Cloth Diapering 101

Yesterday was the one year mark for using cloth diapers with Ava. Due to this joyous milestone and the frequent requests I receive (on a daily basis), I decided to finally buckle down and write up a cloth diapering post for all of those parents that are interested in cloth diapers. This cloth diaper 101 list will ONLY go over the types of diapers we use (and love), what you need to start cloth diapering, and all the other cloth details. I will say that cloth diapering is definitely an investment up front, but if you invest in quality diapers, it's definitely worth it, so let's get to it!

    Left photo- two week old        Right photo - eleven month old

What type of cloth diapers do we use?

• Prefolds 
• Pocket diapers
• AIO (all in ones) 
• All in Twos 

There are literally a million different brands and different styles that you can choose from. I would recommend bum genius 4.0 pocket diapers for anyone that is trying cloth for the first time. It's a "grow with me diaper" and will fit (most) babies from birth to potty training. Pocket diapers are the most modern type of cloth, and they resemble disposables diapers. Prefolds are the most inexpensive diaper on this list, but they also require a cover. Prefolds aren't as modern as some of the other cloth options out there. 

How many cloth diapers do I need?

Honestly, be economical. You really only need 24 diapers. Aside from "eco-friendly" reasons, cloth is definitely a money saver. Don't get too caught up with "cute prints" because diapers can get costly, especially when you are buying solely for the cute factor.  

Where can I buy cloth diapers?

• Green Mountain Diapers
• Kelly's Closet
• Amazon

What do I wash my cloth with?

Here is a list of cloth diaper safe detergents you can purchase. We use rockin' green, and have never had any issues, but there are a ton of other options out there. 

What other accessories are needed to cloth diaper?

• You need 1 diaper pail to store soiled diapers (I purchased a garbage can pail for this)
• You need 2 large wet bags for the diaper pail (you can purchase these off of the websites listed above)
• I recommend purchasing two smaller wet bags for "on the go" and traveling purposes. Whenever one is dirty, you have a backup wet bag for soiled diapers. You can purchase my favorite brand of wet bags here.
• Since you can't use traditional diaper rash cream with cloth diapers, coconut oil is a perfect alternative. Ava has never had diaper rash, and we have only used coconut oil, and occasionally CJ's butter. 
• Cloth wipes! I cannot stress enough how smart of an investment these are. If you plan on cloth diapering, it makes sense to use cloth wipes. You can even use washcloths rather than actual wipes. Either way, if you are going to invest your time in cloth, use the wipes! Saving more is always smart. I would suggest purchasing 30-40 cloth wipes. 

I made a video of all the information listed and more. I somehow managed to delete my youtube account, but once I get a new channel up and running, I'll go ahead and post the video. Hopefully this information was a little bit more helpful and answered some of the frequent questions I get. 

♥- Leilani