FAQ's

FAQ’S
Cloth vs. Disposable:
Why cloth?

There are pros and cons to both sides of cloth and tons of studies funded by both disposable diaper companies and cloth diaper organizations. Are any of them correct? Probably not, so let’s look at what I’ve learned as an example.

Chemicals: Chemicals are used in the manufacturing of both cloth and disposable diapers, depending on brand and type. Eco-friendly disposables use way less chemicals than the traditional counter parts. Traditional disposables use tons of chemicals in manufacturing and in the diaper itself. One of the worst chemicals produced is a man made chemical called dioxin. It’s a byproduct of using chlorine to bleach the diapers white. Dioxin is the most potent neuro-toxin known to man, and is released into the air from facilities bleaching their diapers, this goes for bleached cloth diapers as well.
Want to avoid chemicals released into the environment? Try eco-friendly disposables or cloth made from natural unbleached fibers such as natural cottons, bamboo, hemp etc. Remember though, disposables still have the gel absorbent in them that is pure chemical, one brand I found at the commissary (that was actually cheaper than buying Luvs’ or Pamper’s) had an absorbent made mostly from corn pulp.

Water usage:
This is probably the most debated topic of both sides as it’s the hardest to prove. Some studies say cloth diapering uses tons and tons of water causing more environmental damage and personal expense than using a disposable. Well, disposables use tons of water in its manufacturing process, but so do the fabrics used for diaper making, so let’s look at it another way. Washing 2-3 extra loads of laundry per week, even with the extra wash and rinse is less water usage than a potty trained child flushing the toilet. It uses about the same amount as an adult potty usage which is considerably less than a potty trained child that has to go ever 5 minutes. I have NEVER seen one increase on my water or electric bill since I started using cloth diaper and cloth towels in place of paper towels. Actually, my electric bill is half that of what it used to be before my “Green Days” and that we’ve gotten our own well and pump since then with increased electric usage from drawing the water.

Absorbency:
Disposables are more absorbent than cloth right? Not really. My Toddler blows thru Huggies Night time diapers after just a few hours. Of course she’s on the extreme end of being a heavy wetter but there are some like her out there! Cloth however, a good night-time diaper lasts her the night under a wool or PUL cover. During the day, she’s changes as soon as she’s gone, who want to sit in their own sewage? Babies should be changed immediately whether in cloth or disposable, remember, a diaper is a portable toilet and sitting in one’s own sewage (especially chemical laced sewage) is not very good for a person’s health! Some people wait until a diaper is “full” because they are expensive. If you use cloth, then there’s no financial guilt attached to changing a diaper that was just change 2 minutes ago because baby waited for a clean diaper to go in.

Cost:
The average family will spend $1,500-$3,000 per year a child is in disposables depending on brand and changing frequency. Considering most children are in diapers and or pull-ups until age 3+ this is a ton of money.
Cloth, depending on your budget and patience, you can diaper a child until potty trained for about $500. And guess what? You can reuse those diapers for the next child. The average family has 2.2 kids (dumb number in my opinion). Say the average family has 2 children. 2 children in disposables for 3 years (assuming they potty train at an average age and have no night wetting issues) a family would spend $9,000- $18,000 in diapers! OMG! Compare that to $500 for the most basic system… hmmmm…. No wonder why we can get by on half the income with 3 children than we could with only 1 (my first two were not cloth diapered).

Environment:
Did you know that it is illegal to dispose of human sewage in a land fill? One is supposed to dump solids into the toilet before disposing of a disposable. I do not know ANYONE who does that. Not to mention the chemicals in the diapers that are being absorbed by the soil and washed into our water systems. Yum! Oh and then there’s the fact that just one child will put thousands of diapers in a land fill during their diaper years. The cloth they could have used can be re-used for the next child, or if this is your last child can actually be re-sold and re-used on other children, putting a little “green” back into your pocket and that of a needy family. There are sites to re-sell used diapers in fair to excellent condition such as www.diaperswappers.com and www.diaperpin.com.

Mess:
Isn’t cloth diapering gross? Ok, have you ever potty trained a toddler? If not then you may think dealing with pee and poo is gross in general. If you have potty trained a toddler then you know that it can be a messy task. Cleaning poo out of a 3 YO’s “big girl” panties and pants and everything else she came into contact with is much worse than dumping it off a diaper and flushing it. What would you do with clothes that a child has an accident with? Throw them away? That can get pretty expensive pretty quick! No you’d wash them in their own wash cycle and probably do a load of whites with bleach next.
When a newborn messes in a cloth diaper you just toss the whole thing in the pail, and then in the wash. Solids are not soild at this point and wash out like urine. Once a child gets older and the poo becomes solid, you just dump into the toilet and flush. All wet diapers are just washed and require no extra steps. If your child gets an illness and gets nasty poo, do not fear there are a couple options. One, dunking, kind of gross but gets the job done. Having a diaper sprayer attached to the toilet. I used this option more for cleaning up my 2nd child during the potty training stage than for a diaper but works well. Then there are flushable liners. Kushies makes flushable liners. You place the liner in the clean diaper before a change and once soiled you can shake liner and all into the toilet or pull it off. Some people use this religiously if they hate the idea of poo in the wash or stained diapers.

