What do you REALLY need to cloth diaper?

Cloth diapering can be pretty addicting, and a ton of fun when you get into it.  However, when you start looking into it, things can seem overwhelming.  The terms, the types of diapers, and all the different options of things to add on can make cloth diapers look a lot harder than they actually are.

Let's bring it back to the basics...What do you REALLY need to cloth diaper?

1. Diapers.  The amount of diapers is really up to you.  Cloth diapers are not an all or nothing kind of thing. There is no cloth diaper police that are going to come to your house and make sure you are using cloth diapers 100% of the time.  We recommend 36 diaper changes for full time cloth diapering.  This will allow you to wash every other day, and have time to line dry them even in Michigan's ulta humid summers.  Newborns go though around 12-16 diaper changes a day, while older babies and toddlers will only need to be changed 6-10 times a day.  You can adjust the number you need based on how often you want to wash diapers.

2. Dirty Diaper Storage.  This can either be a wet bag that you can hang on a doorknob, changing table, or towel bar or a pail liner that goes inside a standard kitchen trash can.  We recommend having two of whatever option you choose so that there is a place to put dirty diapers when you are doing laundry.  Having a smaller wet bag for the diaper bag is also a necessity if you are cloth diapering full time.

3. Cloth Diaper Safe Detergent.  This is a must.  Even if you are just testing out cloth diapers, you do want to set yourself up for success.  Laundry detergent will make or break your cloth diaper experience.   The right laundry detergent will help prolong the life of your diapers and help prevent any issues like leaks and odor because they do not contain any enzymes, brighteners, dyes, scents, or fabric softeners.  We recommend Allen's Naturally.

That's it!  That's all you REALLY need to cloth diaper.  Of course, once you feel comfortable with this list, there are all sorts of fun things you can add on such as cloth wipes, diaper sprayers, spray pals, cloth diaper safe diaper cream, and more!

Tell us what you think.  What is REALLY a necessity for cloth diapering.