Okay so now you are ready to start cloth diapering, CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS and welcome to the club! You probably have chosen a few different brands to try, have done all the pre-washing that may be needed (Bamboo and hemp types need to be pre-washed several times before first use), and you are all set to go! Then you realise that your baby is going to.... GASP.... poop in your brand new beautiful cloth diapers! Well don't worry, there are several solutions to keeping your diapers stain free, and to help you clean up the messy poop. The easiest poop to clean is an exclusively breast feed baby's poop, they are completely water soluble and require no special pre-treatment or rinsing. (Another benefit to breastfeeding.) One of the most popular options for handling all other poop in a cloth diaper is a 'Diaper Sprayer'. This is a shower-head looking thing that attaches to your toilet, and literally sprays the poop off into the toilet. I personally have not bought one yet, but I have a shop sink in my laundry room to help clean messes. Also you can buy flushable diaper liners. There are several different brands that you can use such as Bummis bio-soft liners. They are flushable diaper liners that make clean up a breeze. You simply use the Bio-Soft liners to absorb the solid waste - and then you simply discard the soiled liner in the toilet and flush away the mess. They do not irritate baby's skin and are safe against their skin.
You should always wash the diapers with a cloth-diaper safe detergent such as 'Rockin Green Detergent' in cold water first to resist stains, and then followed by a hot wash to sterilize. I hang dry my diapers on a line that I made my hubby put up in the back yard. This also helps get rid of any unwanted stains; it's called "sunning". Sometimes when I am in a rush, I will dry the diapers on low-medium heat in the dryer, but doing this all the time can wear out the elastic sooner.
Using cloth diapers really keeps the smell in a lot better than disposable diapers do. I have noticed that even when my son poops I cannot really smell it without putting my nose to his butt. (Come on moms, you know you do that sometimes too! haha)
I absolutely LOVE cloth diapering and would not go back to disposables for anything. It has almost become an addiction, picking out cute new colors/patterns to put on my baby's bum. I love seeing my boys fluffy bottom, and showing his diapers off to the neighborhood moms. Cloth diapering is a lot more fun than I could have ever imagined. I used to hate doing laundry, but now I find myself really enjoying folding and stuffing my pocket diapers (shhhh don't tell my husband!). I feel a sense of accomplishment when all my fluffy stash of cloth diapers is all neatly put away in the basket. It also feels good to know that we are doing our part to help the environment. Did I mention how cute they are?
One last thing I would also like to point out is most disposable diapers tell you to flush the poop down the toilet before throwing them away anyway.
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