That is why I LOVE the cloth diaper fold known as the Angel Fold. It is fast and efficient to put on baby, as well as economical. The Angel Fold utilizes diaper service quality cloth diapering products that will hold up over time through subsequent babies. You would be hard pressed to find a better deal.

Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the ingredients for a single diaper change using the Angel Fold.

• 1 (one) Chinese Prefold
• 1 (one) Bummis Super Whisper Wrap or other wrap-style cloth diaper cover
• optional diaper pin or snappi fastener

Even though these can be purchased as singles, they also come in a prefold diaper package deal for even more savings.

Why is the Angel Fold so fast and efficient?

The use of the cloth diaper wrap is the primary reason the Angel Fold is such a fast method of cloth diapering. If you look at the cloth diaper folding technique, you can see the prefold is literally “wrapped” into the waterproof core of the diaper cover so it can easily snug up against baby’s contours and secure comfortably, keeping messes contained. This wrap is secured using wings strategically placed at the upper left and right sides of the cover’s back side. The wings wrap around, holding the prefold in place against baby’s skin, and securing on the front panel that draws up between the legs. Basically, the whole of it works like a disposable, just more comfortable, natural and absorbent for baby.

Cloth diaper wraps with velcro or Aplix tabs allow for a lot more adjustability for a growing child’s waist and thighs; it can be tightened or loosened in seconds. This makes for a very efficient cloth diapering system as it will be worn much longer than a system with covers that snap or use another form of predetermined size constraints.

Vinegar is an acid and neutralizes alkaline substances, making it an effective ingredient in your cloth diaper laundry. Vinegar inactivates any soap or detergent residue left over in your diaper wash. It is also a benefit to those in hard water areas as it can eat away at calcium, lime and other alkaline deposits on your cloth diaper fibers.

Vinegar is safe enough to use against a baby’s skin, but tough enough to cut through bacteria - and even grease and oils. Hopefully there isn’t any grease or oil in your cloth diaper laundry, but there is plenty of odor! Vinegar deodorizes as it destroys odor producing bacteria.

So, let’s recap what vinegar can do for your cloth diaper wash.

Vinegar …

• acts as an acid, neutralizing any alkaline substances
• it equalizes pH balance
• neutralizes any bleach or chlorine you might have used to whiten your diapers
• deodorizes and kills odor causing bacteria
• dissolves mineral deposits in hard water areas
• deters stains setting in
• serves as a natural fabaric softener and reduces static cling

An environmentally friendly alternative to so many other expensive, highly marketed products, vinegar is the earth-friendly, frugal family’s choice for the cloth diaper wash.

Although most manufacturers and/or WAHM-made cloth diapers and diaper covers will give a suggested range using baby’s age and weight for sizing, the absolute best gauge of whether a diaper will/will not fit a child is to offer waist, thigh and rise measurements. Knowing your baby’s waist, thigh, and rise measurements will not only help you select diapers, but ensure that once you do choose a diaper size, you are less likely to have messy leg and waist leaks, and protect baby from a fit that is uncomfortably tight.

How to measure the waist, thigh and rise on a baby.

First, start with measuring at the waist. Obviously, a baby is not going to have an hourglass figure that makes it easy to select and measure the waistline. Whether baby is plump with rolls or long and lean, you’ll always measure in the same place - all the way around, level with the belly button. If you are measuring for a cloth diaper, you need to measure the baby without any other diapers on. If you are measuring for a cloth diaper cover, you will need to measure baby over the style of cloth diapers he or she will wear under the diaper cover.

Next, measure your baby’s thighs. When measuring your baby’s thighs, measure around the fullest part of baby’s upper thighs and be sure to measure against baby’s bare skin. Even just 1/4 of an inch difference can make a difference between baby’s poop staying in the diaper or on your hip! This is NOT the area where the leg meets the lower torso - that will always be smaller … it is a bit further down the thigh - where it begins to round out. Again, measure around the fullest part

Finally, you need to know your baby’s rise measurements. The rise, sometimes called the “depth” is the length from your baby’s belly button (at the waist), between their legs, and back up to the same place (at the waist) on their backside. If you are measuring for cloth diapers, you need to measure on bare skin. If you are measuring for cloth diaper covers, you need to measure baby over the style of diaper you will be using with that particular cover

These three measurements will allow you to select a cloth diaper and cloth diaper cover with the most accuracy in fit for your baby. If you purchase from an online cloth diaper store that does not offer measurement guidelines for waist, thigh and rise, it is wise to ask the store owner BEFORE making your purchase.

They choose organic foods, growing home gardens for pesticide free veggies, and even thrifting for clothing and/or decreasing use of paper products, but they use disposable diapers. When we ask why we hear one of two replies:

• “I do not own my own washer and dryer and have to go to a laundry mat.” Or…
• “I thought that the environmental impact between disposable and cloth diapers was debatable”.

