It's not you, it's your HE washing machine...

We field a lot of questions about stink around these parts.  Usually, people assume cloth diaper stink is related to their washing routine, however, if your cloth diapers have developed a persistent mildew-y smell (not ammonia!), your fancy-dancy high efficiency washing machine may actually be the culprit.  


High efficiency washing machines are prone to stink for a number of reasons:

• front-loading machines always retain some wetness 
• front-loading machines are tightly sealed
• front-loading machines do not use much water, as a result, detergent residue may buildup within the machine

The stink that develops in your machine can transfer to the items washed in your washing machine, including your cloth diapers.  This problem is widespread enough that a class-action lawsuit has been put forth in the (good ol' litigious) USA.  

Often times, people who are dealing with persistent funk will regularly strip their cloth diapers to keep the smell at bay, however, a plausible reason why this approach works is that they are actually stripping their washing machine.  The ingredients found in RLR, a laundry treatment that removes buildup from fabric, are quite similar to those found in Affresh, a product used to remove odor causing bacteria and buildup from HE washing machines -- you might think you're stripping your cloth diapers, but you're actually stripping your washing machine!

If you have funky-smelling diapers, and you suspect your washing machine may be to blame, there are several steps you can take to remedy the situation:

• use a detergent recommended for use with an HE machine.
• use the recommended amount of detergent.
• always leave your washing machine's door ajar between uses.  
• don't let wet clothes sit in your washing machine for an extended period.
• regularly clean the gasket surrounding the machine's door opening.  This gasket tends to hold water, and it acts as a catch-all for hair, lint, and other small items that may get trapped (hair, socks, washcloths, etc.).
• regularly clean your washing machine's filter -- I had the pleasure of cleaning our machine's filter this afternoon, I was surprised about the amount of debris and guck that had accumulated, never mind the skunky water that had been sitting at the bottom of the machine.
• clean your washing machine as indicated by the manufacturer on a monthly basis-- read your instruction manual!

A stinky washing machine can not only affect your cloth diapers, it may transfer stink to other clothing items, and your laundry room may develop an odor.  Rather than regularly stripping your cloth diapers, which can be a time-consuming process, and which may cause undue wear & tear on your diapers, giving some TLC to your HE washing machine may be a more effective approach.

No washing machine = no cloth diapers?

Occasionally, expecting parents come into the store, and comment that they *can't* use cloth diapers because they don't have laundry facilities in their house or apartment. While I can appreciate these circumstances may make using cloth diapers more challenging, it certainly doesn't make using cloth diapers impossible.

If you don't own a washing machine, you can still use cloth diapers:

• use a diaper service. Not as cost-effective as buying and washing your own cloth diapers, but certainly a better alternative to disposable diapers.
• invest in a mini washing machine. The Wonderwash portable washer is suited to washing small loads, making it ideal for washing cloth diapers. With its small footprint, and low pricetag (less than $50.00!), it's a worthwhile investment for anyone who lacks access to laundry facilities.
• wash your cloth diapers in a laundromat. Sure, it will cost more money than washing cloth diapers in your own washing machine, but you'll still spend far less money than if you were to use disposable diapers. You can offset the cost of a laundromat by buying more cloth diapers, and washing less frequently. If budget is an issue, buy your cloth diapers a few at a time before junior makes his debut, or consider using prefolds. Line-drying your cloth diapers in your home or apartment will also offset the cost of a laundromat, while reducing the time you spend at the laundromat.
• wash your cloth diapers in someone else's washing machine. Make use of the laundry facilities at a friend's or relative's house. If nothing else, it's a good excuse to visit often -- you do the laundry while Grandma enjoys the extra cuddle time with junior.
• hand-wash your cloth diapers in the bathtub. Granted, this approach isn't for the faint of heart, but I've hand-washed cloth diapers on vacation, and I lived to speak about it. You can use paper liners or a mini-shower to make dealing with poopy diapers easier, and I would suggest you invest in a pair of rubber gloves, but it's definitely doable.

