Hello friends!
Today I thought I’d walk you through what a typical “day in the life” of a cloth diapering mama looks like… I remember before I started cloth diapering, I was SUPER intimidated by it and thought it was a hefty thing that I would be taking on…. But thankfully, I didn’t let that stop me!
I think a big part of that is that I was also blessed with close friends that did cloth diapering with their littles ones, so that was helpful getting to see what the process looked like for them! I was able to ask questions and one friend even showed me an entire walk through of all the different kinds of diapers (if you’re curious, I have a video on that here), and how many we might need. So this helped me feel at ease about stepping into this process.
But, in case you don’t have that in your life – hopefully this blog post can be a helpful resource to encourage you to go for it if you’ve been thinking about it! Cloth diapering really isn’t that much more effort than regular disposables, in my opinion, and I think the slight added effort is totally worth it!
Now as far as our “typical” daily routine with cloth diapers:
For us, we love using pocket diapers because I’ve found them to be both the easiest thing to use AND what works best for my son. Plus, I love that once everything is stuffed, it really is like grabbing a disposable (which is nice for family/friends/daycare that might help with diaper changes)! Annnnnd I think pocket diapers have the most variety in patterns (so you can grab the style you like) and they’re super affordable compared to other cloth diaper kinds (like all-in-twos or all-in-ones). So needless to say, we’re obsessed!
Typically, I’ll try to stuff and fluff any diapers the night before, so that they are ready the next day. Or I’ll sometimes do this in the mornings, before my son wakes up! I’ve found it’s easier to have them prepped whenever I go in to get him up for the day. Though I will say my son also loves “helping” hand me inserts, so it’s also fun to include him in on it from time to time, as well. This part is really flexible to your schedule.
In the mornings whenever my son wakes up, I’ll bring in the fresh diapers and add them to my little “grab and go” basket that I have right next to his changing pad – just to make it super easy! I’ve had them in a drawer before, but I recently thrifted this cute basket and thought it just was the perfect little addition to his changing area.
Right now, my son is ~22 months old and we typically change him out of his nighttime diaper when he first wakes up, and then we’ll change him again right around lunchtime/before naptime (unless he poops and needs an earlier change).
Pretty much EVERY time I do a diaper change, I put coconut oil on his sweet bum, as he has super sensitive skin and is prone to diaper rashes really easy (cloth or disposable) and this is one of the things we’ve found to be the most helpful for preventing that!
One thing with cloth diapers: you ARE limited to the kinds of diaper creams you can use – and I’ve found that fractionated coconut oil (aka always liquid coconut oil) is the easiest thing to use that’s cloth diaper safe!
Also, if I think my son might poop in the next diaper change or so, I’ll add a flannel liner (the green thing in the third photo below – it’s literally just flannel fabric I bought at a local craft store and cut up) and this helps make cleaning the poop off of diapers WAY easier! #protip
As far as daily life – I honestly change him the same as I would if we were using disposable… But instead, it’s cloth. It really does feel that seamless.
Sure, when he poops I have to wash it out (I spared taking a photo of that process, but if you’re curious I’d be happy to do a post on that), and we do wash all the diapers every 2-3 days… but that’s really the only “extra” effort that’s included with cloth diapers.
And lemme just say: I HATE doing laundry, but loooove washing and stuffing cloth diapers. And I’ve talked to a lot of other cloth diaper mamas who feel the same… so just know that’s a thing. Haha.
Also, we throw all the dirty cloth diapers in something called a “wet bag” (see photo below) which is basically just a bag with a waterproof liner. This holds all the dirty diapers for about two days, and then I’ll throw everything in the wash.
To me, it’s a similar process to having a diaper genie and having to take out the trash every couple days – except you’re just washing what’s inside instead of throwing it away. So like I’ve said… kinda the same amount of effort here as cloth diapers (just a little extra TLC).
Anyways – going back to our day in cloth diapers!
After my son’s nap, we went to the park – and I grabbed a couple diapers with me just in case he needed a diaper change on the go. Typically if we’re just out for an hour or two, he doesn’t need a diaper change… but you never know and I’d rather be safe than sorry.
I really like the Nora’s Nursery wet bag that comes with the diaper packs for whenever we’re running errands, because I can have the clean diapers in one pocket and then put the dirty diapers in the other pocket as we need to.
So I usually just throw this wetbag into my purse or in the car, and off we go! Again, this is similar to using disposable (sensing a pattern here?) where you’d pack diapers in your bag anyways.
Side note: 10/10 recommend having a togo changing pad cover! It makes diaper changes wherever you are suuuuuper easy. This one is my personal favorite, because it’s aesthetically beautiful and folds down really small (so it isn’t heavy, nor does it take up a lot of room in my diaper bag).
And that’s pretty much it! I mean, we change Malakai throughout the day as needed, and right before bed… Again, the pattern of actually changing the diapers looks the same as if you were to do disposables. The main difference is really just the fact that you put them in a wet bag until you wash them wash the diapers instead of throwing them away. And then after they’re washed, you have to then have to “prep” them. But like I mentioned before, I find this process really peaceful and fun!
Thank you to Nora’s Nursery for sponsoring this blog post! I’m grateful they gifted us with a set of cloth diapers of Nora’s Nursery Pocket Cloth Diapers. We’ve been using their diapers since we started cloth diapering (I originally purchased this set) and the quality has really held up the last two years! Our plan is to continue using the same cloth diapers with all of our kiddos (so once Malakai is potty trained, the next babe will have these diapers).
Additionally, something I love about Nora’s Nursery is that there isn’t multiple sizes you have to buy (thus making the whole process more expensive for mama). You buy one diaper and it’ll cover you from 10-35 pounds!
Lastly, I personally think Nora’s Nursery makes the most aesthetically pleasing diapers. A lot of cloth diapers are… heavy on the patterns and colors, and so I appreciate the simplicity of this design.
And if you have any cloth diapering questions, feel free to leave them below!
Xo,
Rosalynne
