Best Baby Registry Ever: Cloth Diapers Edition

Daytime Diapers - There are several types of cloth diapers and many, many brands of cloth diapers. It's way too much to get into in this post. Therefore, I'll do a post later next week on types of cloth diapers. Promise. Whatever you choose, plan on having enough to make it through at least two days before you have to do laundry.

Overnight Diapers - If you choose to do cloth diapers for overnight, you need to change the diaper each time Baby wakes. You're going to need something with more absorbancy, so go with a pocket diaper (Don't worry. I'll explain what pocket diaper means in that post next week.), a good insert, and a liner. Now for some mommy-to-mommy honesty... Do you like changing diapers in the middle of the night? No? Then use disposables just for nighttime. You don't have to change them each time Baby wakes, and that makes it easier for both of you to get back to sleep.

Wipes - Choose some nice, soft flannel wipes. I like these by Punkin Butt. Weird confession: I enjoy folding the wipes when they come out of the laundry. It's relaxing in an odd sort of way.

Wipes Warmer - This Prince Lionheart model works great with cloth wipes. Also be sure to register for the "Everfresh Replacement Pillows".

Wipes Solution - I love, love, love Washy Wafers Wipes Solution. They're little wafers that dissolve in warm water. For convenience I keep a measuring cup and spoon for mixing on my changing table. When you've got it mixed up, you just pour it over the wipes in your wipes warmer.

Diaper Pail - All you need is a tall garbage can with a flip-top lid. That's it.

Pail Liner - You'll need two of these so that you'll have a spare to line the pail with while you're doing diaper laundry.

Pail Powder - Pail powder is optional and gets sprinkled in the pail to help cover up any lovely smells that might escape. There are some recipes on the web for making your own, but I'm too intimidated by essential oils to attempt it. Perhaps you're braver than I. We use the Rockin' Green powder, partly because I love that they name their scents after bands that I loved in high school. For example, Smashing Watermelons.

Wet Bag - If you're adament about having a wet bag for your diaper bag, I've used these, and they're great - and very cute. My problem is that I always forget to put them back in the diaper bag (which I keep in the car) when I take them out of the laundry. If this sounds like something you might do, Munchkin/Arm & Hammer make a fine little product that dispenses little bags. Target sells it, although I couldn't locate it on their website. It's very similar to a doggie pick-up bag dispenser. Also good for holding spit-up casualties.

Diaper-Area Ointment - Cloth-diapered babies tend to get less diaper rash, so my babies are still using the same Magic Stick that we started out with. The beauty of this product is that it's hands-free. Because a person should only have to touch so much butt. If you're a twin mommy or twin mommy-to-be, you'll need one per butt. Note: Don't use regular diaper ointment creams because they can build up on your diapers, which could lead to them repelling stuff, which is the last thing you need your diapers to do.

Detergent - Some people do okay with the regular detergent they wash all of their laundry in. Not my kids. The rashes looked rather painful. I've used both Tiny Bubbles and the Bumgenius detergents, and both work great. They're specifically designed for cloth diapers, so they don't contain any fragrances or anything that will build up on your diapers that would cause you to have to strip them. The not having to strip them thing might be reason enough alone to go with a cloth diaper detergent.

And now I feel the need to write a post about cloth diaper laundry...