So there you have it. No washing machine? No problem! Not owning a washing machine is not a barrier to washing clothing (paper clothing, anyone?), there's no reason it should be a barrier to washing cloth diapers. And besides, you can always put the money you save by using cloth diapers towards the purchase of a shiny, new washing machine, right?

I'll tell you my laundry routine if you tell me yours!

It took a while (six months!), but I've finally figured out a cloth diaper washing routine that I like. After replacing my beloved large capacity toploader with a handy-dandy new Samsung HE frontloading machine, my diaper washing routine required a little tweaking. Since my last update in July, I have further tweaked things, eliminating the need for a monthly stripping (the diapers, not me!). Drum roll, please!

1) I'm washing every 3-5 days (with the toploader, I would wash every 7 days).

2) I'm more vigilant about removing every speck of poop from Grace's diapers.

3) I've eschewed using a sopping wet towel to weigh down the load in favor of pouring extra water directly onto the diapers after I've loaded them into the machine. The plastic "Simply Orange" juice bottle is well-suited for this purpose, I pour three bottles of water onto the diapers, adding an additional five liters of water to the washing machine.

4) I do a pre-rinse (no detergent).

5) I pour three more bottles (another five liters!) of water onto the diapers.

6) I add detergent (a half scoop of Country Save at this particular point in time), running the machine's 'white' cycle, which is a hot wash, followed by a double rinse (cold water).

The pre-rinse in addition to the extra water has worked wonders, I was stripping Grace's diapers with RLR on a monthly basis (and that does work really well to remove stink), but not stripping diapers at all is nice

So there you have it. The frontloader and I are finally friends, cue applause!

Got guck?

From time to time, we get customer calls about leaks. Usually (more often than not) this is an easy problem to solve. We have a pretty fabulous troubleshooting guide on our website, it does a good job of identifying leak problems and solutions. One cause of leaks is repelling caused by diaper cream build-up. In general, you should avoid using zinc-based creams, or creams that contain fish oils. You should only use cream to *treat* rash (not prevent it), you should use a small amount, and you should use a paper liner to prevent the cream from touching your diapers.

How do you know if you have a repelling issue? The diaper will leak, but it will not feel wet. If you pour water onto the diaper to test it, it will likely bead up and roll off the diaper. In the case of a pocket diaper, you need to apply pressure to the fleece or microsuede lining to check for repelling. If you the water pools, stick your finger in the puddle, and it should go through the lining into the insert -- if nothing happens, you've got a repelling pocket diaper.

We recently had a customer complaining of repelling issues with her bumGenius pocket diapers. Initially, she was quite sure she was dealing with a product defect, however, she left some diapers at the store, and it was quite evident that the repelling was caused by the use of a zinc-based diaper cream. Although the care instruction label clearly indicates 'no rash creams', she has been using Desitin diaper cream on an ongoing basis, resulting in a very severe repelling issue -- what good is a cloth diaper if it doesn't absorb? Unfortunately, using rash creams voids the Cotton Babies warranty, in fact, most (if not all) cloth diaper manufacturers recommend against using barrier creams with their diapers.


Understandably, this customer was upset that she has hundreds of dollars worth of diapers that no longer work. She had been advised by Cotton Babies to strip her diapers using 'blue' Dawn dishwashing detergent, however, we are in Canada, Cotton Babies customer service is in the US, and it would seem that 'blue' Dawn down there is something entirely different than 'blue' Dawn up here. The only 'blue' Dawn available to Canadians is 'Dawn PLUS with power scrubbers', which is labelled as containing 'enzymes and surfactants', which most cloth diaper manufacturers recommend against. In place of Dawn Original, you'll need to find a dishsoap that cuts grease, I used the generic Sobey's brand Our Compliments grease-fighting detergent (it's green, if you care!).

