(Poor baby! Picture was taken after a bath.)
We've gone a little more green in our home. This time, it's with the baby! Our last son had diarrhea every time we put a conventional disposable diaper on him so when we could afford to, we purchased the chlorine-free diapers. It didn't occur to us to do cloth diapers. So in order to avoid putting those nasty chemicals on our newborn, we studied cloth diapers. Take a minute with me, if you would, to look at a conventional disposable diaper. Pretty thin, compact, right? Ever had a baby/toddler wet the bed? Completely soaked, right? Sheets, blankets, everything going into the wash! How does that much moisture fit into a tiny, thin disposable diaper without pouring out the sides? You guessed it: those nasty, dangerous chemicals, including dioxin. Forget that!
The idea of cloth diapering can be intimidating because there's so many different options and ways of doing it today, as well as misconceptions about cloth diaper in the past. So I thought I'd share what I've learned in the last couple of months of cloth diapering our little Malachi.
There are prefolds, fitteds, pockets, and all-in-ones. Prefolds (pictured above) are the cheapest and some also may think they are the most work. After using prefolds and fitteds, I think prefolds are just as easy as fitteds but MUCH cheaper. And, the prefolds are not nearly as difficult as I thought they would be! You don't need pins or snappi fasteners. All we do is fold them on the lines and lay them in a cover like this: 
Then we just put the diaper on and velcro like a disposable. Because the covers usually just get a little wet and air dry, you only need a few covers. We have 6 covers and 2 dozen prefolds. That usually lasts about 2 days or so before we have to do laundry.
The covers we like the best are the Thirsties Duo Wraps. I like them for 2 reasons. First, they seem to fit and cover the baby better than the Bummis covers that I tried. Second, they are expandable so you don't need to buy a new size every other month. These covers will fit your baby for about 6 months or more so you'll only need 2 sizes for the entire diaper life of your baby.
Their prices are the same as all other retailers and they really care about what they do. They don't have a super huge selection like others, but that's because they only sell the diapers that they have tried and approved themselves. They will not sell anything that isn't 100% cotton and have a wealth of information on their website. I have prefolds from two different companies and I like theirs better. They quilt up more and fit better in the corresponding-size covers.
The covers we like the best are the Thirsties Duo Wraps. I like them for 2 reasons. First, they seem to fit and cover the baby better than the Bummis covers that I tried. Second, they are expandable so you don't need to buy a new size every other month. These covers will fit your baby for about 6 months or more so you'll only need 2 sizes for the entire diaper life of your baby.I've looked at many different retailers and their prices and now recommend
Their prices are the same as all other retailers and they really care about what they do. They don't have a super huge selection like others, but that's because they only sell the diapers that they have tried and approved themselves. They will not sell anything that isn't 100% cotton and have a wealth of information on their website. I have prefolds from two different companies and I like theirs better. They quilt up more and fit better in the corresponding-size covers.
How do I wash them?
This one made me spend hours on the computer figuring out the best way to wash & dry the diapers. Here's what I've found to work best: After I change a diaper, I rinse it out in cold water in the tub (warm water sets the stains), wring it out, and throw it in a $5 plastic pail w/ swinging lid that I keep by the tub. Sometimes, I use Biokleen's Bac-out (pictured below) on the stains before I throw them in the pail. Bac-out is a natural stain-fighting product that's used by many carpet-cleaning companies. I found it at Whole Foods. The reason I don't use this every time is because it brings up the cost of cloth diapering, and cost is one of the reasons we do it! (At 8 weeks old, we've spent a total of $45 on diapers, including a bottle of Bac-out, and these diapers will fit him for at least another 4 months. Of course, there are other costs, like laundry soap. I'll get to that in a minute.) 
On wash day, I throw all the diapers and dirty covers in the washing machine and run them through a cold-water soak cycle. After that, I run a hot-water wash cycle with laundry detergent and a little extra washing soda. The washing soda is really good at taking the stains out. I make my own all-natural laundry detergent that ends up costing around $2 for 30 loads. To do this, you need 1 bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap, grated with a small cheese grater or food processor (found in many grocery stores--not Walmart--in the laundry soap aisle for around $1), 1 1/4 cups of Super washing soda (not baking soda; also found at many grocery stores with the laundry soaps), and 1/2 cup of Borax. Mix it together and keep in a covered container.
To dry, I throw them in the dryer (except the covers which air dry) on high heat for 2 cycles (it takes that long to dry). If you have stained diapers, put them on a clothesline on a sunny day for an hour or so and then in the dryer to soften it up and dry it the rest of the way. The sun really does work well to get any leftover stains out.
Is it really cheaper?
Yes and no. If you want to splurge and buy the all-in-one diapers, it's usually not cheaper, although it is better for your baby's bottom. If you go with the prefolds and covers, it can be A LOT cheaper if you do it right. Many people buy cloth diapers brand new with the intention of giving it a shot or get them as baby shower gifts and then resort back to disposables. That's where I benefited. I got most of mine from a lady who wanted to try them and didn't. She had prewashed the prefolds (necessary to make them absorbent and get them to quilt up) and never used them. The covers still had the tags on them! Check craigslist or diaperswappers.com. If not, you can still get 2 dozen prefolds and a few covers for around $80-$100 brand new, including shipping. Look for package deals on these items from companies like diaperjunction.com. If you buy the Thirsties Duo Wrap covers, you'll get a longer period of use out of them, saving even more money. If you find someone selling new or almost new prefolds that are a size too big but are really cheap, BUY THEM! Our prefolds are too big and we simply fold down the top about an inch before folding them in thirds. It works and we've never had any leaks, even with messy, runny breastmilk poo! If you make your own laundry detergent for really cheap, it makes it that much cheaper!
Some people talk about the cost of water and energy for the washing machine and the dryer. Our bill hasn't gone up to notice any difference. Also, water is a renewable energy; land to fill up with garbage is not. Can you imagine how many diapers an average baby goes through in two or three years and how much space that would take in a landfill?
What about wipes?
Since we're saving money and avoiding chemicals, I started making homemade baby wipes too. This is super easy, as well as good for your baby's bottom. You can either buy/make cloth wipes (Green Mountain sells those too), or you can buy good-quality cloth-like paper towels. We tear them off, fold them to fit in the container, and pour our homemade solution over them. I fill a small squeeze bottle (the one I got from the hospital after the baby was born to clean "the area"--disinfected, of course) with bottled water almost to the top and add about 1 tbsp of Burt's Bees baby wash/shampoo and about 1 tbsp of Burt's Bees apricot baby oil. Shake and pour over the wipes until they squish out the solution.
Cloth wipes are nice because you can just throw them in with your cloth diapers to wash but I've found the good kind of paper towels to work well too. The kids absolutely love helping "make" wipes (tearing and folding paper towels) so if you have older children, it's a great way to get them involved and make them feel special.
Let me know if you have any questions and I'll see if I can answer them.
Hope that helps you make your baby, your family, and your world a little greener! "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." Let's be good stewards of His world!
