Cloth Diapering: What You Need

Sorry it's been so long since I addressed the cloth diapering topic!  We have already discussed types of cloth diapers and "the scoop on poop."  Now, I want to tell you about some other gear that you may find helpful should you choose to cloth diaper your baby.

Wet Bags.  No matter what kind of diaper you choose, these are pretty much essential unless you plan on using the old school pail method.  Wet bags are cloth bags that have a waterproof PUL lining.  After you change a dirty cloth diaper, you throw away the wipes and put the diaper in the wet bag.  When you're ready to wash, you simply dump the diapers right into the washing machine and toss the wet bag in with them.  Some larger wet bags even have a separate pocket for you to put clean diapers in.  Right now, we have a large wet bag that hangs in our bathroom and a smaller one that we bring in our diaper bag when we go out.  We're actually considering buying another one so that we'll always have one clean.  (We put dirty diapers in plastic bags when the wet bag is being washed.)

Cloth Diaper Detergent. Cloth diapers must be washed with specially formulated detergents.  Washing them in other detergents could ruin the diaper.  (More on laundering later.)

Diaper Sprayer.  I talked a little about these during our poop discussion.  They are definitely not a necessity, but I've heard that they can be quite handy. (We don't have one yet.) These are sprayer hoses that attach directly to your toilet.  When your baby poops, you use the sprayer to help remove the waste right into the toilet so that you can flush it away! If you plan on breastfeeding exclusively the whole time that you use cloth diapers, you don't need one of these since breastfed poop is water soluble.

Drying Rack/Clothesline.  Any kind of cloth diaper will have at least some component that must be air dried.  Prefolds and fitted diapers can go in the dryer, but their waterproof covers must be line dried. Pocket diapers and AIOs have the outer "shell" that must be line dried.  We actually have a clothesline in our basement that we use to dry diapers.  During the summer, sunning your diapers outside will remove any stubborn stains.  Simply lay/hang your stained diapers in direct sunlight for a couple of hours and voila! 

There are a number of other products that are available, but they are not necessary.  Start out simple and then determine what other gear you might need.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask!