How do cloth diapers work? Learn how to choose between pocket and all-in-one cloth diapers, how to clean cloth diapers with poop, and more.
In the U.S. alone, the disposable diaper industry has become a $7 billion behemoth — and growing. And while disposables have had a foothold in the market since the mid-20th century, cloth diapering is still a viable option and has been growing in popularity again in the past couple of decades. This option may appear too difficult and time-consuming amid child-rearing, but for those looking for alternatives to disposables — whether to potentially save some money or trips to the garbage can or to find a comfier material for your baby’s bum — cloth diapering can be an accessible solution once you know the basics.
Cloth Diaper Types: How Do Cloth Diapers Work?
Although you can still use extra-absorbent cloths with safety pins as cloth diapers, most modern cloth diapers consist of two main pieces that are fashioned in multiple ways depending on preference. The main components of a modern cloth diaper are an absorbent liner and a waterproof outer shell that contains an elastic waistband with adjustable snaps along with elastic leg holes, allowing the diaper to grow with your baby and remain tight against their skin to prevent leaks.
The three main types of cloth diapers have this basic design in all-in-one, pocket, and hybrid. An all-in-one diaper is a waterproof shell sewn together with an absorbent liner in a single product, the most like disposables out of the three designs. When a baby soils an all-in-one diaper, the whole diaper needs to be changed and added to the laundry pile. Pocket diapers have a waterproof shell, a soft liner, and an inner pocket where an absorbent liner is placed. Like an all-in-one, a pocket diaper needs to be changed and washed after use. However, a pocket diaper can be adjusted to fit your baby’s needs by adding thicker, more absorbent liners into the pocket for overnight use. Hybrid diapers have a waterproof shell, a soft interior, and a removable inner cloth liner that sits on top of the soft interior. In this case, if a baby’s waste doesn’t spill onto the soft interior, just the inner cloth liner can be changed, thus creating less laundry.
Modern cloth-diapering brands range in expense, from around $35 per diaper at the higher end to about $6 per diaper at the lower end. Most large online retailers sell multiple cloth-diaper brands and designs. There’s also a large market for used cloth diapers on Facebook Marketplace, where it’s often possible to find barely used cloth diapers at vastly reduced rates. Making your own cloth diapers is also a valid option, with many patterns available online both free of charge and for a fee. If you’re exclusively using cloth diapers, you’ll need 20 to 30 per baby. A newborn will go through them every two days, but by 3 months old, their diaper supply will last for 3 to 4 days.
Cloth wipes are an even easier and more accessible way to enter the reusable-diaper world. They require less work and cleanup than cloth diapers and take less of an initial investment. Plus, some babies can get irritated skin from the ingredients in disposable wipes, and using cloth can eliminate this. You can purchase cloth wipes online, but you can also make your own by cutting an old flannel shirt into squares with the edges hemmed so they don’t fray. Unless there’s a mess that requires more — in which case, a little bit of warm water will do the trick — a dry cloth wipe is often all that’s needed. If you aren’t a fan of cleaning your baby without a solution, you have options for making your own that are clean and cost-efficient, ranging from coconut oil mixed with water to baby soap mixed with water to essential oil blends. (Only use certain essential oils on babies older than 3 months, and understand proper dilution and ingredients before using.) If your cloth wipes aren’t overly soiled, you can simply toss them in with your regular baby laundry or do them separately with diapers, depending on your preference.
How to Clean Cloth Diapers with Poop
Learning to clean diapers can seem intimidating and time-consuming, but after a few times, it’s a relatively simple process that won’t add a lot of work to a normal day. A urine-filled diaper can go directly into a wash pile and sit until the laundry is ready to wash. A stool diaper is slightly different. Before the baby is eating solid or semi-solid food, a stool diaper can also go directly into the wash pile and sit until laundry day, because this kind of waste is water-soluble and will dissolve in a washing machine without clogging pipes. Once a baby starts having solids, their stool will no longer be water-soluble and will need to be removed prior to washing. This is as easy as lifting off the stool and throwing it into the toilet, if it hasn’t stuck all over the diaper, or using a bidet or hose to spray stool off the diaper and into the toilet before adding it to the laundry.
Wash cloth diapers at the correct temperature to retain their waterproof properties and absorbencies. Also, wash them at 140 degrees Fahrenheit at minimum to ensure you’re killing bacteria. While one wash is completely acceptable and will clean cloth diapers, many people have found that a wash with a soak followed by an additional rinse cycle is the best way to clean cloth diapers to prevent them from retaining odors. Which detergent to use on cloth diapers is up for debate by the user. You can use baby detergent, adult detergent, or a homemade solution, depending on preference.
The final step to cleaning cloth diapers is drying them. While cloth diapers can be put in the dryer, avoid using the dryer too often, as this can cause the diapers to wear out sooner than they would otherwise. Hanging them to dry will extend their lives, and hanging them outside in the sun is best to help fade stains and let natural UV rays kill bacteria that cause odors.
Find What Works Best for You
Like anything in life, there are many options for cloth diapering. You can go all in and use nothing but cloth; you can use no cloth; or you can fall somewhere in between. Many choose to use cloth diapers during waking hours and disposables during naps and overnight. Another typical way to split the use of both kinds of diapers is to use cloth at home and disposables when out of the house. Ultimately, finding the right combination of cloth and disposable diapers for you (and baby) to feel comfortable will be the best combination.
Laura Forrest Hopfauf lives in West Virginia with her husband and two daughters. Her work has been featured in publications such as Blue Ridge Outdoors, Motherly, Pregnant Chicken, and is forthcoming in Go World Travel Magazine and Virginia Bride Magazine.
