Cloth Diapering, Pregnancy, Birth, Baby, and Beyond

We started cloth in 2010 with our potty-training 2-year-old just before the birth of our second baby. We used them on and off (mostly on) until 2013, then again briefly in 2014 after the birth of our third baby.

I snapped pictures and wrote about it all along the way, and these posts are a little time capsule of that experience. One that I hope might help you in your cloth diapering journey.

Read the Prefolds Love Story, see where you are in the Cloth Diapering Checklist, checkout the full list of Cloth Diaper Products we used, learn more about the prefolds cloth diapering system with Prefolds + Covers 101, and find Me/Prefolds Love Elsewhere Online.

Or browse the following list of post archives by category...

1. Start of Cloth Diapering

Why I Love Cloth Diapers
Cost of Cloth Diapering vs. Disposables
Cloth Diapering Checklist
How to Wash Cloth Diapers

Cloth Diaper Organization - Changing Table

Cloth Diaper Organization - Bathroom

Cloth Reality Check | Challenges + Solutions

How to Swish a Poopy Diaper

Beginner Guides to Cloth Diapering

Snaps vs. Velcro-style Closures

Where to Buy Cloth Diapers

When to Start Using Cloth Diapers

2. Prefolds and Covers

Why I've Got The Prefolds Love

How to Change a Prefold Cloth Diaper

Newborn-6 Months Prefold Diaper Stash

6 Months-Toddler Prefold Diaper Stash

How to Prep Prefold Diapers

Cloth Diaper Cover Reviews

3. Pregnancy, Birth, and Baby

Creating a Unique-to-You Baby Announcement

First Trimester

Second Trimester

Third Trimester

New Baby Checklist (printable)

Saving Money on Baby

Preparing for Birth

Birth Notes + Preferences (printables)

Final Weeks + Hospital Bag Checklists (printables)

Books on Pregnancy, Birth, Parenting

Dealing with Mommy Guilt

Dealing with Opinions... Lovingly

4. End of Cloth Diapering

Cloth Pull-up Reviews

Time + Place for Disposable

5. Green- and Simple-Living

The following links are to posts on my personal blog Beginner Beans.
Homemade Deodorant
Greening Your Period (Diva Review)
Curly-Haired Girl's Testimonials to No 'Poo
9 Steps to Green Your Everyday
Simplifying Home: 8-Week Checklist

>>>

Find me elsewhere online...
twitter: @trinarcress
instagram: @trinarcress
youtube: trina cress

When to Start Using Cloth Diapers

Welcome to the newest member of the Prefolds Love family! Oliver Daniel was born on July 16 at 2:41 p.m. He was 9 lbs 3 oz and 21" long. You're welcome to read his birth story >> here, or see how I designed my own birth announcements for him >> here.

We started him in cloth diapers when he was a couple weeks old. Below are some thoughts on how we chose when to start our newborn in cloth diapers. Hopefully it helps you as you decide for yourself.

When to Start Using Cloth Diapers

1 | in the hospital / immediately after birth

We have never used cloth diapers in the hospital, but it is certainly possible. You'd need enough diapers to last the time you're there (two days for each of our babies)--that would include about 24+ prefolds, 6-8 newborn or small covers, a snappi, 24+ cloth wipes, and a large pail liner or wet bag to put the dirty diapers in. (See full hospital checklist >> here.) You'd also need some sort of liner (there are flushable ones) or even simple, cheap cloth wipes to protect your diapers from the sticky first poop. That is one of the main reasons we never used cloth in the hospital. Also, I really didn't want to have to do diaper laundry once we got home from the hospital.

2 | after meconium passes

Another option is to wait until that first sticky poop (meconium) passes, then start using cloth. Then there's no need for liners or risk of ruining your new diapers.

3 | after umbilical chord falls off

Some newborn-sized cloth diapers come with a scoop or a snapdown to keep the diaper off baby's umbilical chord as it heals. If you don't have those, or don't want to mess with it, then you could wait the first week or so until baby's umbilical chord falls off.

