I started looking into cloth diapering my daughter when she was about one month old but it took me until she was almost five months old to begin. The reason why it took me so long? I simply couldn't understand how it worked. I had SO many questions and no blog post I could find really simplified it with definitions and pictures like I am about to do today. I hope you enjoy and I hope this helps you.

Why cloth diaper my child?

It is healthier for baby. Disposable diapers are full of toxins and even have carcinogens in them. That diaper rash your baby has may not just be because she sat in a wet diaper for too long. Many rashes can be a direct result of the chemicals used in diapers. Read about them here.
It is healthier for the environment. Disposable diapers sit in landfills for yearsssss as they are not biodegradable in the environment. Some chemicals in these diapers even harm our water if it comes into contact.
It is so much cuter. I mean seriously you can have any color imaginable and so many fun prints.
It is SO much cheaper. This is perhaps the biggest reason to cloth. On average it costs around $2,000-$2,500 to diaper your child from birth to potty trained in disposables whereas it takes anywhere from $400-$480 to diaper a cloth baby from birth to disposables. Not to mention that if you take care of your diapers, many of them can be used again for another baby. There is also a way to cloth diaper for $100.00!

All in One (AIO):

This is the simple, modern cloth diaper. All of the inserts are connected to the diaper and it is just like a disposable. You put it on the baby and you take it off the baby and place it in your wet bag to wash later.

That's it.

This is great for daddy, grandma and day cares.

Pocket:

This is similar to an AIO except the insert (you can use more than one) is stuffed into the "pocket" on the diaper. The baby will potty on the diaper and the insert that was stuffed will help absorb it. Once the diaper is dirty, you simply take it off and place it in your diaper pail or wet bag. The insert must be pulled out before you wash so I usually take mine out as I put it in my pail.

Covers and Inserts & All In Twos:

This is a great diaper system because it is more cost efficient. With this you have just the outer, waterproof cover and inserts. You simply lay the insert in (almost like a maxi pad) and then put the diaper on the baby. The great thing about this is that when you change your baby you can resuse the cover a few times and just keep changing the insert. This really only works if the baby has only teeteed rather than pooped. Poop may get on the cover so then the cover isn't reusuable until it is washed. I love these because my baby doesn't poop a whole lot, so I get about four diaper changes out of each cover.

What is an All In Two specifically? Any diaper called an AI2 will have snaps to snap down the insert. This gives you two ways to use it -- 1) unsnapped it's just a cover and insert system 2) snapped it's an AIO.

Featured is a Bummis Prefold and Rumparooz Cover

Prefolds:

This is the old school way. You can either take the prefold (which looks like a burp cloth) and fold it around the baby then snap with a snappi (or pin it). Your mother or grandmother may be familiar with this way. The other way to use prefolds is to similar inserts, you just fold the prefold and lay it in the cover and place that on the baby. I have found the second option works better for us. I hate pinning or using snappis and folding works great for us!

Why do this? Because like an insert, you can keep reusing your cover and just change your inserts. Prefolds seems to be the most cost efficient route.

COMMON FAQs

What's the difference between prefolds and inserts/soakers? Nothing other than the materials and the fact that prefolds are generally folded and inserts or soakers do not need any folding.

Flats are another term used for a different material that is folded and used just as the above are. Flats are much thinner but when folded become thick and absorbent.

Why do this? Because like an insert, you can keep reusing your cover and just change your inserts. Prefolds seems to be the most cost efficient route.

What's the difference between prefolds and inserts/soakers? Nothing other than the materials and the fact that prefolds are generally folded and inserts or soakers do not need any folding.

Flats are another term used for a different material that is folded and used just as the above are. Flats are much thinner but when folded become thick and absorbent.

What is a shell?

This is just another term for a cover. A cover is simply the cute, waterproof part that is on the outside of the diaper. Shells usually have a lining on the inside and covers usually do not.

How often do you wash?

Most people I've talked to wash every other day. And no the poopy diapers don't stink sitting there in the pail; but there are ways around that if it happens.

What is a wet bag and a pail?

A waterproof bag that you carry in your diaper bag for dirty diapers and you can use one at home in your pail. A pail is basically a container to store them in at home until you wash. You can buy a diaper pail or do like I did and use a container with a lid.

How do you clean poop?

Babies who are only on breast milk don't have diapers that need to be cleaned over the toilet. Those poop diapers just go straight in your wet bag or pail and then straight in the wash when it is laundry day. For other types of poop you can swish around in the toilet (that's more old school) or purchase a diaper sprayer that hooks to the toilet. I've heard that many people love this!

But I hate the thought of dealing with poop, what to do?

An option is to place a liner in the diaper. I have a pack of Bamboo liners that are flushable and biodegradable. These are simply laid on top of the diaper (between baby's bottom and the diaper) and when you change them you take that and flush it down the toilet. This eliminate's cleanup with poop.

How do you wash them?

When you get your diapers you should wash them and the inserts 3-5 times in hot water to make them softer and more absorbent. To wash a dirty load you should do a cold wash cycle with no detergent followed by a hot cycle with detergent. Use lots of water in your wash -- we use the most with one and a half cups of our detergent.

What about poop stains?

Believe it or not -- if your diapers still have a little discoloration after you wash them the sun will remove the stain! I've seen it happen and it's great. Line drying your diapers is the best thing anyway but you can dry them on low if needed.

What are some good brands?

Funky Fluff is amazing! It can be used three different ways.

What are all of the snaps for on the diapers?

These snaps help you adjust the diaper to fit your baby. This is how they can make it from 8lbs to about 35lbs. You can however purchase newborn diapers too!

How many diapers do you need?

The norm is 24 diapers to have from birth to potty trained. This amount also allows for laundry every other day. The trick is that if you have one cover and three inserts, that can actually count for three of your diapers right there.

What's the best brands?

Different brands work best for different babies -- I can already attest to that. What works for us doesn't work as great for my best friend. I've heard the best is to start with a few different brands in different styles. My original salesperson's favorite ended up being the one I hated the most!

What detergent to use?

There are different cloth diaper detergents to use as well as many mainstream brands that are popular. There's a lot of hype about which detergents are safe, but as long as yours does not have added fabric softener or bleach, or any other additives, you are more than likely fine. Email us or research to find the right detergent. Currently we use the Thieves line from Young Living on our diapers and previously used Seventh Generation.

How can I cloth my child for really cheap?

Prefolds and covers!

What can I do for diaper rash?

There are special creams to use as many things can mess up your cloth diapers.

How hard is it really?

Really, truthfully - honestly - no harder than disposables. There's a few things you just have to remember: grab your a wetbag when you leave, do your laundry, etc... But the actual process of putting the diaper on and off is no different. And let's face it...we ALL deal with poop. I've had poop on my face before from a disposable and hubby had it on his hands recently. So really, poop is just a factor in any case. The hardest part is just to learn about it all.

Cloth Diapers 101: For the VERY Beginner