And now for a post that’s a bit more about daily life than a straight home-improvement topic. When people ask what question we get asked most often, they probably assume it has to do with paint or demo. It doesn’t. Hands down, the most common question we receive is some version of: How are you liking cloth diapers? How many do you have? What brand are they? Do they have inserts? Do they work? Is washing them annoying? Do they really get clean? Do you ever use disposables? How long will they last? Are they bulky? What do you do when you’re out running errands? How exactly do you wash them? How do you store dirty diapers? Do they cause blowouts or diaper rash?
Who knew cloth diapering would spark such curiosity? We’re happy to answer all of those questions here in one place. If you don’t care about baby bodily functions, you might want to skip this one—there will be talk of poop. For everyone else, here’s our experience with cloth diapers so far.
After a lot of research and conversations with friends and family who cloth diapered, we chose Bum Genius Elemental One Size All-in-One diapers in organic cotton with snaps rather than velcro. We opted for snaps because they tend to hold up better after many washings, and we liked the simplicity of all-in-one diapers rather than juggling inserts or liners. The one-size design adjusts with snaps as Clara grows, which saves money and streamlines the process.
We bought a pack of 12 and that has worked well for us. Many parents aim for 18, but we’ve managed with a dozen and might add more someday. The diapers are very straightforward to use; John does the majority of diaper changes since he volunteered to handle that task while I feed Clara. It’s been a helpful and sweet arrangement—plus Clara apparently enjoys peeing on him sometimes.
Washing the diapers has fit easily into our routine. Babies generate a lot of laundry anyway, so doing a big load of diapers every day and a half is not a burden. We were nervous about switching from disposables—the first nine weeks Clara was in disposables because she was too small for the one-size diapers—but the transition ended up being smoother than expected. The cloth diapers are cute, comfortable, and seem to help Clara sleep longer and be less fussy. Since switching, we’ve experienced far fewer blowouts and zero diaper rash compared to disposables.
Cloth diapering is also cost effective. With energy-efficient appliances, the cost of washing diapers is minimal. We often line-dry diapers in the sun to save energy and whiten any slight discoloration naturally. For about the price of our 12-pack, we have all the diapers we need for Clara’s diapering years and likely for future children as well. Looking back, we might have purchased a few newborn-sized diapers too—one-size diapers can be a bit loose on very tiny newborns. Because we skipped newborn cloth diapers, we used disposables for the first nine weeks and learned firsthand how expensive that option can be.
We tracked our disposable usage during those nine weeks and spent more than $180, illustrating how quickly costs add up. By comparison, our cloth diaper set paid for itself in a short time and reduced ongoing waste heading to landfills. We’re also planning to switch to cloth wipes eventually to increase savings and reduce disposable waste further.
In the nursery we use a larger pail for dirty diapers and a smaller pail for wipes, both lined with reusable or recycled bags. For dirty diaper cleanup, we use a diaper sprayer to rinse solids into the toilet before tossing diapers into the pail. Some people skip spraying for exclusively breastfed babies, but spraying helps us remove residue and keeps diapers cleaner going into the wash. We hang the pails on the side of the dresser to keep them accessible and added small strips of weatherstripping to avoid scratching the wood.
We launder diapers at least every other day, usually running a warm heavy-duty cycle with a reliable detergent. We once switched detergents and found that Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder helped preserve the diapers longer. A cold pre-wash can help, but because we pre-spray the messy ones, we wash in one warm cycle and then either machine-dry or sun-dry them. Occasionally a diaper will pick up a slight tint from breastfed infant stools; laying it out in the sun while still damp often bleaches the tint away naturally.
Cloth diapers are a bit bulkier than disposables but not prohibitive. Clara still fits into many of her newborn outfits while wearing them. When we’re out running errands, we stick with cloth for day trips: we store the soiled diaper in a plastic bag or a reusable wet bag until we get home. For overnight travel, we typically use disposables because it’s more inconvenient to wash while on the road.
Overall, we love cloth diapering. It’s not harder than disposables—just different. It’s economical, reduces waste, and has worked well for Clara’s comfort and skin. That said, every family’s needs are different, and disposables are a perfectly reasonable choice for many households. We simply wanted to share what has worked for us in case it helps other parents make their own decision.
UPDATE: We switched from diaper tins to reusable wet bags, which are easy to toss in the laundry with the diapers and help keep things fresh. More than a year later we’re still using the original 12 cloth diapers; they remain in great condition, perform well, and don’t develop odors. Two years on, they’re still holding up nicely and have been one of the best purchases we made for diapering.