4 | after circumcision heals

If you have a boy and he is/will be circumcised, you might prefer to wait until that is healed. Vaseline helps keep anything from sticking until it heals, but vaseline is also not good for cloth diapers. You would need to use a liner or cheap baby wash cloth to protect the vaseline from getting on the diapers.

5 | when they fit

If you don't have diapers that go small enough to fit your newborn, then you might need to wait until your baby fits into the cloth diapers you have. Depending on your reasons for cloth diapering, using disposables for a couple weeks might be better than buying newborn-sized cloth diapers that will only fit a short time. We had rather larger newborns (8-11 lbs), so fitting in small cloth diapers was not a problem. Even a size 1 Thirsties Duo Wrap can snap down to fit a smaller newborn. But if you have other brands/sizes and nothing that fits a newborn, then you might need to wait for baby to grow a bit.

6 | once supplies come in and diapers are prepped (for older babies)

Of course, some of us first learn about cloth diapers after we are already using disposables on our baby/toddler. When I first learned about cloth diapers and decided to go for it, my oldest was potty-training and I was pregnant with my second. We went ahead and jumped in with the potty-training 2-year-old for naps and nights as soon as products came in.

7 | when you're ready

Whatever your reasons, just jump in when you're ready. I personally wasn't ready until baby's umbilical chord and circumcision healed, so we started 2-3 weeks after baby was born. If you had a particularly difficult delivery that you're recovering from and not ready to jump into diaper laundry, then give yourself a little healing time. The point is to choose what timing works best for you.

As much as you can use the cloth diapers will help you get the most out of them in money savings and keeping diapers out of the landfill. But if a few days or a couple weeks delay in getting started is what you need to feel sane, then do it.

You've still got a couple years of diapers ahead of you ;)

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also read:

time + place for disposable
hospital bag checklist
cost of cloth vs. disposables
newborn cloth diaper stash

Cloth Diaper Organization in the Bathroom

I loved our original diaper changing table as it was set-up in our previous home. A year has passed and since then we've moved, I've quit using the changing table (due to our baby growing), his poop needs to be flushed down the toilet (now that he's eating solids and no longer exclusively breastfed), and we have less space now (the kids share a room).

Our diaper supplies are now stored in the kids' bathroom, and diaper changes are done wherever I find a comfy spot on the floor. We use most of the same products (covers and prefolds), but have changed sizes (size 2 covers and large prefolds) and changed where we store them.

Here is our current cloth diaper set-up...

1. Baking soda, diaper pail, pail liner, and baking soda in glass shaker.

The diaper pail resides beside the toilet where we can easily toss dirty diapers after the poop has been swished flushed down the toilet. We are still using our original Planet Wise Pail Liner in the same ol' small kitchen trashcan. We don't cover the diapers, but I do move the pail to our bathroom or the shower when we have lots of company (so as not to gross anyone out). We also have baking soda in a glass shaker to be sprinkled in the pail as needed. Pail liner is washed with diapers.

2. Diaper rash cream, and small (GMD yellow-edge) prefolds.

We're still using California Baby diaper rash cream. It clears up the first sign of diaper rashes (which, so far, is all we've had), we've had no issues with it washing out of the diapers, and it smells good.

We've put away our newborn (GMD orange-edge) prefolds. We've continued to use the yellow-edge for the small amount of protection our preschooler needs at night. I'm finally looking into cloth pull-ups for her, and will put away the small prefolds for future use or selling.

3. Diaper covers, cloth wipes, and Snappis.

We now have 4 Thirsties Duo Wraps (sz 2), a Rumparooz (one-size), and a Flip (one-size). There's usually one airing out on a corner of the bathroom counter and one on baby, which rotates at each diaper change. If the cover smells strongly of pee or poop, it's tossed in the diaper pail and a new one is brought into rotation. Ian has turned into a little poop machine since he started solids and weaned, so lately these 6 covers last a little more than a day. (Ridiculous, I know!)

