So Cloth Diapers? How Do You Clean Cloth Diapers?

Having a baby means taking on chores that you have possibly never considered before. Cloth diapers? How do you use cloth diapers?! How do you CLEAN cloth diapers?! What is the deal with cloth diapers?!

Most cloth diapers come in 2 parts. The outer shell (which is where the patterns and things are) and the inner liner. Some brands have a pocket, others don’t have a pocket for the liners. When you are cleaning a soiled diaper you would remove the diaper from the baby. Put a new one on and then deal with the cleaning of the diaper. I feel it’s necessary to point that out. Baby’s health and safety are more important than “how to clean cloth diapers.” 

When you get to the cleaning of the diaper, the thing to focus on most here, the most important part, if you will,  is dealing with poop.  The easiest way to deal with it is to flush it in the  toilet right away. Don’t let the poop sit until later to be dealt with or you will not have a good time trying to clean the cloth diapers. Flushing in the toilet is the best method to use in ideal circumstances with firm poop. That doesn’t always happen. If it’s not firm, well…here is a video to give you a few ideas on how to deal with that. That is beyond the scope of this article.

Overnights are the second biggest challenge for diapering times. Making it overnight, or even to the next feeding (in the case of younger children or newborns) can seem like a challenge with cloth diapers. Most of the diapers on this list have solved that problem already. 

Cloth diapers have some really great patterns and designs you can use with them and the selection beats the pants (lol) off the disposable diapers.

These diapers are of good quality and a reasonable price. They are soft and very well made!  The prints are neutral. I only had them for a short time but they seem to wash well and are very absorbent. These have a liner pocket, which helps with placement and holding the liner in place.

This pack also comes with a “wet bag” which is where the liners go while waiting to be washed. The bag itself can go in the washing machine and the video has a good example of why the wet bag is a handy thing to have. 

What makes them so great is that unlike many other, the space for the leg is actually wide enough for baby’s chubby legs. They’re not the fanciest but so so comfortable. Also, never have they leaked!

When talking about how to use cloth diapers it’s good to mention that it’s always a good idea to wash cloth diapers before their first use. Make sure to wash colours separately.  It usually will take a few washes to reach its full absorbency (could be 6 washes or more).

Place the insert inside the nappy through the open pocket in the back Liquid will be absorbed through the inner layer of the nappy to the insert More than one insert may be needed when sleeping or when necessary Nappy should be changed every 2-3 hours, and when damp, to prevent nappy rash Remove and rinse off the residuals (knock solids into toilet), then store in dry pail

Some parents have suggested doubling the inserts for overnight with these diapers with some success. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it a full 12 hours. But some babies do sleep very hard, and who wants to wake them if you don’t have to?



Mama Koala is a pocket cloth diaper, and that means it’s got a pocket for the liner. These guys tout their waterproof and breathable outer shell and their stay dry inner liners protect the baby from moisture.  These inner liners are made of microfibre, so it’s very soft and very absorbent. 

These diapers have adjustable snaps to fit your baby exactly right (8 – 35lbs) and they’ve got some great reviews. Some people were concerned with the microfiber, as it’s not suppose to be close to baby’s skin. But they have pockets to protect the baby and the microfiber really improves the absorption. A lot of other cloth diapers use microfiber, so this isn’t a huge deal. Just worth mentioning. 

Made of pure, 100% premium cotton in a lint-free, tightly woven gauze. No unwanted or toxic chemicals touching your baby’s precious skin, whether you use them as a diaper or a burp cloth. Gentle on skin yet incredibly strong, they stay crisp, white and fresh and never pilling or shrink far past the time your little one wears or uses them

These cloths make the best burp cloths! They are very thick, very absorbent, and don’t shrink when washing. I added some ribbon to the edges to jazz them up and they are perfect. Highly recommend

These diapers have a double gusset inner and 4 layer inserts for maximum leak protection.  These grow with your little one. Five rows of adjustable snaps allow for small/medium/large size in one cloth diaper, fit newborn infants to toddlers. 

I bought them because of the price and the fact that they came with the liners that help catch poop & allow you to use diaper cream. Some other pros are the double gussets! We have not had a single leak while using these diapers no matter what insert I use (even just the microfiber it comes with) and my son is a heavy wetter! 

These diapers do seem to run smaller than other brands we’ve used (Alva Baby & LBB), but this is a pro for us because they fit my smaller 1 year old easily. The beauty of cloth diapering is that I still plan to use them with my newborn as well! 

Leave a Comment