Time:
Cloth is more time consuming right? I’m very busy woman and I haven’t got all day!
Ok, either way you have to change the diaper, and put it into a pail. Cloth you have the added time of washing, but then again, you have to wash your clothes sometime right? At least I hope so! For me, I’m already doing laundry what’s an extra load on laundry day?
Disposables do not require washing so less time right? Eh, if you say so. You still have to buy them. But then again you’re already at the store for groceries or something right? Ok, hope you have it on your list and don’t realize you’ve got 1 left once your hoe and have to run ALL THE WAY BACK for diapers. Then again I’m a little absent minded so the extra trip to the store after I’ve already been there or wishing I could run in the middle of the night is more of an issue for me than some. But I’m already doing laundry vs. I’m already at the store, to me they are equal to each other in time.


What Type of Cloth diapers are there?

Oh boy, here’s the big difference between disposable and cloth. Disposable you pretty much have once choice, and it goes on one way and that’s it. Ok, this may be the ultimate pro to disposables.
Cloth, many, many choice in types, styles and costs. I’ll try to put a few here. This I experimented with until I found what worked for me and my budget. Everyone is going to have a different budget and a different like than the other.
Listed in order of expense (in general, there are cheap brands and designer brands of every type, like disposables)

Flats: This is what grandma used. The trick to flats is origami and the art of pinning or using a snappy (snappy is a t shaped gripper with claws like those used for an ace bandage to hold the diaper in place instead of pins). These need a water proof cover. We’ll get to covers later, again MORE choices.

Prefolds: kind of like flats, less origami. These come in different sizes from preemie/newborn to toddler. The center has more layers than the other two thirds of the rectangle. To use these you can fold in thirds and lay in a cover (and hope that they only pee or have a nice stash of covers around or you’ll be changing covers as often as diapers), or you can use a few different types of folds. Someday I’ll put up instructions on a few folds, until then I suggest Google, or www.diaperswappers.com and search the diaper q&a database. These are secured with pins or snappi’s and require a water proof cover.

Contours: this has a diaper “shape” to it. Some require a little rolling in the legs to contain messes, other do not, some come with elastic in the legs. Come in sizes from preemie/newborn to toddler. Uses a snappy or pins to secure and a water proof cover.

Fitteds: (My personal fav). These come in sized diapers ranging from preemie/newborn to toddler. Or a One size. A one size or single size diaper comes with either Velcro or snaps and instructions on how to secure it to make it fit various sizes. Most fit babies about 8 lbs-35 lbs. One diaper that works for all ages and stages. Sized fitteds range in preemie/newborn to toddler size with either Velcro or snaps to secure, and fit one size range each so you’ll need a stash of each size your baby goes thru, like clothing. These require a water proof cover but no additional snappi’s or pins.

Pockets: (my personal least fav). These are a diaper shape with elastic in the legs and waist like fitteds, but instead of having an absorbent core they have an opening at the top to stuff with your own choice of insert. Most pockets have an out layer that is waterproof such as PUL (polyurethane laminate) or a water resistant fleece with an inner of a stay dry fabric that wicks moisture to the center. When soiled you must pull out the insert from the center “pocket” for proper washing (the part I don’t like). These also may require occasional stripping. Some pro’s are that daddy’s grandparents and day care facilities are more willing to use these if you have them “pre-stuffed” and ready to go as they require no extra covers and are waterproof. These come in sized and some brands even make a one size. Come in either Velcro or snap options.

All-in-two’s: These are basically a cover with a snap in or lay in “soaker” and you can change the soaker not the cover part. The cover has elastic in the legs and waist and secures with either Velcro or snaps. Just replace the soiled inner for a diaper change. Requires no additonal covers and is another favorite among Dad’s and daycares.

All-in-One: these are generally the most expensive as they are the most similar to using a disposable. They come complete with a water proof outer layer, a stay dry inner layer and a sewn-in absorbent core. No stuffing or changing inners. Toss the whole diaper in the bin and in the wash. All-in-Ones come with elastic in the legs and waist and secure with either Velcro or snaps. Requires no stuffing or removal of inserts. The con to this is that having the absorbent layers all in the center they may be a little more difficult to clean and drying times is much longer than with most other options. Some All-in-Ones have a “quick dry” option. This means that the “core is either sewn in as a flap or snaps in. You do not have to remove it, just wash it. This makes it easier to clean and quicker to dry. Comes in sized and one size options.
There are a few other systems out there such as a cloth/disposable hybrid called G-diapers. These resemble and All-in-Two but instead of a washable insert it has a flushable insert. These have mixed reviews; please do your research on any type or brand you try. I have not tried everything and have never tried a G-diaper.


