Cloth Diapering for Mummies & Daddies! Who likes to be labelled a dummy anyway… 😛
I’ve been a cloth diapering parent even before I learnt about modern cloth diapers – I guess most of us Indian parents are, thanks to the langots culture and the ‘PAMPERS or HUGGIES’ taboo, especially for newborn stage. It is all great – but I really wish I’d known about the various options that were available, ahead of time, so I didn’t have to sacrifice convenience or comfort (read: better sleep for the two of us.) If only someone had told me I could cloth diaper without having to have a water absorbent sheet underneath all the time, [these rubbery / fluffy sheets are a pain and keep the baby warmer than I’d like, so yeah, not a big fan of those] I’d have been over the moon.
Fast forward to 40 days later I was signed up on a facebook group by a lovely friend, who was as much a noob as I was and we were quite determined to make this work for us. Modern cloth diapers are as easy to use as disposable diapers, offers the same dry feeling to the baby, are leak-proof but with no rash causing chemicals. I signed up for a starter pack from Tushions.in – this came with one of each kind. I liked pockets better and bought more of those from a ton of vendors** in India and a couple from Aliexpress. At that point we were using CDs throughout the day and needed a night time solution. There were various options available in the market – since each baby is different, and for different age groups and pee patterns, different diapers work well. For us, bumpadum was a clear winner. Superbottoms, Happyflute AIO were other options that worked well too.
There’s a ton of info on Cloth Diapering India community – so much info, that you may get overwhelmed. Remember, just take the plunge. Here are some off-the-top of my mind tips:
- Invest in a couple of good quality diapers.
- Invest also in a good number of diapers since you get more to use in rotation and hence lesser wear. Not to mention, lesser stress during winters waiting for the drying line to get dry quick. (unless ofcourse, you have a dryer)
- For newborn diapering, get a couple of prefolds and snappis / boingos – these work better than any nappy pins, which I think are a hazard.
- Have a good wash routine. CDs cannot handle detergent bars, fabric softeners etc.,. You need to invest in washing powders without fragrances and softeners. I use Tide original which is easily available. I’ve used Rustic art too – this one’s great and if you are part of the Bumpadum circle you get a discount code for 10% off. *thrifty* 😀
** Some of the vendors/brands I have bought from and recommend:
Alva
Happy flute
Pororo
Smartbottoms
Superbottoms
CDS – Marvy
Training Pants from Kiddos & Aliexpress
The Grace Log 