Cloth Diapering: The Scoop on Poop

Anytime I tell someone that we use cloth diapers, they almost always say, "What do you do with the poop?"  Or they proceed to tell me how gross it is that we put poop in our washing machine.  If you're considering cloth diapering, it's important to know what kind of dirty work will be involved.

I'll be the first to admit that it is pretty gross at times. If you have a very weak stomach, maybe it's not for you.  And yes, sometimes I get poop on my hands.  But guess what? Disposable diapers can be pretty gross too, especially when they leak.

So what do you do with the poop?

If your baby is exclusively breastfed, good news! You can throw that bad boy right in your wet bag or diaper pail and into the washer.  Breastfed babies have very liquid-y poop, and it's completely water soluble, so there's no need to dunk or rinse your diaper into the toilet ahead of time.  Hallelujah!

From what I've read, the verdict is still up in the air for formula fed babies who are not getting any solids or purees.  Some moms say that they put their formula poop right into the wash, while others say they try to dunk it off in the toilet first.  We personally have no experience here because Evie didn't start formula until she was already getting solids.  If we had, I probably would have tried to rinse some of it off first, just to be safe.

Solid foods and purees make things a little more... exciting.  When your baby first starts solids, he/she will probably only be getting the purees once or twice a day.  This makes for a very unique poop.  (Think peanut butter consistency. Yum.)  At this point, it is definitely necessary to dunk/rinse your diapers before washing.  However, things are pretty "sticky," so it can be difficult.  There are a few options.  You could purchase a diaper sprayer, which attaches to the side of your toilet.  This functions like a small hose that you can spray your diapers with.  (We have not purchased one, but are considering it.)  Second, you could just dunk your diaper right in the toilet bowl and try to shake it off.  This is the method we currently use.  Typically, we flush the toilet a few times while the diaper is in the toilet bowl.  This seems to get most of the poop off.  Finally, you could use some kind of tool to scrape the poop into the toilet.  I've read about some moms who purchased a cheap spatula to use specifically for this purpose.  (Just make sure it doesn't end up in your kitchen!)

I'll try to remember to update this when Evie is getting more solid foods more often since our methods will probably have to change again.  I've read that more solid food makes for more solid poop, which isn't so sticky, so maybe it will come off easier.

So there you have it! Enough poop talk to last quite awhile.  I'm thinking that I'll post next about cloth diapering gear and detergents.  Again, feel free to ask questions!

Happy diapering!