Cloth Diapering 201: How-To

1. DECIDE HOW OFTEN YOU WANT TO WASH.
Babies go through about 12 diapers per day and 3-4 covers per day. (However, if using wool covers baby will only need 4 covers total.) When deciding how many diapers and covers to buy, take into account how often you want to wash and buy an extra half day's worth of diapers so you don't run out. (If you want to wash every day, buy 18 diapers; if you want to wash every other day, buy 30 diapers; if you want to wash every three days, buy 42 diapers.) Always wash at least every three days.

2. DECIDE WHAT TYPES OF DIAPERS AND COVERS YOU WANT TO BUY.
(See Cloth Diapering 101: Types of Diapers.) I use wool covers with my fitted diapers and polyester diapers with my contour and prefold diapers.

3. DECIDE WHAT TYPES OF ACCESSORIES YOU WANT TO BUY.

• Diaper pail liners: Buy two diaper pail liners. I recommend Swaddlebees/Blueberry liners because they are sized larger than average, can be hung from a door knob, and wash well. I purchased my liners online at www.JilliansDrawers.com.
• Wet bags: Buy one or two wet bags to put dirty diapers in while out and about. (Keep in your diaperbag.) I recommend LoveyBums wet bags for short trips out, and large Planet Wise bags for long trips out. I purchased my LoveyBums bag online at www.LoveyBums.com; I purchased my Planet Wise bag online at at www.NickisDiapers.com.
• Cloth wipes: If you want to use cloth wipes, buy or make about 45 wipes and mix up a good wipe solution. I purchased flannel wipes at www.NickisDiapers.com. The best wipe solution recipe I have tried calls for combining 3 3/4 cup water, 8 drops grapefruit seed extract, 5 drops lavender essential oil, 3 drops tea tree essential oil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 tablespoon baby soap. Some mamas keep wipe solution in a bowl and dunk a wipe into the solution to use on baby. Other mamas keep wipe solution in a squeeze container and squeeze some solution onto a wipe to use on baby. I keep a large squeeze bottle at home, a medium squeeze bottle at the office, and a small squeeze bottle in my diaper bag.

3. BUY YOUR DIAPERS, COVERS, AND ACCESSORIES.

4. WASH PRIOR TO FIRST USE.
Your order will come with pre-use washing instructions. In summary:

• Wash (in hot water) and dry unbleached prefold diapers 5-6 times.
• Wash and dry bleached prefold diapers, contour diapers, and fitted diapers 3-4 times.
• Wash and dry all-in-one diapers and pocket diapers 1-2 times.
• Wash and dry polyester covers 1 time.
• Wash and lanolize wool covers 1 time.

5. WASH AFTER USE.
Your order will come with washing instructions. In summary:

• Place diaper pail liner in diaper pail or any indoor garbage can, or hang over doorknob.
• Place soiled diaper in diaper pail liner. Do not soak in liquid. (If baby only eats and drinks breast milk, you do not need to remove poop, as it dissolves fine in the washing machine. But if baby eats or drinks anything other than breast milk, first shake poop into toilet. This is not as gross as it sounds.)
• Wash diapers in cold water with a SMALL amount of detergent (no more than half what you would normally use) and a few drops of tea tree essential oil (a natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial).
• Rinse diapers an extra time in hot water with some vinegar (a natural fabric softener that also helps prevent detergent build-up, which affects a diaper's absorbency).
• Dry diapers. Do not use fabric softener.

Wash polyester covers with diapers. Wash diaper pail liners every couple days with diapers.

To wash and lanolize wool covers:

• As necessary, spot clean covers. Use a Sudz'N'Dudz wool wash bar to clean leaky poop and food stains. Wash bars can be purchased online at www.TheNaturalBabyCo.com.
• Every 1-2 weeks, wash covers. Add a small amount of Eucalan No-Rinse Wool Wash to a sink full of slightly warm water, add wool cover, soak for 15 minutes minimum, roll in a towel to remove excess water, then hang dry. Do not rinse. Do not use commerical wool detergent like Woollite. Wool wash can be purchased online at www.NickysDiapers.com.
• Every month, lanolize covers. Add a pea-size amount of Sudz'N'Dudz Pure Liquid Lanolin to a small jar containing a few ounces of hot water, shake well until lanolin is completely dissolved, add lanolin water to a sink full of slightly warm water, add wool cover, soak for 15 minutes minumum, roll in a towel to remove excess water, then hang dry. Do not rinse. I do not recommend using Lansinoh Lanolin, as it is very difficult to dissolve. Liquid lanolin can be purchased online at www.TheNaturalBabyCo.com.