Cloth Diapers Are Easy And Affordable

Many will find a natural path from breastfeeding to using cloth diapers, especially in this economy when every penny counts. So to answer some of the common questions I’ve asked a mother and friend to answer some of them for you.

So you want to try cloth diapers, but feel overwhelmed when you google “cloth diapers”? Never fear! Suzy Q Homemaker here and I’ll give you some very basic tips for those of you who are just starting out. Trust me- I’ve been there. For one thing, there are so many different kinds of cloth diapers these days that many give up because they just don’t know if they should choose prefolds over pockets, or All-in-One’s over All-in-Two’s! Are your eyes crossing yet?

Here’s my suggestion for beginners who want to diaper on the cheap and easy: use prefolds. Prefolds are the simple rectangular diapers. They are easy to wash and easy to dry. Plus, you get some great results from google on how to pin the darn things if you’re afraid of stabbing your baby.

What I don’t recommend, though, is buying prefolds from a store if they aren’t “Diaper Service Quality.” In baby sections of some stores, non-DSQ prefolds can be found, but they are just not absorbent enough. If it’s all you can find, though, consider getting some prefold diaper burp cloths to use along with those for extra absorbency.

I can’t recommend any one website to buy prefolds, though, because there are just so many to choose from! What I do recommend is going to what is considered the ‘Cloth Diaper Authority’- Diaperpin. This site has everything from store & diaper reviews, to guides on finding the right accessories and definitions of all the different kinds of diapers.

MotherEase Sandy's Fitted

So what about covers?

Yeah, you probably don’t want your baby to pee on you. Prefolds do need covers, but the good news is you only need a couple of them to get by. What I do not recommend as far as covers go is those awful plastic or vinyl pants. For one thing, they aren’t breathable. They’ll hold in the moisture, yes, but your baby is more likely to end up with irritation because their little tushie doesn’t get any airflow!

I recommend getting a Velcro-closure diaper cover like Bumkins or something similar. You can even find Bumkins at Target and Babies R Us.

Ok, so where do I put the dirty diapers?

A good diaper pail is definitely something that I think you should purchase online. The things they sell in brick & mortar stores aren’t made for cloth diapers and you’ll end up with a pretty funky plastic bin after too long. I personally recommend the Mother of Eden Hanging Diaper Pail. It’s basically a leak-proof bag that you hang from a doorknob. Once it’s full, you just dump the bag of diapers plus the bag into your washer. How easy is that?

We got by with just one, but some recommend getting two so that you have one to use while the other one is in the wash.

Well, I hope that cleared some things up for you! Good luck with your cloth diapering adventure and I hope you find what works for you.

Elizabeth is a super-busy mother of three boys, with one new baby due in April. When she’s not chasing after her children, she’s getting paid to sing at weddings, knitting, or scrapbooking. Her blogs are: Suzy Q Homemaker and Suzy Q Crops.