When I first talked about the idea of using cloth diapers with my daughter, people thought I was crazy. Discussions about how disgusting it is to wash them and how hard it was to work with pins were always brought up. This type of thinking it what made me hold off until she was two months old. After buying yet another diaper rash cream, I decided to take the plunge. The only problem was I had no idea where to start and how to go about using cloth diapers. There were so many online resources, but none of them were easy for me to follow. I wanted to write a brief guide talking about why and how we use cloth diapers.
First off, there are a few misconceptions I discovered right away:
- Nobody uses safety pins anymore. It is a huge safety hazard!! Why would I want to put a needle that close to my baby?!
- Washing diapers were really not as disgusting as everyone thought it was.
Positives:
- Saves money in the long run
- Prevents diaper rashes!!
- Saves environment
- The pocket diapers are extremely easy to use and are adjustable to any size
- Easy to wash
Negatives:
- More steps to put on
- Up-front investment
- More difficult to travel
- Takes up more space in diaper bag
Flat fold diapers
In my first adventure with cloth diapers, I used flat folds with fasteners . Honestly, I felt ridiculous the first time I tried to put it on her! The second I got it put on she peed and it went directly through. Round one was a failure.
Next I researched and found out that a cover was needed! I felt ridiculous, but finally after getting all of the pieces together I found it worked well!
Here’s how I used these diapers:
- Lay diaper out flat. Add pad for extra absorption (optional but recommended)
Fold top of diaper inward
- Fold sides of diaper inward
- Wrap diaper around baby and use fastener to attach diaper
- Add waterproof cover and adjust snaps to size
Pocket Diapers
After she grew out of these, I started to search and find out what others did when their babies got bigger. I then discovered the world of pocket diapers. These are a fantastic invention that have been my favorite! This is what I wish I’d have started out with and what I recommend to everyone that’s starting out new.
Step-by-step directions:
- Insert pad into pocket on diaper
- Put diaper on baby and adjust snaps to size
toddler example 
infant example
Training diapers
Now my toddler is starting on potty training and I have started to transition her to cloth training underwear. I’ll keep you posted as to how this goes!
Feel free to post any questions or comments below. Thanks for reading and please share with anyone that might be interested! 🙂