We are still using our original 45+ baby wash cloths that we use for wipes, which get thrown in the diaper pail with the dirty diaper. We wet them in the sink as needed, and 2 can clean up even the messiest of diapers.

4. Large (GMD brown-edge) prefolds.

We have 18 large (GMD brown-edge) prefolds in rotation. We run out of covers much sooner than we use up the prefolds. I have medium (GMD red-edge) also in rotation, that I bought to see if we needed to use medium. We've been fine skipping from small straight to large. (Possibly also because we didn't use cloth for a couple months while we moved/were homeless, which was when he might have needed them.)

5. Used diaper cover ready for next use.

If the prefold was only wet (and the cover doesn't stink, which can happen if wet for too long), then I set the cover on the counter and use it again at the next diaper change. If the diaper was poopy or the cover stinks at all, then it gets tossed in the dirty diaper pail and a new cover is brought into rotation at the next change.

Cloth Diaper Storage: Bathroom vs. Changing Table

Our system has remained mostly the same, except mixing up our organization to fit changes. Moving the supplies to the bathroom was a great choice after Ian started solids (perfect timing with our move, too, where the kids now share a room). It's easier to have the pail in the bathroom for when I'm done swishing the diaper. While he was exclusively breastfed (when the poop could go in the washer), I loved having the pail by the changing table.

As I mentioned, not much has changed with our supplies other than moving up in sizes. Overall, still loving keeping it simple.

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Click here ↓ for more posts on...
cloth, pregnancy, birth, and motherhood

How to Swish a Poopy Cloth Diaper

The dreaded day has come and gone: the day our baby started started eating solid foods.

What's the big deal with that? Well, the first five or six months of cloth diapering were amazingly easy, because Ian was exclusively breastfed which means his poop was completely water soluble. That means dirty diapers (yes, even poopy diapers) are tossed directly into the diaper pail (no rinsing necessary), then go through the rinse-wash-rinse cycle with all the other diapers. Seriously that easy.

When babies drink formula or start eating solids, an extra step is thrown in: Rinsing the poop into the toilet. Here is that process without a diaper sprayer for anyone brave (curious?) enough to read more.

*Affiliate links used; see full note below.

Use cover to take dirty diaper to the bathroom.

Once new diaper is on our baby (see our diaper change process >> here), I send him to play while I take care of the dirty diaper. If it was a pee diaper (with no poop), I would use the diaper cover to drop the wet prefold diaper into the dirty diaper pail (like in photo above), then leave the diaper cover to air out on the counter and use at the next diaper change.

If the diaper is poopy, then I throw the cloth wipes into the dirty diaper pail (they generally don't need to be rinsed), and go on with the next steps.

Hold corners of prefold and flush poop down toilet.

I separate the prefold from the cover by grabbing the clean edge of the prefold (the edge that rests against the back of the cover). Holding tight, I dunk dirty end of diaper into toilet until all poop is off. This is the old school "swishing" method.

At this point you could also use a diaper sprayer, but swishing is free and effective. When the poop is more solid, it just falls into the toilet without doing anything. Other times it takes a little swishing to get it all off. For really difficult diapers (i.e., when he's teething), I might have to flush a time or two to get it all off.

The key to keeping the poop in the toilet where it belongs is holding on tight to the clean edge and keeping hand far from hitting poopy water.

Toss swished diaper in diaper pail.

That, friends, is a close-up of our baby's dirty diapers. See, it's not so scary.

Once rinsed, I move prefold to water-free area of toilet bowl and push prefold against itself to sort of "ring out" (without actually touching) the excess water, making a drip-free move from toilet to diaper pail. (If I didn't remove the excess water, the diaper pail would become loaded with nasty toilet water.) Moving the pail right next to the toilet makes this step much easier.

Sprinkle baking soda over diapers.

