Cloth diapering twins is not as hard or as scary as you might think. Cindi has been using cloth diapers for the past 4 1/2 years, first with her daughter and now with her twin 2-year-old boys. At one point she had all 3 of them in cloth diapers!
Cloth Diapering Twins Made Easy!
As you will see from reading her interview, cloth diapering twins is a great way to save a TON of money and is totally doable.
How many children do you have and what are their ages?
Three kids, 4 ½-year-old girl, and 2 ½-year-old twin boys.
How long have you been cloth diapering?
4 1/2 years.
Why did you decide to use cloth diapers?
Environmental reasons, cost of disposables, and cloth diapers are CUTE! And, geez, can you imagine how expensive sposies would be for twins?!!? Cloth diapering twins is so much more affordable.
What are your favorite types of diapers?
Pocket diapers are my favorite. They are easy to use and clean, bomb-proof, and have great resale value.
Tell us what’s in your diaper stash?
Now, with just the twin boys, who are nearly potty trained, I’ve got about 30 pocket diapers and a handful of AIO’s. The brands we’ve got now are Fuzzibunz, Rumparooz, Thirsties, BumGenius, JamTots Berry Plush and Rainforest pockets.
What does your washing routine look like?
Our diaper pail is a large stainless trash can with a step-open type lid that I line with a PUL extra large wet bag. I put a little dab of Tea Tree Oil and Lavender essential oil on the small fleece tab inside and occasionally a sprinkle of baking soda.
For wet diapers, I simply shake the inner into the bag and drop the cover in as well. For poopy diapers, I use a diaper shower on the toilet to spray off the poo, then drop the inner into the bag and then the cover.
To wash, I dump the diapers out of the bag into the washer, then toss in the bag. I usually set the load size to ‘large’ or ‘super’ and run a cold wash, cold rinse cycle without any detergent to rinse them well. After that cycle is done, I set the temperature to hot wash, cold rinse and add a half a scoop of Country Save or Ecover powder detergent along with with with a half a scoop of Oxyclean and run that cycle. I usually follow with another cold/cold cycle, then line dry in the laundry room or outside if the weather’s nice. If I’m in a rush to get the dipes back in the drawer or in use, I dry in the dryer.
What problems or issues have you had while using cloth and how did you fix the problem?
I haven’t really had any problems, other than sometimes getting a diaper that fit my kids poorly. In that case, I simply sold the diaper and stuck with a brand I know fit my kids better.
In 4 1/2 years of CDing, my kids have NEVER had diaper rash for anything other than eating too many clementines!
Tell us a funny cloth diaper story.
I was asked on more than one occasion (when my kids were wearing a super-stuffed diaper for bedtime) if I was afraid they would have trouble learning to walk from wearing such a fat diaper. I responded that my husband and I (as well as usually the asker) wore cloth diapers when we were babies and didn’t seem to have any lingering walking issues! It was one of the silliest concerns I’d ever heard raised!
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Not a single thing. I’m glad I learned the lessons I did as I went through the process.
What’s the best advice you have for someone just starting out?
Every family’s and every child’s needs are different, so don’t be afraid to try a few systems to see what works best for you and your child(ren).
I am SOOOO glad I decided on cloth diapering twins—the money we saved is more than worth it and I’m always glad to pass that encouragement on to any other moms of multiples that hear horror stories of all the things you “can’t” do simply because you’ve got more than one baby on your hands. For about 6 months, until my daughter potty trained, I had three kids in cloth diapers. Easy peasy!
