Brockville, Ontario, Canada
How do I wash cloth diapers?
The following are general directions only and do not apply to wool or bamboo diapers. Specific washing instructions will be sent to you with your diapers when you purchase them.
How often should I wash cloth diapers?
Diapers should ideally be washed every one or two days. You should not leave your diapers for more than 3 days between washing.
How many diapers do I need?
That depends on how often you want to do laundry. The following is an estimate of how many diapers you will need each day:
| Age in months | Changes per day |
| 0-4 | 10-12 |
| 4-18 | 8-10 |
| 18-30 | 6-7 |
You should add in a few extra to allow for drying time. I normally recommend starting with 24 diapers for babies under 6 months. This would allow most people to do laundry every second day. We started up with half that amount and washed diapers every day. Then we bought more and more diapers until we were able to wash the diapers every 2nd day. This is a great way to minimize the effect of start-up costs if you can't afford to buy 24 diapers all at once.
How do I store my cloth diapers?
Dirty diapers should be stored in a hanging, waterproof cloth bag or in a diaper pail. You can hang the bag from a door handle or a wall hook. On washing day, simply turn the bag inside out into the washing machine and wash the bag with your diapers. I recommend having two large wet bags so that you have somewhere to store diapers that are dirtied while you're washing & drying the other ones.
Dirty diapers can also be stored in a dry diaper pail inside a diaper pail liner. Because there is no air circulation in a diaper pail, you're likely to get more odour buildup within the pail than you would in a hanging bag.
In order to reduce odor buildup, you can spray your dirty diapers with bumGenius odor remover or use a deodorizing disc in your diaper pail.
Clean diapers can be stored in a laundry bin, folded in a basket or on a shelf, or any other way you would store clean clothing.
What size of diaper is best for my child?
Most cloth diapers are sized by weight. Note that these are approximate sizes only since not all babies are the same shape.
Some companies also provide waist, thigh and/or rise measurements to help you determine which size is best. Waist measurements should be taken around the waist at the spot where the top of your baby's diaper would normally rest. Thigh measurements should be taken around the meatiest part of your baby's thigh, where the diaper's elastic would normally rest. Rise should be measured from the mid-back at the waistline to slightly below the bellybutton where your baby's diaper would normally come up.
How much do cloth diapers cost?
That depends on what kind you buy and how many diapers you buy. As a rule of thumb, a set of cloth diapers will generally pay for itself within 6 months (i.e. buying the cloth diapers is equivalent to buying 6 months' worth of disposable diapers). Some kinds of cloth diapers will pay for themselves much sooner. If you are looking for an economical yet high quality diaper, try the Bummis pre-folds. Bummis has also put together some excellent starter kits for people who are new to cloth diapers. These kits include a set of cloth diapers plus some other cloth diapering essentials.
I have a long, skinny baby. Are there any cloth diapers that will fit?
It can be hard to get a good fit around the legs of long, skinny babies. For that reason, Bummis has designed their Super Brite cover especially for these babies. If you prefer a pocket diaper, try AppleCheeks diapers or FuzziBunz one-size diapers.
What do I do with the poo?
When you are exclusively breastfeeding you can just throw the poo into the dirty diaper bag with your diapers and it will dissolve in the washing machine.
If you want to minimize your contact with baby poop, you can use a diaper sprayer which will spray the poop from your diaper directly into your toilet. The other option is to use Bummis Bio-soft liners. These disposable liners can be shaken right into the toilet with your baby's poo so that you don't have to touch it. Leave the liner in the toilet for a few minutes to break down and then flush away the poo.
A lower-tech solution is to buy a pair of cleaning gloves. Shake off the poo into your toilet, flush it, then throw the rest of the diaper into the toilet. Put on your gloves, swoosh your diaper around, ring it out and throw it into your dirty diaper bag.
What kind of cloth diaper should I use?
That depends on what your priorities are. There are four basic kinds of cloth diapers.
Pre-folds are diapers that you fold. They can then be laid inside a cover to be placed on your baby. You have the option of pinning these diapers or using snappis. Prefold diapers can look intimidating to people new to cloth diapering, but are actually no harder to use than any other kind of diaper (you can become an expert folder in almost no time).
Fitted diapers are shaped to fit your baby and have either snap or aplix closures so that no pins are required to get a good fit around your baby's legs and waist. These diapers are not waterproof and should be used with a cover.
Pocket diapers look similar to disposable diapers as they assemble into one piece that you put on your baby. The liner has to be removed from the pocket before washing and put back into the pocket before you put the diaper back on baby.
