I Cloth Diaper {Part 3}

Welcome back to day three of the cloth diaper series. In case you missed it be sure to check out part one and part two of the series.

Today I will go over cloth diaper accessories. Just as I said yesterday with the diapers, there are tons of brands out there. I will be mentioning the ones I use but if you come across another brand I’m sure you will find lots of reviews to answer all of your questions about the product. I purchased most of my accessories from Diaper Junction but a quick internet search would pull up other stores.

Ready, lets get started.

1. Wipes

If you’re already washing cloth diapers you might as well wash cloth wipes too.
They say you need 24-36 wipes in your stash. I find that I use one for a wet diaper and two or three for a poopy diaper.
You have a few different options for wipes.
- Make your own – Purchase flannel or terry cloth or cut up old receiving blankets. This is the cheapest way to go.
- Baby washcloths (my favorite) – You can buy packages of 8”x8” light weight, terry washcloths.
- Cloth wipes – Made by cloth diaper companies out of flannel, terry, microfleece or bamboo. These are a little more expensive than washcloths.
- Handmade – Search for shops on Etsy that make wipes out of flannel or terry.
Wipe solution.
- Water (My favorite) – Super cheap and easy. I don’t see the point of complicating things when plain old water works just fine.
- Make your own – Lots of recipes online that use water, various oils, and baby wash. Fairly cheap to make, just takes a little time.
- Purchase wipe solution – Cloth diaper companies make solutions. They can be ready to use or can be in a concentrate form that you mix with water. This is the most expensive option.
Wet vs. Dry.
- Store them dry and wet them when needed with a spray bottle of wipe solution (My favorite).
- Store them dry and wet them when needed by dunking them in a container of wipe solution and wringing them out.
- Dunk several wipes in a wipe solution, wring them out and store them in an old disposable wipe container or wipe warmer. Don’t let wet wipes sit for more than a day or two and clean out the container or warmer often.

2. Diaper Cream

You can’t use any diaper rash cream with zinc oxide in it. Zinc oxide creates a barrier that does not allow moisture to penetrate to the skin and can also clog up your diapers making them less absorbent. Most cloth diaper manufactures warn that your warranty will be voided if you use a diaper rash cream with zinc oxide. If you absolutely must use a zinc oxide cream for a bad rash consider using disposable liners to protect your cloth diapers or switching to disposable diapers for a little while.
There are several diaper creams that are safe to use with cloth diapers. Rather than creating a water resistant barrier to protect the skin they have natural oils to help heal the skin. I love CJ’s BUTTer. It starts out like a paste and then melts like butter as you rub it in. They have lots of yummy flavors and their sample size is perfect to throw into the diaper bag. I really haven’t had issues with rashes while using this cream. I also used on Henry’s cradle cap and it cleared it right up.

3. Diaper Pail & Wet Bag

Diaper pails from cloth diaper companies – Large plastic pails with lids. Can be used with or without a liner.
Kitchen size garbage cans with a lid (My Favorite) – I purchased a 7.5 gal can with a lid that has a button you push to release the spring loaded lid. Can be with or without a liner.
Pail liner – Washable, breathable, waterproof, PLU cloth liner to use inside of your diaper pail. Most are antibacterial to keep the smell down. You’ll want two so you can have a clean one in the pail when you throw the dirty one in the wash with the diapers.
Wet Bag – Washable, breathable, waterproof, PLU cloth bags with zipper or drawstring closures. You can purchase large wet bags to use in place of a diaper pail. These can be handy if you don’t have a lot of floor space or if you need to collect and carry a days worth of dirty diapers back from a daycare or babysitter. Some large wet bags are designed to hang on doorknobs or hanger. You will need one-two medium or small wet bags to use in your diaper bag to hold dirty diapers. You may want to purchase a wipe sized wet bag or use a small plastic disposable wipe container to hold clean, wet wipes. I use a Diaper Rite wet bag. It is one of the cheaper bags and I’ve heard some negative review. But, mine doesn’t get that much use so I figured it would be fine.

4. Detergent

Not all detergents are safe for use with cloth diapers. Most detergents are too harsh and will damage the diaper and/or void the diaper’s manufacture warranty. You will want to stay away from detergent that that has Enzymes, fabric softeners, brighteners and dyes. Some people use detergent that is not safe for cloth diapers but don’t use as much as the manufacturer recommends. Here is a great chart of detergents. It shows what the various detergents contain and if they are safe for cloth diapers. You could also make your own detergent using recipes you find online.
- I have been using Rockin Green and have been happy with the product. They have some great scents but they wash out and don’t leave any scent on your laundry.

5. Diaper Pail Deodorizer

You can buy products to keep your diaper pail smelling fresh. I haven’t had any issues with smells yet but if I do I plan to sprinkle some baking soda in the pail.

6. Diaper Sprayer

Imagine a kitchen sink sprayer that hooks up to your toilet and you use it to spray the poop off of the diaper into the toilet. Lots of people love it. It’s kind of pricy so I haven’t purchased one.

7. Disposable Liner

People use disposable liners to make it easier to clean up a poopy diaper because you can simply flush the whole mess away. You can also use them to protect your diaper from zinc oxide diaper creams.

8. Swim Diapers