What's On Your Changing Table?

The changing table may seem unglamorous, but when you have a baby, it's a crucial center of life's daily activity. I spend approximately five minutes at the changing table about 12 times a day. I had never thought about it, but that's a whole hour of my day spent at the changing table! In fact, the changing table is possibly the tidiest corner of my house, and now I realize why it's so important to have it orderly and well-stocked with all of our most important items. Here is what is in and on our changing table:

• Baskets of diapers organized by type: all-in-ones on top, then prefolds, then pockets and inserts
• Behind the baskets, there are spare Gerber prefolds and spare inserts
• A diaper pail
• An extra bag of disposable wipes in case we run out of cloth wipes before diaper day
• A roll of flushable diaper liners, which I have never actually used

On the top:

• Changing table pad with no fabric cover because I prefer to be able just to wipe it off
• A stuffed bunny to distract my daughter during changes (decreases the wiggle factor significantly)
• A Gerber prefold to catch urine if she decides to go during a change
• A bottle of hand sanitizer
• A bulb syringe
• Shea butter lotion
• MotherLove Diaper Rash & Thrush diaper ointment
• An old Huggies wipes tub with cloth wipes inside
• Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion
• Diaper pins
• Snappi

I plan to discuss some of these items in more detail in future posts, so stay tuned!

Pail Liners and Wet Bags

If you're using a dry pail, it's really nice to have a washable, waterproof pail liner. The best ones are made out of PUL (polyurethane laminate), which is the same material that makes most diapers waterproof. Some are made out of nylon, but those aren't worth your money. When you're ready to wash your diapers, you just pull the bag out of your pail and use it as a sort of glove to push your diapers into the washer, turning it inside out as you do it. That way you never have to touch the dirty diapers that have been sitting in the pail for a day or two, and the dry exterior of the bag is all you ever touch. With the nylon bags, you can feel the wetness of the urine from the outside of the bag as you push the diapers into the washer. So, although the nylon bag keeps the diaper pail from collecting puddles, it doesn't protect your hand from having to touch urine. I have one of each style, and I hate the nylon bag. My Wahmies bag is awesome, and I love that my hands stay clean and dry. It's the liner in the picture, and you can see the nice elastic edge that keeps it so tidy in the pail. It is important to line dry the bag, though, or the PUL will wear out much faster than it needs to. This is why it is nice to have two bags. While one is washing and drying, the other one can line your pail. Babies don't stop soiling their diapers just because your pail liner is in the wash.

You also need a wet bag for your diaper bag. This can be an old grocery sack, which will probably have to be changed each time due to stink buildup on the inside, or it can be a reusable one that you wash with your diapers once in a while. Mainly, it needs to be waterproof so you don't have dirty diapers leaking into your diaper bag. My diaper bag came with a wet bag, but you can also buy them separately.

Diaper Pails

Whether you cloth diaper or use disposables, you are going to need a diaper pail. If you use cloth, though, you don't need to buy a Diaper Genie or Diaper Champ. In fact, they really aren't great for cloth diapering at all. In the old days, people used to keep their dirty cloth diapers in a pail with a bleach and water solution. Now, most people keep their diapers in a dry pail with a washable pail liner. It doesn't really matter what shape or type of pail you choose, but it does matter what it's made out of. Plastic holds onto odors like crazy; no amount of bleach or disinfectant will take care of it. Ideally, it's best to get a metal diaper pail because you can just wipe it out, and it smells all fresh again. It's also generally better not to have a tightly sealing lid. Airflow helps keep the diapers fresher and less stinky. We got ours from Ikea, and it works great. It reminds me of Oscar the Grouch's can a little bit.

Must-have Cloth Diaper Accessories

You really can cloth diaper with very little supplies, but there are a few that are absolutely necessary.

• Diaper pail
• Wet bag for the diaper pail
• Wet bag for the diaper bag
• Pins or Snappis (if you're using diapers that have to be fastened)
• Washer and dryer (if you're seriously hardcore, you can use a laundromat, but I am not that hardcore!)
• Clean-rinsing detergent

Optional, but so very helpful:

• A second wet bag for the diaper pail when the first one is in the wash
• Changing table
• Bins or baskets to keep the diapers organized
• Cloth wipes
• An old wipes tub or wipes warmer

That's really it! See, it's pretty easy.