What I Have Learned About Cloth Diapers....

Over the past 7 months, we have exclusively used cloth diapers on Ryden, other than the first week he was born. We could have used them from birth, but with being a little overwhelmed, I held off until I felt I had some control over everything. If we have another child, I will be using cloth from birth.
Of all the choices and decisions I made, before Ryden was even born, this is one of them that has made me very happy and I have never doubted it. I'm not sure how much we save weekly, because I have never bought more than one pack of diapers (7th Generation- newborn) and that was too long ago to remember how much they cost. From everything I read, you will spend anywhere from $1,600-$2,500 on disposables in the course of your child's diapering years. This depends on how long until they are potty-trained and what brand you buy. I'm sure this number might be even higher considering that a lot of kids are becoming potty-trained later and later nowadays. You can save a lot of that money with cloth if you buy simple. If you get a little carried away, like I did, then you will still save, just not as much. I think we will end up saving around $1,000. That is no Chump Change. This doesn't even count how you help the envoronment!! Cloth is monumental in that matter and it's minimal impact will last a lifetime.

With all that said, there are a few things I have learned along the way. Favorite brands, what you'll need, perks for your babe and much more.

First of all, there are several different types of diapers that you will usually see. They include:

pre-folds, flats, fitted diapers, pocket diapers, AIO (all in one) diapers, Covers and OS diapers (all types also come in one-size)
A Great Breakdown with pics
click on #2. Sorting through different types of cloth diapers.

There are also several accessories that you will/might need:

snappis, inserts &/or doublers, wet bag (for home and travel), Cloth wipes (optional), liners (optional) and diaper sprayer (optional)
click on # 5. What cloth diapering accessories do you recommend?
snappis


Some of my favorites include Bum Genius AIOs, Happy Heiny's pocket diapers, Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers, Thirsties' covers, traditional pre-folds and Kissaluv's 100% cotton cover.

You will also need to buy a diaper friendly laundry detergent. The deterfent will need to be free of brightners, softners and enzymes. I have found that detergents with enzymes and fragrances aren't totally dangerous for your diapers, but they can cause problems if your baby has sensitive skin. I have had really good luck with Original TIde (powder version only) and Country Save Powder. The Tide does have enzymes and fragrance, so, I just use it infrequently when I feel I need a little extra boost of cleaning. I also add a couple capfuls of bleach, mid wash and diluted with water, to my diapers every couple of months. Most diaper companies recommend against this and it can void your warranty, but I found it to be detrimental with getting out the occasional stinkies and to guarantee that my diapers are being sanitized properly. Also the bleach has never affected the color in my diapers, probably because I use so little and it is diluted.

There are a few things that I think that contribute to my diapers sometimes getting the stinkies. Not using 100% cotton, using too much soap (it doesn't wash all the way out and holds odor), not washing with hot enough water (I turned up my water heater), not doing a pre-wash with enough water (cold water and I add extra to make sure the diapers aren't just soaking in too much pee) and not drying in the sun often enough (natural sanitizer). Oddly enough, I have also found that if you ever have any stains (of you know what) in your diapers, just let them dry in the sun and they will completely go away. I swear... it is amazing.
Once or twice I have done a modified stripping of my diapers where I added almost boiling water to my wash (I have a front loader) and a couple of drops of Original Dawn and ran a few extra rinses. I found theis easier than boiling them, but that is the original way to strip your diapers. If the baby is breast-feeding then the poop is water soluble and washes right out in the pre-wash.
My wash routine is as such:
I have a front loader which doesn't work as well as the top loaders (because they usually use less water) and semi hard water (which doesn't work as well either because all of the minerals makes it harder for the detergent to do it's job).

1) Pre-wash with cold (this gets out the urine and washes everything off the diapers before they get washed washed
2) Wash with HOT and half the amount of detergent
3) Rinse with cold (my machine does 3 rinses on all cycles) if yours doesn't maybe add at least one extra

Then I throw my pre-folds and all inserts and doublers into the dryer on hot. I usually put all of my pockets, AIOs and covers outside unless it is overcast. In that case I throw them in the dryer too. Whenever in doubt, just check your actual manufacturer's directions. They tend to vary from company to company.
After a couple of weeks, you will find what works for your diapers and your washing machine and go from there. You might find a couple of months down the road you have to tweak something, but you will figure it out.

Here are a few fantastic diapering resources out there:

STORES
Kelly's Closet one of my faves
Jillian's Drawers another fave
Green Mountain Diapers fantastic pre-folds and more
Nicki's Diapers another great store
Goodmamas very cute but expensive fitteds

DIAPERING TUTORIALS AND OTHER STUFF
good tutorials and links
everything you need to know with a great drop-down menu
detergent list
environmental info
more fantastic info
The Cloth Diaper Whisperer a great current diapering blog

Now how many diapers you need depends on if you are buying for that age or up to toddlerhood. I recommend buying for the first 3 or so months (smalls and maybe a few OS- one size) of different brands to see which ones you like best and which ones fit your baby the best. If you want to keep things cheap- stick with several dozen pre-folds, about half a dozen covers, maybe a couple AIOs for overnight and the major accessories. Or you can have fun with it and get a variety and see what you like best.

SEVERAL FANTASTIC EXAMPLES that will get you through toddlerhood!
click on #8. The complete checklist

Also, if you already have a baby and have never thought about using cloth, it is never too late to start. They also make really wonderful trainers. I don't even know how much people factor that into their disposable budget. I wrote this blog because I have given out cloth information to several friends over the past year and thought if I put it in one permanent place that would make it easier for everyone.... and less writing for me. =)

If any of you ever have and additional questions, just ask... no question is stupid.

On that note...
Happy Diapering,

Michele