Topic Archive: cloth diapers

Episode 137 | May 5, 2009

Cloth Diapers: Getting Started and FAQs & Your Chance to Win!

What types of cloth diapers are there? How do you know which type is best for you and your baby? Are some types better for smaller or larger babies? What do you do with the poop? When to strip your diapers, dry or wet pail and what’s needed to get started? Cloth Diaper expert Tamara Champion of Parenting By Nature answers questions and provides some great resources to get started with cloth diapers. Win a PregTASTIC Prize of pregnancy goodies!  SHOW NOTES

March 10, 2009

Cloth Diapering Newbie

About three weeks ago, my husband and I began using cloth diapers with our seven month old baby boy. We did it mainly to save money, because we are really starting to batten the hatches on our budget. I am a stay at home mom, so we have made some financial sacrifices in order to keep me at home.

Why didn’t we cloth diaper from the beginning? It’s kind of a long story, but the short version is that our housing and work situation was pretty uncertain until after our son was born. We lived someplace without an accessible washer and dryer for almost six months, which wouldn’t have worked very well! Our switch to cloth corresponded with the next size of diapers, so it really was timed quite nicely.

If you know anything about modern day cloth diapering, you know that there are many options for cloth diapering. There are fitted diapers, pocket diapers, all-in-ones, prefolds, as well as other types. Many parents choose to use several types of diapers and find that different types of diapers are best suited for different situations. For instance, a mom might use prefolds with covers during the day but use a more absorbent pocket diaper at night. In addition to the many types, there are large variations in pricing. Most would agree that prefolds (used with covers) are the most economical option, while all-in-ones are pricier but offer excellent coverage and leak protection.

I give you this primer in a paragraph to give you a little background on my decision-making process. We decided to go with prefold diapers with fitted covers (using a Snappi fastener) because of our budget. We have been using disposable diapers at night and during our very hectic move.

I’ll be sharing more about my cloth diapering experiences as we go along, but at this point, I can confidently say that we made a great decision by switching! I love how resourceful I feel, knowing that I’m not generating so much waste. I really enjoy not having to buy so many diapers and I love how cute my little baby’s bum looks in his diaper covers! I was really nervous about the whole washing process and how it would go with really dirty diapers, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of it all. Now that the weather is warming up here in Kentucky, I plan to line dry the diapers to extend their life.

While I am by no means a cloth diapering pro (I am barely an expert on cloth diapering my son with the tools I have), I would be happy to answer any questions that anyone has about using cloth diapers. There are tons of very helpful websites out there for general as well as specific cloth diapering questions. If you are cloth diapering, I would love to hear your words of wisdom!

Episode 35 | January 22, 2007

Cloth Diapers

With more than 6,000 dirty diapers to change, will they be cloth, disposable, or flushable? What should we consider when choosing the type of diapers we’ll use? What’s in those disposable diapers and can it be dangerous/hazardous to your new baby? Linda Byerline from Happy Heiny’s explains.