What I Learned in My First Year of Cloth Diapering

There is a ton of information on the internet about cloth diapering and it can all be a little overwhelming when you’re new to it. Knowing what brand to buy, how much to invest, how to wash them, when to wash them - it all seems much more complicated than it is.

And while there are many blog posts and videos on the internet that will tell you all you need to know to get started with cloth diapering, I find that often times knowing what not to do in a situation can be just as affective as knowing what to do.

So, because my son is almost a year old, and a year ago I was completely new to this whole cloth diapering thing, I’m sharing some of the mistakes I’ve made this year with cloth diapering and what I learned to be an effective system.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and love. If you buy something I have the opportunity to make a small commission which allows me to keep creating content.

01 /
Buying Cheap Diapers

This seems to be a common mistake for those who are new to cloth diapering. And because there are so many cloth diaper brands on the market, it can be tempting to purchase lower priced cloth diapers from Amazon after reading their somewhat decent reviews from other people who have never cloth diapered before. I urge you not to do this. Like many things, what you pay is what you get. And I wish I’d made a larger investment on my cloth diaper stash from the beginning,

When I was first preparing for my cloth diaper journey, I purchased three different brands of cloth diapers from Amazon: Mama Koala, Alva Baby, and Nora’s Nursery. I wasn’t sure what the difference between these were, but I liked was attracted to the cute prints and the reviews were good. As it turns out, they were all pocket diapers and not largely different from each other. Additionally, I received a single Grovia All-In-One which intimated me because it was so different from the pocket diapers, but it was made of much better quality materials and it seemed like a really nice diaper. However, the first few times I tried using it, I found that it leaked on me and the buttons were so much different from my other diapers that I had a hard time putting the diaper on.

Flash forward to 4 months in and already my Amazon diapers are breaking down; the elastic is getting stretched out, they’re leaking on me left and right. I tried adjusting the fit, changing the inserts, and even stripping them, which is sort of a last resort. But lo and behold, they were just cheap and they were not made to last.

That was when I went back to that first Grovia diaper and tried it again. This time, it fit great! No leaks, and it was so slim, it looked like a disposable under pants. So I invested in the Grovia brand and now they are my go to diaper brand. I use their O.N.E. at night time because they hold about a bucket of liquid, and I use the All-In-One’s during the day because they’re slim and they fit like a disposable diaper under long pants and jeans. I also have a stash of Lil’ Helpers which I also love and grab often.

No matter what brand you choose, please do not be tempted by the cheap China made diapers you will find on Amazon. While Grovia and Lil’ Helper are my favorite cloth diaper brands, there are many others on the market that people love. I’ve also heard good things about Charlie Banana and bumGenius.

02 /
Buying Used Cloth Diapers

I don’t know why, but I used to think this was kind of gross. And when I say “before,” I mean before I actually knew anything about cloth diapering. Now that I know cloth diapers can be stripped and deep cleaned, I realize buying them used is not gross at all. It’s smart and also cost effective! Quality cloth diapers are made to last many years, so usually once someone is done with them, there’s still a lot of life left in them.

Not to mention, there are a ton of ambitious mamas out there who intend to cloth diaper, invest in it and later find that maybe they can’t keep up with it or that it’s just not for them, so often times the “used” diapers you might see for sale on Facebook Marketplace are barely used at all.

03 /
Using a Fancy Diaper Pail

With cloth diapering you know you’re going to need to store your diapers somewhere between washings. I started out with this fancy diaper pail from Dekor and ordered some extra cloth liners to go with it.

I would say this worked for us in the beginning, but that would be a stretch. I never felt it was large enough to hold all of my cloth diapers and we never go more than 2 or 3 days between washings. I also found the opening too small to fit my cloth diapers through and would often have to “stuff” the diaper in and using it was just kind of a pain in the butt overall.

I did some research and found that a lot of cloth diapering parents were using a regular garbage can with a cloth liner as a diaper pail. Not only is a trash can larger than a fancy diaper pail, but it’s also easier to open and I personally think the one I chose is more aesthetic than the previous diaper pail I was using.

You can see it peeking out in the photo below. I use this trashcan from Target and this diaper pail liner from Amazon and all of my diaper pail needs are met.

04/
Overthinking Poop

I say this lightly because poop is after all still poop. However, I made such a big deal of it in the beginning. I had my husband install this diaper sprayer in our bathroom well before our baby was born and as it turns out, with breastfed babies, you don’t even need to spray their poop off. You can just throw everything in the washer all together until they start eating solid food.

But I knew that things would take a turn when we introduced solid food, and take a turn they did. We had a little transition period where I had to learn the most effective way for me to spray my diapers off, and also develop a little system of my own on getting them into the washer without getting poop everywhere. And before I knew it, the poop became more solid and now I mostly just knock it into the toilet and it’s done and over with quite quickly.

Everyone develops their own system when it comes to this topic and my best advice is to just take it wash by wash and before you know it, you’ll have developed your own unique system.

05/
Using the Wrong Detergent

Amazon reviews made me do it again and this time it was purchasing the wrong detergent.

Like many people who are interested in cloth diapering, I care about what touches my baby’s skin. Not just the ingredients in the materials, but also the chemicals in them. And detergent plays a huge part in that.

I started out using Rockin’ Green Laundry Detergent which pops right up when you search “cloth diaper detergent” on Amazon. This was working for me for a while until I noticed my cloth diapers started to develop an odd smell. It seemed like they weren’t getting clean enough. Kindly, a subscriber of mine on Youtube mentioned to me in a comment that I should check out Fluff Love University’s Detergent Index because the detergent I was using didn’t have enzymes in it to properly clean the bodily fluids and fecal matter from the diaper. I hadn't even considered this a possibility, but they were right!

Rockin’ Green is listed on their detergent index as a detergent they do not recommend because of its lack of enzymes. Among a few other recommended detergents is regular Tide Detergent, so I made the switch and found my cloth diapers cleaner than ever. If you’re unsure of what type of detergent to use or have any questions about how to clean your cloth diapers, check out Fluff Love University. They are a great resource.

I filmed a youtube video on this subject for more in depth information.