Safe Alternatives for Baby and Child

Honestly, I never thought that the research I did for the writing of our article, The Stink On Disposable Diapers, would have put me on a path of going cloth with my baby girl. Truth be told, I had tried using cloth diapers for 2 days when my baby was more of an infant, and I hated it!!! Now, after knowing more about what I am doing, I can truly say that I like cloth diapers!

What brought about this change of heart? Well, once I had gotten over the whole scare of (for me) the “dreaded cloth diaper chore”, I began to see these things:

• That my baby must be so happy with soft, almost luxurious feeling cloth on her bum.
• That diapering with cloth diapers is really NOT that difficult, especially if you use an All In One diaper (AIO).
• Depending on how you do it, you may even save some money.

Where I failed on the first try was this:

1. I simply didn’t change her often enough.
2. Also, I made the whole diaper pail step way more complicated than it needed to be. Now I use a dry pail, and it is EASY.

If you want to try cloth, but you don’t know where to start, let us help you. Keep it simple!

Why complicate a very simple thing? The cloth diaper is not like it use to be in the old days. It has been reinvented in a way that makes it convenient and fun!

This convenience comes now in the form of an AIO (All-In-One) diaper with velcro. It is as easy to take on and off as a disposable diaper, which is crucial if your little on is on the go.

Our 2 favorite AIO cloth diapers:

	The AIO Imse Vimse organic diaper is great. No leaks, even overnight. This one is velcro = easy. Also, this one drys the fastest by far of my other cloth diapers.
	Swaddlebees with snaps fit great too, and the material seems so soft! I think this one must feel like heaven to my baby girl, so soft.

Our favorite contour:

The Imse Vimse contour diaper. Why? Well, along with all of the amazing reviews that it gets (comfy AND less bulky), it comes in one-size-fits-all! This is the way to save money cloth diapering, and a great way to minimize on unnecessary extras. Another bonus, they are quick-drying!

If your infant is not crawling yet, it will be even cheaper to diaper your baby in fitted or folded diapers. You may even opt for a diaper service. Sandra received a 6 month service from Dydee for a baby shower gift. (Great gift!) You can find diaper services in almost any large city.

The folded diapers stay put even better with the invention of the Snappi. And diaper covers these days are so cute it is difficult to only pick a few.

Here are all the tips you’ll need to get started on your cloth diaper experience:

• keep a spatchula in the trashcan to scrape the poop off the diapers, or buy flushable rice paper for easier clean ups.
• store diapers in a dry pail
• do a soak cycle and put into that about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of white vinegar (the cheap stuff). Then I do a load on HOT, at the very beginning of the load I sprinkle in Baking Soda to neutralize the cloth. A couple minutes later I put in a squirt of Bio-kleen detergent, on the rinse cycle and add more white vinegar. Finish up with one more rinse cycle, into the dryer they go.
• Save energy, use a Wall Shelf Drying Rack , or try these new nifty Dryer Balls

It is funny, I have heard from more than one friend, “you use cloth diapers?“, and my mom told me I wouldn’t last 3 days. But cloth diapers just aren’t the same as they were back in the day when she used them. I have kept it simple, and although I do interchange with Seventh Generation disposable diapers (see our article “The Stink On Disposable Diapers“to learn more about SG), I do love cloth diapers!

Find a diaper service in your area at Diapernet.org

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