the 411 on Cloth Diapers

I love cloth diapering and am excited to share my CDing knowledge.
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First I encourage you to search on Facebook for a cloth diaper co-op in your area. CD moms are very helpful and are willing to share tips and tricks along with lending out CDs to try out. You can also buy a starter or variety pack that can help you decide what kind you like. There are so many types of CDs it is very overwhelming. It is nice to test them out before you buy 30 kinds of 1 type and hate them. 

I personally use one size pocket diapers, which is an outer shell that you put an insert in and is good from 7-35 lbs. The insert is what does the absorbing. I would use 1 insert when Rand was younger and double the insert (or fold over just in front bc he is a boy) when they started getting heavier. I use Bum Genius 4.0. They take up about 75% of my stash. They are around $18 BUT you can resell them and get your money back. I bought some of mine used from other cloth diaper moms in the area. I like used bc they are a bit cheaper and already prepped. You have to prep new diapers and depending on the material you need to wash them so many times in a certain temp. I also HIGHLY recommend getting CDs with snaps not velcro (or hook and loop). You do not want to have to replace velcro on diapers.


Dirtydiaperlaundry.com is a great source. Along with cottonbabies.com. I got tons of info on Pinterest too. I have a board on Pinterest called CD & BF that has a ton of other helpful sites.

I'm not quite sure what sites sell starter packs of varieties of diapers but just google and you'll find tons.

I love bum genius and swear by them. At first I loved the idea of their elemental (which is their all in one) but besides being very pricey they also take a full day to dry. I really love their 4.0s but recently saw a friend's free time and wish I had a few of those. I think I have about 35 4.0s in my stash. I have about 8 elementals and use them for naps and nighttime because they soak up a lot!

Washing them is so easy, especially if you are breastfeeding. Just throw it in the wash and it all comes out. Bf poo is water soluble so no need to rinse. To dry, I air dry my CD covers and machine dry the inserts. The sun bleaches out any yellow. They also sell flushable liners which I didn't start using till I introduced food and stopped breastfeeding. It makes for a much easier clean up.

You will also need some wet bags. After the diapers are used, you just strip (take the insert out) and put both the diaper shell and insert into the bag. You just need to unzip and empty it all into the washer.