Ok so now that I've piqued your interest in the fabulous world of fluff, let's talk about what you really need. There are tons of suggestions out there as to how many and what type, but there are a few things you'll need to decide regardless of what route you take. First, do you want to cloth diaper (CD) full-time or part-time? How often do you want to wash? At what stage do you want to start CDing? Do you want to use cloth wipes or disposable? Do you want to use the same diapers as your kiddo grows? How many kids are you trying to CD? There's a lot to think about I know, but these answers will def help you decide what you'll need from day 1 and what you may want to buy later. So take your time and think about it....thinking....still thinking...
...ok, ready? Let's go!
Generally speaking, it is recommended to have 24 diapers to CD full-time. That's for one child washing about every 1 1/2 - 2 days. That being said, we all know not every rule can apply to everyone, so below are some of my thoughts on how many, how often, what type, etc... Reader beware, you're about to enter my brain...it can be a chaotic place so consider yourself warned! :)
Newborn Cloth Diapering:
If you want to start from day 1, you're going to need a rather large stash as you change those bad boys constantly...seriously, I went through 18 diapers a day the first few weeks, but my LO has always been a pooping and peeing machine! What you really need to consider for CDing a NB is how much money do you want to invest. NB diapers are smaller (generally go to about 10-15 lbs.) and sometimes have a groove to accommodate the umbilical cord. Considering how fast they can put on weight in the beginning and that the cord falls off pretty quickly you may not want to invest a lot of money, especially if you plan to only diaper one child. However, if you plan to use your NB stash on multiple children then you may want to spend more. I also want to note that NB diapers have a pretty good resale value since they are used for such a short time and have little wear so that may be something to think about too as you make your purchases and have the need to splurge a little :) . If you want to try a more economical route, I'd try flats or prefolds with covers. If you want to go with the easiest option, I'd try AIO...granted they are more expensive. If you're looking for absorbancy, I'd rock a fitted or a pocket. You just need to weigh the options and decide what type is best for you! Now, on to the number...again, that depends on how often you want to wash. The thought of washing every other day after having a C-section and trying to balance life with a NB honestly sounds miserable to me. For me, the golden number of 24 wouldn't cut it. I'd have a minimum of 36. If you're doing something that requires a cover, I'd have 6-8 on hand. We personally used disposables for about the first month, and if we had to do it all over again I'd totally start CDing from day 1. I was too scared to be honest! But now, I'm a fluff warrior so bring it on!
In regards to caring for the dirty dipes, you'll need something to store them in. I used a plastic clothes hamper and just threw them in at the end of each changing for storage. I tried both wet pailing and dry pailing and had equal results, so I ultimately stuck with dry pailing since it was WAY easier! If you BF, the poop is water soluble so you don't even need to spray or wash them off...to me BF poop was glorious. That's right, I found this poop to be GLORIOUS! I swear, it didn't even smell! So that's really it for NB CDing...several dipes and a place to store them in. See, I said CDing was easy!
Infant Cloth Diapering:
Now it starts getting a little trickier as you transition out of the NB phase and begin to enter the exciting world of solid foods which means your glorious BF poop is now becoming peanut butter. Gooey, thick, sticky, smelly peanut butter...now you know why I found BF poop to be heavenly. Given that the consistency has changed, you'll have to switch up your routine.
As babies grow, they poop less frequently so by the time my LO was 4 months, I'd go through about 8 diapers a day. BIG difference from the 18 we started out with! I was able to space out my washing to every 4-5 days at this point which was super nice since I had a pretty decent sized stash to start with. But we also had to start spraying the dipes and storing them differently since they were wet. Once your baby starts solid foods, you'll want a sprayer - trust me on this one people! Some people do the dunk and swish or they wash them in the sink, but I have found the sprayer to be the easiest and most effective option to getting that poop off. Not to mention that my FIL accidentally flushed a diaper down the toilet one time so I have a fear of doing the dunk and swish method. I don't think anyone wants to deal with that kind of mess, YIKES! Along with a sprayer, you may also want to consider some sort of device that will shield poop water from spraying all over the floor and you, because I mean, really...who wants wet poopy socks? I'm not saying you need a bio-hazard suit, but it can splash and get kind of messy sometimes. There are a couple of good options out there to purchase like the Spray Pal or the Potty Pail, but you could also buy a super cheap trash can and cut the bottom out of it. None-the-less, you'll want to seriously consider a shielding device even though it's not totally necessary. Another option for cleaning this type of poop is a liner. They have lots of different types of flushable, biodegradable liners out there that you simply peel off and flush down the toilet. (Review of liners to follow!) We don't use liners, but a lot of people swear by them so it may be worth looking into if that's something that interests you. Since you're now having to spray your diapers, they are really wet and tossing them in a plastic clothes hamper was no longer an option for us. You'll want to invest in a wet bag or a diaper pail liner. Since diaper pail liners are larger, we personally went this direction and put one in a tall kitchen garbage can and kept it in the bathroom by the toilet. We do have a small wet bag for our diaper bag too when we are out and about.
So in review, you don't need a lot to cloth diaper. All you'll really need at the begining is a number of cloth diapers (the more you'll need the younger they are) and a place to store them when they're dirty. After you start solid foods (i.e. - cereals and purees), you'll want to invest in a sprayer, a shielding device, and a place that is for waterproof storage.
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