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12+ Easy Cloth Diapering Must Haves that are amazing Cloth Diaper Accessories
Updated: Jun 1, 2023
I love using my cloth diapers. Not only do they save me a lot of money, but they are also much more eco-friendly compared to disposable diapers and they look adorable around my baby's bum. When you are using cloth diapers there are a few must-haves that will make cloth diapering much easier. These handy cloth diaper accessories not only save you lots of hassle with the poo but could also make your whole cloth diapering experience much more eco-friendly. Here you find an overview of all the accessories that I am using next to my diapers.
Reusable baby wipes
When you are using cloth diapers, using cloth wipes is not such a big deal anymore. Did you know that disposable baby wipes often contain plastic to prevent them from tearing? This is make them unflushable (as that can cause clogging of your systems because they don’t fall apart in water like toiletpaper) and they may also contain chemicals that are actually not allow to be used on kids below the age of 3?
Here you can find even more reasons to also go for reusable baby wipes. Next, to baby bums, I also use the wipes for faces, as when you do baby lead weaning, eating can be a mess and in and around the house. These wipes are just incredibly versatile they can be used for anything. I have quite a large stash of wipes and I use them for everything. When I have used the wipes I put them in the large wet bag with the dirty diapers so they get the same washing routine.
Small container or Spray bottle for wipes
When using reusable baby wipes, it is nicest to use them wet. There are several ways to do this. I store my reusable baby wipes wet in a container that can easily be opened and closed with one hand. Every other day I add a few wipes to this container to prevent the wipes from staying wet too long. Not everyone likes the idea of storing these wipes wet for longer so, they go for a different solution. In this case you could wet each wipe right before use with water from a spray bottle of by using a small bowl with water you refresh everyday. Once wet, every one of these options can be used in the same way.
Snappi
When you use pockets, AIO or fitted diapers, these diapers either have snaps or velcro to close the diaper. If you however, prefer to use a more budget friendly way of cloth diapering like using flats or prefolds, these types of cloth diapers don’t have its own closure system. In this case a snappi is a cloth diapers must have to close the diaper around your baby. A snappi has tiny hooks on each of the ends that hold on to the fabric so the diaper stays in place. You could use another cloth diaper accessory like a safety pin or even use paper tape but a snappi is the most handy accessory for these types of cloth diapers.
Diaper pail
I don’t think you need a specific cloth diaper bucket to store your diapers but I do agree that you need to store your dirty cloth diapers somewhere. Instead of a diaper bucket I choose to store my dirty diaper in a large trash can that looks rather nice as this bucket stand in the middle of my living room. The trash can I choose can be open with my feet which in convenient when you are holding a dirty diaper in your hands. It also has a lid to prevent smells from entering out living room. When the lid contains smell perfectly as you don’t smell the dirty diapers when the lid is closed. Only when you open the pail you can smell that there are dirty diapers stored in here.
Large wet bag/diaper pail liner
Within the large trash can I use to store dirty diapers in I have a large wet bag or pail liner. Each time I have a dirty diaper I put in in this large wet bag. When this bag is almost full, I know I have enough to fill a washing machine so I know have to wash my cloth diapers. To do this I remove the large wet bag from the trash can (I don’t remove the dirty cloth diapers) and I put the diapers with the bag in the washing machine. Once everything is in there, I turn the bag inside out. This is a bit of a hassle but at least I don’t have to touch the diapers.
Small wet bag
A small wet bag is a must have when you are cloth diapering on the go, or for daycare. A wet bag is similar to the large wet bag as in they are both waterproof and contain wetness inside. A small wet bag is much more compact, making them great for a day out. My smaller wet bag store about 3 dirty diapers (4 with a little more effort) which is sufficient when we go out for a day or if my girl is at daycare for the day. When we get back home, I turn this wet bag inside out in the large wet bag and also add the smaller wet bag to the large wet bag so it will end up in the laundry as well.