While still holding onto the clean edge of the dirty diaper, I'll use my free hand to sprinkle baking soda from a shaker directly on diaper before tossing it into the pail. Every other time (i.e., pee diapers), I just sprinkle a little baking soda into pail.

Cover is also thrown in diaper pail after poopy diapers or if it smells like urine. If only a pee diaper and no smell, then the cover is set on the edge of the counter to be used at the next diaper change.


Congratulations!

You just kept a poopy diaper out of the landfill and put the mess where it belongs.

>>>

also see:
new? start here...
how to wash cloth diapers
our full diaper supply list
all posts: cloth, baby, and more

*Note: Affiliate links used in this post. Purchases through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

How to Change a Cloth Diaper | trifolded prefold, cover

I can hardly believe over 10 months have passed since we started cloth diapering Ian. And we're still going strong! Three days in, I posted How to Change a Cloth Diaper with a snappi and prefold. Since then we've gone up a couple sizes to the brown-edge (large) GMD prefolds, and we've moved on to Size 2 of the Thirsties Duo Wraps. We temporarily ditched the Snappi and trifolded the prefolds, laying them in the cover.

Here's how to change a cloth diaper with a trifolded prefold...

Stage is set.

Diaper (a Rumparooz one-size cover and red-edge/medium GMD prefold) is dirty. Clean diaper (a brown-edge/large GMD prefold trifolded in a Thirsties size 2 Duo Wrap) is in place. A couple wet wash cloths (that we use as wipes) and cloth diaper-safe diaper rash cream are at the ready.

Dirty diaper quickly replaced with clean.

You might notice there's a few less photos showing this process. It is amazing how feisty a little guy can be when his diaper needs changed! Dirty diaper is set aside with used wash cloths set inside (pictured below). The clean, trifolded prefold is pulled up and, because it is larger than necessary, I fold it down a little to fit below his belly button (this also helps add extra absorbency where he tends to wet the most). This only works if poop is solid.

Cover snapped around prefold.

Ian is now in a Thirsties Duo Wrap size 2 fully unsnapped. I'm curious what happens as he gets bigger, but it seems there's still room for him to grow into it length-wise. I check to make sure prefold isn't sticking out of cover, but that doesn't happen often when trifolding.

Dirty diaper "disposed."

There's a little more to this step now that Ian is eating solids (and no longer has water soluble exclusively breastfed poop), so I will be covering this in another post. No more throwing all dirty diapers directly into a diaper pail to then be thrown directly into the wash. Poop diapers now need to be rinsed. Here's >> how to swish the poop into the toilet.

Update on Trifolding Vs. Snappi

I thought this would be easier, but I actually missed the leg gusset provided by a Snappi'd prefold. Trifolding often leaves a mess on the cover when there's messy poop, and easily gets twisted around when baby moves a lot--similar to an insert. Now we're back to using a Snappi as shown in this >> cloth diaper change. Only he's now in brown-edge prefolds and size 2 Thirsties Duo Wraps. But we're still using the same Snappi.

How to Prep Prefold Cloth Diapers

New cotton prefolds have to be prepped before using them as diapers. When my husband saw the large, smooth "sheets" of cotton that came in the mail, he was pretty sure I ordered the wrong thing. That's because prefolds need to be washed and dried and washed and dried multiple times in order for them to quilt up and gain absorbency. Below are those specific steps to make your cotton prefolds diaper-ready.

*Affiliate links use; see full note below.

1. Wash prefolds with hot water.

You can add a small amount of free and clear detergent to wash the new prefolds, but even that's not really necessary. I added a little in the first cycle, then not again for the others.

2. Dry prefolds on high heat.

Use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. After a couple cycles, I got tired of the process and didn't let them fully dry in between. Although the high heat in the dryer is what helps them quilt up and become absorbent.

3. Repeat until prefolds are quilted.

Keep the wash-on-hot/dry-on-high-heat cycle going until the diapers shrink and quilt. It takes 6-8 cycles to reach max absorbency. They can generally be used in as little as 3-4 cycles if needed, but might be more prone to leaks at that point.

