9 Cloth Diaper Hacks You’ll Wish You’d Known Sooner
In search of all the best hacks to help save you even more money by cloth diapering? Want to learn some of the best cloth diaper tricks to help you avoid hassles along the way?
Cloth diapering can seem a bit overwhelming and tricky at times, especially if you’re a newbie. But, with a few creative tweaks, you can make your cloth diaper routine much more simple and convenient.
In this post, we’ll cover 9 of the best cloth diaper hacks to help save your sanity and make cloth diapering a breeze.
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9 of the Best Cloth Diaper Hacks
I’ve learned some pretty neat tips and tricks over the past 3 years of cloth diapering. Listed below are 9 of my absolute favorite cloth diaper hacks that have helped save me time, money, and my sanity.
1.) DIY Reusable Liners
Reusable liners help keep stains away from your diapers, make the poop more “plopable” when cleaning, and prevent diaper rashes, by wicking moisture away from your baby’s skin. They also come in handy when you need to use a diaper cream that isn’t cloth-safe.
The liners can be thrown in with your diapers for washing, but if the poop is really just that bad, you can always just throw the liner away.
You can grab a micro-fleece blanket at your local Walmart for about $3, and cut your liners out of that. One blanket usually makes about 30-35 liners.
NOTE: Micro-fleece is NOT the same as microfiber. Microfiber isn’t advised to be placed directly against your baby’s skin, but micro-fleece is just fine.
2.) Ditch the Stink with Baking Soda
Remember that more air equals less stink when it comes to storing your dirty diapers until wash day.
Using a lid-less tall trash can, or a standing laundry basket with holes along the side, with a diaper pail liner will provide your diapers with the most air and least stink. Rinsing all your poopy diapers before placing them in the pail will also help cut back on the odor.
However, if the smell is still just too much for you, you can try placing some baking soda at the bottom of your pail to help deodorize the funk. They also have these diaper pail deodorant disks you can buy.
3.) Sun Your Stains
If you do end up with stains on your precious fluff, use nature’s bleach to get them out. Hang your diapers outside to dry, and the sun will bleach those stains right out.
Be sure to hang your heavier diapers, like AIOs (all-in-ones), the long ways (hot dog style) to prevent your elastics from getting stretched out. If the sun’s not out or it’s the dead of winter, or you just have some really stubborn stains on your hands, you could try using a Buncha Farmers Stain Stick.
4.) Protect Your Floors with Backwards Diapers
If your older baby or toddler keeps stripping down to their birthday suit, you could try placing their diaper on backwards to help protect your floors from pee and poo. I wouldn’t try to do this with covers that lack elastic in the front though, otherwise you might have some pretty crazy blowouts on your hands.
If your toddler continues to remove their diaper, you may want to consider if they’re ready for potty training.
5.) Boost with Flour Sack Towels
If you’ve got a heavy wetter on your hands, but don’t have a ton of money to be buying a bunch of extra inserts, you can always just use a flour sack towel for an added boost.
I know some moms even use old receiving blankets for cloth diapering. Some cut them up into inserts, and others fold them like they would a prefold. Perfect for cloth diapering on the cheap.
6.) Save the Peri Bottle
Save the peri bottle the hospital gives you for wetting down your cloth wipes. Keep your peri bottle filled with fresh water at your changing station for easy and convenient diaper changes.
Of course, you could always just use a spray bottle, but I found the peri bottle to be much quicker for wetting down the wipes. And, plain water really does work just fine. No elaborate wipe solutions are necessary.
7.) Avoid Poo Splatters with a DIY Shield
A diaper sprayer and a spray shield aren’t essential to cloth diapering, but they can certainly save your sanity. However, all the spray shields on the market are stupid expensive for what they are.
Luckily, there’s an easy way to make your own at a fraction of the cost. All you need is a small plastic trash can with the bottom cut out, 2 clips for holding your diaper, and another plastic container for storing your spray shield. You should be able to get all these materials at your local Dollar Tree or Walmart.
8.) Mix & Match
Your pocket and all-in-two diapers may come with their own inserts, but that doesn’t mean that’s what you have to use for them. Make life easier on yourself by stuffing your fluff with whatever inserts you want.
You may have a heavy wetter on your hands and the microfiber just isn’t cutting it. You may have to stuff your pockets with cotton prefolds or hemp inserts instead. Plus, by mixing and matching, you can come up with some pretty creative nighttime solutions.
I was super anal about having the right inserts with the diapers they came with with baby #1. But, with baby #2 it’s kind of just been a free-for-all pulling them out of the laundry at each change.
