Cloth Diapering...My System

When using cloth, everyone has their own method which they prefer.  There is a wide array of different cloth diaper systems to choose from.  What works well for one baby just doesn't for others.  We do not exclusively cloth diaper Austin, just about 75% of the time he is in cloth.  Here is our system for cloth diaper use. 

I prefer to use all in ones.  These diapers are very simple.  You do not need to stuff an insert into the diaper to use.  Although you can add an extra insert for added absorbency.  These seem to fit Austin's skinny legs and waist well.

When Austin was exclusively breastfed, he would wear cloth diapers throughout the day.  It was not necessary to rinse the poop off prior to washing.  Once he began eating regular food and became regular with his bowel movements, I opted to use a disposable diaper to contain poop messes.  Then switching to cloth after his daily BM.  I have always used disposable diapers for Austin at night.  He is a heavy night wetter.  I also did not want him to wake during the night due to "feeling" wet and needing a change.  (He was already waking enough as it was).  I also do not normally go in public for extended periods of time with Austin wearing a cloth.  It is just more convenient for me to use a disposable if I know we will be out long enough for him to need a change.

I only have 12 cloth diapers for his use.  It is recommended to have 24 but I opted to wash more often than what was suggested, so 12 has worked fine.  I wash every other day (sometimes daily).  I have a front loading machine and use Charlie's Soap.  After I change a dirty diaper, I throw it in a laundry bag inside a trash can with a lid.  To wash I shake the diapers out of the laundry bag, throw the laundry bag in the machine as well, and use 1 scoop of detergent.  I wash on "heavy duty" with a pre-wash and 2nd rinse.  When the diapers are washed I turn them inside out to speed drying time and toss them in the dryer for 45 minutes.  I then flip them back right side out and fold them to put away in the drawer to be used again.

Cloth diapering has been easier than I ever expected.  We do have the occasional accidental poop in a cloth, which does require some extra care prior to tossing in the laundry bag.  I like that Austin has a soft cloth diaper on his sensitive bottom.  Disposable always feel so papery and hard to me.  He is now almost 17 months old and has only once had a diaper rash (due to antibiotics).  I feel that we have saved a considerable amount of money using cloth.  We are helping the environment slightly, since we still use disposable we aren't doing the best that we can for the environment but at least we are keeping several hundred diapers out of landfills. And the stink and gross factor aren't near as bad as I originally imagined.