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Top 14 Cloth Diapering FAQs
1. How long does a disposable diaper take to decompose?
Research suggest up to 500 years for a disposable diaper to completely decompose. That is only if the best environmental conditions are present for the diaper to decompose. Most diapers that end up in a landfill are buried under hundreds of tons of debre and other diapers so the air and sun cannot get to the diaper. It is these conditions that are necessary for decomposition to take place.
2. How many diapers does a baby use per day on average?
Research suggest about 8 diapers per day – give or take. Some babies can have a few bowel movements a day and some babies, especially when they are infants, can bm 1 a week!!
3. What is the average age most children in the world are potty trained?Up until the 1960s, it is said that 95% of all children were potty trained by the age of 18 months. But it is believed by some that disposable diapers have increased this age to 3, 4 or 5 years of age!
4. What is the average age most children in the U.S. are potty trained?Currently the average age for potty training has risen to 37 months, an historical high and something parents should be concerned about. Later age potty training has become a real problem for parents, having to deal with “the terrible twos” and childrens’ natural inclination to do what they want at that age. Not to mention the effects this has on the landfills as more and more diapers (1500 – 2000 more per child per year), then training pants, are filling up our landfills!
5. How much does it cost for cloth diapers for one child?
On average the cost can range from $150 for Chinese prefolds, to $400 for premium one-size pocket diapers. Even on the high end, this still saves $500 per year over using disposables.
6. How many cloth diapers do I need for one child?The average recommended number of diapers to purchase per child is around 24. Depending on the age of the child and how much she or he wets her diaper per day (the average diaper changes per day is 8 ) you may need more.
7. How are diaper inserts used and are they necessary?
You can optimize your set by buying diaper doublers that can be inserted at night for added absorption.
8. How often will I have to wash them?
With the recommended set of 24 diapers per child, you would be looking at washing them about every 2 - 3 days.
9. How do I wash cloth diapers?
There are many different suggestions on how to wash your diapers. However you decide to do it here are our basic suggestions:
1. Always do a rinse cycle first or small wash and use vinegar. Vinegar is the best thing to use with diapers. Don’t use too much – just about 1/4 cup in a load will suffice. We run a cold rinse with vinegar in a front loading washing machine. It takes about 20 minutes.
2. Wash on warm or hot in your final wash and I recommend an extra rinse if your machine will do this automatically. We use 7th Generation Free and Clear – less for high efficiency washers and it means it! If you use too much you will get MEGA-SUDS! We like to add Borax or Oxyclean in it as well for a clean booster.
10. How do I remove the stains from cloth diapers?
Stains can be removed from the diapers by leaving them to dry out in the sun. Yes! Try it! It really works! If for some reason there is a tough stain that won’t fade, I recommend using just a little bleach with just the pocket inserts. The pocket diapers themselves (brands like bumGenius and Happy Heiny’s) rarely if ever stain on the inside as the material resists stains. Using flushable or biodegradable diaper liners can also help with keeping the diaper clean from stains.
11. How do I remove the smell from cloth diapers?Rinse your diapers in a hot rinse cycle using 1/4 – 1/3 cup of distilled white vinegar.
12. How do I remove the feces from cloth diapers? One of the best inventions is a diaper sprayer attachment for your toilet. BumGenius makes it and it is really handy at removing “poopy” from your diapers! Also, using diaper liners can make it easier to remove solids from the diaper. Then all you will need to do is rinse the residual and your done.
13. What are the different types of cloth diapers? (Click here for pictures)
Chinese Prefold - These are most like the old fashioned diapers. They consist of a cotton woven fabric that has been sewn with 3 panels: 2 layers on the outer two panels and 4 layers on the inner panel. You fold these up and wrap them around baby securing it with pins or a snappy. They are not waterproof so you will need a diaper cover to keep baby and furniture dry.
Fitteds – Fitted diapers are cotton sewn to contour with the shape of a baby. They are ourglass shaped and usually sewn with several layers in the center where most of the saturation takes place. They can attach with snaps, hook and loop or pins. These typically also need a waterproof diaper cover.
All in One (AIO) – This is a fitted diaper and cover combined.
Pockets – A pocket diaper is one of my most favorite inventions! It is like an all in one in that is is contoured to fit the baby, and it also has a waterproof external layer to keep in the mess and keep baby dry. However, instead of the soaker sewn into the diaper, it is removable through the “pocket” usually located in the back of the diaper. This is a wonderful design because you can “customize” the absorption for you needs such as at night or for heavy wetters, you can add a “diaper doubler” for added absorbency. The other benefit to pocket diapers is the ease in washing. Just remove the insert(s) and wash as usual, but the drying time is usually much less because you don’t have to dry a thick piece of clothing.
14. How do I handle cloth diapers with my daycare, sitter or grandparents?Just as most of us cloth diaperers had to get over the initial shock, then amazement at the new and improved designs that are available these days, so too does everyone around you. Show some of the diapers to your daycare or sitter. Explain to them how easy it is and that they won’t have to do anything more than if they used disposables. Let them see for themselves by offering a “trial” period so they can see just how easy they really are. For daycare, we don’t expect them to handle any poopy messes so we asked them to wrap up the diapers and send them home so we can clean them up. Yes, it’s a sacrifice, but it’s not that bad and it allows us to keep baby in cloth diapers all the time, whether they are left with a sitter, at daycare or with the grandparents.
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