Our Cloth Diapering Routine

We currently have two little boys in cloth diapers. Our Cloth Diapering Routine began about two years ago, so we’ve established a pretty good system for using them on a daily basis. I’ve written a few posts on cloth diapers: A Cloth Diapering Q and A and Cloth Diapering | The Pros and Cons, but I figured it was time to explain our personal routine.

How Many Diapers Do We Use in a Day?

I own somewhere between 24-36 cloth diapers, have an 10 month old and a 2 year old in them all day (except for nap time and night time), and run them through the wash about every other day.

We use somewhere between 10-15 cloth diapers on an average day.

Please note:

A younger baby will need diaper changes more frequently than mine currently do, so the amount you use will depend on the age of your baby(s).

Storage

Clean Diapers:

We keep all of our cloth diapers in a large drawer in the changing table. This makes for easy access as we lay the baby down for a change. I also keep wipes, diaper cream, and disposable diapers within other drawers of the same changing table. Everything we need is right there!

Dirty Diapers:

We have a diaper pail (think, fancy diaper trashcan) sitting right beside the changing table. It is designed for a disposable liner to throw disposable diapers into, but I’ve simply replaced all of that with reusable options. I found these cloth diaper pail liners and they fit really well into our diaper pail! I’m able to remove the entire liner once it is full of diapers and throw it all in the washer together! I prefer to have two liners so I can instantly replace the one being washed with a clean option.

Washing

What Do I Do With the Poopy Diapers?

This is a two part answer because it depends on what kind of sustenance the baby is taking in.

Exclusively breastfed baby. Breastmilk is a water soluble substance, therefore it can be washed out in the washer. This means that all of those dirty diapers can go right into the diaper pail without any extra cleaning. Just wash in the same load as wet diapers.
Formula fed baby or baby consistently eating solids. In this situation, any solids need to be discarded in the toilet. Shake the diaper over the toilet, use biodegradable cloth diaper liners to catch the poo, remove with a wipe, or spray using a hose attached to your toilet. Whatever your method, you want to remove as much solid waste as possible before placing the diaper in the washing machine.

Regular Washing Routine:

As I mentioned previously, I wash a load of cloth diapers every other day at the least and every 3rd day at the most.

Washing cloth diapers is much easier than one would expect! Remove solid waste. Rinse. Wash. Extra Rinse as needed. Dry. When washing a large load of diapers, I typically run mine on a heavy duty wash and add an extra rinse to it. This always does the job well!

Please Note:

Cloth diapers can be washed alongside other clothing or articles. I typically wash mine alone simply because we use enough of them in two days time to make for a large load. I don’t have a problem adding an additional towel to the load if I really need to get it washed as well.

Drying

Many cloth diapering brands highly suggest air drying your cloth diapers…but let me be honest here…I never do that. I run them in the dryer on a normal drying cycle at regular temperature. I’ve never experienced any issues with this drying method.

I suggest avoiding dryer sheets when drying cloth diapers. Firstly, they are incredibly wasteful. Secondly, they can create a barrier on the cloth, thus hindering their absorbency.

What A Week of Cloth Diapering Looks Like for Us:

Using 10-15 total cloth diapers each day (this is for two babies).
Storing wet and dirty diapers in a diaper pail with a reusable liner.
Rinsing extra poopy diapering in the toilet before adding them to the diaper pail.
Removing less sticky poop from diapers by using a wipe, placing the diaper in the pail, and flushing the poop down the toilet.
Washes a load of diapers every other day at the earliest and every 3rd day at the latest.
Drying diapers in the dryer on a normal load (using wool dryer balls instead of drying sheets).
Storing clean diapers in a large drawer within the changing table.

Please Note:

This is a basic overview of what our cloth diapering routine looks like, but it doesn’t get into answering all the detailed questions that so many people have about this diapering system. That’s why I’ve written an entire blog post designed to tackle the most frequently asked questions that I’ve received about cloth diapering. Find it here: A Cloth Diapering Q and A.

Our Cloth Diapering Routine