We’ll hit on the first excuse today - and tackle the second excuse on another day. *wink*

Washing cloth diapers in a laundry mat, albeit not as convenient as having a washing machine within steps in your home, is still not a harried affair worthy of keeping you from using cloth diapers. Surely you wash your clothes, right? A extra load or two a week is all you would need to add to give your baby the comforts of cloth.

Here’s our method for washing and drying cloth diapers in a laundry mat.

1. Right when you get there find a top loader and fill it to the brim with hot water. Fill it with your normal amount of detergent and a hefty scoop of oxiclean (or whatever detergent booster you prefer). Don’t fill the washer with your cloth diapers until it begins to agitate and all the detergent and booster has been mixed. Then, one by one add your cloth diapers into the soapy mix. Do not overload…if there is no more room for your diapers to agitate, you’ve put in too many.
2. Leave the lid up on the top loader so that the spin cycle will not start - diapers will agitate and then soak. Gather up your other household laundry and start those loads (again leaving the lid up so that the spin cycle will not begin and your cloth diapers will be soaking while you do your other laundry).
3. I’m a big fan of crosswords - so I bring my crossword and let my diapers soak until the crossword is complete. That might not work for some - so bring a book, magazine, ipod, take a nap … whatever … but let your diapers soak for at least 30 minutes. If your laundry mat has washers with pull stoppers, you can put the lid down to retain the heat within the washer. I will often put my laundry basket OVER the top of the opened lid to maintain the heat within the wash basin, but this isn’t necessary.
4. When your time is up (and remember, the more time they can soak, the better), put the lid down on the washer and let the cycle complete itself.
5. If you have used too much detergent, or have an exorbitant amount of suds, you may want to do another cold wash without detergent just to rinse your diapers thoroughly.
6. Pull diapers out of washer and place in dryer. I normally have to feed the dryer twice to get my diapers thoroughly dry.
7. Turn dryer on … fall asleep washing diapers go around and around and around and around…
8. Pull out and fold your fluffy diapers.

Please note that I am talking about washing cloth diapers, not diaper covers. Some diaper covers, like Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, Bummis Super Snap Wrap, and fleece diaper covers can withstand rigorous heat of even industrial washer and dryers, but other diaper covers (such as wool), cannot. In addition, pocket diapers can withstand the heat as well, but do not need as long a dryer time and can be pulled out within minutes of the first dryer load - or perhaps air dried.

Hot water + Detergent = clean.
It is an easy equation, but it continues to baffle.

Before I go further, you can click on the image at top-right to watch this precious baby help with the laundry. As all mothers know, it can be exhausting work to keep up with the laundry. If only we could all take a nap when the work is done, right?

Okay, moving on … we’ve already written a bit about washing cloth diapers and just how it is done, but this post is going to organize it nice and neat for you. So follow the links below to find your particular choice in cloth diapering and you’ll learn specifics required for washing the cloth diapers of your choice.

Various Washing Requirements for Cloth Diapers

• Bumkins All In One Cloth Baby Diapers
• Caring for Wool Diaper Covers
• Fuzzi Bunz
• Kissaluvs Wash and Care
• Our Cloth Diaper Washing Routine

Recommendations from Waste Treatment Facilities

Just a note - if you are a disposable diaper user, you may be surprised to find out that both city and county waste treatment facilities recommend removing any solid waste from a disposable diaper BEFORE throwing it away. In other words, put feces in the toilet before throwing the disposable diaper into the trash. WHY? Because disposing of solid waste of this sort requires proper treatment to protect our water supply. The disposable diaper companies know it and place recommendations on their products to rid of solid waste properly.

So, if you’re gonna be scraping off poop anyhow, why not just take that extra step and consider cloth diapers; washing them is really not any more difficult than washing your undies.

However, in combing the internet, I found this this diaper changing video, that quite honestly cracks me up. And, I gotta tell you - if THIS is how you choose to change your baby … it won’t matter whether you are using cloth diapers or disposable diapers - you’re gonna have a bit of trouble.

