Works For Me Wednesday: Cloth Diapers

I started using cloth diapers on Caleb when he was about 12 months old, right around the time I quit working full-time. I tried several different types/ systems before settling on what works for me. Alexa has been cloth diapered since she came home from the hospital.

The type of diaper I prefer is called a pocket diaper. Basically, it is a waterproof outer layer with a stay dry inner layer. Then, the pocket of the diaper is stuffed with the whatever absorbent material you choose. I use microfiber inserts and trifolded microfiber towels.
Here is the diaper stuffed and ready to go. This is a one-size diaper known as a Haute Pocket. The lower snaps adjust the size to small, medium, or large. The upper snaps adjust the waist size. These diapers fit Alexa at birth (granted she was 9lbs 11 oz), and they also fit Caleb now at 32 lbs. This particular brand also comes in velcro closure, and we have some of those as well.
Happy Heinys are another brand I like. They have a velcro closure and come in 6 different sizes. In my experience, kids get the most wear out of the medium size. Alexa started wearing a medium at a few months old and still fits well in one now. If she stays tiny like she is now, she may never need a large before she potty trains.
I also use cloth wipes. I have some cute ones and some plain ones. I keep a basket of dry wipes at the changing station as well as a squirt bottle of water. I just wet them as I need them.
I have a 13 gallon trash can in the kids' room that serves as a diaper pail. I have 2 cloth laundry bags that I line it with. When it is time to wash diapers, the bag goes in the wash with the diapers. I wash diapers about every 2-3 days. First I rinse and soak them in cold water. Then I run a long, hot cycle with 1/4 the normal amount of detergent. Every month or so, I run an extra hot rinse or two to make sure all the soap gets rinsed out. Every 6 months or so (it's about time for this) I bleach the inserts with just a tiny bit of bleach to keep them stain free and smelling fresh. I dry the diapers in the dryer on medium. Then they sit in the basket for awhile until I get around to stuffing them. :)
I must admit that when I just had Caleb, I used cloth a lot more. We took cloth diapers on Sundays to church, when we were on outings, and he even wore them at night. Once Alexa arrived, it just got to be too much. Also, I was having problems with Caleb's diaper leaking at night. So, I decided to cloth diaper during they day time when we are at home. We use disposables away from home and at night. That's what works for me.