Posted by: Amy Fong

Many cloth diapering parents did not start using cloth from the birth of their firstborn child. Like myself, many parents started out with using disposable, single-use diapers. This is because when we think "diaper", the first thing that comes to mind is generally a disposable diaper -- that is what is for sale in the supermarket or drug store, after all. Parents often do not learn about the advantages and benefits of cloth diapering until well after their first child is crawling or walking, or until they are onto their second or third child. And by the time they discover cloth, they sometimes wonder whether it is too late to make the switch.

If saving money is the motivation, transitioning to cloth can save your family some money even if the child is already one year old at the time of making the switch. A full set of new, quality cloth diapers start paying for themselves after only about 7 months or less (see here for our detailed cost comparison with disposable diapers). Your kid will be in diapers for about 2 years or more. Alternately, you can buy a set of cloth diapers second hand, for about half the price (or less) of a set of brand new diapers. In that case, the diapers will start paying for themselves in far less than 6 months, possibly as little as 3 months. And when your kid is out of diapers, if your cloth diapers have any life left, you can reuse them for subsequent children, or resell the diapers and recoup a portion of what you paid for them, further adding to your savings. Quality cloth diapers can withstand hundreds of washes and last for multiple children.

In addition to cost savings, there are other benefits to making the switch -- these include environmental and health benefits, as discussed on our "Why Cloth" page here. Disposable diapers contain dioxins (which have been linked to cancer, asthma, hormonal disorders and infertility) and sodium polyacrylate (which has been banned from use in tampons due to their link to toxic shock syndrome).  Where your baby's health is concerned, it's never too late to do something about it -- especially if it's something that she is wearing and exposed to in close proximity, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Posted by: Amy Fong

Fecal matter is gross. Untreated fecal matter ending up in landfills is even grosser. Ultimately, poop should end up in the toilet -- regardless of whether you are using cloth or disposable diapers. Most disposable diaper manufacturers have statements on their website or packaging reminding consumers to dump poop into the toilet. However, until municipalities start cracking down on human fecal matter in household garbage, I suspect that the numbers of parents who properly dump their children's poop into the toilet prior to tossing their used disposable diapers in the garbage would be quite low. 

Cloth diapering parents have no other option but to dispose of poop in the toilet -- you certainly don't want it spinning around in your washing machine!

But you probably already knew that poop needs to go into the toilet. So let's move on to the various options of HOW to get that poop into the toilet.

(Note that if your baby is exclusively breastfed, rinsing of the diaper into the toilet is optional, since milk poop is water soluble, and a proper cloth diaper washing routine will eliminate any bacteria from the poop. However, if your baby is drinking formula or eating solids, then you will need to use one of the following options to get the poop into the toilet.)

1. DIAPER SPRAYER OR HANDHELD BIDET SPRAYER - A diaper sprayer or handheld bidet sprayer is convenient for spraying poop into the toilet (just remember to use a low pressure setting, if the pressure setting is adjustable). They can be easily installed to your toilet plumbing. They typically have a button on the handle that you press to open a valve for the water spray. Diaper sprayers are not just handy for cloth diapers. When our children had transitioned to the potty we also found the diaper sprayer indispensable for rinsing out poop from the potty.

2. SHOWER WAND - if you have a shower wand that is next to the toilet, then you can use it to spray poop into the toilet (similarly to a diaper sprayer or handheld bidet sprayer).

3. LINERS - reusable or disposable liners can be used to line the diaper to make poop clean up easier. The idea is that all or most of the poop is caught by the liner, and so all you have to do is lift the liner off the diaper and shake the poop in the toilet. Some disposable liners are flushable.

4. SCRAPE INTO TOILET - use a spatula, dull knife or other utensil that you have designated for this purpose.

5. DUNK & SWISH - Grab a clean corner of the diaper, dunk it into the toilet and give it a swish or two. Often, flushing the toilet while the diaper is in the toilet helps to pull the poop away from the diaper -- be sure to hold onto the diaper while you flush.

It's best to try to get that poop off the diaper and into the toilet immediately after a change. The relatively poop-free diaper can then go into the wetbag, where it will remain until laundry day -- cloth diapers should preferably be washed every 2 - 3 days. If you get a poopy diaper when you're out and about, and there's no convenient method available to you of disposing of the poop, you can just toss the diaper, poop and all, into a wetbag, seal it up, and deal with it later when you get home.