Before stripping the diapers, I checked the inserts to see if they still absorbed -- they sucked up water, so I didn't need to strip the inserts (phew!). I wet the pocket shells and squirted dishsoap directly onto the affected areas. It can be tough to see the zinc cream against white microsuede, holding the shells up to the sun made the cream obvious, or looking at the underside of the microsuede revealed the problem areas. I used a toothbrush to scrub the dishsoap into the affected areas, then I used both hands to scrub the microsuede together. I left the pocket shell folded in half for an hour or so, rinsed it out, and scrubbed it down a second time with dishsoap and a toothbrush, focusing on the affected areas again. At this point I put the diapers into an overnight soak with dishsoap and Rockin' Green Soap (if you've seen their Youtube video on diaper residue, you'd understand why!). In the morning, I rinsed the pocket shells and washed them in our frontloader with extra water, on a hot wash cycle with a double rinse, again using the Rockin' Green Soap.

When all is said and done, there are still stains left on the pocket shells (albeit fainter), but (but!) they are absorbing now. If I hadn't been able to strip the pockets successfully, the diapers wouldn't have been a write-off, the customer could have worked around the repelling issue by using the pocket shells like covers, and simply laying the inserts on top of the microsuede lining. She would lose the stay-dry effect of the microsuede, but the diapers would at least work.

I will be returning the diapers to the customer tomorrow, along with a free pack of RLR (it would be wise to strip the diapers after using scrubbing them with dishsoap) and the remainder of the dishsoap and Rockin' Green Soap (she still has to fix the remainder of her diapers, and I want her to be successful at it!). If you experience leaks with your diapers, it's more than likely a fixable problem, and if you adhere to the manufacturers' recommended care instructions, you won't run the risk of voiding their warranty if you do run into problems down the road. Treat your diapers well, and they'll treat you well right back!

What detergent should you use to wash your cloth diapers?

If you already use cloth diapers, you know that how well your diapers wash largely depends on the type of detergent you use to wash them. If you use a HE washing machine, the type of detergent you use is even more important. For this reason, we offer the most comprehensive of detergents approved for use with cloth diapers in Canada. When selecting what detergent you will use, it's important to realize that different people will have different results dependent on the type of machine they use, and the quality of water used to wash the diapers. As a result, it may take some trial and error to figure out a detergent and washing routine that suits your needs, however, it's worth the effort -- a good washing routine will ensure clean, fresh-smelling diapers.

Often times, when we talk to customers about detergent, I can't help but feel like we're trying to upsell to the customer, and I think a lot of people assume that anything 'natural' comes with a hefty pricetag. However, if you look at the cost/load breakdown below, you'll see that most of our detergents actually cost *less* than what you can purchase at the grocery store. For example, a box of "Tide HE Powder 80 use" costs $15.97 at http://www.wal-mart.ca/, which works out to 20 cents/load for HE machines.

Nellies detergent

$22.00/120 loads

18 cents/load

At this point, Nellies is the hands-down favourite amongst out customers, many of whom have found it ideal for washing with a frontloader. It is our most cost-effective option for people who have standard top-loading washers. Nellies is hypoallergenic, and it leaves your clothes soft, fresh, and residue free. Its concentrated formula only one tablespoon per wash is needed, even in large loads. If you're concerned about using a powder, rest-assured its fine texture washes completely out, it's not thick and clumpy like typical powdered detergents.

Wonderwash powdered detergent

$8.00/36 loads

22 cents/load

In an effort to conserve packaging, and to lower your costs, we purchase Wonderwash powder in bulk, and repackage it for you in kraft paper bags. Yes, it's a little more work for us, but it shaves off about 10 cents/load for you. This detergent has undergone lab testing to establish that it washes out of laundry completely, leaving no residue behind.

Wonderwash liquid detergent

$26.00/67 loads

39 cents/load

Same as above, but in liquid form. You'll notice the jump in cost/load, we can't repackage liquid, sorry!

