I think it’s been awhile since I’ve made any posts about my cloth diapering system, and I wanted to share how it’s working right now. There are so many different ways to “do” cloth diapering, that mine is just what works for me right now, though I’m expecting it to change slightly over time, and if I have anymore children, it would be different for them, too.

So let me start off with my “stash” of diapers and equipment:

• 20 Medium sized fitted diapers with velcro (fits from 15-30 pounds or so)
• 20 8×8″ cloth wipes
• 6 Large size covers (Very Baby Snug Wrap)
• 3 Medium Sized wool soakers in (Links are to patterns) Camo print, blue, and white with blue stripes (The adult content notice is NOT in reference to the soaker pattern)
• Diaper pail (Just a basic pail with a lid)
• 2 wet bags made from the same fabric as the covers
• 2 Cotton diaper pail liners–about the size of a pillowcase
• 8 flat cloth diapers–used for extra protection for nighttime

My system is pretty basic, and since my son is getting a little older, I’m finding I don’t have to change him as often as when he was a little baby, usually we wash about every 3 days. I’m really bad about going back and forth between cloth and disposables, so sometimes it seems like we get more days out of our diapers, but it’s because of disposables. We wash roughly twice a week.

I have all my stash in a living room cabinet, it fits nicely inside of there, and I don’t have to worry about it being out where it gets in the way. I keep the diaper pail next to the cabinet or in the garage if company is coming. The garage door comes right next to the living room, kitchen and downstairs bathroom, so it’s pretty easy access.

As far as diapering goes, we are pretty easy-going. We don’t have a diaper changing table, never have. We use the floor, generally, and as long as there are no big messes, that has worked for us. If needed, we go into the bathroom to confine the mess.

When it comes to poopy diapers, I used to use a soapy mixture on my wipes, but found that it didn’t really do much better than plain water, so now we just wet the wipes as needed and clean the babe with a plain, wet wipe, which is really okay if you bathe your child frequently. If there’s a rash, plain water is really your best bet, because other things can irritate skin more if they aren’t properly rinsed off. The poop needs to go into the toilet as well, so if it’s not a newborn with breastmilk poops, then a good shaking should cover it. Breastmilk poops don’t really need anything special, they just don’t have much solidness to them, but when babies start eating food, it can get a little messy and  you don’t want that in your washing machine, so it’s best to shake and flush. (use the wipe to push it off if you need a little extra help–just don’t drop the wipe into the toilet)

Changing a cloth diaper is no more messy (sometimes even LESS messy) than changing disposables, and you don’t have a stinky trash can filled with poopy diapers smelling up the whole house, either. You can reuse covers several times before washing provided they are not smelly (like ammonia), sopping wet or dirty from a leaky diaper. We use them about 3 times between washes.

Washing is probably the most complicated part, but even that is not much more difficult than throwing in a load of laundry. I use either a clear unscented liquid (like all free and clear) or plain powdered detergent (like wind fresh from Sam’s club or any unscented white powder). I also use the hottest water setting and do as many diapers as will fit comfortably in the machine–you have to make sure they get clean! My diapers only do a medium load with all of them dirty, but if you have 30 or more, it will be a large load.

I use one scoop or capful of detergent, about 1/4-1/3 cup of LIQUID NON-CHLORINE Bleach (like Clorox 2 or Oxyclean liquid), 1/4 cup of Baking soda and 1/2 cup of vinegar. These are not all necessary for clean diapers, but if you want your diapers to smell pretty good after washing, then it’s probably a good idea to use them all every once in a while. If you just use the baking soda and vinegar once a week or every two weeks, it will help eliminate odors that linger. The non-chlorine bleach is really just hydrogen peroxide which acts as a whitening agent and also neutralizes most odors.

Dry them like any other load of laundry. They can go on the clothesline, too, if you’re into that, and they actually come back smelling even better than if dried inside.

That’s just about it. I don’t really need to fold anything, I just stack the diapers up and stick them back into the cabinet after drying and start over.