The decision for us to cloth diaper was a relatively easy one once we learned a little about the differences between cloth and disposables. A friend referred me to this post from simplemom.net to get started learning, but you can really find lots of info on the web from a simple google search.
The 4 Reasons We Chose to Use Cloth:
- Easy on the budget- up to $2,000 in savings per child!!
- Better care for the planet- disposables create a lot of waste (some estimate more than 2 tons per child) that doesn't biodegrade... and technically human poop isn't supposed to go in landfills, so parents who use disposables should actually be spraying out the poop anyway (something I never knew before)
- Cotton on a baby's bottom is better than synthetics (My parents had to use cloth diapers on me because I had sensitive skin.)
- Earlier potty training- This is a bonus that most parents can expect from what I've read, although nothing is guaranteed, due to the fact that cloth diapers don't hide wetness like disposables do.
A few of our concerns (and our solutions):
- What about poopy diapers?!?! - This was especially problematic for my sweet husband. Back in my parents' day, they had to submerge the poopy diaper in the toilet & shake off the poop. No longer the case though. We will install a sprayer to our toilet (like at the kitchen sink) to spray off the poop, handsfree. (Check out this one for an example.)
- Won't it be so much more work?!?! - This was my biggest concern, but after talking to a few friends, they assured me that a few extra loads of laundry per week is not a big deal at all, especially since children in general require more laundry. :)
After deciding to use cloth diapers, there are many other decisions to make about what types to use, how to clean them, how many to buy, etc. We decided on doing prefolds with covers and supplementing with a few all in ones, mainly because it's the most economical way to go, and I can easily sew prefolds. This has actually become a fun passtime for me since they're so simple to make:
How to Sew Cloth Prefolds:
***edited note: The flannel really does NOT do justice to cloth diapering the way that a purchased twill weave prefold does. We do leave one of these on top of the changing table where Enoch lays "just in case" he goes peepee or poopy during a diaper change, but that's the extent to which we use them because we just love the twill weave prefolds so much more.***
***edited note: The flannel really does NOT do justice to cloth diapering the way that a purchased twill weave prefold does. We do leave one of these on top of the changing table where Enoch lays "just in case" he goes peepee or poopy during a diaper change, but that's the extent to which we use them because we just love the twill weave prefolds so much more.***
I used this website's measurements and directions. I added in some pictures of my steps to make it more understandable for those who don't sew that often.
Right now I'm making smaller prefolds for 0-6 month old babies. I bought some 100% cotton flannel at the material store, and have been making the soaker pads out of hubby's old shirts. :) The only problem with his shirts though is that they're super stretchy, so they're a little more difficult to sew.
On the far left is the soaker pad (all 6 layers stacked up), pinned and ready to sew. First, I sew a straight stitch around the edge (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in... this will never be seen, so it doesn't have to be perfect), and then I zigzag stitch around the very edge to keep the soaker pad's raw edges from fraying. On the far right, you can see how I center the soaker pad on one of the larger rectangles and pin in place. (Try to make sure the soaker pad is at least 1/4 inch away from the top and bottom sides so that you don't have to sew through it later... if it's too long, chop off a little and re-zigzag that edge.)
Then I sew two straight stitches (one on each long-side of the soaker pad) to attach the soaker pad to the large rectangle (far left). Next, I pin the two large rectangle pieces together (wrong sides out, hence the soaker pad IS VISIBLE). I also mark a section (easier to see on the next image) on one of the long sides of the large rectangle where I will NOT sew so that I can turn the diaper inside-out. I mark this opening with two pins at the top of the section and two at the bottom (I make this opening as long as the distance between the top of my index finger and bottom of my palm for easy turning.)
On the left, you can see that I sew a straight stitch about 1/4 inch all the way around the large rectangle pieces, carefully leaving the marked opening on the right stitch-free. I have found it helpful to avoid sewing the soaker pad into this seam so that when I turn it, there is not a bulky area. (This is why it was important to make your soaker pad shorter if needed a few pictures ago.) Next, cut the four corners of the large rectangle (leaving 1/8" from seam). Then turn your diaper inside out, poke out the corners, and pin the edge flat (far right). To close up the hole (where you turned it inside-out), just tuck the edges under, lining them up with the existing seam, and pin like the rest of the outer edge.
Last, sew along the edge of your diaper about 1/8 inch and sew down the long edges of the soaker pad again (following the seam you've already sewn to attach the pad to the large rectangle). And then you're done!!
