FAQ About Cloth Diapering and Some Important Issues!

HOW MANY DO I NEED?
At this point, I change my six month old an average of 7x/day. I have enough diapers that I can go 5 days

between washes and hang them on the line for the 6th day so really I have around 45-50 diapers. This is a

large stash and most people wash every 3-4 days. I really did not want to be washing all that often so I

bought and made a few extra.


WHAT DO I DO WITH THE POOP?

For a newborn, the best way to handle poop is to just put it in your pail or wetbag and deal with it when you

wash. They poop all the time and if you're running to rinse it every time, you're going to exhaust yourself. I

would fill my bucket with water and take them out one at a time and rinse. I really didn't have to because my

daughter is breastfed but I didn't like the idea of putting poop in the washer. Now she only poops once or

twice in the morning and it's so solid that I just dump it in the toilet and throw the diaper in the pail. Anything

left is so small I don't worry about it. I have a nice sprayer in my laundry room sink but you can buy them

for the toilet and they're relatively inexpensive and easy to install.


SHOULD I GET SIZED DIAPERS OR ONESIZE?  
There's two ways to do it and most people do a combo of both. One size diapers have what are called "rise snaps" that make them adjust to fit smaller babies. This is great because you only have to buy one diaper from newborn to toddler. This also causes a ton of bulk on little babies. If you don't mind the bulk, these are the way to go. I have both but you might do a diaper trial for newborn and buy pockets, especially if you don't plan on having more than one.
 
VELCRO OR SNAPS?
This is all how you look at it. Velcro is easy on/easy off but they tend to chain in the washing machine and every time I pull diapers apart, I get upset because it's hurting the stickiness. That hurts resale and long-term use. My husband loves velrco because it's so easy.
BUT snaps are not all that much better. You have to put your hand between the baby and the diaper to snap them because they have to be pushed down too hard to snap it against the baby. Also, they are plastic to they can break more easily. I do have a snap press if this happens to you but still a nuisance. Also, snaps would be better for a toddler because they're slightly harder to get open. SLIGHTLY...
 
LEG GUSSETS!
A word about leg gussets. They're the little extra piece of fabric that is sewn into the leg. If you can get a diaper or cover with them, they're AMAZING. They hold in newborn poop like you can't imagine. Thirsties have it as well as Bummis Super Brite Wraps and a couple other brands that I don't have. I'm working on learning how to sew them but I haven't gotten it down yet.
 
SHOULD I BUY ONE BRAND OR ALL DIFFERENT?
OH brands...mix and match definitely. I mean, if you find something you LOVE, buy a bunch but most likely, you'll have some you love and others you tolerate. Most people have a pretty mixed stash