Cloth Diapering: a look back

Anouk is pretty much officially potty-trained now (hooray!) which means that I finally got to pack up the very last of our cloth diaper stash over the past weekend. As I was folding them away, I thought way back to the beginning of our cloth diaper experience and the steep learning curve that it entailed. Even though I read everything on the subject and talked to a ton of people who had done it before, there still was a moment at the very start when I stood there with a dirty bundle of cloth diaper in my hand and thought: now what? 

In the beginning, I used to scour the internet for how-to posts. So I thought here, at the end, I'd share some of the things we learned in case any of you out there are thinking of cloth diapering but aren't sure how to start/if you can make it work.

Note: there are affiliate links in this post which may result in a small commission for the blog. 

Diapers: We used Bum Genius 4.0 and FuzziBuns Elite, both of which are one-size-fits-all cloth diaps. The design is a waterproof shell with microfiber inserts that slip inside an inside pocket. The great thing about these diapers was that they are adjustable, and could grow along with Anne from baby to toddler. We had a mix of the diapers with snaps and a couple with Velcro closures at the top and quickly discarded the latter because the Velcro really doesn't hold up over repeated washings. We got a total of 24 diapers in all (we registered for them for our shower from Target plus received some hand-me-downs from a friend), which meant I needed to wash every other day in the beginning, and every second or third day once A. hit 6 months or so.

Storing: We used a wet bag instead of a pail to put our dirties in until it was time to wash. It hung on the back of our bathroom door and zipped tight (we never had a problem with odors leaking out). We also had a smaller wet bag to keep in the diaper bag and the car for on-the-go changes.

Washing/drying: Our washing routine looked something like this. First, we did a soak of the dirty diapers in cold water and 1/4 cup of BioKleen Bac-Out, an enzymatic cleaner that eats away at organic waste and odors. Then we rinsed in cold water, and did a very hot wash cycle with Rockin' Green detergent, which is specially formulated for cloth diapers. We found it was important to line dry -- if you toss the diapers in the dryer, they will eventually start to repel water, which leads to leaks and blowouts (we loved these Ikea Pressa drying racks, which looked like little adorable octupuses and took up virtually no space in the tiny apartment we lived in when A. was born).

Speaking of repelling, this can happen anyway, over time, because of detergent build up. Whenever I noticed our diaps weren't as absorbent as they should be, I "stripped" them by soaking them for an hour or so with a capful of bleach and then rinsing and washing as normal (the Blue Dawn stripping trick never did anything for me, though some swear by it).

Other things to have on hand: A diaper sprayer to get gunk off before tossing your diapers in the bag. We used the BumGenius one, which hooked easily up to our toilet tank (and provided hours of fun for me and J. ambushing each other with it). Also, something to treat diaper rash that WON'T harm your diapers (traditional creams like Desitin or Lansinoh are virtually impossible to get out). We liked California Baby's cream and also regular coconut oil. Invest in a few extra liners for emergencies.

One last piece of advice: Don't be too strict with yourself! We used disposables when we traveled, (see photo above, no shame) or when A. was sick, or we were, and I think it made a big difference on keeping us committed to using cloth all the other times.

Did you cloth diaper your kids? Are you considering it? I was pleasantly surprised to read that #HRVA offers some pretty great diaper services (see Diaper Junction and Eco-Existence delivery service). Williamsburg Mothering also has a great cloth diapering resource page if you are interested in learning more.

Do you have any advice for new cloth diapering parents?