Daddy Do-gooder

Using cloth diapers is seen by many as a messy and time consuming chore to deal with. It's really not as bad as you think if you go with the all organic, hemp diapers or the all in ones you will definitely be scared away by both the cost and the work involved. Being on a tight budget and wanting to do my part for the environment I invested in the cheapest cloth diapers I could find and through painstaking hours and many dirty situations I found the products and techniques that make my life easier and doesn't drain my pocketbook.

The downsides of hemp diapers

The problem with hemp diapers is you have to wash and dry them at least 10 times before they are barely absorbent, and you have to really take care in what you use to clean them. They cost at least twice as much as conventional pre-fold cotton diapers, and their strength doesn't even begin to compare to cotton diapers.

The downsides of all in one diapers

The #1 problem with all in one diapers is the cost, they will run you around $15.00 each and unless you plan on doing laundry every day you'll need at least 20 of these to start, you do the math. I don't think I have to say any more about the downsides of these diapers.

Save your money

What you need to get started:

3 x 12 packs of gerber cotton prefold 3 ply diapers - Cost: about 37.00 with tax
6 Prowrap diaper wraps - Cost: about $50.00 with tax
3 pack of snappi cloth diaper fasteners - Cost: about $7.00 with tax

Total: $94.00

Comparisons for about 4 months of diapers

Cheap method: $94.00 (after 4 -5 months you will only need to buy larger wraps for $50.00
Disposable diapers: $164.00 (you will keep paying this every 4 months as long as your child is in diapers)
All in Ones: $319.00 (this is your initial cost if you want to only do laundry twice a week, again you will need to keep buying larger ones as your baby grows)

How to maintain your cheap diapers

When I change my babies diaper I put the cloth diaper right in a diaper genie lined with a garbage bag, if theres a solid in it I shake it off into the toilet, no need to worry to much about the stragglers. Now for the wraps, I like to rotate through them so you never use the same one back to back. There is no need to wash them each time just make sure they are able to air dry after each use, and wash them atleast once a week.

The Wash

I like to start with the rinse and soak cycle, for this cycle I start the washer, then add 1/2 a cup of unscented laundry detergent and half a cup of Borax then the diapers on top. Once the rinse and soak cycle is done I start a regular white cycle with hot water and add another 1/2 cup of laundry detergent to the washer barrel and 1/2 cup of vinegar to the fabric softener holder or a fabric softener ball if you don't have a built in dispenser. Now when your washer is finished the wash cycle I like to run it through an extra rinse cycle to clear out any left over vinegar and detergent.

The Drying method

I can't say this enough but do not add fabric softener to your wash, or fabric softener sheets to your dryer this will coat the fibres in your diapers and make them useless for about 10 washes. I like to shake out each diaper before throwing it in the dryer it helps them dry quicker. Now set your dryer to a regular hot white cycle and dry. Voila. If your diapers seem a little rough or staticky you can soak and ring out a diaper with water and throw it in the dryer with the diapers for another 10-15 minutes it should soften them up a bit.

If you find after a month or two your diapers are begining to get stained you can add 1/2 a cup of bleach to your initial rinse/soak cycle but try to avoid this as It will decrease the life of your diapers over time.