Current Diaper Routine

We've been full-time cloth diapering for over 6 months now and I'm finally updating the blog!  It's pretty hectic with two babies that are starting to be mobile!!

Anyways... I thought the best way to update is to show my daily routine and explain what I do, so here goes!

My daily diaper is still a prefold, I've had to go up in size and the girls are now wearing medium sized Diaper Rite unbleached prefolds.  The 3 dozen small sized prefolds they were in before I bought brand new for $90 and was able to sell after 4 months of use for $70!  This is why cloth rocks, I diapered my girls for 4 months for $20!  Anyways... This picture shows the unbleached prefolds (which I think are softer than the bleached prefolds), my homemade fleece liner (make sure it's MICROfleece, it helps wick moisture and poo literally washes right off the fleece), my favorite Flips covers and a Snappi.

Ok, next up is my nighttime diaper.  I learned after a few months how much I hated stuffing diapers.  Nothing is worse, after you've spent so much time washing and drying, to have to sit and sort inserts and stuff.  Some moms love stuffing, I'm not one of those moms.  I fell in love with BumGenius Freetime diapers.  They are true "All-in-ones" because the inserts are sewn directly to the diaper in the form of "petals".  When it's laundry time I simply place my handmade bamboo doublers and fold the petals in... that's it!  They're super easy to take care of and work really well as our nighttime routine.  The girls are sleeping 11-12 hours a night, and I only change them if they're fussy from a dirty diaper.

My diaper accessories inclue some OsoCozy flannel wipes, which are my go to wipes, as well as some Carter's washcloths that I picked up at Wal-Mart.  The Carter's wipes have a very soft side, but I like that the flannel wipes seem to clean up everything.  My wipe solution is really easy... I fill up the spray bottle with warm water, add a squirt of baby wash and if I'm in the mood I'll add a little glob of coconut oil.  I spray right on to the wipes as needed for diaper changes.  In case of a diaper rash I use coconut oil or Baby Anti-Monkey Butt Powder which are both cloth diaper safe.  It's important not to use thick creams like Desitin which can gunk up and decrease the absorbency of diapers (which is not what you want when cloth diapering!).  I also keep a little plastic bucket near the changing table to help with dirty diapers.  The last thing you want after you've cleaned all of the poo out of a dirty diaper is a dripping wet diaper that you have to somehow get out of the bathroom and across the living room without getting poo-ey water all over your carpet.  Trust me... get a bucket!

Which brings me right to my next item... a diaper sprayer.  I bought this one on Amazon and it literally took 2 minutes to install.  It's amazing.  Now that the girls have started solids and their poo is, well, more solid, this thing is a life saver.  It takes a few tries to figure out how to get the angles right so you're not spraying poo and water everywhere, but remember that you have Clorox, and it's only poo.

I keep my soiled diapers in a plastic 13 gallon trash can that I bought at Wal-Mart.  The lid is really easy to open and it keeps everything where it should be.  I use a KangaCare diaper pail liner (I have two so one is in use while the other is being washed/dried).  I also have a KangaCare travel wetbag which I love because it's big and does the job.  I don't have any stink issues, I haven't had to get any deodorizers to keep the smell down.

My wash routine is pretty basic.  I usually do laundry every 2 days, so my diapers never really sit that long without a wash.  I use Original Tide (the packaging says Tide Ultra, but it's the Original) and from every website I've been to it claims that Tide is a no-no, which is odd because there are a LOT of moms who use Tide and love it.  The bottom line for me is that I started cloth diapering to save money so the last thing I want to do is spend extra money on special detergent (that some moms claim don't even really clean their diapers).  I live in an area with hard water and for that reason alone Tide works for us.  Every now and then I add some Calgon to soften the water, which helps the detergent clean.  I also add a few quick pours of Clorox every now and then, probably not more than a few tablespoons for a full load.  It's important to be careful with bleach because it can delaminate your diapers or covers.  I've converted my little laundry nook with a tension rod so I can dry my covers and diaper pail liners without taking up space in the bathroom.  This is a perfect setup for me!

When it's time to wash the diapers I take the whole wetbag and pour the diapers into the washing machine and then flip the wetbag inside out.  I do a cold rinse set for a large load, then a hot wash set for a large load with detergent and then an extra cold rinse.  I have an old-school style washer that has an agitator, and not a whole lot of extra settings, but I've figured out what get my diapers clean.  Also, when it's time to dry I only put my prefolds, wipes, liners and doublers in the dryer, my Freetimes and covers get hung up to dry.  I dry everything on a full high heat cycle, add the Freetimes and then continue to dry on a low-heat cycle.

So that's it... that's my current routine and I'm pretty happy with it!  Hope it helps someone, and if anyone ever has questions please feel free to ask! :)