth diapers

When baby poops, you have to clean the baby's butt. There is no getting around of that no matter you use cloth diaper or disposable diapers. You don't need to use disposable wipes. Those disposable wipes actually mainly contain water and some other ingredients to prevent mold in the moist wipes. They don't clean any better than a piece of cloth. Actually they leave some chemical residue on baby's sensitive skin. Those residue may cause allergies, exacerbate skin conditions like eczema and may cause other problems in the future. diaperpail-1.jpg

Cloth wipes are actually just regular wash cloths. You can cut used baby cloths or regular cloths into large squares and use them as wipes. Of cause you can also buy cloth wipes. They are very cheap. While clean the baby's butt, you only need use the cloth wipe and some water. Nothing else is needed.

After clean baby's butt, throw the diapers and wipes to the diaper pail. If your baby start to eat solid food, their poop become more solid. you can dump most of the solid poop into the toilet before throw the cloth diaper to the diaper pail.

Do you need a special diaper pail? Not really, if you have a garbage can which can close, you can use it as diaper pail. When use as garbage can, most people will line the garbage can with a plastic bag. For diaper pail, you can line it with a washable cloth bag.














Wash and dry cloth diapers

After you have enough dirty diapers in your diaper pail, you can just take the liner out of the diaper pail and dump the dirty diapers with the bag to the washing machine. Use detergent that has no colors or fragrance. Do not use borox or bleach.

Some people are understandably squeamish about putting poopy diapers in their washing machine, but here’s the key thing to remember: it’s a washing machine. It washes not only the diapers but itself in the process. It’s not like you pull out clean diapers when it’s done and find that the inside of your washing machine has been smeared with feces.

Next is dry the cloth diapers. If it is a sunny day, you can hang in your yard to dry them. Or just dry them in the drier as normal clothes. There is no magic here.

Going out with Cloth Diaper

Here is what you need when leaving the house: 3 to 4 cloth diapers, 3 to 4 cloth wipes, a travel changing pad and some zipper plastic bag to hold dirty diapers and cloth wipes. After changing baby's diaper, just throw the diaper and wipe to the zipper bag. It is easy enough. Of course you should also prepare some formula, water and extra clothes for your baby. You can put all these to a diaper bag. Or just a regular bag such as backpack.
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