Cloth Diapering - T-Shirt Diapers

I mentioned before that I was going to do a post on my cloth diapering attempt, so here it is! If you don't want to cloth diaper I still suggest you read how to do this. It's great to know just in case there is a natural disaster or even if you don't have another option down the road. It's good knowledge to have.

OK, this is my third... or fourth... attempt at cloth diapering and I think I've finally figured it out. Now I know there are a LOT of different ways to cloth diaper from what you use to how you do it, but this is what we finally figured out works for us! I'll admit that a LOT (if not most) of these ideas cam from Cloth Diapers by Cotton Babies If I'm remembering right, the only original idea I use is the fleece insert.

Here is what you will need:

• A T-Shirt (Medium is fine for smaller babies, but for toddlers or really big babies, I'd suggest large)
• A piece of fleece (no sewing needed, just cut a rectangle that will fit inside the diaper)
• Safety Pins OR a Snappi
• A waterproof diaper cover (I'm using the cheap ones you can find Wal-Mart until my Bummis come in the mail)
• Wet Wipes
• Optional: Non-Chlorine bleach.

Below is what the Snappi looks like.
They are SO easy to use, I will never mess with pins again!

Your fleece can be any color, it doesn't matter. Just whatever scraps you have laying around. BUT, if you stay away from brow or green colors, it is a LOT easier to tell if your child is poopy before you open up the diaper for a change.

The first thing you'll need to do is take your t-shirt and lay it out flat as shown below, smoothing it out as best you can. Make sure you do it on a flat hard surface, it will save you time rather than trying to keep it flat and smooth on the couch or bed or even the carpet.

Once you have it flattened, hold the top and bottom of the shirt about one third of the way over, (about at the edge of the collar and straight across to the bottom edge) and fold it into thirds. It should look something like this when you are done:

Then take the top and fold it down so the sleeve folds in half. If your t-shirt's sleeves arent straight across (like mine aren't) they wont be exactly in half. That's OK, you can just fold the top shoulder seam down to meet the arm-pit seam.

Then fold the bottom of the t-shirt up to meet the collar:

If your child is bigger, you don't have to fold the bottom all the way up, it just depends on how big your baby is. You may need to play with the finished length a bit your first time to see where is best for you.

This is that part that is ingenious (if I do say so myself). Take your fleece scrap and lay it flat in the diaper. Fleece isn't really a really absorbent fabric, so it allows wet to pass through and be absorbed by the t-shirt diaper while pulling a lot of the moisture away from baby, but the best part is that it also catch solids so all you need to rinse out in the toilet is that little piece of fabric, not the whole t-shirt! I'm so SMART! :) The best part about this, is the fleece doesn't fray so you don't have to sew the edges.

Once you've done all that, simply fold the bottom of the diaper up to meet the top, and fold te sleeves over like so:

I fold all my diapers fresh as soon as they come out of the dryer. So I just have a stack of ready-to-use diapers:

When you are ready to use the diaper, just grab one and open it like you would a store bought diaper, and lay it under your child:

Wrap the bottom up and over, then hold

Pull the sleeves up and around your child's waist like so:

The you are ready to pin the sleeves in place, or just stretch your snappi like this! Once you've done that, you just need to put the diaper cover on your little one and they are ready to go!

MY favorite thing about the t-shirt diapers is that they get so much cleaner in the wash than other diapers I've used or seen because they open up completely! Also, because they are pretty much in the shape of a diaper already, they keep their shape once on the child much better, and they are a lot easier to fold in the first place. Not to mention you can use just about any t-shirt you want. If you have a bunch of old t-shirts just laying around, you've already got what you need! If not, just go to the yard sales around pick up a bunch for wicked cheap. You can always wash them a few times before you put them on your baby's bum. These are great for emergencies, as well as the fact that they really take so little skill and time to use!

Happy diapering!

Past Posts you might find interesting:
It's OK to be Lazy... Just Plan For It
Rewards vs. Value
Discovering Self Reliance - Part 1
Menu Planning & Planning "Alternative"
Smith's Shopping Trip 5/4/11