Cloth diapering is a commitment. Absolutely. It is an initial investment. Of course. Maybe you are considering cloth diapering with your newborn, or perhaps you want to make the switch with your infant/toddler. THAT IS WONDERFUL! Good for you for even considering it. Even if you part time cloth diaper, it still helps reduce waste. Cloth diapers for beginners can be overwhelming, but if you think it through and take it one step at a time, you’ll be great!
My husband and I had the discussion about it when I first became pregnant, and I knew I wanted to try cloth diapering full time. We ended up diving headfirst into it without considering any other option. We’re just like that I suppose! As I’ve become more experienced with cloth diapering, I’ve come to consider a lot of factors even as a seasoned diaper-er (totally made that word up). I wanted to share some of the questions I ask myself now before buying/upgrading to new diapers. These are the bigger picture and forward-thinking questions to ask before buying and trying!
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Is Cloth Diapering Right for Me and My Family?
It’s right for you if you want to make sustainable change in reducing your waste. And you’d like to make that change for and with your children. Diapers make up 4.1 million tons, which is 1.4 % of the municipal solid waste in landfills in 2018 (source). They don’t compost, they don’t breakdown, they stay diapers for about 500 years. So yes, they hold poop and pee decently well, but they will hold that waste for the next six generations.
Cloth diapering is for you if you aren’t squeamish. You’re going to be dealing with poop A LOT. After a little while though, it just fades away. You’ll be dealing with poop no matter what honestly, because let’s face it, newborns poop a lot.
If you have the determination or maybe just pure stubbornness, like my family, then it may be for just to prove to yourself you can do it. Plus, to show others that it isn’t the most difficult task in the world to accomplish!
New to cloth diapering and want to dive in but don’t know where to start? This comprehensive, in-depth resource guide has EVERYTHING you need to know to get started with reusables!
Do you want to full time or part time cloth diaper?
For part-time, the first question will be do you plan to cloth diaper during the daytime and use disposables during the night? This is probably the most common system for part-timers. However, you could use a mix of both during the day as well. The number of diapers you’ll need depends on what your system is. That will end up being a try and then build a stash sort of deal.
For full time cloth diapering, there are a few more things to consider like compatible products such as diaper rash cream and detergent. As well as nighttime solutions, which I talk more about below. The number of diapers you’ll need to start will be around 20-30. Newborns will go through about 10-12 a day, at least mine did. Then you won’t have to do laundry every single day. The number also depends on the style you decide on. A great article with more in-depth numbers and specifics you can find here at cotton babies.
Full timing? What to do about a nighttime system?
Nighttime diapers are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than daytime diapers. There will need to be a bit trial and error to see what works best for baby. Some kids are heavy wetters, some are infrequent, some are more frequent, small wetters. It takes a couple nights of towels under the sheets to figure out which cloth diaper system works best. You’ll DEFINITELY need a charcoal soaker like this, or another slow absorbing option like hemp or wool. I personally loved the Alva Baby ones and still get great use out of them three years later.
There are many different nighttime cloth diaper systems and solutions out there so again, it’s a trial-and-error scenario for most people. Here’s our family’s cloth diaper system for nighttime.
What style of cloth diapers for beginners is best?
Well, there are a lot of factors that play into that question
Cost vs Quality– You pay for what you get. That statement has never been truer than for cloth diapers. There are always discounts for bulk buying but if you’re still on the fence maybe just trying out a few before investing a ton of money is a better option. The pricier options are usually American made and honestly of better quality. However, it’s a more affordable price to buy pockets in a package made in China. Also, style matters. 50 Prefolds and 10 PUL covers are going to be WAY cheaper than 30 Pocket diapers. Hands down.
My experience is if you plan to use these for more than one baby, invest in the better quality. We did prefolds and pockets as the covers. Then got PULs later. Here’s my full article on that. I have Nora’s Nursery & Alva Baby pocket diapers I got with my first. I love them and it really got me getting used to cloth diapering. Plus, it’s easier to use pockets when they become mobile. All are starting to delaminate already. I bought Bum Genius & Thirsties covers SECONDHAND and they STILL hold up better than the others. I recently invested in some Flip so I could retire my Alvas and I couldn’t be happier with the product.
Effectiveness vs Convenience- Pocket or all-in-ones may be the easiest cloth diapers for beginners. They’re quick and work pretty much like a disposable. One and done. That’s their downfall though. Then you’re down a diaper. With prefolds/flats and PULs, you can reuse the PULs for three or four diapers. Prefolds absorb far better than any pocket I’ve ever used. They just need to be changed out more frequently, and that is their downfall.
So, you just need to ask yourself, ‘am I okay with having 5 extra seconds of a diaper change with prefolds or do I just want it to be quick?’ Mind you, you have to stuff and unstuff the pockets before and after use!
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Do I want to spend the extra time/energy?
The biggest con of cloth diapering is the maintenance. Anyone will tell you that. “Oh, I tried it, but the washing was just too much!” I heard seventeen different versions of that phrase when I told people I was planning to cloth diaper!
It’s all very exaggerated in my opinion. Laundry is easy. Throw it in, press a button, walk away. The poop spraying is also an extra chore, but you don’t REALLY need to do that. You could totally just prewash in your machine. And maybe wash twice if you need to. It’s up to you!
Buy as you go? Or invest initially?
I invested initially. I bought an awesome starter pack from green mountain diapers, then bought as I needed. Although, I recommend buying as you go. Simply because most people don’t like prefolds (I LOVE THEM) and end up going to pockets or another easier cloth diaper. I didn’t need as many prefolds as I received, but it worked great because that pack came with a one of each bigger size so I knew which to get next.
How am I going to clean them?
Cloth diapers for beginners may seem daunting because of the maintenance, like I mentioned earlier. But if you try a few things out, like doing it all in the machine or using the tub, and it doesn’t work, you can just change the routine! Buy a sprayer if you need, get a potty pail system if that’s better. Find some good stain remover. We use Puracy and it works perfectly for cloth diapers and everything else. As long as you know that your products are cloth diaper safe, then you are golden!
There will probably be much more research to be done if you are still considering cloth diapering. Just know that if you chose to do it, then you are helping to save the planet just a tiny bit more than before! Think everything over, the style, the labor, cost, a cleaning routine. Make a list if you have to, that’s something I love to do if I’m unsure of a purchase. Cloth diapering for beginners can be fun and exciting! A new mountain to be climbed and a new journey ahead! Happy diapering!
Are there any more questions you were considering before cloth diapering?