The photo above shows a brand new prefold on the far left, then a prefold after 1 wash, a prefold after a few washes, and a fully quilted and prepped prefold after 8 washes on the far right. You can see the progression of the quilting, which is when it's most absorbent.

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also see:
new to cloth? start here...
prefolds & covers 101
cloth diaper supply list
archive of all posts

*Note: Affiliate links used. Purchases made through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Cloth Diaper Changing Station

When I first started looking into and preparing for cloth diapering, I was really interested to see how others set up their changing stations, or stored and organized their cloth diaper supplies. So for those that might be curious, here's our cloth diaper set-up on a changing table.

*Affiliate links used; see full note below.

1. Cloth diaper covers.

In the top basket, we have 8 diaper covers. There's usually one airing out on the edge of the changing table (no rinsing or spritzing, just airing out) and one on baby, which rotates at each diaper change. If the cover starts smelling like pee or gets poop on it, then it's tossed in the diaper pail (see below) and a new one brought into rotation.

2. Cloth wipes, diaper rash cream, snappis, and baking soda in shaker.

In the bottom basket, we have 45+ baby wash cloths that we use for wipes, a glass shaker that holds baking soda, 3 snappis (not shown because they fall to the bottom), and cloth-friendly diaper rash cream. The wipes get thrown in the diaper pail with the dirty diaper. We wet them in the sink as needed, and 2 clean up even the messiest of diapers. California Baby is our current preferred diaper rash cream. There hasn't really been any diaper rash problems yet, but California Baby takes care of any red and hasn't been an issue on our prefolds. Plus it smells good :) The baking soda in the shaker is shaken into the diaper pail after a poopy diaper is thrown in to help absorb odor.

3. Small (GMD yellow-edge) prefolds.

In the cream fabric cube, we have 24 small prefolds. The small work great Snappied on our 15-pound 3-month-old, and also trifolded in a cover for our 28-pound 3-year-old at night. 24 prefolds initially lasted us 2 days in the first couple weeks of use. Now we can go about 3 days between washes.

4. Newborn (GMD orange-edge) prefolds.

In the green fabric cube, we have 12 newborn prefolds. Knowing baby would quickly grow past the newborn/extra small prefolds (or, apparently, be too big for them right from the get-go), we only bought 12 of those. The extra small would have been great on an average size newborn (less than 9 pounds), but weren't really necessary on our whopping 11-pound-newborn. How could we have known :) I'm still glad we got them. These get folded and stored separate from our other prefolds. We have a spitter so their absorbency makes them perfect burp cloths. They also fit perfectly trifolded into a cover. Although poop gets on (but surprisingly doesn't escape past) the cover with the trifold option, so it's not our preferred use.

5. Diaper pail and liner.

The diaper pail is a Planet Wise Diaper Pail Liner in a regular ol' kitchen trashcan. There is a lid we could put on, but anytime we do, stink becomes a problem. Go figure. We leave the pail open, stink-problem solved. Pail liner gets washed with diapers.

Is this simple changing table set-up enough?

Initially I wondered if I needed a wipes solution or baby powder or extra this and that. I decided to start simple and mix it up as needed. So far, this system and set-up has been working great for us with no bells and whistles needed. I love keeping it simple!

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Go here ↓ next:
new? start here...
cloth diaper change in photos
our full cloth diaper supply list
all posts: cloth, pregnancy, and more

*Note: Affiliate links used in this post. Any purchases made through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

How to Wash Cloth Diapers

Dirty diapers is probably the sole reason, or at least the biggest reason, Pampers and other disposable diapers are so popular. It definitely inhibited my initial considerations for cloth. Obviously, and thankfully, I reconsidered.

How did I get over my fear of dirty diapers? By picturing myself doing laundry. I read up on the process involved, visualized myself doing each step. And that visualization wasn't so bad. I realized there are much grosser things I deal with as a mother.

