The cloth...

I cloth diaper 99% of the time. I love it, it is amazing and as soon as I run out of coupons for free disposable diapers I will go to 100% cloth. I am so lucky to be able to do this, I got my first set up of cloth diapers as a gift, and it was the best thing I have ever gotten. I have also been fortunate enough to win a few diapers to help my stash and every once in awhile, I have a little extra cash and I get one or two. However there are some people out there that are not as fortunate as I have been. There are families that can not afford cloth or even disposable diapers. There are some resources out there for free diapers, but I have never seen any of them give a family enough to diaper 100% of the time. I came across this blog post from Cotton Babies and I wanted to share it with you.

http://clothdiapers.blogspot.com/2011/04/almost-free-diapers-how-to-diaper-your.html

Here are just a couple of excerpts, but please vitsit their blog and read the information, and pass it on to those who might need it. They have links to directions for all kinds of do it yourself diapers.

"Keep in mind: Many household linens, hand towels, kitchen towels, bath towels, washcloths, flannel or cotton sheets, etc. can be folded or cut into a prefold size or insert shape suitable for diapering. Have an old t-shirt, cotton flannel shirt hanging in the back of your closet? Take a look at the label. You're looking for a natural fiber. Natural fibers are made from plants, not chemicals. That class of fabrics typically includes cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc. If the shirt you find was made of a natural fiber, you can repurpose that into a cloth diaper as well. Overwhelmed with what to do with a square or a rectangle? You can cut just about any absorbent fabric into strips, fold it into enough layers and you'll have an absorbent pad that will function as a diaper. If you go this route though, you'll need to have a diaper cover to hold the pad on your baby. The directions for making a diaper cover out of a wool sweater above are great... in a pinch, you could even cut up an old tablecloth.

If you'd prefer to buy a diaper cover, the least expensive diaper covers on the market, are these Dappi Nylon Pants. At Cotton Babies, we sell these in packages of 2 diaper covers for $5. At $3.95, a Snappi is another good purchase. It holds fabric, a cloth diaper, a towel... whatever... on your baby without the use of pins. Our free shipping on any order gets that package to your door hassle free.

Washing diapers: If you don't have a washer and dryer, you can easily wash your diapers out in the sink with a little dish soap. If the diaper was poopy, rinse it out in the toilet before washing in the sink. Wash each night and hang the diapers to dry in the bathtub or over a railing. Depending on your climate, most diapers will be dry by morning. As long as you stay on top of it, this will only take a few minutes." (Cotton Babies)