DISCLAIMER: I have never actually put a diaper on a baby in my life. UNLESS you count the doll we used in the diapering class, in which case I’ve done it exactly ONCE.
Now that that’s out of the way, let me say that in preparation for baby, I scoured the internets high and low to find information on cloth diapers. Many, many tears were shed and it wasn’t just because of the hormones. In the end, Pnut and I took a local class on cloth diapering, I asked around amongst friends, and then scoured the internet again. We fully understand that in a couple months we may not care about cost, environment or health when it stacks up against lack of sleep, a growing pile of shit and a newborn baby.
But I’m gonna share here everything I know so far, with the hopes that having all the information/links in one place will save somebody else a few tears. PLEASE, PLEASE comment if you have more information or feel strongly about anything related - we obviously still have a LOT to learn!
And once again, please note that this is just what I’ve found out so far - it’s all speculation, opinion and hearsay at this point.
Here are some BASICS on why to cloth diaper. Plus, cloth diapered babies potty-train faster due to actually FEELING wet.
NOTE: In addition to cloth diapering, you may want cloth wipes for the same reasons: health (chemicals), cost, and environmental benefits. Cloth wipes can be found anywhere cloth diapers are found, and at BabiesRUS. There are cloth wipe-warmers on the market too.
Clearing up some MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CLOTH:
-Cloth diapers do NOT cause more rashes than plastics. Being wet is what causes rashes. However, Desitin and other zinc-oxide or petroleum jelly-based rash medications for bums should NOT be used with cloth diapers, because they hold wetness IN and will build up in the lining of cloth diapers, make them stinky and ruin them. This is a big mistake our moms made! There are some other good organic brands of baby-bottom stuff. Other related Do’s and Don’ts.
- Cloth diapers CAN be used at daycares. Advantage is that since you bring them home at the end of the day, you’ll know for sure if your baby is being changed a good amount of times or not. Disadvantage is you will need to drop off a wet-bag (listed below amongst shit you’ll need to buy) at daycare so they can store them for you, you bring them home and wash. If your daycare says anything about not being able to handle cloth, they are MISINFORMED. Everything goes into a pail anyway, so it’s just their garbage pail vs. your wet-bag.
-Cloth diapers are NOT stinkier than plastic. I have NO IDEA whether or not this is true, so I’ll just take the word of the class mommies on this one. Anyway, apparently breast-milk poo is not really stinky; you only need to worry about stink when poo gets solid. When THAT happens, you’ll be wanting a bidet-sprayer attachment to your toilet; available at any babiesrus or Home Depot. So it’s not like you’ll have a pail full of stinky poo anyway.
Ok, let’s get started.
Apparently, they don’t work well for breast-milk poo because the snotty texture of the poo means it leaks out the sides of the gdiapers. Also, gdiaper DOES use SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), which they have clearly disclosed on their ingredients list (there’s a link to the gdiaper ingredient list here, as well as a list of pros/cons by someone who actually used them). Gdiapers lists SAP as “green”. SAP can cause Toxic Shock Syndrome and was banned from tampons for that reason. Thirdly, you have to tear the inserts and “swish” them in the toilet before flushing. All that said, I think they are still worth a try if it’s between that and disposables (at least you’re avoiding the super-nasty bleaching chemical Dioxin), and they also might be worth it for traveling. Plus, if your baby has chubby legs, they might not leak.
Let me say as a nursing student- you REALLY don’t want the chemicals in disposables. Though I think the health risks are exaggerated overall by internet super-granolas, I think especially for boys/testicles (super-delicate, baby-making parts/skin), there are good reasons not to have those parts in 24-7 enclosed contact with all sorts of weird, undisclosed chemical shit, especially since Europe has already outlawed most of it, and considering I worked at a company that made most of it (from petroleum-based products)- JUST, YUCK!
Here’s a video that demonstrates the gdiapers:
So, figure 10-12 diaper changes per day for a newborn. And figure you want to do laundry every other day (18 diapers fit a standard load).
The class we attended recommends 25 diapers to start off with, as follows: Rumparooz x 10, Thirsties Duo x 5, Thirsties Fitted X 5 and Bamboozles X 5. Plus, you’ll need 4 cloth diaper bags. All detailed below.
