Cloth Diapering: How We Set Up Our Nursery

Before I launch into something new I try to get as much information as possible and then I imagine how everything will go.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error.  Cloth diapering was like that for me.  Ok, it still is!  I’m still trying to figure out how to deal with my fast heavy wetter of a daughter, but that’s not what this post is about.

So what is this post about?  Well, when you do a Google or Pinterest search for cloth diapering, many of the posts are about washing those diapers.  But there is a lot more to do with diapers than just washing them!  For example, where do you put them when it isn’t laundry day?  What do I do with a poopy diaper?  Should I use cloth wipes or disposable?  Where should those wipes go?  What kind of wipe solution should I use if I am using cloth?  The list could go on and on.

Now for some, all this might seem obvious, or not that big of an issue.  For others these might be the exact questions that you are trying to figure out.  So I’m going to share how we set up our nursery for cloth diapering.

Here’s the change table in the nursery.

1. A place to keep the clean diapers.  The top left and center boxes are where we keep the clean, stuffed diapers.  When changing E, the diapers are easily within reach and it is easy to see when we are running low and need to do laundry.  The other drawers hold washcloths, extra cloth wipes, lotions, etc.  We do also use disposable diapers at night and we have put those beside the change table for the time being.

It is hard to see, but we have two identical laundry baskets to the left of the change table.  That way we have a basket for dirty cloths as well as a basket for the diapers when they come out of the dryer.

2. A place to keep the dirty diapers.  Hanging above the laundry basket are the extra large wet bags that we use as our diaper pails.  We bought a towel hanger from Ikea, and it works great for this!  The little shelf adds for some extra space to decorate too.

The wet bags are from Colibri.  We had originally only bought one extra large wet bag, but since it goes in the laundry with the diapers (what a great way to keep it clean), we found we would have a bunch of wet diapers piling up on the change table before the bag was dry.  So we bought a second one and now we always have a bag available to hold the wet diapers.

At first this system was working great, but then our daughter reached the solid food stage and the poop changed!  It isn’t like the breastfeeding/formula baby poops that wash away in the laundry, these ones need to be rinsed first!  Ok, not a big deal.  Take the diaper to the bathroom, rinse it in the toilet, and into the wet bag…that is in the nursery.  Eww…wet dripping diaper across the carpet.  I don’t think so!  We purchased a couple regular sized bags and we keep those bags in the bathroom for quick placement of the rinsed out diaper.  These wet bags also go in the laundry so they are kept nice and clean.

You might also notice that small pink thing hanging beside the wet bag.  That is a container holding plastic diaper bags for when E poops in a disposable.  They are from the Dollarama and work great at keeping the poopy smell to a minimum.

3. What about wipes?  The first decision to make is whether you want to use cloth or disposable wipes.  Since you’re doing laundry anyways, cloth wipes can make sense.  Lots of places sell cloth wipes.  I decided to make my own.  I bought some cheap flannelette and cut it into squares.  I then folded the edges over and did a zig zag stitch to keep them from fraying when washed.  They might not be the nicest looking, but they work great!  And really, there are so many cute fabrics out there that would make great cloth wipes!

The only thing with cloth wipes is that they do require some sort of solution to wet them.  Do a Google or Pinterest search and you will find a whole bunch of ideas if you want to try some fancier solutions.  I did for awhile, but then found that I preferred the simple solution of water and baby wash.  I have a wipes warmer that my sister lent to me that I use.  It isn’t one that is meant for cloth wipes, but it still works.  At first I put the solution in the warmer along with as many wipes as could fit, but found that they started to smell bad really quickly.  So now I put the solution in the warmer (I fill it 3/4 of the way with warm tap water then mix in a squirt of baby wash) and when we need a wipe we put it in the water, wringing it out before we use it.  This system is working great for us.  The wipes warmer keeps the solution at a good temperature so E isn’t shocked when we wipe her cute little baby bum!  🙂

We keep the wipes and warmer on a plastic shelving unit right beside the change table for easy access.  The drawers in the shelving unit are perfect for storing the cloth-safe diaper rash cream and other miscellaneous baby items.

So there you have it…how we set up our nursery for cloth diapering.

How is your nursery set up?  Do you have any “why didn’t I think of that earlier” kind of moments?  I love hearing about other people’s systems, so please share!