• Wash your Fuzzi Bunz before using and after trying them on your baby for fit.
• Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers and their inserts must be washed after each use.
• Use a laundry basket or diaper pail to store dirty Fuzzi Bunz and cloth diapers until wash day. Some prefer to soak dirty diapers in a wet pail. **If you decide to do this, your water should be changed daily.**
• When removing a dirty Fuzzi Bunz from your baby, shake or knock any solid bowel movement into the toilet. You can rinse any residual BM off the cover if you would like, but this is not necessary. Pull the prefold or insert from the Fuzzi Bunz pocket before storing. They can all be washed together.
• It is not recommended that you let your dirty Fuzzi Bunz and prefolds / inserts sit too long before washing; odors may set in.
• On wash day, run the dirty Fuzzi Bunz and cloth diapers in a cold soak or prewash. If you do not have a soak cycle, run them through a rinse cycle. If you have already soaked your diapers in a pail, spin out any remaining dirty water.
• Wash your Fuzzi Bunz and cloth diapers in HOT water with a moderate amount of detergent (1/4 - 1/2 of the recommended dose). Too much detergent produces build up and is the single most common cause of leaking problems not to mention harsh on a baby’s skin.
• An additional rinse can be used for particularly soiled loads. Make sure that your diapers are rinsed clean. Any residue from poop, urine, detergent or vinegar can make your diapers stink.
• Fuzzi Bunz should not stain although some diaper rash ointments will stain and care should be taken when using such products if you want your Fuzzi Bunz to stay nice and stain free.
• Do not use fabric softener or use pure soap products on your Fuzzi Bunz.
• Do not use bleach or expose to high heat for prolonged periods of time.
• Do not use too much detergent - only a little is needed to get the job done.
• Do not use pure “soap” products on your Fuzzi Bunz because of the coating that they leave. Many “natural” detergents will do the same.

Resources:
Buy Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers.
Learn how to stuff a Fuzzi Bunz pocket diaper.
Check out our new lower priced Fuzzi Bunz packages.

Proper Fit - Diaper covers are the most important part of your cloth diapering system. Many moms hope to save money by buying a larger cover for baby to grow in to. Unfortunately you cannot do this. The diaper cover must fit snuggly on the baby so that there is no gap in the leg openings. However, the cover should not be too tight as it will leave nasty red marks on baby’s thighs. If you can fit more than two fingers between baby’s thigh and the cover, then it is too big.

On the flip side, the diaper cover could be too small. Make sure that the entire diaper is covered and not hanging out of the cover.

Pocket Diaper Leaks - Pocket diapers require the same proper fit as a diaper cover. Your pocket diaper should not be too big or small. Pocket diapers need to be stuffed with an absorbent material. Make sure you have a sufficient absorbent material stuffed into the diaper. If you have a sufficient absorbent material, make sure you don’t have too much stuffing. Too much stuffing may pull at the leg openings causing a gap. If using an insert, try adding a doubler or even one to two more inserts. If using a prefold, try either a larger or smaller size depending on your situation.

Broken In - Cloth diapers require “breaking in”. Most cloth diapers must be washed a few times to strip away natural oils found in fabric to reach maximum absorbency.

For example:

• Chinese Prefold Diapers must be washed 3-5 times
• Kissaluvs must be washed 2-3 times
• Bumkins All-In-One Diapers must be washed 3-4 times
• Dream-Eze Organic Cotton Fitted Diapers must be washed 2-3 times
• Fuzzi Bunz do not require breaking in

Diaper doublers and/or inserts made of the same materials listed above need to be “broken in” as well.

Detergent Build Up - It may be possible that you have a detergent build up on your cloth diapers. The residue will decrease the absorbency of your diapers. To check this, wash your diapers in plain hot water. Check the diapers while washing, if you see soap suds, then you have build up. Continue washing your diapers in hot water without soap until there are no more suds. This information also holds true for leaking pocket diapers such as Fuzzi Bunz.

Infrequent Changes - Newborns should be changed 10-12 times a day. Infants require 8-10 changes a day and toddlers need 6-8 changes. Not only will frequent changes keep baby leak free but it will also keep baby’s skin healthy and rash free.

Heavy Wetter - Your baby may be a heavy wetter. In this case, consider moving up to the next size diaper or adding a doubler or two.

Night Time Leaks - Try adding a doubler or two to the night time diaper for extra absorbency. If using prefolds, you can even try double diapering. If baby is still leaking, consider trying a Wool Soaker or any style of pocket diaper.

If none of the above applies to your situation, please feel free to contact us. We will do all we can to help you patch your leaks.

How to wash

Hand washing is the preferred method. Soak your wool cover in cool water with 1 teaspoon of gentle soap for 15-20 minutes. Do not rinse. Gently squeeze out excess water. Do not wring. Lay cover flat on a dry towel. Roll up towel with cover inside to help remove excess water. Unroll towel and leave cover flat to dry.

Some wool covers are machine washable. In this case, wash in cool or cold water on the gentle cycle with 1 teaspoon of gentle soap to approximately 1 gallon of water. Do not use the rinse cycle. Most washers will allow you to manually bypass the rinse cycle and go straight to the spin cycle. Spin cover dry. Take cover out of the washer and lay flat on a towel to continue drying. Wool covers should NOT be put in the dryer.

