Cloth Diapering
Many of us over at LHR are parents, and as such, have been faced, at some point or another with the dreaded diaper question: Cloth or disposable?
As a mother to four, I’ve done both. I actually didn’t start cloth until I had my son, though I’m not sure now why I didn’t start sooner!
I think part of my initial resistance was probably similar to what a lot of parents think. When you hear “cloth diaper” your mind might go straight to images of pins and plastic pants and huge piles of poop-laden laundry. But the cloth diapers of today are a completely different thing. Sure, you can still use an absorbent pre-fold, coupled with a cover-and many cloth diapering moms swear by them-but that is no longer the only option. And even if you do go that route, there are some wonderful, adorable pre-folds and wraps out there now, and a new closure device that makes messing with safety pins unnecessary!
If you are looking for something a bit simpler, all-in-ones and pocket diapers are nearly as easy as disposables. Most have either a Velcro hook and loop type closure or a simple, adjustable, snap system. They either have a removable or built-in main absorbent liner, and most have room to add additional pads for extra absorbency, which helps if you have a heavy wetter or plan to use them overnight.
With my diapers, I have a cloth “wet bag” that hangs on my laundry room door. When I change a diaper, I simply flip any solids into the toilet, and then toss the rest in the bag.When the bag gets full, I simply toss the whole thing, bag included, into my washer with a few scoops of diaper detergent, (I use Rockin Green!) and wash, then dry, and voilà! Clean diapers! If you have a newer, HE washer like we do, you can program it to pre-rinse, and then wash, and I use my washers “sanitize” setting to get them extra clean. For me, this system works well, my diapers are clean and the only real extra work involved is two extra loads of laundry a week.
There are so many systems and ways to diaper now that I highly suggest playing around to see what works for you, but for me I wanted a system that added the least amount of extra work and time to my already busy schedule.
They have things available that attach to your toilet that are called “Diaper Sprayers”, which look like a small handheld shower head and give you the ability to simply spray the diapers off and flush the whole mess. There are also a wide variety of diaper detergents-don’t use fabric softener- and soaks and other treatments available to help keep them clean. If your stash starts to get dingy looking, soaking them periodically is recommended.