Rumparooz Cloth diaper (which go from birth to potty trained) x 10
PROS: 2-part system; cloth inserts with cloth cover; 2 elastic bands; snaps and velcro (note that older kids like to undo the velcro, so they recommend snaps even though apparently husbands prefer the velcro too). According to cloth-diaper fanatics, one of the important features is an additional “gusset” (TWO elastic catches/bands instead of one for the runny breastmilk poo). This double-gusset is something to look for in other cloth diaper systems.
CONS: This looks like the best system, but is also the most expensive.
NOTE: In case you have a small, scrawny, or skinny-legged baby you may want to start with a couple of their lil’ joey diapers, which are tiny-sized- but note that those won’t last until potty-training.
Video on how it works:
Thirsties Duo Diapers x 5 + Thirsties Duo Fab Fitted x 5
+ breathable covers x 5 (5 covers for the 10 total diapers)
PROS: 2-part system; microfiber cloth insert with breathable poly-cover (not plastic); 2 elastic bands (gussets); You can also buy “doublers” which are extra inserts to increase absorbency in case your baby is an extra-wetter.
CONS: 2 sizes through potty-training, so you’ll have to size up eventually (buy more).
WORKS: the same as the Rumparooz, except has the poly-cover.
NOTE: the videos say you can put the plastic covers into the dryer but the class recommended NOT to do this to make them last longer. Anyway, they come out of the washer pretty dry.
Video on how duo works:
Video on how fitted works:
Bamboozles x 5
CONS: 3-part system, insert & cloth cover & poly-cover.
PROS: can buy liner inserts for them that will be handy when poo is no longer runny. That means you pull the poo-covered insert out and flush, then put the rest in the wash.
WORKS: Honestly, I don’t really get why this is so different than the other two systems. It basically comes down to preference. They do look all smushy and soft though? 
Video on how it works:
ALSO, I have 3 friends now how have recommended FuzziBunz. However, the elastic size-adjusting-thingy looks SUPER annoying and not very sturdy to me.
Video on how it works:
YOU WILL ALSO WANT 4 X Cloth Diaper Wet Bags: 2 big, 1 medium, 1 small.
2 Big ones for home use in your diaper pail, and 2 smaller ones - 1 small for your diaper bag, and 1 medium for daycare:
Last NOTES:
-Cloth diapers should be washed before use. Washed AND dried 4-5 times before they will absorb fully (only wash absorbent materials: inserts, doublers; fitted diapers and bamboo diapers); wipes, covers and shells should be washed once.
-Cleaning instructions according to the class we took: 1. Cold pre-wash (rinse, short wash, cold cycle with small amount of detergent) 2. Normal/hot wash 3. Tumble dry medium or whatever the diaper says.
DO NOT USE: fabric softeners, dryer sheets, sanitize cycle, traditional diaper creams, or bleach. If your diapers aren’t as white as you want, just put them out in the sun.
-Detergents safe for cloth diapers, according to the class we took: 1. Tiny Bubbles 2. Thirsties 3. Planet Liquid 4. All Small Mighty, Free & Clear 5. Ecos Free and Clear Liquid 6. Arm & Hammer for sensitive skin 7. Trader Joes Cleanliness is next to Godliness
- For use in the hospital and bringing baby home, if you’re serious about the health risks posed by plastics- GroVia natural diapers (no plastics or chemicals) were recommended. WATCH OUT for other “natural” diapers, as they often counter-dye them with other chemicals to look brown/more ‘natural’ (’natural’ is actually off-white). The GroVia cloth system, similar to those recommended by the class, also looks really good.
- bio-inserts or Plastic, regardless: Poo should be scraped into the toilet before throwing the diaper away. Realize that probably nobody sane does this, but when you toss the poo it ends up in landfill, which ends up in groundwater. So it’s actually ILLEGAL to toss poopy diapers. Just an FYI. With cloth, since they’re getting washed, it’s going into the septic system anyway so you don’t need to think about it.
-Cloth diapers should go in a DRY pail, NOT a wet pail. Again, a mistake our moms made. Putting stinky bacteria-laden stuff into a dark, wet soup is never a good idea. Just put soiled diapers into a cheap garbage-type bin with a breathable liner (as listed above), then take the whole thing out and into the wash when ready.
All in all, what I basically came away with is: try a bunch of systems to start off and see what you like best- it’s really a matter of preference. Cloth diapers are expensive (though ultimately not as expensive as plastic), but there are plenty of cloth diaper-exchange and swap websites (like this one), and cloth diapers on craigslist, ebay, etc. Since you’re gonna wash them 5 times before use anyway, don’t stress out on the used part. Just try some until you find what you like, then buy new if you still want.
