First let’s have a general discussion about wet bags and storing cloth diapers. This is an area which some people spend a lifetime researching and others spend little to no time researching. I was one of those that spent little to no time researching this topic when I was cloth diapering my own daughter- however I was soon thinking that I should’ve done more research!
The first question to ask is: what will I do with those dirty diapers? When asking this one must also think about the following: how the diapers will be washed, how often will they be washed, do I care about stains, etc… Allow me to elaborate.
Choosing a storage system and how you will wash your diapers goes hand in hand. Perhaps the most important decision to make is whether you will rinse your diapers or not. Most cloth diaper users just assume that rinsing or dunking is a natural part of the cloth diaper washing process. Not so! It is a choice, totally not necessary but preferable to some.
What is rinsing or dunking you ask? Rinsing and dinking are 2 techniques for removing poo from cloth diapers. Note: diapers that are wet with just liquids do not get rinsed or dunked, the washing machine will take care of this. Rinsing involves using a removable shower head to spray the poo off the diaper into the potty. Dunking involves dipping the poopy diaper into the potty until the poo falls off.
I started my cloth diaper journey with dunking. I did not care to invest in a diaper sprayer and so dunking in the toilet was the only other option (I thought). I took the advice of a good friend and dedicated a kitchen utensil to the function of scraping excess poo off the diaper after dunking (it has since retired to the landfill). Totally gross- I know!
After a few months of dunking I realized that this was totally unnecessary. It happened one afternoon, I brought the poopy diaper into the bathroom to be dunked and before I got it in the toilet water the poo just fell off into the potty. Hmm…that made me think. From that point on all I had to do was plop the poo off, no dunking or scraping required. I found dunking and scraping actually just made the poo harder to get off!
I should mention that my daughter was now a toddler, so her bowel movements were generally solid and this assisted in allowing the poo to be plopped rather than dunked or rinsed.
This was my own experience with dunking, and so I asked around to see what others had experienced. To my surprise many had discovered the same- that rinsing and dunking was totally unnecessary and just made cloth diapering more complicated than it needed to be. But wait- what about newborn poo? Surely that can’t be plopped into the toilet?!
Very true, newborn poo cannot be plopped. Does this mean that newborn diapers need to be rinsed? Well, yes and no. From birth to when newborns start on solids, their poo is water soluable. This means that the poo will dissolve in the wash. Just put the dirty diapers in your pail and be done with them till wash day. There is a small window of time when newborns are introduced to solids and have “sticky” poo that rinsing or dunking may be preferable, but this is such a short amount of time it shouldn’t affect your storage system.
Now that we’ve addressed the rinsing question, let’s move on to dirty diaper storage. There are 2 basic systems: wet pail and dry pail. I do not personally know anyone who uses a wet pail, but I will offer a brief discussion on this in case you may be interested.
A wet pail storage system is when you store dirty diapers in a pail filled with water. Some folks prefer this method for newborn diapers so as to reduce stains on their prefolds. A wet pail does not require a wet bag or liner, however a mesh bag may be useful for removing the diapers and putting them into the washing machine. While I have never used a wet pail system with diapers, I do use this storage method for my mama cloth. Please remember if you have little ones in your house (which you probably do!) and your wet pail is in an accessible area to keep a lid on the wet pail to prevent drowning.
On to dry pail: a dry pail is a system of storing dirty diapers without the addition of liquids. There are 2 basic types of dry pail- a hanging wet bag or a pail with a wet bag liner.
I stored my diapers in a 13-gallon garbage can lined with a pail liner and covered with a pop top lid. This is a very basic system and will work well for most people. It does not involve zippers, it is simple to operate, and it will tolerate diapers that have been rinsed or dunked. It does, however, sometimes get stinky (if you have more than a couple of days of dirty diapers in there), and takes up a lot of room in the space that it occupies.
The other option is a hanging wet bag. This is a very popular option because its footprint is small and it can be purchased in cute cotton prints to match the décor in the room where it lives. It also has the added benefit of a zipper which assists in holding in smells for longer periods of time. This option is not always a good choice for folks that rinse or dunk their diapers as unless the bag is sealed it can fairly quickly leak or wick moisture. It can also be more difficult to use when you’ve got a dirty diaper in one hand an active baby on the changing table and a zipper to navigate.
Moving on from the large storage systems, there are also countless options for on the go storage. Many companies (my own included) carry wet bags with a cotton outer and waterproof inner in a variety of sizes. Some questions to ask when choosing the right wet bag for you are: what size/s will I need, how many should I purchase, what will I be putting in the wet bag?
At the very least everyone should own a small-medium sized wet bag (yes, even those that don’t use cloth diapers!). How many times did I need to wrap up some dirty/wet items in a plastic bag while I was out of the house? Pretty much every time I went out with my daughter! Those of us who have children know that messes happen. Whether you are using cloth diapers or not, you will have a baby who gets pee/poop on their cutest outfit- this is a part of being a parent. Please consider investing in a wet bag to keep in your diaper bag for those days when a mess occurs. Not only is it environmentally friendly, but it also is so much easier to throw the bag in the wash with the dirty clothing items and it looks a lot cuter in your diaper bag!
If you do use cloth diapers you will also probably need a wet bag to keep in your diaper bag for days when you need to change a diaper while on the go. The size is your choice, but I recommend at least a medium size so that you have room for at least 2 diapers.
If you are able to get more than one wet bag: consider investing in 2 or 3 wet bags. One medium for running errands, one large for day trips and one small or x-small for holding wet wipes.
I know that wet bags can add a lot to your cloth diaper budget, but consider the following:
The life of a wet bag extends far beyond the time it is used for cloth diapers. I purchased 3 wet bags when I first started cloth diapering. I still use all three. The small is great for holding my mama cloth when I’m on the go, the large is perfect for holding our wet bathing suits after we’ve been at the pool or to the beach (my daughter uses one everyday when she is at summer camp) and the drawstring pail liner serves as an excellent bag for our dirty laundry when we are on vacation.
Wet bags also make great registry items. Some folks might feel a little weird about buying you a cloth diaper, but they are certainly OK purchasing a waterproof bag. Even those that don’t understand cloth diapers can understand the use of a waterproof bag in a diaper bag.
I hope I’ve effectively described the different types of wet bags and helped you make a decision about what you will need. Now that this post is becoming way longer than I expected, let me conclude by listing the types of wet bags I sell in my ETSY shop:
Drawstring Pail Liners: these come in a variety of sizes and I’m happy to custom make something to fit the pail of your choice- just send me a message with your pail dimensions.
Zipper Wet Bags:
X-Small: (8” wide by 6” long) this is the size I prefer for my mama-cloth. Also great for holding a few wipes, makeup, art supplies, snacks, etc…
Small: (8” wide by 10” long) perfect for a set of wipes or for holding one large diaper or two small diapers. Also great as an overnight mama cloth bag.
Medium: (10” wide by 14” long) this bag is the ideal size for running errands. This size can hold 4-6 diapers.
Large: (12” wide by 15” long) the day-tripper. Large enough to hold 6-8 diapers, perfect for those overnight trips to Grandma’s. Try having it made with towel rod handles and make it a kitchen wet bag (see my previous post on kitchen wet bags).
X-Large: (12” wide by 24” long) this size is a hanging wet bag. The hanging wet bag can hold 12-24 diapers and is perfect for storing a couple of days worth of dirty diapers. Hang it on your doorknob handle, a closet door knob, or a hook. Try adding towel rod handles instead for easier access to the zipper and for hanging on a towel rod or changing table.