Rockin' Green Soap (soft rock)

$20.00/90 loads (HE) or 45 loads (standard top-loader)

22 cents/load (HE machine) 44 cents/load (standard top-loader)

Rockin' Green Soap is the only detergent we sell that has been specifically formulated for cloth diapers. The 'soft rock' formula is suitable for those with sensitive skin, and it's recommended if you have soft/medium-hard water. Rockin' Green soap is scednted with a mixture of synthetic and essential oils -- there are approximately 10 drops of fragrance oil per 45 load batch so the amount of oil in each load is negligible. When you wash your cloth diapers in Rockin' Green Soap, they will not hold the scent of the detergent because it is made to wash away completely.

Allens Naturally liquid detergent

$17.oo/128 loads (HE) or 32 loads (standard top-loader)

13 cents/load (HE machine) 53 cents/load (standard top-loader)

For years, Allens Naturally has been lauded by Mother of Eden, the manufacturers behind Fuzzibunz diapers, as the best detergent for washing their pocket diapers. With an endorsement like that, how could we not sell it?

Countrysave detergent

$10.99/80 loads (HE) or 40 loads (standard top-loader)

14 cents/load (HE machine) 27 cents/load (standard top-loader)

Like Wonderwash, Countrysave detergent has also undergone lab testing to prove that it washes away completely. Countrysave detegent contains borax, a natural water softener, so if you have hard water, it may be a good detergent for you.

Kaley's soapnuts

$18.00/500 grams

Soapnuts are a fruit grown on the Rittha Tree; when the fruit ripens and falls from the tree, local families harvest them and remove the inner fruit from the outer shell. The shell is then dried in the sun, using no chemical or manufacturing processes. The shell of the fruit has a protective waxy coating which contains saponin. When the soapnut is used to wash clothes, the saponin acts as a water surfactant reducing the surface tension of the water and freeing the dirt, grime and oils from the clothing, leaving your clothes clean and fresh without the use of any harmful synthetic products.The locals of India have been using the soap nuts for centuries as a safe and effective way to clean their clothes. Kaley's Soap Nuts are ethically sourced from India.

Regardless of what detergent you use, please keep in mind the old adage 'less is more' -- don't throw in three times the recommended amount of detergent in an effort to get your diapers 'extra' clean. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that, you will only cause yourself a headache down the road, detergent residue build-up is often a culprit of smelly diapers, reduced absorbency, and diaper rash. Use 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent.

If you have a 5-gallon jug of detergent sitting on your laundry room shelf, and you're unsure of whether or not it's safe to use with cloth diapers, please refer to the Diaper Jungle's list of recommended detergents, they list many brands. Bummis also regularly tests detergents, they have a list of recommended detergents that is regularly updated.

If you are unsure, you should err on the side of caution and purchase a cloth diaper-friendly detergent. As much as it sucks not to use that $30 jug of store-bought detergent that may or may not be good for cloth diapers, it sucks even more to ruin your $300 stash of Fuzzibunz! All of the detergents we sell are suitable for use with cloth diapers as well as your regular laundry.

Dealing with stinky diapers...

Stinky diapers stink, both literally and figuratively! If you've been following along, you'll know we bought a shiney new HE frontloading washing machine a couple of months ago. Almost immediately, we had issues with stinky diapers. After fiddling around with my washing routine, and incorporating some of your helpful suggestions, I've gotten the problem mostly under control, save for a pesky musty smell, which was definitely an improvement. So what, you ask, causes diaper stink? There are a few common culprits:

• adding too much detergent
• using the wrong kind of detergent
• not using enough water
• having hard water
• washing synthetic diapers (synthetic fibers are more prone to stink)

Adding confusion to the issue, not all washing routines are created equally -- dependent on your machine, the quality of your water, the type of diapers you are washing, and the type of detergent you are using, different approaches to washing diapers will work for different situations (translate: there's no 'easy fix', you'll have to figure out your washing routine yourself!).

