I started using cloth diapers when I had Miss Tickles. I am not an expert at all things cloth diapering, but I like what I use and am happy to share what I do with you.

The reason I decided to start cloth diapering with my third child was when I realized how much money I had already spent on diapers/pull ups since becoming a mother. Just for one kid, using five diapers a day for two years at $.25 a diaper is almost a thousand dollars! And if you have kids, you know that only five a day is not realistic. I wanted to cut back on our expenses as much as possible.

My sister started cloth diapers with Songbird (not her real name) when she was born. She shared all her tips and tricks to make it easier. I had tried a couple of the all-in-one kind and wasn’t too sure about it. Her method worked a lot better for me. I’m thankful now that I went with the cotton flats with covers because the all-in-ones I had were all polyester and made Miss Tickles break out right away.

These are all the supplies I use to cloth diaper (each one will link to the kind I purchased):

1. 24 Cotton Flats

(We cut some small for the first few months when baby is little and then used size small for a while. We eventually bought the large size, which fit better with the size 2 covers.)

2. Snappi Cloth Diaper Fasteners – Pack of 3 (Light Blue, Bright Blue, White)

(If you are prone to losing them, I would suggest getting two packs.)

3. Cloth Wipes

(I cut up a few of my cotton flats into wipes size and serged the edges.)

4. Thirsties Duo Wrap Snap, Meadow, Size One (6-18 lbs)

    Thirsties Duo Wrap, Meadow, Size Two (18-40 lbs)

(We have about nine covers per size. Size 1 fit till about nine months old, and we now use size 2.)

5. Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion 4 oz. Squirt Bottle, Concentrate

(It’s concentrated. I still have the original bottle I bought when Miss Tickles was born and still have a lot left. Put it in a spray bottle and spray on bum when changing. Wet cloth wipe with another spray bottle filled with water.)

6. Bummis Fabulous Wet Diaper Bag, Green, Medium

(I have two for the diaper bag.)

7. Thirsties Deluxe Diaper Pail Liner, White

(Use this in a laundry hamper to put used cloth diapers in.)

8. Diaper Safe Detergent

(I actually use the Melaleuca brand Laundry detergent that I use for all of our clothes. I put barely any in and run it through on hot super wash with a second rinse cycle. So far I haven’t had any big issues. If the diapers seem like they are getting a detergent build up, I wash them through a second or third time before drying. This always seems to work fine. My sister has boiled her diapers to get any funk out if the extra washes don’t seem to do the trick. Here is a good explanation on how to do that and why.)

9. Coconut Oil for diaper rash.

(It’s natural, diaper safe, and works pretty quickly. Lately I have been buying Barlean’s Organic Oils Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16-Ounce Jar.)

10. Disposable diapers for bedtime

(She gets too wet in the middle of the night and wakes up if I use cloth. We use huggies pure and natural or seventh generation diapers.)

Your start up cost will be around $250 by using all the products I have mentioned. The total cost after buying the larger size will be just over $400. That’s for your whole diapering years and can be passed on and used with another baby. Sounds a lot better to me than the $1000+ for disposable.

This is how I fold my diapers.

 

The beauty of cloth diapering is that it saves you enough money that if you have a crazy day or week, you can use disposables, and you are still spending less than you would using disposable full time. I haven’t noticed any increase in my water or electric bill since starting cloth diapers either. I wish I had known how to do this with my first, but I am happy to have made the switch. I like being able to toss them in the wash and not have to worry about a last minute run to the store if we run out of diapers.