Why I switched to cloth diapers and never got back

This post is also available in: Deutsch (German)

Stoffwindeln von Popin I’ve been asked several times to write about our experiences with cloth diapers, why and how we started to use them. People usually are prejudiced when it comes to cloth-diapers. They are afraid of the washing routine. And last but not least, they have no idea, which ones they should buy as meanwhile there are plenty of brands and systems on the market!

With my article, I hope to take away your prejudices and gain your attention and interest for cloth diapers. Because it’s really easy, the colours will make you happy and don’t forget: it’s great for the planet!

My experiences with cloth diapers

I will only write down my very own experiences here because as you’ve already read above, the universe of cloth diapers is huge and so are the options in using them. I can only tell about what I’ve been testing myself with my kids.

Oh, I must admit that I didn’t know before that cloth diapers aren’t anymore what they have been back when I was a baby myself. I’ve been overwhelmed seeing how awesome they look today and how easy to use they are. Of course one can still use an “oldschool” system and fold cloth nappies around babys bum. But it’s much easier using a system that’s closed to disposable nappies. So, I’ve collected some information about cloth diapers and decided to dare the switch.

Indeed, my daughter was already 18 months old (and we could let away those diapers fully two months later) but I thought it’s worth the try. How did I know she’ll use the potty soon after? Maybe because of the cloth diapers, maybe also because I’ve been practising part-time diaper-free (eliminiation communication) when she was a baby.

Cloth diapers advantages

  • They usually fit from birth till potty time (no change in sizes as they are mostly adjustable). Some brands also sell cloth diapers in newborn sizes but saying how quick newborns get bigger, it’s not really worth it buying them. Maybe 2-3 if your baby is really tiny.
  • Essentially they’re similar to disposable nappies. Same shape and they can be closed by velcro or snaps.
  • If you start early enough, you really save money. One set of cloth diapers is enough for the whole diapering period. It’s a sum to spend once but after, you won’t need to spend another penny on cloth diapers unless you fall in love with new designs… 😉 Don’t forget you’ll never ever have that nappy load when shopping. If you use your cloth diapers with more than one baby (which is clearly possible), you save even more money. And afterwards, you can sell them secondhand. Or, of course, you can also buy them secondhand. An advantage of used ones: they already have the full sucking power.
  • The pile of rubbish will be smaller! I had at least one rubbish bag per week full of disposable nappies that’s now missing. Another bargain so to say and I don’t have to mention how good it’s for the environment. 🙂
  • No more diaper rush. Cloth diapers are better for baby’s skin. No chemicals!
  • Increasing body awareness. Parents with cloth diapers swear that their kids use the potty far faster than other kids because they never lost the feeling for their excrements. Disposable nappies usually suck way too fast. Kids are usually shocked about there’s something going on with their body when they pee or poo without a nappy. When my daughter turned 20 months, she really felt when she had to pee or poo!
  • Eyecatcher! Cloth diapers are really fashionable! There are so many colours and designs – totally fancy! 🙂 Some parents show off their stashes like others show off their shoes or bags… 😉
  • Also buy swim diapers made of cloth! You’ll never have to think about buying the disposables again. Make your baby’s bum look prettier than anyone else on the beach! 🙂
  • As soon as your child is potty-ready, switch to training underwear.

Do cloth diapers have disadvantages?

  • Stoffwindeln Yeah, you have to increase your laundry routine, depending on how often your baby has to pee or poo and what system you use. Newborns pee like every 10-2o minutes but during the months it gets less. But you might use disposables during the first weeks or during the night, so… My experience is, that in a household with kids, you generally do have loads of laundry. For me it was an advantages having those cloth diapers to stuff my machines. It really paid off. With cloth diapers, I wash every 2-3 days.
  • You need a special detergent: Yes. To keep up the sucking power, your detergent should be tensid free. And you must not use fabric softener. I decided to buy an adequate detergent and use it for my whole laundry. If you like to do it yourself, you’ll find plenty of recipes for natural washing detergents, made of nuts, e.g.
  • What to do with the poo? No problem! Use a piece of compostable fleece when you know your child will poo soon. After it’s done, just take the fleece out and flush the poo down the toilet. Without fleece (I didn’t use them often), you can just hold your cloth diaper agains the flush and push the button. As soon as the poo gets more firm you can literally just shake it into the toilet. If you do use all-in-2 systems with liners, you just wash the liners and re-use the diaper covers.
  • You need a lot of cloth diapers: It depends on the system you use, how fast your diapers will dry, how old your kid is and your laundry routine. If ou use AIOs, around 20 are fair enough. I myself could perfectly do with 10-12 pieces. I use around 3 diapers per day. I’ve got one system that dries during a few hours and I can tumble dry the liners.
  • Cloth diapers make a big bum: Indeed, they’re often wider and depending the system (using liners or AIOs), the nappy is thicker. No baby ever complained about that. Concerning the hip development, it’s even a plus! Just buy loose pants for your baby.
  • How about using cloth diapers on the road? I always have some with me and use a wetbag with zip fastener to transport the used ones.
  • And what about day care? Just ask and explain! My day care accepted them without problem.

Cloth diapers systems comparison

Stoffwindeln von Petit Lulu

There are various cloth nappy systems on the market and several shops do offer testing bundles. That’s very handy if you don’t know which one to decide for. Of course you can also use different systems throughout the day or week. I prefer AIOs (All in One) the most or All in twos.
With AIOs, the insert or liner is already sewn in while AI2s inserts have to be put into a tunnel or snapped on. That way, you don’t have to wash the whole diaper every time it’s been used. I didn’t really liked systems with nappy covers but some might prefer them during the night or longer car drives etc.

There are several liners with different sucking power. Materials used for are bamboo, hemp or minky. Some do suck more and are perfect for the night. But you can also pair different liners. During the day when I had the time to change the liners, one was enough.

I’ve been also lucky enough with one big liner during the night. This is really individual. It’s something you have to test – trial and error. Each baby or child is individual. It depends on how many fluids it will consume during the night, how soundly it sleeps.

If you use foldable liners, you have the opportunity, folding them as you need them for your baby. Fold them where the pee will get on which might differ with gender… Fold it in front with a boy and in the middle with a girl.

How to store and wash cloth diapers?

You will find your own way in doing so. Some give it an initial short wash after use – by hand or machine. Use some drops of lavendula in your washing bin to avoid smelling. Or use one with a lid. During warmer days, I just hanged them outside and put it into the washing bin after they had dried. You can also do this inside, of course. I definitely always rinsed the nappies after the night or poo.

On laundry day, please have a look at the washing instructions of the label. And don’t think they won’t get clean with 40°. They will! Don’t use too much of laundry detergent and maybe you want to choose the “more water” function with your machine. Please don’t forget to clean your machine once in a while and do some hot wash to kill the bacteria.

I’ve got experiences with the following cloth diaper brands:

rockin-green-bag-537x402 And I’ve tested the following detergents:

  • Ecover
  • Rockin’Green
  • Ulrich

Stoffwindeln von BambinoMio I’ve bought my cloth diapers in the following shops:

What do cloth diapers cost?

It definitely depends on the brand and if you’re shopping a limited edition or a normal one… 😉 It’s usually from CHF 25.- up to 30.-. Each diaper usually comes with an instruction and information. Most brands offer bundles with 5-10 cloth diapers with reduced price.

Any questions left? Don’t dare to ask! 🙂

Please read also about diaper-free, using cloth-diapers as back-ups.