Here are some general tips to keep the stink at bay:

• wash your diapers more frequently -- the longer your dirty diapers sit, the more likely they are to smell.


• use as much water as you can. If you have a machine that allows you to select a load size, set it one size larger than the actual load (ie, if you're washing a 'small' load, set the machine's load size to 'large'). If you have a machine that adds water based on the weight of the load, add a wet towel to the diapers to weigh the load down.


• use a manufacturer-recommended detergent. Avoid anything with whiteners, brighteners, enzymes, perfumes, and dyes.


• use 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent -- measure it, don't eyeball it!


• add an extra rinse.


• sun your diapers when possible (the UV light can kill odor-causing bacteria).


• line your diaper pail with a wetbag that's washed everytime you wash your diapers (so they're not sitting in a stinky pail).

There are some products you can buy to help prevent diaper stink if it's recurring issue.


bumGenius odor remover quickly eliminates the source of odor-causing bacteria in cloth diapers. Designed to eliminate the odors in diapers and diaper pails, it also works great on pet urine, trash cans and more! It is non-toxic, biodegradable and is completely free of chemicals or oils, detergents, perfumes and solvents. Use instead of deodorizing disks.

Do you think you have hard water? It will affect everything you launder, not just your cloth diapers. Aside from installing a water softener, there are a couple quick, relatively inexpensive fixes. You could add Calgon water softener to your washing routine, it can be found in the laundry aisle at most grocery stores. Alternately, you could use a detergent that contains sodium borate, like Rockin' Green Soap, or CountrySave.

Magnetballs are a reusable option, simply add one to the washing machine with every load. How do they work? Quite simple, actually. As water passes through the magnetic field of the Magnetball or the Universal Magnetrod, dissolved calcium molecules in the water will spontaneously form calcium crystals. The magnetic field in the water will then cause the calcium crystals to break up into smaller, disc-shaped calcium particles that are easily flushed out with the water instead of attaching themselves to surfaces, appliances or clothing.
The result is a drastic reduction in the hardness of the water, because magnetically treated calcium crystals will release several hundred H20 molecules per single calcium molecule. The ability of water to dissolve dirt is therefore greatly increased.

OK, I didn't compose that text, it was provided by the distributor, but you get the gist of it, right?

Lastly, we've recently added one more weapon to our arsenal of stink-busters. RLR Laundry treatment. Is has clearly been around for a while, judging from the packaging (what? There's no laundry-related stock photography they could have used from 1990 onwards? I know retro is back, but I'm not sure this outfit qualifies! Do people even wear collared shirts anymore?). But I digress.

This is a product specifically designed to remove detergent residue and mineral deposits from laundry. It is not a bleach, blueing, or detergent. I tried a package last night, and spent about a half hour thrusting random diapers into my children's faces, instructing them to "Smell! Do you smell anything?" The musty smell was banished from even the worst-offending bum wipe, I was pretty impressed. If you regularly deal with cloth diaper stink, adding RLR to your routine on a monthly basis can keep the stink at bay.

So do you want to know what my new HE-friendly diaper washing routine involves? I've tweaked our washing routine according to some of your fabulous suggestions:

• I wash our diapers more frequently. No more 5-7 days between washing diapers, I try to wash them every 3 days. In the house of never-ending laundry, it's not so hard. If you must know, I'm washing our diapers with our whites on a regular basis. Don't tell my children, they'd be horrified if they knew.
• I'm more vigilant about taking the poop off Grace's diapers -- I shake what I can off, then rinse the rest of it off.
• I pour almost 4 liters of water directly on top of the diapers after I've loaded them into the machine (instead of adding a sopping wet towel, which also works).
• I always measure the detergent (no eyeballing), using 3/4 the recommended amount (and I'm sticking to the Nellies).
• I do a hot wash/cold rinse, and I've added an extra rinse at the end of the washing cycle.

