Cloth Diapering 101

1. Flats and  Pre-folds are the diapers of the past, but still widely used today. These are simple, inexpensive, and versatile. Everyone can use a few of these diapers in their stash as they have multiple uses. Pins, a snug cover, or a Snappi is needed for these diapers. Snappis are a wonderful  device that easily grips the diaper in three places, keeping it closed.
• Flats are simply a large square of absorbent fabric that can be folded in various ways and used as a diaper. They can be folded to fit any size child, clean well, and dry very quickly.
• Pre-folds are a flat diaper that has been  pre-folded and sewn together so that the majority of the absorbency is in the center of the diaper.  The ones you find at your local discount store are very inferior and not worth using as a diaper. These come in different sizes, clean well, and dry quickly. 
2. Fitted type diapers are the new generation of cloth diapers where the diaper is shaped and uses elastic to fit the diaper to the baby. These have a similar shape to a disposable and most go on like a disposable, making them user friendly. There are several types of fitted diapers and only one type is actually called a fitted diaper. Fitted type diapers come in a variety of sizes and one-size fits all. The fitted types include:
• Fitteds diapers made of all absorbent fabrics and require the use of a separate waterproof cover. Some have the absorbent soaker pad sewn into the middle of the diaper, which are usually harder to clean well and take a long time to dry. Many have a flap type soaker pad on the inner portion of the diaper, that is sewn on one end or snaps into the body of the diaper. These flaps make for better cleaning and quicker drying but require some fiddling to get in proper position and they can shift around during wear. A fitted diaper with a separate cover is the most leak-proof system.
• All-In-One (AIO) diapers are made with a waterproof  outer layer and an absorbent inner layer, eliminating the need for a separate cover. These are the closest diaper to a disposable to use, since it is just one piece to put on. They are especially convenient for travel, dads, grandparents, and daycare. They are difficult to clean well, usually take a very long time to dry, and are more leak-prone.
• All-In-Two (AI2) are very much like the AIO, but somehow it is in two parts. Usually it is the absorbent soaker pad that is done like a flap as in the fitted diaper. This makes the diaper clean and dry better, and leak less than an AIO, but you have parts to fuss with and it is not quite as friendly for an unfamiliar to cloth user. Some systems have a soaker pad or mini-diaper that snaps in a cover-like shell. You simply snap in a new pad and can re-use one shell until it gets soiled. These 
• Pocket diapers have a waterproof outer and a non-absorbent inner with no built in absorbency of any kind. There is a pocket opening somewhere that you have to stuff with your absorbent pad. Most come with a  stuffer to use, but you can usually use other things such as those pre-folds. Pocket clean and dry well, and a you can adjust the amount of absorbency by adjusting your stuffing. They are less prone to leaks than an AIO. The inner fabric of these is almost always a stay-dry type that wicks moisture away from babies bottom. This fabric has a tendency to get build-up that repels liquid and causes the wetness to just roll off and out the diaper instead of soaking through to the absorbent pad. Stuffing every diaper can become a drudgery, but once stuffed they go on and work just like an AIO.
• Hybrid diapers are a combination of some of the above. The Tot Wraps™ Dream Diaper™ is a Hybrid diaper because it is an AIO, but also has the pocket opening for increasing absorbency as needed.  

• Something to put your soiled diapers in. You can get a large wet bag, which is a waterproof bag that will keep the wetness and odor contained. Just throw it in the wash with the diapers. You can get a lidded pail such as a kitchen trashcan, which you will need to rinse out. Or you can line your pail with the wet bag.
• You may want a small wet bag for your diaper bag, however you can get by with a plastic grocery bag.
• You may also want cloth wipes. You can use paper ones too, just have a trashcan handy so you don't put them in with the diaper wash.
• You may also want a sprayer that mounts easily to your toilet to aid in the removal of  solid waste. I don't own one of these as I either just dump off what will fall or just dunk it in depending on my mood. I have heard much praise of the sprayer once you get the hang of keeping the spray in the toilet. I don't mind getting my hands a little dirty anymore and I always wash my hands really well afterward, so I can't justify the expense yet. 
• Fear of poop handling tends to be big when you haven't cloth diapered and is probably the number one excuse used not to cloth diaper. But really what mom or dad doesn't get poop on them when taking care of a baby.  Cloth wipes offer much more distance between your hand and  the  poo than paper wipes. And cloth diapers are really good at keeping the poo in the diaper, unlike disposables with the notorious poop up the back problem. So, either way you are going to deal with poop. 

• Cloth users agree that cloth diapers, properly used, leak far less than disposables. Especially when it comes to breastfed poop. If your cloth is leaking all the time, then something is not working right. It is usually a fit or absorbency problem. 
• The diapers should be snug around the legs and waist, if any gapping occurs leaks will too. Sometimes if you tighten the waist a little it will snug up the legs just enough to fit well. Sometimes a certain diaper just won't fit your child right no matter what and you need to try a different style or brand of diaper.
• Change a cloth diaper more often, usually at least every 2 hours except during naps or nights. If the diaper becomes saturated it is far more likely to leak, and if it becomes over-saturated then it will leak as there is no where else for the wetness to go. Cloth needs to be changed after each pee and it is not made to hold more than that.  
• If the diaper leaks after just one pee, then the diaper needs more absorbency for your child. Stuff it more if it is a pocket, lay in more absorbent pads (aka doublers), or use more absorbent fabrics.
• Another likely cause of leaks is build-up of detergents, hard water and other stuff that prevent absorption and the wetness just rolls out of the diaper. To solve this problem, strip the diapers. The stripping method with depend on what caused the build up.
  

• My diaper bag contains some Dream Diapers™, dry wipes, a bottle of water, and a couple of T-shirt type plastic grocery bags.  I need to make myself a real wet bag, but the grocery bags do the job!
  
• I simply wet my wipes with the water bottle as I need them (they don't get stinky this way). I roll my dirty diapers up and fasten the cross-over snaps to keep the mess contained inside, and put back into my bag. I put stinky ones in the plastic sacks to contain smell.
• Don't forget to remove your dirty diapers from your diaper bag when you get home. Also, unfasten the cross-over snaps before placing in the pail.

• Your new diaper/trainer can be cared for just like your other cloth diapers. Here is my basic washing routine:
  • Put all soiled diapers/trainers into a dry lidded pail. I dump solids into the toilet, and only sometimes dunk. It all comes out in the wash....so why not keep it easy. And no, my diapers aren't stained any more than when I used to rinse the poopy ones (if breastfeed only, no need to dump or dunk just put the diaper in the pail)
  • Every two to three days, empty pail into washer. Set your water level to a large load. 
  • Do a pre-rinse in COLD water (some do a full cold wash or a soak, especially HE front loader users)
  • Wash in HOT with 1/4 to 1/2 the normal amount of detergent. 
  • Crunchy Clean makes a diaper formula detergent I highly recommend.  This chart is wonderful for other detergent recommendations and no-no's. Not all detergent is diaper friendly!
  • Do a second rinse to make sure detergent is out of the diapers. My kids get rashes when I forget to do the extra rinse.
  • Then dry in the dryer or line-dry. Be sure you use NO fabric softener of any kind. 
  • Some use additives of different kinds in their wash routine. At first just keep it simple, make sure your detergent is OK,  and if you begin to have an issue then start tweaking your wash routine.
    

• I purchased two square plastic containers at Wal-Mart in the food storage container aisle. It was like $2 for the package of two. I use one for storing dry wipes as they come out of the wash, and the other has the wet wipes.
• I either just add some water to my wipe container or sometimes I use a solution of 2 cups water, 2 T baby oil, and 2 T baby soap.
  

• Boil water in your tea kettle, or in the microwave.
• Take a pea sized dab of lanolin and put it in coffee cup or similar sized container.
• Add a small squirt of baby shampoo.
• Pour the hot water into the cup and stir.
• The water should turn milky white. If you still see a grease floating and the water is not milky white, the water was not hot enough or you didn’t add enough shampoo to emulsify the fat.
• Pour the milky white water into your sink of warm water, and add wool cover. Gently work the lanolin water into the cover. You can let it sit for a bit, then come back and drain the water.
• Squeeze excess water out of cover then roll in a towel to remove most of the water. A salad spinner or spin cycle on the washer works good too! Lay flat to dry.

• Simply throw it in the final rinse cycle with your diapers and then lay flat to dry.
• Or you can rinse it out in the sink in warm water, then roll in a towel to remove moisture and lay flat to dry.
• Detergent is not necessary and in fact can strip out the lanolin. If you must use a soap use only a product designed to wash wool, like Eucalan.
• Keep your soaker away from oil stripping detergents and hot water. You will keep the lanolin in the soaker and avoid having to re-lanolize.

 How to wash fleece soakers and PUL covers:

• You can wash these with your diapers or separately since they don't need the extra rinsing that soiled diapers need. Also, fleece will pick up pills from the diapers if washed together.
• Machine or hand wash either of these in cold, warm, or hot water. Machine or line-dry. Use of fabric softeners is OK.