Cloth laundering varies with each person. Just go on a cloth diapering board or compare suggestions from online articles and you'll see all kinds of preferences. You'll also notice each person's chosen methods is a variation of one basic process: Rinse, wash, rinse, dry. The changes come as you overcome obstacles like dealing with hard water or eliminating diaper rashes; what works for one person, because of a lot of different factors, may not work for another.

The cloth diaper laundry process is basically...

1. Rinse cold: By hand at each diaper change (if baby/toddler eats solids or drinks formula) or in the washer without detergent (if baby is exclusively breastfed). This rinses off poop particles and keeps stains from setting.

2. Wash hot: Using a cloth diaper-friendly detergent (something free of dyes, perfumes, etc.) and about half manufacturer's recommended amount (2-ish TBSP). Suds in the rinse cycle calls for another rinse or less detergent to prevent build up and thus diaper stink or serious diaper rash.

3. Second rinse cold: Water is key in getting diapers properly clean and removing all the detergent. This can be just a rinse cycle; or another full cycle without detergent.

4. Dry: High heat in a dryer without dryer sheets (use dryer balls), or line dry (the sun can help with stains). Especially be careful to follow any special instructions for your specific diapers.

More specifically, this ↓ is how we wash our cloth diapers (prefolds and PUL covers).

Affiliate links used; see full note below.

1. Dirty diapers are in a diaper pail or wet bag.

First, we have a dirty trash bag full of poo. Well, a diaper pail liner full of wet or soiled prefolds and covers, and the occasional sprinkling of baking soda. (We put baking soda in a glass parmesan cheese shaker to make sprinkling in easier.) This trashcan and pail liner is next to the changing table (then, moved to the bathroom when baby started solids).

If baby is exclusively breastfed (EBF)...

When our baby was exclusively breastfed, dirty diapers were thrown directly into the pail, no rinsing necessary. I was grossed out by this idea at first, but saw so many people recommend it that we gave it a try. It's as easy as everyone said. Poop from an exclusively breastfed baby is water soluble, so it washes away in the washer. And there were no odor problems in the diaper pail.

When baby drinks formula or starts eating solids...

When we first started cloth, our preschooler was potty trained except for nap and night, so if she happened to poop in her diaper, the poop was shaken off into the toilet and the insert rinsed if necessary. When our baby started eating solids, we started doing the same with his poopy diapers. We use the old-fashioned swishing method, or you can get a diaper sprayer.

2. Use pail liner or wet bag to empty dirty diapers into washer.

The diapers are then taken to the washer and tossed in by turning the pail liner inside-out. No touching dirty diapers.

3. Pre-rinse in cold water.

I set the washer to the highest water level (we have a little washer and water is your friend when getting cloth diapers properly cleaned) and run it on a light wash cycle with nothing but water. This is enough to rinse away all of the poop from exclusively breastfed babies.

If diapers are rinsed individually by hand at each diaper change (when baby is on formula or eats solids), then this step isn't as necessary. Or a quick rinse can be done instead of a full cycle.

4. Wash in hot water with 2 TBSP free and clear detergent.

I throw in about a 1/4 cup baking soda and 1-2 TBSP free and clear detergent and wash on hot on the heavy cycle.

On choosing detergent for cloth diapers...

Because we use low-maintenance prefolds and pul covers, we've had no problems with using any basic free and clear detergent. (If I had to choose, I'm not sure why, All is my favorite.) We've had no build-up and no need to strip. However, if your diaper stash includes other materials (esp. microfiber or other stay dry layers), you might look for a cloth-diaper specific detergent like Rockin' Green. (Be warned, it is definitely more expensive. I got a sample of it from an event and liked it okay; but we've never felt the need to buy it ourselves.)

5. Extra rinse, with vinegar if needed for smell.

I run everything through a second rinse, usually on cold. I run it through a light cycle if I feel further agitating is necessary to rinse away all detergent. Any remaining detergent can cause build-up and thus stink or diaper rashes, so rinsing is important.

