Ever since I put up my meager ‘stash’ shot on my Wholesome Mamma facebook page I have received a few pms asking about cloth diapers where to buy in India etc. etc. Well the real experts are over at the FB group Cloth Diapering India. However as a beginner or a newbie I am pleased to report that I have caught on quick and have not used a single disposable in the longest time. If you’d like to know my reasons for why cloth diapering then read this post.

Here is my journey so far:

I used traditional nappies which were not leak proof with N and that helped him get off diapers quickly I imagine. This time with A I am using MCDs or Modern cloth diapers that are made up of leak proof PUL (Polyurethane Laminate) on the outside and the inside is made up of cloth – natural fabrics like cotton, hemp, bamboo etc.

I bought a new born stash off the FB cloth diapering group which were pre loved and luckily didn’t invest much into it (all of them are already sold to the next user). The newborn diaper stash I bought consisted primarily of prefolds and covers. When the baby was born I was unsure about cloth diapering and I kept him in disposables for almost two weeks as I waiting for the meconium to disappear and regular stools to appear. By the time he was two weeks, he being a biggish baby was almost not fitting into the newborn stash and was ready to wear OS (one size) diapers.

However since the newborn stash was all I had I used to fold the prefolds in thirds and put a PUL cover over it and that was it.
If you are new to cloth diapering and are pregnant, I would suggest not to invest into a newborn stash at all as incase your baby is big like mine, he may fit into to OS (one size) diapers pretty quickly.
You may also be over whelmed and may prefer disposables before you get into the hang of things. Plus many newborns poop after every feed, which makes cloth diapering a little harder in the beginning.
If you do go for a NB stash look for a preloved one or buy bare minimum diapers. I suggest newborn prefolds/inserts and covers from cloth diaper shop.

Which brings me to the next point. There are two sizes of diapers nowadays. Newborn size and OS, which stands for one size and can accommodate a baby from 8 pounds till potty training as you adjust the snaps (or buttons) as the baby grows. There are 3 types of diapers which i mainly use. Pocket diapers where you stuff the insert into a pocket (and the insert comes with the diaper mostly), All in one diaper where you just have to use and throw in the wash without removing any insert from the pocket, and cover plus insert where you can change the insert and reuse the PUL shell/cover.

For my OS diapers I currently own these:

These AIO or all in one diaper from Nicki’s diapers.

These pocket diapers from Nicki’s diapers.

These Bumgenius 4.0 pocket diapers from Smart Baby.
These Flip diaper covers and stay dry inserts from Smart baby.
These AI2 or all in two diapers from bumkins. (Bought from hopscotch.in)
These pocket diapers from bumkins.
This Alva pocket diaper from apnicart.
And that’s my whole stash and it’s working for me for 24/7 cloth diapering. (with a washing machine and dryer used everyday).

If you ask anyone who buys cloth diapers they will tell you that you should buy a varied stash that consists of different brands and see what you like. This is the reason I currently have a few from these different brands that were available to me and will build on these as and when I feel the need.

My favourite from this bunch (in this order are) are:

1) Nicki’s pockets which come with their own inserts. (pocket diapers have an outer layer and you have to stuff inserts inside and you’re good to go. When removing just remove the insert and put in diaper pail.)
2) Bum genius pockets which come with their own inserts.
3) Alva pockets which are cheap and nice. (comes with it’s own inserts)
4) Flip diaper covers and stay dry insterts because the inserts really feel dry to touch so great for over nights and long usage. I also use them in my diaper bag as its easy to carry inserts over bulky diapers. (With diaper covers you don’t need to wash the outer shell but just the inner insert.)
5) AI2 from bumkins. These diapers are really nice and soft. You have to snap on the insert and tuck it in so it’s really a pocket plus all in one diaper.
6) Nicki’s AIO. These are really lovely diapers, the fit and the softness but he only reason they’re so low on my list is that they take ages to dry. While the other diapers come out dry from the dryer, these always come out damp and I have to leave them out for almost 24 hours before they dry up completely.
7) Pockets from bumkins. These somehow don’t fit very well and more often and not they leak. I started using 3 layer inserts from blueberry diapers and that’s when they became more absorbant. I would not recommend diapers for which you need to buy other inserts as it’s too much work when you’re a first timer.

Wash routine:
When the baby has only peed I store the diapers in a lidded pail until the next morning.
For a pooped on diaper I use the health faucet to spray out solids into the potty and then store it in the pail until the next morning.
In the morning my maid hand washes the pooped on diapers and I put only diapers into the machine with detergent. (I use surf excel). My machine has a cold super quick 15-minute cycle and I wash the diapers on this setting.
I then put in the other children’s clothes (without taking the diapers out) and wash on the 60 degree 1 hour 10 minute cycle.

Overnight:
I started doing cloth diapering overnight only when A turned 3 months. This was because he took an awfully long time to settle into a routine with poop and now only poops once in the morning. I didn’t fancy changing a poopy cloth diaper in the middle of the night.
I now use the Nicki’s AIO diaper for overnight. It’s incredibly absorbent and I don’t change it for 12 hours and it doesn’t leak.
It gives me such peace of mind to know that my baby is not in contact with the chemicals in disposables overnight.

Love
Twas not long before I fell head over heels with cding. Doing laundry now is the highlight of my mornings and the jargon has become part of my vocabulary.
It gives me immense pleasure to fold and put away (and sniff) freshly washed diapers. I found a deep respect for my washing machine.
I now empathize with those who want to #buyallthediapers.
I could never stand not changing disposies even after the baby had hardly done a pee or two, I just could not bear it but changing a diaper so soon used to pinch me as I had to throw it away. now i can change a diaper after every pee and not worry! That’s what I really love!

Beginner’s tips:

• Cloth diapering is not an all or nothing exercise. You can start at any point and start small. Buy a few varieties figure what you like and buy more as you go. If you run out of diapers you always have disposables.
• There are 3 types of diapers, all in one, pockets, and inserts with cover. Buy all three.
• Invest in the most expensive brands of these like bum genius (one of each) and then buy more from cheaper brands. Since everyone recommends then you can’t go wrong right?
• Wait till new born has settled into a semi routine for poop if that makes you feel more comfortable.
• It will take few washes to figure out laundry but that’s ok. It’s worth taking the plunge. Before you realize it will be routine.
• You don’t need to know all the instructions and jargon before you begin.

Thanks for reading. Hope this clears things up for the moms out there that are keen to start cloth diapering. Looking forward to hearing about your ‘stash’.

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