Note: Our internet access is not working this week, so I have not had the time to add in links or photos as I had hoped... Sorry!
How Does it Work: What about the poo?
Everyone who does not have children has asked "What about the poo?!" With a tone of concern, confusion, and disgust. People who do have children know that you have to deal with poo NO MATTER WHAT!
We have actually experienced significantly less 'blow-outs' than when Merit was using disposables. We switched over at 3 weeks old, and have literally had less than 5 blow-outs since. I even want to say less than 3. Before the switch, almost every single poopy diaper was up the back or out the legs. So, dealing with poo is a part of parenting. Here's how the rest of it works.
When you recieve new diapers, you need to wash them a few times for them to reach their absorbent potential. Once your diapers are prepped, you use them. Change diapers as usual.
Instead of throwing out the used diaper, you wash it again. If your baby is exclusively eating breastmilk, do nothing about poo. If your babe is already having solid poops, you need to get the poo in the toilet. I pull the inserts out of the pockets and throw them in the diaper pail. Literally, we have a pail. It was gifted to us, and it works great, but I'm not sure that's what I would choose now. More details on that later. If the diaper was poopy, then I have a separate basket that I put it in.
If we are out and about, I roll up the diaper and put it in a small wet bag (waterproof bag) to bring home and add to the pail.
Enter the diaper sprayer. Our sprayer looks like a sink sprayer, but is attached to the toilet. We use it to spray the poop off the diaper and into the toilet. The best thing to do would be to get the poop in the toilet right after you change the diaper. However, I have 3 kids running around and don't usually have a chance right then. This is why I leave poopy diapers in the separate basket, so I can spray them when I have a chance and then add them to the pail. If I can, I spray them immediately. My goal is to spray them once a day, and if I fail at both, then I spray everything before I take the pail to the washer. I think this step seems pretty daunting at first, but usually the poo we're dealing with these days just falls right out of the diaper without being sprayed. Of course, it is much easier to get off the sooner you deal with it, I am just a procrastinator by nature.
Another option is using a flushable liner. Some parents place a liner (a thin, flushable paper cloth) in the clean diaper when they put it on the baby. After the baby poops, you drop the whole thing in the toilet and flush. I can't speak to these because I have never tried them, but I chose not to go this route because it was one more thing to buy & keep inventory of, and because I didn't know if the liner would cause extra wetness against the skin. It certainly does seem easy, and it just occurred to me that it might be a good option for when we travel since we don't have a travel sprayer or anything like that [if you're wondering, we usually just dump the poo and spray when we get home if we still have to, I have also "swished" the dipe in the toilet and my appreciation for the sprayer grows each time I do].
In the wash: There are several different wash routines that work. Our routine is: cold short wash with extra rinse, baking soda instead of detergent. (2) Hot heavy wash with extra rinse and detergent (3) line dry everything if time/weather allow* OR line dry covers inside or outside & put inserts/prefolds/flats in the dryer OR put everything in the dryer (4) stuff clean dry pocket diapers.
*I would line dry everything if time/weather allowed it - this is not just because the diapers need special care. However, the sun helps bleach out any stains and has disinfecting properties as well. The energy savings is a bonus when you're doing so much extra baby laundry in general.
The most notable "special care" required for the diapers is regarding additives in detergent/softeners. Those additives can clog your absorbency [so to speak]. Those additives can also remain in your washer and dryer and still get into your diapers. This can cause leaking and other issues. There are several natural detergents that are cloth diaper safe. We use Charlie's Soap (powder) for all our laundry and love it! I have other friends that have switched over to it without cloth diaper laundry needs. Laundry comes out without a scent, just clean, and soft without using softeners at all.
If you do have a problem with leaking, absorbency, or additives getting on your diapers, you can 'strip' the diapers. This seems harsh, but can be done with several hot washes alone, or by adding some dawn dish detergent, or vinegar, etc. Stripping can take care of lingering smells or leaking problems. In over a year, I have only had to strip my diapers once and it was after having leaking issues after using a washer/dryer on vacation. It is in the interest of full disclosure to possible problems and solutions, that I am even mentioning it.
Disclaimer: As with all things in parenting, each family must find the type/style/system/products that work for them. And I realize that for someone else these things might not be the best, but these posts are about what works for us. I [obviously] believe that cloth is the best option, but that does not mean I judge you if you're a disposable user. If my writing comes across as passionate, it is just that. Do not take it personally!! I think that most parents are uninformed when it comes to cloth diapers. There is enough new ground to pioneer when you become a parent, and going against the social norms can seem extra overwhelming.
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