Washing Cloth Diapers in a Front Loader

There is quite a method to washing CD's in a front load washer and it took me a long time to perfect. First off, if you use (or are planning on using) CD's and are thinking about buying a front loader, DON'T DO IT! And don't let the salesman sell you the front loader by talking about how convenient it will be for cloth diapers. If I had it to do all over again, we would have a top loader, but alas, we didn't.

Now, one plus to front loaders (when washing regular articles of clothing) is the minimal amount of water they use. When you look at a load of laundry being washed, there's only a few inches of water in the drum. However, stick a bunch of really absorbent diapers in there, and what do you think happens? Yep, they soak up all the water, and you just have a bunch of damp diapers rolling around in there.

I've heard that there are front loaders out there that have an "Extra Water" option, however, mine is not one of those.

As mentioned in my Cloth Diapering 101 post, I use a wet pail for my dirty diapers. That way, my diapers are already drenched in water when they go into the washer.

I run them through a speed wash to get the Oxi-Clean out, with my "no spin" setting, so they hold as much water as possible for the main wash.

Next, I add Rockin' Green and do a hot wash, and two cold rinses.

A note on Rockin Green...I was using Tide Free & Clear for months on my dipes, then my sis let me try some of her Rockin' Green. They advertise themselves as being a detergent that rinses clean. Since I was having such a problem with getting all the detergent out, I decided to give it a try. After only 2 washes, I noticed such a difference in the softness of my diapers. With the Tide, they were a bit stiff, but with Rockin' Green they come out super-soft every wash. I HIGHLY recommend it! I buy mine here. They even have special formulas for extra hard or extra soft water, but when it doubt, start with the Classic Rock which is a good middle-of-the-road detergent.

You have to make sure all the detergent is out. If it's not, it can start to smell after pee hits it, and it could bother baby's skin when it's wet on their bottom too.

So that's that.

I really don't recommend front loaders for CD's. And don't let the salesman tell you you're crazy for wanting a top loader if you'll be washing CD's in them. We both know he's probably never washed a CD in his life and doesn't know what he's talking about.

Cloth Diapering 101

Are you interested in cloth diapering, but don't know where to start? (I feel like I'm writing a paper. 'Draw in the audience with a question!') ;)

I have decided to make a blog post about the absolute basics of cloth diapering. Hopefully I can answer some people's questions that they may be too afraid to ask.

When I was pregnant with Kylee, I constantly had to call my sister and ask her what a pocket diaper was, PUL, and don't even mention a Snappi! Since we live 1000 miles apart though, this was always on the phone, and I'm a visual learner so I wasn't retaining the information.

Here's the basics:

Choosing the Right Kind

There are LOTS of different types of cloth diapers (CD's) out there. You just have to find what works for you. If you try one kind and hate it, that doesn't mean CD aren't for you, it just means that particular type may not be. If you have a CD store in your area, check it out! I don't so I had to do research online, and ask friends.

I asked all of my CD friends what their preferred method was, bought a couple of each kind of every one's favorites, and found what I preferred that way. I highly recommend buying used. Check out CraigsList, eBay, and even garage sales. You'll spend way less money (obviously) while finding out which method you prefer, and remember - you can always turn around and sell what you don't like for what you paid for them.

And please know there is much more information out there that what I know, but I am posting my knowledge to hopefully help at least one person.

Anyway, there are three basic types of CD: (click on the link for more pictures)

*All-in-One's (AIOs)

*Pockets

*Prefolds/Covers

AIOs are just that. No stuffing or covers or anything, just put it on and go. I don't personally know anyone that uses these though so I don't either. This means that I don't have anything good or bad to say about them, and I also don't have a picture.

Pocket diapers have a liner than you have to stuff inside. I have a couple of these but Kylee is just growing into them so I haven't used them yet. However, I have been told they aren't as absorbent as prefolds, and I personally HATE stuffing them, and I only have two. I do have a friend, though, that swears by pocket diapers. She loves them. Again, you just have to find what works for you. Below is a picture of my pocket diapers. The purple one is stuffed, and the liner for the pink one is above it.

Next are prefolds and covers. (This is my preferred method.) You have to buy prefold diapers (just like the Gerber ones that are awesome for burp rags but they make much higher quality ones too.) I prefer Chinese prefolds, and below is a picture of one of mine.Next is a Snappi, which is used to hold the prefold on (instead of the old fashioned diaper pin method.) I'd show you a picture of mine, but I only have one, and Kylee is currently wearing it.