On using vinegar with cloth diapers...

Sometimes I add vinegar (used to be in a Downy ball, now I pour it straight into the washer). This helps especially if the diapers have a little smell to them after washing. I've heard vinegar can be hard on cloth diapers (especially for non-cotton materials), but occasional use helps get 'em clean and our prefolds stay soft and white (mostly).

6. Dry diaper covers and pail liner on low heat; dry prefolds on high heat.

I put everything into the dryer and run it for 10-20 minutes on low heat. Pail liners, wet bags, and PUL covers don't need much to dry, and too high heat for too long can be damaging to both the elastic and the PUL water-proof coating. So I always dry them on low heat for 20 minutes or less.

After I take the PUL products (pail liner, wet bag, covers) out of the dryer, I finish drying the prefolds on the hottest setting.

Dryer sheets vs. dryer balls for cloth diapers...

Dryer sheets shouldn't be used because they can leave a film on the diapers which inhibits absorbency. We use plastic dryer balls with all of our laundry. There's also the option of wool dryer balls.

How often and when?

We keep enough diapers in our stash to wash every 2 to 2 1/2 days, and I wash when I'm down to 1-2 covers--just enough to get us through if I need to change a diaper in the middle of washing. I use the above process to clean the diapers, and can usually do so during our morning routine or in the evening after the kids are in bed. The only thing that draws it out longer is if I forget to switch them.

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also read:
our full cloth diaper supply list
how to change a cloth diaper
how to "swish" a poopy diaper
all posts: cloth, pregnancy, and more

*Affiliate links used in this post. Purchases made through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

How to Change a Cloth Diaper | prefold, snappi, cover

We're now finishing Day 3 of cloth diapering, and I am loving it! For those that have been doubtful or otherwise curious, here's our diaper changing process. Just an opportunity for me to show off our cute chunk and the sweet diaper covers, and of course revel in the fact that I am actually following through with it.

*Affiliate links used; see full note below.

Cloth Diaper Change
newborn prefold, snappi, thirsties diaper cover

1. Set the stage, unsnap diaper cover.

Diaper's dirty, a couple baby wash cloths are wet and ready for wiping, and clean prefold diaper and diaper cover are in place. The diaper cover shown is a Thirsties Duo Wrap with snaps. They also come in velcro-type closure.

2. Remove dirty prefold diaper.

The cloth part of the diaper shown is an newborn prefold. It is removed. We use wet baby wash cloths to wipe, then set dirty wipes inside dirty prefold. And, of course, cover private area to prevent spraying. (Yes, despite stories from moms of boys, I learned this the hard way.)

3. Fasten clean prefold diaper.

Instead of diaper pins, we use a Snappi to secure the prefold. There are a variety of "folds" to do, but we are fans of the angel wing fold (shown).

4. Snap clean cover over prefold diaper.

The cover shown above is a WeeHuggers which is no long in distribution. Once cover is secured, be sure to tuck in prefold around legs and tummy so no white cloth is showing (that would cause some serious leakage).

5. Toss dirty diaper in pail, allow cover to air out if not soiled.

Use the removed cover to toss dirty diaper and wipes into dry diaper pail (a basic trash can lined with a Planet Wise pail liner). While baby is exclusively breastfed, there is no need to rinse poopy diapers, and we had no issues with stink while doing this. Seriously. (See what to do with a poopy diaper if baby is not exclusively breastfed.) Old cover is laid over edge of changing table for next time. If cover smells at all or is otherwise soiled, it's added to diaper pail to be washed.

I also often sprinkle in baking soda with a shaker. This helps absorb odors.

Baby is dressed and happy in a clean cloth diaper.

Baby dressed, dry, and happy :) Initially, the bulk was the only negative aspect I could even begin to complain about and that's pretty trivial compared to the benefits.


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also read:
new? start here...
changing table set-up
our full diaper supply list
all posts: cloth, pregnancy, baby

*Note: Affiliate links used in this post. Purchases through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!