There is so much information out there on cloth diapering. An ocean of answers and sometimes you didn’t even realize you had question for! These things I wish I had known before cloth diapering are just a good thing to keep in the back of your mind while on the journey. Since we decided to do a blended cloth diaper system of pocket diapers and prefold diapers with PUL’s, there were plenty of questions about cloth diapering that came up as I went along. Here are 6 surprising things you need to know about cloth diapering.
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6 Random Things You Need to Know About Cloth Diapering
1. There is a continuous learning curve
With any new challenge, there’s going to be a time In the beginning where the learning curve feels steep. When it comes to cloth diapering though, the learning curve is consistent. It was certainly steep in the beginning because let’s face it, I had no idea what I was doing, all the while learning to be a mom too. Since babies constantly grow, I had to frequently figure out new ways of diapering that worked for everyone involved. You may find yourself trying out different methods and researching more and more to keep up with your baby. Mainly nighttime diapering was the most challenging. I failed plenty of times before finding the sweet spot. Then I finally began to actually UNDERSTAND how everything worked and why. That helped tremendously.
2. Your baby will be a size up in clothes than their actual age
Cloth diapers fit VERY differently than disposables. Especially at nighttime. Both my sons were on the bigger side when they were born, and they were only in newborn for about a week. Your baby may end up being a size or two, even three, bigger than what their actual age is. My 8-month-old baby is currently in 12-18 month old clothes. Mainly because he is very long and he’s bigger than the average baby. You’ll probably need to buy bigger sizes for nighttime and then for daytime you may have to see what the sizes are that you need so you can buy appropriately.
3. Diaper rash CAN still happen
Despite what some people may say, baby can still get diaper rash even with cloth diapers. The only thing to be weary of is the products you use on the diapers. Not all diaper rash creams are safe to use on cloth diapers. You could always make your own, or double check that it’s safe to use with cloth diapers.
4. Quality matters!
Another random thing you need to know about cloth diapering is some brands qualities are better than others. That seems obvious, but you get what you pay for and I mean it REALLY makes a difference. I skimped out in the beginning and only got the cheaper ones so that I could have more, but I ended up having to replace them VERY quickly. So I ended up spending more than I would have if I just invested in the more quality product in the first place.
5. Blowouts are RARE if ever
I’ve had only maybe two or three in my three years of cloth diapering and it was due to lack of snap closure. If the snaps are secure than nothing will leak out. If pee is leaking through or poop is spilling out, it may be time to replace them because they are beginning to delaminate.
6. Snappis are crazy sharp
This only applies if you use prefolds or flats, but you already know what a Snappi is. The most genius cloth diaper invention next to the potty pail system. However, those Snappis ARE SHARP. I know they have to be for the sake of the diaper, but I’ve definitely cut myself in the heat of the diaper change and rolling child. They also can break after so many uses which sucks because they seem like they’d last for a lifetime. Maybe I was just too aggressive with mine!
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At the end of the day, there may be other things that surprise you about cloth diapers. I’m still finding new and exciting things all the time! From new brands to different systems, these six things may not surprise you, but they sure did catch me off guard!
What is something you recently found out about cloth diapering?
