Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

8 Reasons to Use Cloth Diapers for Your Newborn

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Is it worth buying cloth diapers for a newborn baby? Disposables are admittedly very convenient. Plus, we often get them as gifts, so why not use them up and save some time and money?

Mary Kate is about 4 weeks old now. I was thinking again today about our decision to cloth diaper her from birth and the reasons it works well for our family.

Reason #1: This is the time that a baby goes through the most diapers; that means you’ll have to buy more disposables than usual. So from a cost-savings perspective, this is the ideal time to use cloth instead of throw-away.
Reason #2: Newborns grow fast (sniff sniff) so they won’t use those tiny diapers for too long. That means they are usually in good shape when you’re done. Pack them away for the next little one (most of our newborn diapers have been used at least 2, even 3 times over), or sell/swap online. They have excellent resale value. I listed some the other day and they were gone within HOURS. Tiny, adorable diapers pretty much sell themselves.
Reason #3: You can tell when they’re wet so it’s easy to track a newborn’s output. A cloth diaper will feel wet and heavy when your baby has peed. Very simple! But with super-absorbent, stay-dry disposables, it’s harder to tell. This is something I especially appreciate as a breastfeeding mother because you can’t actually see the quantity of milk that’s going in.
Reason #4: Newborns have such sensitive skin. It makes perfect sense to diaper them in soft, fluffy cloth. I don’t wear crackly plastic underwear, and I don’t think Mary Kate would choose that if she could. 😉
Reason #5: Our newborn diapers fit better than the newborn disposables, especially those with double gussets which snugly encase newborn “bird legs” and keep blowouts in. That means less outfit changes – and laundry.


Reason #6: “Honey, can you grab some more diapers at the store?” I haven’t said those words ONCE since Mary Kate was born. With cloth, you can put an end to the constant buying cycle.
Reason #7: With cloth, you’re less likely to overbuy. A lot of us go overboard in the beginning and get stuck with unused newborn or size one disposables. With cloth, you can buy a few things to try and then get more of what you like. Nothing will be wasted or left unused. And you can always re-sell later.
Reason #8: Newborn diapers can actually fit longer than their disposable counterparts, so you don’t have to constantly move up sizes. Many newborn/small covers have one or two sets of snaps on the rise to ensure baby can wear them past the newborn phase. Doublers and inserts can be added for very little money to help boost the absorbency of your newborn diapers as baby grows.

If you’ve cloth diapered a newborn, I’d like to hear how it worked out for you. Or, if you have questions, let me know in a comment below!

6 Ways to Save Time When Cloth Diapering

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Cloth diapering doesn’t require a huge time commitment, but it is an extra chore on your to do list. So if you are looking for ways to make cloth diapering quicker and easier, while still reaping all the benefits, this post is for you!

Being a mother of seven (while also blogging, consulting and home schooling), I’ve found a few ways to save time while using cloth:

  • Diaper liners help make clean-up quicker. They can be washable fleece or silk, or a flushable material like bamboo. A good quality liner can virtually eliminate time spent dunking and swishing. Here are some helpful tips for using liners with cloth diapers.
  • Storing diapers without folding also saves time. On busy days, I pull my diapers out of the dryer, dump in a laundry basket and then stash in our closet. Or use bins and baskets to sort; throw covers in one, prefolds in the other, etc. etc. Don’t get me wrong; I love the beauty of a stack of nicely folded flats, and will do that when I have time (and my oldest daughter is off school for the summer), but when things are hectic, I appreciate shortcuts.
  • Changing the style of diaper you use can reduce your time commitment. Some moms find that stuffing a few days worth of pockets takes too long; switching to covers with inserts or trifolded diapers can be faster. Or on the flip side, changing from complicated folds and fasteners to AIO or AI2 diapers, can make a difference. Check in here to see my reviews of different styles of cloth diapers.
  • Have your older children help with simple diapering tasks. My daughter not only helps with changes, but can move a load from the washer to the dryer, or empty clean diapers into the laundry basket and take to my bedroom. Young children can help replace the liner in your diaper pail or separate wipes from diapers in your latest laundry load.
  • Simply your wipes routine. I used to spend time mixing up solutions and rolling up or folding wipes in a warmer. With more on my plate these days, I find that a small squirt of diaper lotion and a wipe soaked in water gets the job done quickly and easily. Plus, diaper lotion doubles as a skin protectant and can even soothe minor rashes and irritation.
  • Simplify your system. In our eagerness to try new things and take whatever is offered by friends and family, it’s easy to build up a stash filled with inserts, diapers and covers of all different sizes and styles. That might add up to more time spent sorting, snapping and stuffing. If you are keen on saving time, it might help to pick just one or two styles and stick with that. Cull everything from your stash that isn’t being used and put it up for sale as a lot.

