A:
Certainly! You just need a wet bag to store wet or soiled diapers in until you get home. We always get a kick out of changing our babies' diapers in public restrooms because of all the looks we get when people realize we use cloth.
A:
Most certainly! The difference between daytime cloth diapers and overnight cloth diapers is simply their absorbency. But with a very absorbent diaper and an excellent cover to prevent leaks, baby is set! You'll need to experiment to discover what combination works best for your baby, but a good place to start would be to use an absorbent fitted diaper, such as a Sherpa Monkey Doodlez, with a PUL cover on top, such as the irrisistible BerryPlush, whose shell makes a very effective cover. You may want to line baby's diaper with a fleece liner to help keep moisture away from the skin.
A:
This really depends on how often you want to do laundry. But as a general rule,
Newborns go through approximately 10-12 diapers a day. Infants go through approximately 8-10 diapers a day. Toddlers go through approximately 6-8 diapers a day.
Use these guidelines to determine how many diapers you would like to have on hand. Also, keep in mind that the larger your diaper stash, the longer they will last because they'll be in a larger rotation cycle.
A:
The younger your baby, the more frequently you'll need to change diapers.
Newborns go through an average of 10-12 diapers a day. Infants go through an average of 8-10 diapers a day. Toddlers go through an average of 6-8 diapers a day.
Of course, every baby is different - use these numbers as guidelines only.
A:
If the manufacturer has provided care instructions, such as a care tag sewn onto the diaper, it is important to follow them; however, not all diapers come with care instructions. If yours don't, here is a simple system to get you started. This system works well for our family; however, you will probably develop your own routine over time.
1. Store your diapers in a dry pail until wash day. We like to line our dry pail with a diaper pail liner.
2. On wash day, empty your diaper pail into the washing machine, liner and all.
3. Run a cold soak cycle on the highest water level setting. This will get rid of a lot of the pee and poop on your diapers, making the wash cycle water cleaner. *Don't use any laundry detergent in the soak cycle!
4. Run a hot wash cycle on the highest water level setting, using very little laundry detergent, about 1/4 to 1/2 of the recommended amount. This is important because using too much can cause build-up on your diapers which will affect their performance. If this becomes an issue, you'll have to strip your diapers.
5. Machine dry or hang to dry. When putting PUL into the dryer, most manufacturers suggest using low heat. If line drying your diapers, you may want to throw them into a dryer when they're still a little damp and finish them up that way for a few minutes to soften and fluff them up. If I'm line drying and forget about them until they're all stiff and rough, I like to throw them into the dryer for a few minutes with a clean but wet prefold - the moisture will help soften and fluff up the rest of the diapers.
