FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about CLOTH DIAPERING

How much extra laundry are we talking about?

Not that much, really. When you have a newborn, you may have to do an extra load every other day, but once your baby is a few months old and not going through as many diapers, you should be able to wash your diapers every three days. And, just think - you won’t have to haul a million disposable diapers out to the curb!

Do they really get clean?

Modern laundry and detergents are amazing. Your diapers will be totally clean and safe after you’re done washing them. In fact, urine is actually sterile already (bet you didn’t know that!). No need to clean your washing machine after you do the diapers, either, it’ll be all clean in there, too.

We don’t have laundry at home - can we still cloth diaper?

Possibly - but it will take a major time commitment on your part because you would have to take multiple trips to the laundromat each week. If you are in this situation, we’ll want to talk with you in detail about the costs.

Where do you keep the dirty diapers while you’re waiting for laundry day?

There are several options for this, but if you get a set of diapers from Heiny Helpers, we will get you set up with our favorite system - a wet bag. This amazing bag holds your soiled diapers (and the odor) inside. On laundry day, just pop your diapers into the wash and throw the wet bag in, too. We’ll also give you a travel-sized wet bag that you can use for daycare or in your diaper bag.

Okay, I’m interested, but I’ve gotta ask...what about the poop?

A quick swish in the toilet before you put your cloth diaper into your wet bag will take care of it. Wash your hands after, and you’re all done! There are also diaper sprayers that you can attach to your toilet to spray the poop off, but many of us just dunk and swish.

My child goes to daycare - can I still use cloth diapers?

Yes! You’d be surprised how many daycare providers already use cloth diapers. You can find a list of some Bloomington-area providers here, but if you don’t see yours, just ask. They might not be on the list yet.

What do you do about disposable wipes?

You can still use them - but you’ll probably end up spending about $800 on wipes during the time one child is in diapers. A lot of cloth-diapering parents prefer cloth wipes instead. They work better, are cheaper, and easy to use (just throw them in the wash with the diapers). Abby at Barefoot Kids has a great blog post about this very topic.

How can one diaper fit my newborn all the way until she’s a toddler?

Modern cloth diapers are pretty fancy-schmancy. Many of them are one-size-fits-all and have adjustable snaps on the front. You can see an example here. Many folks finds that it takes a few weeks before their babies fit, but then it’s smooth sailing after that.

What if you give me sized diapers?

We do give sized diapers out to families. If you receive a size and your child outgrows it, we will do our absolute best to give you the next size up or a one-sized system as soon as possible.

I’m worried that I won’t be able to travel. What do I do when we go on vacation or visit our family over the holidays?

It’s really not as hard as you think - and, worst case scenario, you’ll have to buy one package of disposables to get you through your trip. That’s still a lot better than buying disposables every week! Abby at Barefoot Kids has some excellent tips about traveling with cloth.

Aren’t disposable diapers more absorbent?

Disposable diapers have super-absorbent synthetic beads (the actual ingredients are kept secret by their manufacturers). Some people believe the gel in these could be toxic to your baby. Many people don’t change disposable diapers as often as they should because the baby doesn’t “feel wet” - but this just means the baby is sitting in a dirty diaper. Cloth diapers eliminate this problem - when the baby feels wet, you will find that you want to change their diaper.

What about leaks?

No diaper - disposable or cloth - is 100% leak-proof. Sometimes leaks are due to the diaper not being on quite right - so you have to adjust. And sometimes a diaper has lost some of its absorbency and needs to be stripped (but this doesn’t happen often if you care for your diapers properly).

What about diaper rash?

Diaper rashes can happen with disposable or cloth diapers. Tips for avoiding them don’t have much to do with what kind of diaper you use. If your baby has sensitive skin, a cloth diaper is more gentle than a disposable. You’ll have cotton on your baby’s bum instead of synthetic, processed materials and the outer cover will breathe better than the plastic on a disposable diaper. Please see our care tips for important information about diaper rash creams (you can’t use just any of them on a cloth diaper!).