You need enough diapers to get you through a washing without having to fashion a dish towel diaper wrapped with a plastic grocery bag
As a general rule, the smaller the baby, the more diapers you need. Newborns and babies up to about 9 months will need at least 12 diapers a day. With my last baby I had a dozen infant prefolds and 11 small Thirsties Fab Fitteds to start with (which are awesome, by the way, though I don't know why I didn't just buy 12???). This had me doing laundry every other day. If you plan on going the prefold, contour or fitted route, then plan on buying 4-8 waterproof covers per dozen diapers. If you're using prefolds or contours you'll probably need 6 -8 covers since there is no elastic to trap leaks. The wonderful thing about covers is that you can use them a few times (as long as there's no poop on them) before you need to wash them.
If you're starting out with a bigger baby, you'll need less diapers - about 8-10 diapers per day and 4-6 covers if you're using pfs, contours or fitteds.
If you're using AIOs or pockets, the same rules apply (minus the need for separate covers). One-size pocket diapers usually start fitting best when baby is over a month old and a separate newborn stash is a good thing to have on hand.
When you change your baby's diaper, the smell should not be so bad that it makes your eyes tear - well, for urine that is
A few months into cloth diapering I noticed that my daughter's diapers smelled - really, really, really bad. At one point we took her to the dr. to see if she had some kind of urinary tract infection because they were so stinky after she wet them. Nope, not it. I'd like to say that I immediately figured out the problem. Nope, I didn't. Instead I just tried to get the smell out using various tips I'd read about online. Some helped, but mostly they still had a faint odor after they were washed. Well, I finally grew a brain and realized that the culprit was buildup from soap residue and bacteria, which can happen with cloth diapers if too much detergent is used or it doesn't rinse out all the way. What to do when this happens? Strip 'em.
To keep anything performing in tip-top shape, it needs regular maintenance. Cloth diapers are no exception. They regularly need to be stripped of any detergent built up inside the absorbent layers. To do this, you can simply wash the diapers with hot water and no detergent added. If you see any soap bubbles or a filmy layer in the water, just repeat. Another tip I've read is from someone who adds "three turns around the washer" of Dawn dish soap (or Dawn ultra if that's all you can find) and then uses an extra rinse or two. Monthly stripping of cloth diapers is a good idea. Every time I wash my diapers I add 1/2 c baking soda to the wash and fill the fabric softener cup with vinegar for the rinse cycle. Both are helpful for neutralizing odors and stripping away build up.
Not all detergents are ideal for cloth diapers. Here's a great chart that lets you know what's good and what to avoid.
Keep the Butt Paste away from those diapers!
Not all diaper rash creams are good for your diapers. I learned this one the hard way. Of course, I also learned that those nasty rashes were a result from the build up, so theoretically, if you keep the build up out and change your baby frequently, you won't have to worry about rashes anymore. But just in case...
As I said before, Boudreaux's Butt Paste is not for cloth diapers. The smell stays in there and it stains them really bad. So what, poop stains, too, right? It can, but diaper rash creams that stain diapers can also cause them to repel - the whole moisture barrier thing that makes them so good for your baby's bum makes them not so good for your cloth diapers. If you absolutely must use Butt Paste, or A&D (this stuff leaves a bad smell), or Desitin, use a liner between baby and diaper to minimize damage. Fortunately, there are wonderful mamas out there who designed ointments for use with cloth diapers. Earth Mama Angel Baby created Angel Baby Bottom Balm to be used with cloth diapers. It smells wonderful and can also be used as a family first aid ointment. Punkin Butt Bottom Balm works well, too. Whenever possible, though, try to figure out the reason behind the rash for your baby's sake.
Some kind of easily-accessible receptacle should be in place to minimize poopy-diaper contact
Most people who cloth diaper they're babies have a diaper pail conveniently located next to the toilet so that they could just drop diapers in after cleaning them out. We tried this for a while, but the bathroom with the diaper sprayer was just too small for it. My solution - I use the washing machine. I don't like clutter and I'm trying to live with a lot less stuff, clothes included. With that effort and three small children, I need to do a load of laundry every day. In the morning I simply add my detergent, baking soda and vinegar to my washer, add a little water to dissolve the powder and then toss stuff in as the day goes by. Voila! No stinky diaper pail.
Now I realize that's not feasible for everyone. There are many diaper pail options available out there, however, as well as an array of super-cute diaper pail liners that you just throw in the wash with your diapers. A more cost-effective way to go would be a trash can with a lid (we had a convenient flip-top one) or a bucket with a lid available at any hardware store for a few bucks. Just be sure to decide what you're going to do before you find yourself with a dirty diaper that needs somewhere to go.
Cloth diapers don't need to stay at home when you leave the house
Some cloth diaper religiously no matter where they are, while others use disposable diapers for outings. If you think it'd be best to do the latter, just know that the former can easily be done, not to mention the fact that it's cheaper if you don't have to buy disposables and you don't have to worry about what chemicals are in them. For an outing you will need: 2-4 extra diapers (depending on baby's age and how long you'll be gone), a bag big enough to hold the dirty diapers and some wipes. I use cloth wipes and so I have a small bag that I keep wipes in. I would suggest putting some wet wipes in a Ziploc bag in case you need to do some heavy cleanup and can't find a sink, which only has to happen once for you to make it a regular habit. When you need to change a diaper, just do what you would at home, wrap up the diaper and stick it in your dirty diaper bag.
Any questions? Leave a comment and I'll be sure to get back to you. These were just a few bits of information that I wish I'd had when I was getting started with cloth.
Shalom
Nina
www.shalombeginnings.com
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