How to lanolize your wool cover

Add a pea size dollop of lanolin (you can use the same lanolin used for sore/cracked nipples when breastfeeding) to a cup of warm water. (Or you can melt it in the microwave) Add the lanolin mixture to a sink filled with cool water. Stir with hand to mix. Add the wool cover and soak for 15-20 minutes. Do not rinse. Gently squeeze out excess water. Again, do not wring. Lay cover flat on a dry towel. Roll up towel with cover inside to help remove excess water. Unroll towel and leave cover flat to dry.

If you prefer, you can use a Wool Cure to restore the lanolin in your Wool Covers - which skips a few of the steps above. It is recommended that you use any concentrated lanolin every 3 to 4 weeks to restore water resistance in your wool items.

Wool does take some time to dry. If your planning to use wool in your night time system, you may want to consider buying two. This way you will have a dry cover to use every night.

Click through the links we have provided below for the Fuzzi Bunz and Kissaluvs manufacturer recommended washing directions.

Manufacturer Washing Recommendations

• Fuzzi Bunz
• Kissaluvs

Our Cloth Diaper Washing Routine

The following is our cloth diaper washing routine. Please keep in mind that water (hard/soft) and detergents do vary and you may need to experiment a little before you find your routine.

Depending on the consistency of baby’s BM, you may want to consider rinsing or dunking the cloth diaper in the toilet prior to pailing. Breast-fed BM (prior to solid foods) is very runny and slimy in consistency. It washes out very easily so there is no need for dunking or rinsing. Older infants have thicker, stickier BMs. At this stage, you may want to consider dunking to rinse as much BM off of the cloth diaper prior to pailing. We do this with the aid of our trusty rubber gloves. Another alternative is our Mini-Shower which helps rinse the cloth diapers without dunking.

Biodegradeable flushable diaper liners are great to use at this time since most of the mess will end up on the liner, which can then be flushed responsibly. Toddler’s BMs are usually formed and can be shaken off the cloth diaper right in to the toilet. Wet diapers can go straight to the pail.

We use what is called a “dry pail” method of storing our cloth diapers. This means that we do not soak our diapers in a pail prior to washing. We rinse the cloth diaper off and throw it in the pail until wash day. You can use a “wet pail” if you desire but it is not necessary. If you do choose this method, please take precaution and store your cloth diapers in a pail that has a tight lid and is out of the way of curious toddlers.

Be sure to wash frequently. Smaller loads clean better than larger loads. Diapers need room to move around (agitate) in the wash.

Start with a cold presoak adding 1/3-1/2 cup of baking soda. The baking soda will help deodorize the diapers. Then run an extended hot wash/cold rinse with 1/4-1/2 of the recommended amount of your favorite detergent. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. If your washer is not equipped with fabric softener dispenser, get a Downey Ball. Pour your vinegar in, pull the plug, and it will automatically open in the rinse cycle. When your wash cycle is over, smell your diapers. Do they smell clean? They should smell fresh and pleasant. Sometimes the “stink” will hold onto the diapers. When this happens, run another quick hot wash with nothing added to rinse them out again. During this rewash, it is a good time to peek in at your diapers. If you see suds it means that you have a detergent build up on your diapers. If this happens, continue to rewash in hot water until the suds are gone.

If you see suds it means that you have a detergent build up on your diapers.

“Cheap” detergents are usually low sudsing and are often a good choice.

Avoid fabric softeners and detergents that contain fabric softeners. Over time, they will leave a film on the cloth diapers which will cause them to be less absorbent and may possibly irritate baby’s skin.

Bleach is never recommended since it can decrease the life of the diaper as well as irritate bay’s skin.

Vinegar has it’s up and down sides. Vinegar can help strip away detergent residue, balance Ph level in diapers (discouraging the growth of bacteria), and soften your cloth diapers. On the flip side, vinegar can to react poorly with hard water causing odor when diaper is urinated on. Vinegar can also cause polyester diaper covers to stink.

If you dry your cloth diapers in a dryer, pull the covers out and hang dry. This will prolong the life of your covers.

What About Stains?

The use of a disposable diaper liner can help reduce diaper stains. What may look like a difficult stain can be pretreated with a stain remover prior to pailing. Baking soda will help brighten your cloth diapers as well as freshen. Add 1/4-1/2 cup to the cold presoak cycle to help lift stains. If stains are found or left over even after washing….Hang or lay that diaper in the sun! The sun will naturally “bleach” away stains, sanitize, and leave your cloth diapers smelling fresh.. Something to think about….If the diapers are clean, smell fresh, and sanitized, does it really matter if they have some stains? We say no!

Attention! Avoid the use of Desitin or any other diaper cream that contains cod liver oil with your cloth diapers. These product will leave stains and odors on your diapers that will not wash out.