What are your thoughts about cloth diapering and the time it requires? Do you have any shortcuts to share?

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Note: This article was originally published at the Kelly Wels blog, but has been updated and revised.

Can You Ask for Cloth Diapers at Your Shower?

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You have a baby shower coming up and plan to cloth diaper your newborn. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone brought exactly what you wanted – cloth diapers? If your closest friends know your wishes, chances are you’ll get a few. But most of us aren’t that lucky. So what is the proper etiquette?

Can I ask my guests to buy cloth diapers?

The short answer is no. It is not proper to dictate to your guests (yes, even in a way you think is clever or tactful) what gifts they should bring. After all, it violates the whole principle of gift-giving, which is that they are freely given and fully at the giver’s discretion. As the authoritative Miss Manners says “presents are always voluntary, and attempts to extract them are rude.”

The only exception to this rule is you are personally approached and asked “What would you like the most?” You may feel ever so free to reply “Cloth diapers would be wonderful, thank you!!”

Otherwise, a gift is a gift and should be accepted graciously.

But what about gift registries?

This is a socially acceptable vehicle to share your gift preferences. That word is in italics because that’s all a registry is – a list of your preferences. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t use a registry to ASK for certain gifts. It’s something you may opt to provide for the convenience of those seeking input on your taste and style. Many expectant mothers don’t do a registry at all, and that’s fine.

Cloth diapers can be added to gift registries not only at big box stores like Walmart, but through many online natural parenting stores like Nicki’s Diapers.

What if I use humor or fun to indicate our preference for cloth? 

If you’re alluding to clever little verses like the ones below…no. 

If shopping for diapers
Keep one thing in mind
We’re only using cloth
On our baby’s behind     OR

Throw-away diapers
Will just go to waste
Reusable cloth
Puts a smile on my face!

You made a rhyme! Congratulations! But you’re still asking for specific gifts. And that breaks the rules of gift giving etiquette. Or, to use a very crude old American analogy, you can polish a turd but…….

Because let’s be honest; what is this poem really saying?

“If you buy disposable diapers, it will be a big waste.” (Hmm, that’s not really gracious, is it?)
“We will be disappointed if we don’t get any cloth diapers.” (Obviously, or you wouldn’t have taken time to write a poem!)
“What I want most is cloth diapers.” (Playing favorites is rude and embarrassing.) 

You wouldn’t use this tactic with baby clothing (“We prefer footed sleepers, so please, no rompers” and “Only blue will do for our new arrival.”), so don’t do it with cloth diapers, no matter how passionate an advocate you are!

But what about gifts we don’t like or can’t use?

Remember when Grandma gave you underwear and you had to smile and say thanks? Well, the same goes for your baby shower. Smile and say thanks. Don’t tell others what (or what not) to buy you, and be grateful for whatever you get. Every mother, no matter what she registers for her how obvious she makes her preferences known, is going to get gifts that she doesn’t like or can’t use. This is just a fact of life for all of us when it comes to getting presents. And isn’t it true that some of the loveliest and most memorable gifts we have received in life were complete surprises that we never even thought of asking for?

People attend baby showers and present gifts to celebrate your new arrival in their own unique way, not to gratify your every wish. I know it’s tempting to see your upcoming baby shower as a possible way to offset the cost of a cloth diaper stash, but keep in mind that it’s a celebratory event, not a charity drive.

Remember that anything you can’t use or truly don’t need can be donated, traded or sold later on.

I’ll quote Miss Manners again: “The ability to look delighted when not – now that is a truly a gift!”

3 Things I Learned After Hand-Washing Cloth Diapers

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The Flats and Handwashing Challenge ends tonight and the big question is – what did I learn?

Basically, these three things:

  • How to hand wash diapers – Or anything else, for that matter. It’s a good skill to have and it just goes to show that cleaning doesn’t require a degree in rocket science. It takes time, common sense and a little bit of trial and error. Our wash routine took about 45 minutes total plus 5+ hours for drying on the line. I have to admit it would be difficult to do this 45 minute chore every other day, with everything else I have going right now in my life (seven children, housework, homeschooling, the blog, etc.), but I know that it CAN be done. It’s just a matter of setting aside time.
  • What it’s like to use flats exclusively – It took some getting used to, not reaching for my bamboo prefolds or fitteds at night, or grabbing a pre-stuffed pocket diaper for a quick change. All-in-One diapers with velcro closure are my oldest daughter’s top choice when she’s helping me out, so it was an adjustment for her, too. It’s not that we don’t use flats; we have – for years. But only as part of a bigger rotation. It’s easy to get spoiled with all the different styles of diapers out there. I had to learn to think differently in various situations because we had to make the flats work ALL the time, whether that was naps, car trips or night time. Not all all flats are created equal when it comes to absorbency, so we had to make adjustments there, too.
  • How cloth diapering is different when you’re on a tight budget – Your style choices are much more limited, and you have to cut corners and make sacrifices. When we first started diapering 7 years ago I would have loved to have some AIO diapers for convenience but simply could not afford them. Being on a limited budget means you might have to scrounge around and make your own doublers, accept whatever prints/colors are available in the covers you can afford, and maybe even forego conveniences like pail liners and wet bags, diaper sprayers, and flushable liners.

If you did the challenge, let me know what you learned. Or maybe you’re thinking ahead to next year and your first try?

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Flour Sack Towels vs Flat Diapers

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Since we’re using only flat diapers this week, I thought a post which compared the absorbency of “flour sack towels” (or FST, as they are often abbreviated) against other flat diapers would be helpful.

First of all, here’s a simple absorbency scale I made based on our experiences over the years of using many types of flat diapers. Do you agree with the rankings?

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Flour sack towels aren’t really diapers, of course. But they are a simple and cheap way to get started with cloth because you can find they at nearly any big box store and they cost a dollar or less apiece. How absorbent are they, though? Compared to other flats, I would say that FST score pretty low, unless they are doubled up. Ingrid can barely go 1 hour before she saturates 1 flour sack towel. Two FTS’s together will work for maybe 4-5 hours max; overnight it’s too bulky/clumsy to use 3. Everyone I’ve talked to who actually uses FST’s overnight has to add some sort of double or insert to the towels.

I’ve found that 2 FST’s folded together equal the absorbency of ONE of our bamboo flats, so I prefer to just use the bamboo flat. Why not use one diaper instead of two? It’s trimmer, not that much more expensive, and one less diaper to launder. 😀

I also like that when you buy actual flat diapers from a shop, you get service and a warranty to back up your purchase.

In terms of softness, bamboo flats have an edge over FST’s and plain cotton flats.

You might be wondering, if other flat diapers are softer and more absorbent, why would someone choose to use flour sack towels? I think there are many answers to this question. Some thrifty mothers take a lot of pride in being able to say they didn’t spend more than a dollar for their baby’s diapers. If using something they already have, or were given, then it means you’re diapering for nearly free (because of needing covers).

And some people just prefer the fabric with its thin, semi-sheer look and feel. You could argue that since it’s so lightweight, it’s even easier to clean and dry than regular flats.

There’s also a little bit of old-fashioned romance when it comes to flour sack towels. After all, they were the invention of creative housewives in the early 1900’s who discovered that empty cotton flour bags could be cut up and turned into household items like clothing, linens and yes, diapers.

However, keep in mind that modern “flour sack towels” aren’t much like the originals (this has been confirmed for me by several women who actually made and used real flour sacks). Real FTS’s were made of sturdy, tightly woven cotton because it had to keep the flour (or grain) inside fresh and protected from vermin. The flour sack towels you pick up at Wal-Mart and Target are much thinner, and semi-transparent. These photos compare a modern FST with 100% cotton birdseye fabric:

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Here are how the prices of flat diapers stack up:

    • Flour sack towels are $1 or less each
    • Cotton flats are $2 each
    • Bamboo/cotton flats are $3 and up each
    • Luxury bamboo terry flats are $8 and up each
    • Hemp flats are $9 and up each

I understand that for someone on an extremely limited budget, or who already has towels or receiving blankets in the house, purchasing “real” flats may not be the best option. Or, for reasons mentioned above, you may just love FST’s despite the drawbacks.

Flour sack towels can also work as doublers, since they are thinner than other flats when folded up, or for tiny newborns who don’t need a lot of absorbency. You can also stuff them inside pocket diapers, but again, I want to stress that they just aren’t as thirsty compared to other options.

For overnight use, I’ve had great results with 2 bamboo/cotton flats folded together. This holds Ingrid (who’s 22 months) all night long.

There are a lot of different flat diaper folds; I was able to keep it simple this week and pad fold Ingrid’s diapers because she’s very “regular” at 22 months.

What about diaper fasteners? Experiences may vary, but for us a Snappi or Boingo works best on cotton flats and bamboo flats. They will grip our FST’s, flannel blankets and hemp fabrics, but just not quite as well.

Do you use flour sack towels as diapers? How do you have to use two at a time or double them up for enough absorbency?