Why Use Cloth? The substance in absorbent diapers, sodium polyacrylate, is the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome. It's long term effects on infants has never been tested. It takes 82,000 tons of plastic and 1.3 millions tons of wood pulp (quarter of a million trees) to manufacture disposable diapers. 18 billion diapers are disposed in the landfills every year. Viruses in feces from disposable diapers in landfills can leach out and contaminate underground water supplies. Some of these live viruses found in disposable diapers include polio and hepatitis. Save money. You can save thousands of dollars by cloth diapering, more if you use cloth wipes and shop wisely. You never run out of diapers. Less diaper rash, baby is changed when wet. Buying cloth supports family friendly companies and work at home moms instead of supporting Proctor & Gamble or Kimberly-Clark Cloth looks cuter Babies that wear cloth are easier to potty train because they know when they are wet. Throw-away diapers whisk away wetness with chemicals, then sits on babies skin. Disposable Diapers Linked to Asthma   ~Getting Started~ Cloth diapers have come a long way since the days of plastic pants and stick pins! There are may methods of diapering these days and lots of cute covers, patterns and prints! Depending on how often you wash you will need a few dozen all in ones or between 6-10 Velcro covers and 3-5 dozen diapers. Or an assortment of both. I’ve been cloth diapering for 10 years and I find it to be very enjoyable and rewarding. Right now I usually wash at least every other day, and I have 6 covers (they come in S,M,L) and at least three dozen cloth diapers. I could wash less often but I just keep the laundry going around here. You will need a dirty diaper pail for the soiled diapers. A plastic medium sized tub with a tight fitting lid will work great. There are lots of fancy and totally cute diapers and covers out there but many of them can be costly. If you are overwhelmed by the start up price of using cloth don't be! You can buy white prowrap covers and inexpensive diapers that still work great. After you see how great cloth diapering is you can indulge in cute covers and the like. I’ve been cloth diapering for 10 years and I just now bought some cutesy prints. I also just bought a bunch of all in ones Kooshies brand because I never used that kind before. I’m excited to try them. You will find cloth diapering is actually a fun way to diaper your baby! Buying cloth diapers You're going to want to shop around. You're going to be tempted by natural fabrics, hemp, and organic cottons. These are all nice, but buy wisely. The super soft hemp/cotton blend diapers I bought ended up being tough and hard. I use them under a soft diaper as doublers, they are great absorbers! Get online and go to natural family living message boards so you can ask other mothers what they like and if it is worth the money. I have bought some untreated natural fabrics and those seem to last well, others have not though. Organic cotton is nice, but too expensive sometimes. I recommend Dy-Dee diapers for pre folds, they are diaper service quality offer a selection and are priced fairly. Pre folds are flat diapers that fluff up when washed. I like countered diapers and have mostly used those. Contoured diapers are shaped to fit into the cover easier, as it is sort of hour glass shaped. Diaper Services There are cloth diaper services which you rent diapers from, use them and then set them in a bag outside for pick up and laundering. When they pick up your dirty load they leave a fresh load. I used a diaper service when my first baby was born. This was easy at the time because we lived in an apartment with no washer and dryer. After 6 months of diaper service I moved into an apartment with a washer and dryer. I decided I could save a lot of money (a diaper service is still about as expensive as store brand "generic" disposable diapers) if I bought and washed my own. I quickly found there is a wide variety and often expensive selection of diapering options out there. Sewing your own diapers I'm crafty, but I'm no seamstress. AlI I can sew with my sewing machine are pillows and small blankets, pretty much anything with a straight stitch. However, I decided before Layla was born I'd sew some diapers for her. All the old diapers I had were in bad shape, only the covers I could re-use. I had lots of extra fabric (left over from sewing pillows and small blankets) and also kids clothes that the older kids had outgrown or stained. I took an old countered diaper to use as a makeshift pattern. I cut and sewed and experimented and produced three dozen beautiful homemade (but irregular) cloth diapers. Towels and cut up stained sweat suits made excellent liners for absorption. I'm recycling old cloth into diapers every chance I can get now. It wasn't that hard and like I said, I really am not a sewer. I barely know the basics, but they work great! And with practice they can only get better. If you don't have extra towels and fabric lying around the house then go thrifting! You can buy lots of old towels, sheets and clothing at garage sales and thrift shops for just a couple of dollars. Buying seasonal fabric is fun to. You can have clover diapers, bunny, snowflake, Santa Claus and Halloween diapers! It's a lot of fun making your own. Use colored threads to add uniqueness to your diapers too. If you would like to sew your own diapers but don't have a sewing machine you can ask a friend or family member if you can borrow their machine. Ask if they'd be so kind as to give you a beginner's lesson of how to operate the sewing machine.   Diaper doublers Diaper doublers are cloth inserts to make a diaper thicker. Used for heavy wetters, overnight and for older babies. You can buy or make these yourself.   Buying the covers You place your cloth diaper into a waterproof Velcro cover. This holds it in place (instead of pins and plastic pants) and prevents leaks. Covers can be expensive, and I've learned not to go too cheap or too expensive. I've bought several different types of covers and the ones priced in the middle were the best.  