Inserts and covers

Cloth diapering a toddler is similar to cloth diapering a newborn in terms of inserts and covers. For larger babies, I found the pad fold to be the best and easiest. I use a mixture of flat diapers and yellow and blue Cloth-eez prefolds. The yellow ones are great for daytime use and the blue ones are best for nights since they are larger and more absorbent. Tip: I found if you fold the blue ones the opposite way they fit in a diaper better for toddlers that haven’t quite grown into that size yet.

I use homemade diaper covers size medium, along with some multi-size covers I bought online. They both work really well. The multi-size diapers are great because they should last until children are potty trained so there’s no need to keep buying larger sizes.

Washing and storing

Cloth diapering a toddler is a little different than cloth diapering a young baby or newborn. One main difference is the frequency at which they poop. Little babies can poop several times a day, even up to once after every feeding. Older babies and toddlers don’t poop that often and often develop somewhat of a schedule. After a while, older babies usually stop pooping at night.

Similarly, older babies and toddlers have a different poop consistency. Baby poop typically up to 6 months is considered water soluble, which means their poop can be rinsed with water and poured down the drain with no issue. After that, their poop becomes more solid has to be discarded before rinsing and washing. Below is my wash routine for cloth diapering a toddler. Based on the amount of diapers I have, I typically do two loads of cloth diapers a week.

Day-to-day

1. Plop any poop into toilet. Place all dirty diapers + cloth wipes in a specified dirty diaper container (ex. 12 gallon swing-top trash can)

Wash prep

1. Dump all diapers into large bucket/bathtub/large sink
2. Place all diapers without any residue (just pee/wet) back in dirty diaper container
3. Place diapers with residue + all wipes in a separate bucket and cover with water. Use a plunger (reserved for diaper use only) to agitate the diapers and wipes to remove any residue
4. Wring out all soaked diapers and wipes (rubber gloves recommended). Place them back in the dirty diaper container with the rest of the diapers
   1. Note: if using flat diapers, unfold them before putting them back in container

Wash

1. Wash diapers in hot water with a normal amount of free and clear detergent + 1/2 cup borax
2. Dry on high heat