Covers:

Another high-option area.
PUL. You basic covers are sized waterproof covers made from PUL (poly-urethane laminate). These go on over diapers requiring a water proof cover and are most commonly in a typical diaper shape with elastic in the legs, and waist and closes with Velcro or snaps. There are options such as pull-on style, side snapping, and one size.

Wool is another common cover option. This can be made in a tradition cover (or wrap) style secured by Velcro or snaps, come in “soakers” (these look like bloomers almost), shorts, pants, capris, skirts, sacks, overalls and pretty much anything you can think of. Some wool is knit or crochet or comes as a 100% interlock or interlock blend with a touch of spandex. There are many pro’s to wool vs. PUL. Wool is breathable and keeps the baby’s skin more adjusted. Wool is naturally anti-microbial and anti-bacterial and flame retardant. Wool keeps the baby warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Wool does not have to be washed often as it has its own cleansing system. It only needs to be aired. Con’s to using wool: some people are allergic to wool. The wools most commonly used for covers are very soft and not the scratchy stuff you may be used to. Wool does require a little extra care when you do have to wash it. If you wash in warm or hot water it will shrink or “felt” into a non-stretchy tinie-tiny thing. Please see the wool care instructions for more information on proper washing. Wool is not water proof, but rather water resistant. Most often wool needs to be lanolized to be used as an adequate cover. This is a simple process of adding a little lanolin on occasion while washing making the wool more water resistant. One of the pros is on can tell when the baby has wet. If you feel slight dampness thru the wool, the baby’s diaper is pretty soaked and needs changing. Turn cover inside out and air. You should only have to wash every few weeks. Also, wool requires no chemicals to process or keep wet out, so more environmentally friendly and less chance of rash.

Fleece covers. Very similar to wool in styles and function. Fleece is water resistant rather than water proof and breathable. Does have to be put in the wash pail daily like PUL covers. Some babies and people are allergic to fleece.

How many diapers do I need?

We call it the law of 2 dozen. This will allow you to wash 2-3 times a week with some to spare for wash day or a diaper bag. Most babies need about a half dozen changes a day; newborns need more, so you may want 3-4dzn newborn or a back-up system.

How many covers?

Typically 3-4 covers are good. That gives you one a day and washes every three days with a spare in case of a poo leak from the diaper. You may want more cover than that. If you use wool, then the same rule applies, that way you can air one or two while using the third in a day if you need to. Some people can use the same pair all day without the need to air. Then again covers and wool pants or shorts are so cute you may want to have a wardrobe, depending on budget.
What else do I need?
Well In addition to your diapers and covers you may want reusable wipes or wash cloths. Diaper liners if desired I’ve never used them), a diaper pail, a wet bag for that pail (I don’t use one of those either, what can I say I’m cheap). A travel size wet bag (a bag made from PUL to store wet diapers and wipes) for the diaper bag. A diaper friendly diaper rash cream if not using liners (some creams like those with zinc want create a waterproof barrier on your diapers), my favorite is Northern Essence. It comes in a twist up tube, no mess on hands and is safe for cloth diapers. A diaper changing pad (a simple pad of PUL works great for changes anywhere, you can buy them or make your own!). Wipe warmer if you want to get fancy.
Doublers are a good idea. Doublers are great for nap or night or for travel to give your diaper a boost in absorbency.

What does YOUR stash look like?

Ok, nosey! Well my stash consists of:

9 All-in-Ones for the diaper bag (One size)

3 dozen One Size Organic CuddleBuns Fitteds
*soon to arrive, 3 dozen preemie/newborn organic CuddleBuns fitteds), and a half dozen All-In-

Ones NB size, and NB covers.

Back-up stash of a half to full dozen prefolds and a couple snappi’s (I have crazy days where I like the “old fashioned” feel of a prefold and the origami to go with it).

3 PUL covers as back up

Several pair of wool shorts, soakers, pants and skirts either knit or interlock.

A dozen doublers.

More wipes than I know what to do with, both cloth and disposable.

2 changing pads (one in the diaper bag, one in the living room, I’ve never had a changing table)

1 travel wet bag

All the above made by me, and usually 2nds or other such mess up’s J Or knit by me.

Rash cream from Northern Essence

Wool wash from Naturally Luxe.

Our laundry detergent is Charlie’s soap, I have a trash can with a pop-up lid as my diaper pail and off-brand Lysol spray (since I’ve never bothered to get wet bags for it, or make them). We use PVC and Wool dryer balls and have a diaper sprayer not currently hooked up. That’s it. It’s actually a pretty nice stash in my opinion J I have enough for 2 kids, but that’s ok as soon we’ll have 2 in diapers.