You don't have to change covers at every diaper change. You will probably want to about 2-4 times a day, depending on how soiled they get. You can wash covers with your diapers or in other loads of clothes. The best and cheapest covers I've ever used are simple white prowraps, bought from Dy-Dee diaper service, a company in California. I highly recommend their quality and long lasting covers. I'm using the covers that I used 7 years ago on two other babies. They don't look worn at all. (There is slight staining on some on the threading though, no biggie to me.) The sizes are accurate and long lasting. Any cloth diaper can leak, but these hold up very very well. The company is friendly and fast! You can buy 6 long lasting covers for 30$, find me a deal better than that! Ebay is also a great place to purchase covers.   All in ones I think all in one (AIO) diapers are cute and easy. They are diaper and cover sewn all in one. They often times come in cute colors and prints. The downsides to all in one diapers are that they are expensive and I hear they take a long time to dry. Some people really like them. I've never used them but had a friend that loved them.   UPDATE: The new all in one diapers I bought: I love them. I am going nuts over how cute and functional they are. I highly recommend them. I have been buying new and used on ebay and saving money that way. Online I have found the most competitive prices to be a 5 pack for 40 dollars (and I have found free shipping at that rate!) Well worth the money. They wash and dry great too. I'm using the first set I bought on baby #2 now. I say they have a long life.   What about leaking? Leakage occurs if a diaper is not changed often enough, does not fit, or is not fastened properly. If you have problems with leaking you should check for a firm fit, you may need to move up or down a diaper size. Brand new diapers often need to be washed several times to fluff up and become fully absorbent. Lastly I keep a extra change of clothes handy all the time. Diaper leaks are usually small, infrequent and not a big deal.   Rinsing and washing diapers Wet pail method Cloth diapers are placed in a pail half filled with water and baking soda. Make sure this pail is covered to prevent infant drowning and odor.   Dry pail method Cloth diapers are placed in a covered pail. You can sprinkle baking soda to control the odor if needed.   I find the wet method messy and unnecessary. I wash often and dump my diapers into the wash without soaking. I rinse my "dry" pail out occasionally when it gets soiled or smelly. Newborn diapers don't really need to be rinsed. Breastfed baby poop is soft, watery and easy to launder. I even launder these diapers with clothes sometimes. Once baby gets solid poops you will need to dump the solids into the toilet. People who use throw-away diapers are supposed to dump and flush solids also, it says so on the package. Very few people do that, and the feces sits wrapped in the plastic throw-away diaper unable to decompose for hundreds of years. Yuck! Untreated feces in landfills can harbor and spread viruses. Live cell vaccines are found in the feces of vaccinated babies. These viruses can live for a long time in landfills risking contamination to animals, humans, land, and water. If you have a really messy cloth diaper you may need to dunk it and swish it around in the toilet. It's just part of the job.   A lot of people have a method of washing diapers that they swear by. I wash my breastfed baby's diapers in cold water as it removes the stains easier. I use a little detergent, don't use too much. Soap build up will make your diapers less absorbent. When babies get older and eat more solid food I switch and use hot water or a cold/hot cycle works well too. For really large dirty loads I'll wash in cold, then wash in hot. This helps clean and disinfect diapers. I'll throw in vinegar and baking soda to help eliminate build up once a month or so. It's really quite easy to wash diapers. I dry them on high heat or line dry them. I try to never dry my covers.     Cloth diapering tips: If you like, throw a cup of baking soda into the presoak cycle; it neutralizes the alkalinity of urine, and helps to whiten the diapers  Sunshine is a great stain remover. Line drying your diapers from time to time will help keep them white and fresh-smelling.  Always put Velcro tabs back together on covers before washing. The Velcro will pick up a lot of lint.  Don't dry your diaper covers in the dryer. Sometimes one will slip in the dryer here and there and that's fine, but to keep your covers leak proof and in good shape let them air dry when possible.  Don't use Desitin rash cream! The cod liver oils in it can create a fishy smell.  Do not use vinegar in any wash load containing polyurethane laminate fabric (your diaper covers.)  The vinegar will rinse away the waterproof ness and your diapers will leak.  Vinegar will help neutralize the urine in cloth diapers, but it's not good for covers. Use vinegar sparingly, and not in every load.  Do not use fabric softener or as these will cause build-up on the diapers and reduces absorbency. (Some say don't use dryer sheets as well. I sometimes use dryer sheets however.)  Don't use bleach. It is harmful to the environment, your diapers, and your baby's bottom. Diapers all dirty? Anything will work with diaper cover if you're out of cloth or out in public. I've used receiving blankets, onesies folded up, dish towels, wash rags and handkerchiefs as diapers! You can make your own ready to use wet wipes by using baby wash cloths. Moisten the cloths and place them in old wet wipe container or plastic Tupperware with a lid. Some people add a few drops of baby soap, tea tree oil and lotion to their homemade baby wet wipes. Another idea is to keep the cloths and a spray bottle of water by the changing table.       Cost : Cloth diapers can be costly but don't be overwhelmed at the upfront cost. I gave several tips above to cut down on cost and you can find more info online. Do searches and take advantage of clearance sales when you can.  Sometimes the most expensive diapers aren't always the best either. Low income families or those who would like to help others in need please check out Miracle Diapers - Cloth Diapers for Low Income families. "Can't afford to use cloth diapers? Can you really afford not to?"