Guide to the Best Cloth Diapers

I'll be honest -- I never expected I would be using a diaper on my child that couldn't be thrown away. But a quick scan of the pricetags on Huggies and the like produced an about face for me, and cloth diapering appeared as a much more affordable alternative. My husband and I have been cloth diapering our baby for six months and, given the savings and the lack of diaper rash, I have no plans to switch to disposables (except for longer travels).

Here is a general overview of our cloth diapering (CD) system, including reviews of the products we have tried.

Before you cloth diaper, it is important to consider these three things:

- If you don't have a diaper cleaning service, you will need to wash them in your own washer/dryer or by hand (if you're really an intrepid!). If you do not have exclusive use of your own washer/dryer, I would hesitate to recommend CD to you as there may be enzymes that remain in the washer/dryer from other people's detergents that are not helpful in CD. Most CD sites recommend a non-enzyme detergent like Charlie's Soap.

- Rinsing and washing diapers can be a lot of work, and too much work for just one person, in my opinion. If you plan to go it alone, or if your partner is not in support of this system, I forewarn you that you may be arms-deep in poop and really resenting it.

- Take a look at the demos on how to cloth diaper, or try to see if someone who has done it can show you before you attempt it. It is not hard, but to do it right does take time.

- The initial investment to CD may seem hefty at first (we spent about $300 up front on diapers, soap, the Potty Pail) but we will use the diapers and pail for a long time.

Purchasing Cloth Diapers

If you are planning to CD from the jump, I do not recommend buying many newborn prefitteds. Your baby will grow very quickly and it is easier to secure a too-big diaper than to "keep it all in" with a too-small diaper.

We have purchased almost all of our CDs through Green Mountain Diaper company. The company has been efficient and their prices are reasonable. Their website is also very helpful from a step-by-step instructional standpoint. Our favorite diapers have been the prefitteds and the prefolds. The Bummis Super Brite covers are our favorites as they are easy to rinse off and also very cute. Green Mountain also sells these clever Snappi fasteners which I recommend buying at least two of -- you will be amazed how strong the clips are and how easy they make CD a wriggley baby.

A tried and true key to CD a baby that will sleep comfortably through the night is to buy at least one wool cover. Even in the summer, the wool diaper is breathable, moreso than a plastic cover. We wash our wool covers in tepid water with Eucalan soap and a little Lansinoh.

We also purchased some never used GDiapers from someone on craigslist. The GDiapers, while cute, are not very effective (see also: leaky!) and not very affordable, either (the inserts are pricey and come in small quantity packs).

Rinsing and Washing Cloth Diapers

Some sources will tell you to simply put your dirty diapers in a dry bucket until you are ready to wash them. I think that my bathroom would smell disgusting if we did not rinse our diapers, especially in the summer. For this reason, I highly recommend the Potty Pail which hooks up to your toilet and provides a high-power rinse right into the toilet. Yes, it uses a lot of water, but I know my ultimate goal is to have a happy baby and a happy home (and one which doesn't smell). This is how I justify the water consumption.

When you are ready to wash your diapers, I recommend using a scoop of Charlie's Soap on a cold cycle first, then a scoop of Charlie's with a scoop of Oxiclean Baby on a warm to hot cycle, with an extra rinse. The diapers do take a long time to dry, so if you are not opposed to air drying on a line, this may be the most energy efficient method, albeit time consuming.

Daytrips and Cloth Diapers

Sometimes I surprise myself that I am willing to CD even on the road, but the truth is that once you begin CD, you develop a system that works for you and eventually you may not even think twice about going on a daytrip and bringing home a bag of dirty diapers (the insanity!). I am always sure to keep plastic shopping bags or ziploc bags (even better for sealing off the smell) with me or in my stroller/car, and to carry an extra diaper cover with me in case of a major blow-out.

I cannot tell you exactly how much we have saved in lieu of using disposables or how much water we have wasted in washing our CDs. What I can tell you, though, is that I am glad we tried it and stuck with it, and I encourage anyone to try it for at least two weeks. If nothing else, at least you will have some extra burp rags which always come in handy, too.