Mini wet bag
An even smaller wet bag is great to store wet wipes in for when you are on the go. I can’t store them with clean diapers as these are wet and I would like to keep my clean diapers dry so I use a small wet bag for my reusable wet wipes. Once the wipes are dirty due to use I put them in the small wet bag with the dirty diaper.
These mini wet bags are also great to store reusable nursing pads or reusable menstrual products making this a very versatile bag to have on hand.
Dealing with the poop
You want to avoid poop ending up in your washing machine. There we have 2 options; liners or a diaper sprayer. I recommend either one of the two to avoid too much poop ending up in your washing machine.
Biodegradable (disposable) Liners
Biodegradable (disposable) liners are placed in cloth diapers when your baby is bottle-fed or is eating solids (as babies who receive only breastmilk create water-soluble poop). These liners are used in cloth diapers to collect the baby poo to prevent (most of it) from entering the washing machine. When using disposable liners, the liners are disposed of in a trashcan when the baby has filled it. Make sure to clean the trashcan regularly to avoid smells! When the diaper is wet, I wash it with all the other cloth diapers so I can reuse it.
Even though most disposable liners are biodegradable I don’t recommend composting them. Human feces contains bacteria and a home compost bin does not become hot enough to kill these bacteria.
Reusable liners
The second is reusable liners, in this case, a full liner is emptied above a toilet when it has collected poop and washed afterward. These are often made from fleece to help with a dry feel against your baby's skin. It is recommended to switch to reusable liners only once the poop the baby produces is more solid to make removing it into the toilet much easier.
Diaper sprayer
A diaper sprayer is another accessory you could use to deal with the poop. This is a toilet attachment used to rinse poop from dirty diapers over a toilet. This eliminates the use of a liner but can use lots of water. Some people prefer this over liners. However, I prefer liners as I feel like using a diaper sprayer could cause splashing of poopy water everywhere therefore I prefer liners but this choice is very personal.
Laundry detergent
You can read all about how to wash your cloth diapers here.
Do not try to save money on detergent for your cloth diapers. Dirty diapers are the dirtiest type of laundry you can think off and these have to be properly clean or your little one might suffer. The only budget-friendly option I recommend is to stock up on your laundry detergent when there is a sale (I do the same). So go for a good laundry detergent to protect your baby's skin and have clean diapers.
There is special cloth diaper detergent available, however, opinions differ on whether or not these work sufficiently on cloth diapers as most of these are advertised as ‘enzyme free’. Enzymes are needed to deal with proteins that are present in poop. When there are no enzymes, the detergent can’t clean your diapers properly.
Also, I think it is way overpriced and the detergent I am using now works great so I am not going to look further and try new things just because they were specifically designed for cloth diapers.
Drying rack
Air-drying is the best drying method for cloth diapers. It saves a lot of energy and makes your diapers last longer. The downside is that, especially in winter, it might take a long time for your diapers to completely dry. During the summer I can dry them outside where it only takes a few hours for my cloth diapers to dry. I do not have a dryer so for me, this is the only solution. To make the whole drying process a little easier, I use a small drying rack for inserts and covers. This one is also great for other small items like socks, underwear, and reusable kitchen towels.
Onesie extenders
A onesie extender is an accessory that is a cloth diaper must have when your baby does not fit into the onesies anymore due to the diaper. This is a small piece of fabric that has metal snaps (similar to the ones on onesies) on both sides. It is used to extend the part between your baby's legs so the onesie will fit better around a cloth diaper.
Leg warmers
Cloth diapers are bulky, there is no denying that. This could result in clothing that fits poorly (or not at all). One of the solutions for this is to forgo pants altogether and use leg warmers instead. I used this option very often when I was at home all day with the baby because it also makes chaining the diaper so much easier (and I could see that adorable cloth diaper). For when we go out, I have a few very stretchy leggings that would fit the diaper but at home, I preferred leg warmers.
These are my favorite cloth diapers accessories as they make cloth diapering so much easier and fun to do. What are some cloth diaper essentials you could not live without?