All-in-one diapers are one-piece diapers. Using all-in-one diapers is very similar to using disposable diapers, except that you wash them instead of throwing them out. (You also save a lot of money using all-in-one diapers instead of disposables.)
You should consider your own preferences, as well as those of other people who will be regularly changing your baby's diaper (i.e. your partner, your parents, any child care providers, etc.) when deciding on what type of diaper to use. You don't want to have to switch to disposable diapers every time you drop your baby off at their aunt's house for a few hours.
I like to travel and spend time out of the house, can I still use cloth diapers?
Yes, you definitely can. Using cloth diapers does not mean that you have to stay at home. I have taken my cloth diapers with me on camping trips, on airplane rides across the country and when visiting friends out of town. Here are a few tips for traveling with cloth diapers.
Just pack a few (or a lot, depending on how long you'll be away) clean diapers, some wipes, bottom cleaner, and a wet bag in your diaper bag and off you go. Change diapers as usual and store the wet ones in your bag. If you're not near a toilet and you have to change a dirty diaper, wrap the poop up in the diaper. When you get home, you can shake it into the toilet and rinse off the diaper with your diaper sprayer. I also carry a bottle of hand sanitizer in my diaper bag in case I have to change a dirty diaper somewhere that I'm not able to wash my hands afterwards.
If you are going on an overnight trip, bring two large wet bags/diaper pail liners with you. Store your clean diapers in one wet bag, and your dirty diapers in the other. Biosoft liners can be a nice bonus on-the-go when you might otherwise have to rinse dirty diapers in public toilets. With the biosoft liners, just shake the poo and liner into the toilet, flush and then put your diaper into the dirty diaper bag.
Can I use cloth and disposable diapers on my baby?
You certainly can use a combination of cloth and disposable diapers on your baby. Keep in mind that the more often you use disposable diapers though, the less money you save. A lot of people use cloth during the day and disposable diapers overnight. If your baby is a heavy wetter and is waking up soaked, I suggest trying DryBees Night Times with two inserts - it is a phenomenal overnight diaper that has worked for many families including our own.
I want to start my baby in cloth diapers right from birth - but it seems expensive to buy newborn sized diapers as well. What can I do?
Babies can wear cloth diapers right from the moment they're born or the moment they come home from the hospital. It is essential that small babies wear small diapers. The last thing you want is for your baby to develop hip problems because her/his diaper is too big. Just like you wouldn't put a disposable diaper sized for a 15 lb baby on your newborn, neither should you put a cloth diaper sized for a 15 lb baby on your newborn. When diapering your newborn/small baby, make sure that his/her legs can move freely and aren't forced out to the sides.
To help lessen the cost of newborn diapers, I offer a newborn diaper loan program for a minimal cost to those customers who have spent at least $150 at Bums Away. You must also live in the Brockville area (i.e. close enough to pick up and drop off the diapers). A fully refundable deposit will be required for the valued of the diapers. All diapers must be returned clean and in good condition.
If you are interested in the newborn diaper loan program, please sign up as early as possible by emailing me with your due date and preference of pocket vs. pre-fold diapers. You can pick up your diapers a couple of weeks before you are due. If you've already had your baby, you can still sign up for the newborn diaper loan program. However, it may take me a couple of weeks to get the diapers to you if none are available when you sign up.
All diapers are stripped with several hot water wash/cold water rinse cycles between uses and are bleached with oxygen bleach to ensure that they are clean when you get them.
My toddler is ready for toilet training so it's too late for me to start using cloth diapers - isn't it?
Toilet training time is the perfect time to start using cloth diapers if you don't use them already. The big advantage of cloth diapers when toilet training is that toddlers feel wet after they've peed. This feedback helps them to learn when they need to use the toilet. You can purchase training pants with elastic waist bands that your toddler can pull up and down.
Often toddlers will first become toilet trained during the day but still need a diaper overnight and during nap times. Inserts can be added to Happy Heinys Trainers to convert them into overnight/nap time diapers.
Can I use Diaper Cream or Vaseline with Cloth Diapers?
When using cloth diapers, only use diaper creams that are free of zinc, petroleum jelly, and fish oils such as Bum Bum Cream. Vaseline should not be used with cloth diapers. Diaper creams with the above products can coat diapers decreasing the absorption and eventually causing them to leak. When using a diaper cream, you should always use a diaper liner to protect your diapers from the cream.
The best way to get rid of diaper rash is to give your child lots of bare bum time. The best way to prevent diaper rash from re-occurring is to change your child's diapers frequently. You could also add a fleece liner to keep your baby drier. If your child still gets diaper rash despite frequent changing, you might have a residue problem.