We're pretty thrilled with the RLR Laundry Treatment, all instore (Ottawa) purchases and online purchases today through September 6th will receive a free pouch of RLR Laundry Treatment. Try it, you'll like it!

Switching from a standard top-loader to a front-loading HE machine -- oy vey!

It's been two weeks, and I have been schooled in the art of washing cloth diapers in a high efficienty (HE) machine. First time I washed a load of diapers in our sparkly new HE machine, I was struck by a few things:

1. It is totally gross to empty diapers out of a hard pail into a front-loading machine. Totally. Gross. We've used a hard pail around these parts for 8 years now, and although this is our last baby, and she will be out of diapers shortly, I am switching to Mother of Eden's hanging laundry pail. In fact, I think a change from all of our laundry baskets to fabric laundry bags is in order -- as *not* thrilled as I am about getting dirty diapers into the front-loader, I am even *less* thrilled about getting my husband's dirty underwear in there.
2. The HE machine uses way, way, way, way (to the nth degree, really) less water. We encountered stink issues pretty much immediately. So how can you combat stink? I'm now using the advice I've doled out to HE users for years -- add a sopping wet bath towel to the load to make it heavier so you can trick your washing machine into using more water (this is what it's come to? Me vs. the washing machine? It's like Terminator over here, people!). I'm also doing an extra rise after I wash the diapers. Do I feel bad about using more water? Heck no! We adhere to "If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" in this household, the point being, we cut our water use other ways. I only use run the dishwasher when it's full, I take short showers, I bathe 3 of the 4 kids together, don't judge me!
3. I really must be vigilant about taking the poop off Grace's diapers. We typically don't have to deal with this issue b/c before the summer, most of her poops went right into the toilet, but it's summer, she's eating more fruit, and her bum has a mind of it's own. Previously, I just took the bulk of the poop out of the diaper, my former machine (bless her heart) managed to get the rest of the poop of the diapers. *sniff* I miss my old washing machine! We had a mini-shower previously, DH took it off b/c he was worried about the kids having a water fight, specifically, the boy, I wouldn't put it past him either. Either DH reinstals the mini-shower, or he takes over poop duty. I strongly suspect he'll go with plan A.

I haven't changed the detergent I use, I'm still using Natureclean, though perhaps I need to actually measure it instead of eyeballing it.

I hope I love my new washing machine soon. I was so excited to get it, and stink issues really are not fun!

Does anyone out there care to share anymore tips? Anyone?

The Scoop on Poop!

It's inevitable. I'm not talking about death. I'm not talking about taxes. I'm talking about poop. If you have a baby, you cannot avoid it. Unless you're Angelina Jolie, in which case you likely have a team of people dedicated to the issue b/c you don't want to get it under your freshly manicured nails (come on, you *know* she doesn't change diapers!), but for the rest of us regular folks, changing poopy diapers is a fact of life, regardless of whether your child wears disposables or cloth diapers.

A common question in the store is "How do I deal with poopy diapers". When your baby is a newborn, if you're breastfeeding, her poop is water-soluble. What does that mean? It means you don't need to scrape or soak a poopy diaper before throwing it in the laundry bag or diaper pail -- the poop will just wash away in your washing machine (and don't worry, it won't leave a trace behind in the machine, we promise!). You may notice yellow staining, but sunning your diapers periodically will take care of that, and remember, if your diapers smell clean, they are clean (stains are just an aesthetic issue).

If you're formula-feeding, or if your baby has started eating enough solids to change the consistency of her poop, then you must remove the bulk of the poop from the cloth diaper before washing it. Fun fact: If you read a package of disposable diapers, you're actually meant to shake the solids out of the diaper into a toilet before tossing it, but how many parents do you think actually do that? Not very many! Our landfills aren't meant to handle raw human sewage (ewww, gross!), however, it's standard practice to wrap it up and throw it out.

