Cloth Diapering FAQs, Answered!

Before I started cloth diapering, I had a lot of questions. Now, my friends keep asking me the same questions I asked before I started. So here are the answers I have found to questions like “How do you deal with poo in your washer? Eww!” Yup, no holds barred. We’re going there….

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Question 1: How do you handle poo in your washer?

Yeah, it’s gross in concept, but washing machines can handle more than you think with just a little TLC. Here is how to keep your washing machine happy while cloth diapering:

• First of all, if you’re considering cloth diapering, consider going full-out granola crunchy and breastfeeding too, because breastfed poo is the evidence of breast milk’s superior nutrition–it is a LOT easier on the nose. Breastfed poo is liquid and orange and rinses right out of your diapers. Formula poo was best described by my nanny-extraordinaire sister as “rancid cottage cheese” and will need to be dealt with like solid poo, meaning you should shake off what you can into the toilet before putting the diaper in the pail. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but it’s an extra step and a gross one, to be honest. The more liquid the poo is that you’re putting in the washer, the easier to get it all rinsed out.
• Put your diaper load in for a rinse cycle before putting it in on a hot wash with detergent, and then follow up with a couple more rinse cycles. This will assure you of clean diapers and a clean washer when you’re done.
• Occasionally clean out your washer by running a hot wash cycle with two cups of vinegar or lemon juice, followed by another hot wash cycle on empty. Here are a few more details from The Diaper Jungle on how to keep your washing machine in good form while cloth diapering.

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Question 2: Isn’t that a lot of laundry?

You will be doing about 3 loads of diaper laundry per week if you are diapering one kid at a time. Yeah, it’s not like you need more laundry to do as a new mom, but it’s not that bad. Confession: I look forward to doing the diaper laundry because it’s so easy to dump the diapers in, and so satisfying to fold a heap of super-cute clean diapers when they come out of the dryer. I told you I loved how efficient cloth diapering is, right? Yeah, I know. I have issues.

• Cloth diapering = 3 loads of laundry per week

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Question 3: Will day care do cloth diapers?

I think this depends on the day care. If you want to cloth diaper and plan to have your baby in day care, here is what you should do:

• Call around to ask several area day cares if they would be willing to use cloth diapers on your child.
• If you’re committed to cloth diapering full-time and all your local day cares say they won’t use cloth, bring a cloth diaper and a wet bag with you when you meet with them and ask if you can demonstrate how your cloth diapering system works. They may think they will be expected to deal with diaper pins and plastic pants (and who would want to deal with that at a day care?), so try telling them that you have a fancy kind of cloth diaper that goes on and off just like disposables and just needs to be stored in a bag that you will pick up at the end of the day and wash at home. Some day cares will be willing to use your separate system if you make it easy for them. This may mean using all-in-one diapers or pre-stuffing pockets so they’re ready to go when baby gets to day care.
• If you still can’t convince a day care to use cloth diapers, you could cloth diaper part-time. Send baby to day care with disposables and then give her some fluffy relief when she gets home at night. Any time your baby spends in cloth diapers will save you money. Cloth diapering doesn’t have to be all or nothing, so make it work for your family’s lifestyle.

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Question 4: What about when you travel?

Boy do I wish I could figure out an easy way to clean cloth diapers on the go, but to be honest I usually use disposables when we are out of town, because we hardly ever stay in a place with a washer. Here are some tips for diapering on the go, whether you cloth diaper or not, to make it easier on baby’s bum:

• If you will be staying in a place with a washing machine, ASK FIRST if you can launder your diapers, and explain how it works. People might be a little weirded out if you just show up with your cloth diapers, expecting to put poo in their washer, because they are not as enlightened as you about Question #1 above.
• If you will only be gone a few days, consider hybrid diapers, which have a cloth cover but disposable (and often biodegradable) inserts. This will cut down on your laundry and on the amount of dirty diapers you have to haul around. Try these at home first, though, because the fit is different and you may not care for how they contain leaks (or don’t contain leaks).
• If you can’t swing cloth on the go, here is a tip a doctor gave me for avoiding diaper rash while using disposables. Buy the diapers as much as 6 weeks ahead of time and open the package to air out the diapers. Apparently the toxic shock syndrome scare of the late Nineties was related to the fact that the chemicals in menstrual pads–which are the same chemicals in disposable diapers–were allowed 6 weeks to leach out after manufacturing, before being tested. But, when the menstrual pads–and diapers–were actually being shipped to consumers from the factory, they only sat on the shelf an average of 2 weeks, and lots of women got toxic shock syndrome from the chemicals. If you can air out your sposies before you use them, they will be less likely to cause diaper rash. Chemicals, yuck. Just another reason to use cloth whenever I can.

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Question 5: Enter your question here!

If you have a diapering question, please contact me, and I will add it to this list. Thanks for visiting, and happy diapering!