Then you need a waterproof cover to go over the prefold. If you hear someone talk about PUL, it is just what the cover is lined with to make it waterproof. Here are mine:

If you look, my solid color ones are fastened with Velcro, and the multi-colored one has snaps. Again, it's all in preference. Velcro does wear out, which is something to consider. Another vocabulary lesson: gussets are the extra piece of elastic lined fabric that is sewn in around the part that goes around the thigh. See the picture below:

Gussets help with holding in the moisture. I don't suggest covers that don't have gussets.

Dealing with the Dirty Diapers

There's two options: a wet pail, and a dry pail. I use a wet pail. I have a 5 gallon bucket that I put Oxi-Clean and water in, and throw the dirty diapers and covers in there to soak until I'm ready to wash them. I highly recommend a wet pail if you'll be washing with a front-loader like I do. Also, please keep the wet pail somewhere out of a children's reach. Think: drowning hazard. A dry pail is done by using a wet bag (fabric bag lined in PUL) or an actual covered bin. A bit of tea tree oil in the pail keeps the smells inside.

Washing CD's

How to wash them just depends on who you talk to. I suggest you really research yourself on what type of detergent to use. However, every CD mom will tell you a few of the same things on what to do: 1. Do NOT use a detergent with fragrance and stuff, because it contains soap. I don't know why that's bad, but I know it is. I think it messes with the absorbency of the diapers. 2. Do NOT use fabric softener...also messes with absorbency. 3. Do NOT dry your covers in the dryer - always line dry them. The heat will, over time, ruin the PUL layer and they wont be waterproof anymore. 4. If you have Velcro covers, make sure the Velcro is fastened so you don't make a diaper chain in your washer. I had to learn this the hard way, and also messed with the gussets on one of my covers and had to throw it away. It was a sad day.

There is much controversy on whether or not there are any regular store-bought detergents that are ok for CD's. But, there are lots of CD-specific detergents, so when in doubt, those are always a safe choice since they're designed for CD's.

For info on washing CD's in a front loader, check out my separate post on that subject.

Other CD things to consider that I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to give my opinion on: *cloth wipes *disposable liners *fitted diapers *diaper services (Doesn't save you much money-if any-but is still good for the environment compared to disposables.)

Folding Prefold Diapers

Disclaimer: First, let me apologize for the lighting of the photos. We have a pink lamp in Kylee's room which is super cute, but does NOTHING for photography. Second, this whole post is about how to fold a cloth diaper. If you're not interested, I'm not offended. Cloth diapering isn't for everyone. However, don't catch yourself saying "I'd NEVER use cloth diapers." My friend, I said the same thing a few years ago, and now I'm posting a blog about how to use them! EEK! It's amazing how the Lord can change you...

Anyway, cloth diapers! I've been using them with Kylee. We're doing prefolds, a Snappi, and a cover. It took some trial and error to get the knack of getting them on her, but we've got it down now. However, when I first started using them, I did the traditional trifold, where you just single fold in each side to the center. She blew out of the diaper when I did that so I had to figure out a new way. That's what this post is about.

Here's our method: start with the diaper unfolded. Typically, I have her laying on top of it, but I didn't want to post pictures of my daughter without a diaper on the Internet. I'm sure you understand. When I put the diaper under Kylee, I fold in the part that goes on her back, only because she's still little and I need to shorten the diaper. You'll see it folded in later pictures, so I just wanted to explain. Whether you fold it or not obviously depends on the child's size.

Ok, next step is to fold in one side about 1.5 inches. (Again, I typically have Kylee on top of the diaper here so she helps hold it when I fold it.)

Fold the same side over again.

Do the same thing to the other side, and look! You've got yourself what I like to call a "poop pocket!"

Since the baby is already on the diaper, just fold up the front over their bottom.

Take one side and unroll only the end, just enough to secure it to the back part.

Pull the back part over what you just unrolled. (If you look, you can see where I fold mine down in the back in this picture.)

Take your Snappi and secure that first side, then pull it and secure the middle. Do the same thing to the other side and secure. I typically have to readjust that first side after doing the second side.

Here's the finished product.

Stick a cover over all of it, and you've got yourselves a sumo baby!