There are lots of different ways to get the poop off your diaper and into the toilet, although to be honest, once your baby is eating enough solids, it will be a little ball (or log, if you will) that falls right off the diaper into the toilet, no muss, no fuss. The tricky stage is what experts (like myself) refer to as 'the peanut butter phase'. As your baby's poop is making the transition from runny, yellow breastfed poop to the aforementioned log-like poop (a gross, but accurate description), there will be a period when it will be sticky... like peanut butter! Fortunately, you have options...

1. Disposable paper liners. The idea behind a paper liner is that it provides a barrier between the diaper and your baby's bum; when he poops, you flush the liner. We sell two brands, Bummis biosoft liners (small) retail for $6.00 (100 sheets). Mioliners (wide) retail for $15.99 (200 sheets). Size aside, the major difference is that the Mioliners can be washed/dried with your diapers if they have only been peed on, they can actually be used 2-3 times before disintegrating. If they've been pooped on, they have to be flushed. I'll be honest, we tried disposable liners with Maddy (Pearson 1.0), but we found they just wadded up in the corner of her diaper. We do have lots of customers who come in to purchase them on a regular basis, so they obviously work for some babies.
2. Mini-shower bidet. You can hook this baby ($48.00) up to your toilet's existing water supply line -- basically, it allows you to hold the diaper over the toilet, and spray the poop off. If you have a flexible water supply line, no tools are required to install it; if your toilet's water supply is a copper pipe, you will have to cut it to size, which is an easy enough task. Dad's generally like the mini-showers, my husband included.
3. Special spatula. What is a 'special spatula'? Relax, you don't have to buy this one, just take a spatula out of your kitchen, label it carefully ("Warning, poop scraper!", perhaps), and keep it in your bathroom under the sink. When junior drops a load in his diaper, you can use the spatula to flick it off. Gross, yes, but highly effective. Just remember to label the special spatula!
4. Old-fashioned soak and swish. OK, this is where I cop to the fact that I don't use any gadgets to deal with poop. I've got four kids, my standards are embarrassingly low. If Grace poops in her diaper, I shake what I can into the toilet, then I put it in a sink of water (don't worry, not the kitchen sink, I said "low standards", not "no standards"), and let it soak for a bit. Then I swish it around (just holding a tiny corner, I don't jam my arm in there up to the elbow!), drain the water, and dump (more like throw) the diaper into the pail. I have no shame! I'm not sure my husband has ever witnessed this act of bravery, likely because he runs out of the room screaming like a girl everytime a baby poops in a diaper, but hey, we all have our fears.
5. Infant-pottying. You can't start too early, and it will certainly reduce the number of poopy diapers you have to deal with. If I see that Grace (she just turned one, so she has solid poops now) is pooping in her diaper (farting, followed by holding her breath, followed by a few grunts, followed by a red face....), I take her diaper off and let her finish it over the toilet. This is probably the easiest way to deal with poop, visit Diaper Free Baby for more information (there are local groups that meet in Ottawa and K-W).

In terms of when you need to start taking the poop out of the cloth diapers before washing them, you generally start your baby on solids around 6 months of ages, however, the poop won't change overnight, it's a gradual change. As a basic rule of thumb, the day you pick a chunk of food out of your washing machine is the day you want to start shaking (or spraying, or scraping) the poop out of your cloth diapers before washing them. I would say our kids were all about 8-9 months old when we (I) started removing the poop from their diapers before washing them.

So that's it. Are you impressed by how many time I was able to work the word "gross" into this piece of literature? Dealing with poop is not glamorous, no matter how you cut it. Unless you're Angelina Jolie, and perhaps you're making out with Brad Pitt while the nanny changes the twins' poopy diapers, but I digress. As I like to point out to parents-to-be, at least the cloth diaper can't move. When your baby poops in a diaper, you will have to clean his or her bits, while she is trying to stick her hands and feet in the mess. Trust me, dealing with the dirty diapers is easier!