I just don’t have the time to stress over it these days, and honestly, it’s worked out quite great. Baby boy is quite a heavy wetter compared to his sister, and I’ve been able to meet his absorbency needs by switching things up.
9.) Prevent Diaper Rash With Coconut Oil
Plain coconut oil works great as cloth-safe diaper cream. Plus, it can also be used for eczema, stretch marks, nipple cream, and more. It’s even helpful for yeast.
We keep little 4 oz mason jars of it stored around the house and in the diaper bag for when we need it. We always put it on baby’s bum right before bedtime to help prevent diaper rash.
Look for organic, cold pressed, unrefined, and extra-virgin when purchasing coconut oil for your baby.
Brilliant Clother
Cloth diapering doesn’t have to be pricey or complicated. With these 9 hacks, you’ll soon be a pro with cloth diapers.
You’ll have all the right tools to save your wallet some money, your watch some time, and your mind some sanity. You’ll be able to troubleshoot your cloth diaper problems, and all your fluff friends will think you’re a brilliant “clother”!
What About You?
What are some of your favorite cloth diaper hacks? Share your tips and tricks with us in the comments below, and be sure to share this post with other fluff-loving parents.
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I’ve never thought of the peri bottle trick. I have a bunch the kids got for “squirt guns” in the summer lol. I’ll have to try that. I’ve found myself stripping the diapers more after using coconut oil. We usually keep disposables on hand for when we spend a day in town so if babe gets a rash, we just switch over to disposables for a bit, though my favorite goat lotion brand just started making butt cream, so I’m anxious to try that. I’ve found soap nuts to be awesome at getting the diapers clean in the wash, but a few of my girls are allergic to them so I have to use them sparingly as it does stick around in the washing machine. I’ve been cloth diapering for 10 years and always manage to find a tip in a post like this, thank you.
Thanks Tabitha!
It might very well be the detergent you’re using that is causing you to need to strip your diapers, and not the coconut oil. SoapNuts is not a recommended detergent, because it is actually a soap and not a detergent. This can cause soap scum to build up on fabrics, and trap soil and bacteria. I highly recommend choosing a detergent from the Detergent Index on the Fluff Love University website, which you can find here: http://www.fluffloveuniversity.com/how-to-wash-cloth-diapers/detergent-index/
I know you said you just use SoapNuts sparingly, so do check to see if your other detergent(s) are recommended or not as well.
As for the coconut oil, you just need a very small amount when applying it to your baby. Coconut oil is safe for cloth.
Props to you for cloth diapering for 10 years! Always great to connect with other cloth mamas!
What would be a good alternative for coconut oil? My DIL is highly allergic to it and we don’t wanna attempt it with my grandson.
Hi Brenda, Boudreaux’s Natural Butt Paste is a good, cloth-safe option for a diaper cream. It does NOT contain coconut oil. If you’re changing often enough and keeping the area clean and dry, you don’t *necessarily* need to use a diaper cream as a preventative, but this is a good option if you do prefer to or if LO is starting to get a rash.
Great tips, Nicolle!
I totally agree with sunning. It works wonders with the odors. The fresh smell is something not achievable using a dryer.
I’ve also tried coconut oil, and I’m loving it. It’s anti-bacterial/anti-fungal and super moisturizing, which is great for babies’ skin as their skin is very delicate and sensitive. However, do make sure to buy from a reputable brand and make sure that there’s no added fragrance/perfume. While it shouldn’t be a problem for most babies, always test out using a small amount first and discontinue if there are any signs of allergies or irritations.
Thank you Eve! Excellent advice. I always recommend buying 100% organic, cold-pressed, and unrefined coconut oil. It’s a very good idea to test a small amount first when trying anything new. Thanks for pointing that out!
I’ve been too scared to go with cloth diapers. It would definitely save on money though. We use coconut oil for dapper rash, baby lotion, nipple cream, and to prevent thrush!
Cloth diapers can be intimidating, but once you get into the swing of things, it’s really quite easy! Huge money saver if you use them on multiple kiddos. And, yes, coconut oil can be used for so many things. It’s really quite amazing!
I think sunning is hands down the best thing you can do with your cloth diapers. Besides removing stains I have noticed it can help with odors. These are some amazing tips.
Thank you Megan! Isn’t it amazing what nature can do?! The UV rays actually break down chemical bonds.
I’ve been cloth diapering for two years now and love it. These cloth diaper hacks are great! The sun really works at getting stains out, I was so surprised when I tried it. I agree that coconut oil is the best for baby’s skin – I use it to make my own cloth wipe solution too.
That’s awesome Meghan! I’ve never bothered with making wipe solutions, but I can see why coconut oil is so great for it.
It’s anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and so soothing on the skin!