• Rinse the diapers thoroughly with frequent agitation.
• Soak your diapers for 10-30 minutes in detergent in warm water.
• Wash by hand, scrubbing the diaper against itself with frequent agitation. This can be achieved by plunging hand inside the bucket atleast 20-30 times . Very gentle brushing is occasionally helpful for stains but not always necessary.
• For persistent stains you can make a little paste with your detergent and apply it on the stain; leave for 10-30 minutes and then wash as usual.
• Rinse with warm water till you don’t see anymore soap suds.They can be differentiated from agitation suds in that the later disappear quickly once agitation is stopped.
• Following wash diapers must smell fresh.
• You can dry on a line or in the dryer or on an airing rack, whatever suits your household.
• Do try to give your diapers and baby clothes as much sunshine as possible -- it's an excellent disinfectant and magical at removing stains.

If you are like most parents in India (or even us 5 years back), you either know about the traditional nappies, which need to be changed after every pee or the disposables that are available in every nook and corner and guarantee your baby a "Full night's sleep". 

However, modern cloth diapering is quite different and offers you leak-proof protection, keeps you baby's bottom dry and looks cute :) You dont believe us ! then read more... And we forgot to add that the same diaper works from birth to potty training !

Cloth diapers have come a looongg way, baby. These days, there are nearly a dozen types of cloth diapers, from the more traditional flat and prefolded squares of absorbent material that lay inside a diaper cover to hybrid diapers with washable outer covers and disposable inserts.

"There are so many options -- no matter your baby's body type or activity level, there's a style on the market that will work for him or her," says mom blogger Erin Odom, author of Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert: A Simple, Comprehensive Guide to Using Cloth Diapers.

Here are a few common types of cloth diapers

Pocket Diapers

A pocket diaper has a pocket opening between the outer waterproof shell (or cover) and the inner layer that touches baby's skin. You can place the absorbent material (insert) inside this pocket opening. The pocket diapers (diaper + insert) need to be changed every 2-3 hours. You can use it with charcoal bamboo insert (2-3 hours) or daytime insert (3-4 hours).

Diaper Covers

These are waterproof, breathable shells that you can put on absorbent material (flats, prefolds or inserts). Every 2-3 hours you can change the absorbent material and reuse the cover after wiping. You can also alternate between two covers during the day, and leave the unused one for drying between changes.

All-In-One (AIO)

AIOs as the name suggest have the outer water proof layer, inner stay dry layer as well as the insert stitched-in together. They also comes with detachable inserts and are perfect for overnight use. AIOs work for 8-12 hours at night. They are similar to disposables  - easy to use, remove the entire diaper after every change. 

Flats

Flats are the basic cloth diapers. They are squares made of organic cotton muslin and perfect for newborns. They can be used with a diaper cover or with just a diaper pin. 

'Prepping' or 'preparing' your diapers refers to the process of getting them ready for your baby to use.

First, what kind of diaper do you have? 

Pocket Diapers, Diaper Covers, Infinit AIO shell, Microfiber inserts and Charcoal Bamboo Inserts, usually need a single normal wash with detergent before their first use, to wash out any dirt from the manufacturing unit. 

Just wash your new diapers once before use, with your regular load, using sufficient amount of detergent (without any additives, softeners or fragrance) for the above types of diapers

Diapers and inserts made of natural materials like hemp, organic cotton, and blends of these materials need 4-5 washes with detergent to lose their natural oils and reach their full absorbency. You can dry the diaper after 2 washes. 

Natural and synthetic diapers can be prepped together as long as you use sufficient detergent as per the detergent manufacturer's recommendations for the load. If you use too little or no detergent then the oils from the natural fabrics may attach to the synthetic fabrics and cause the latter to repel liquids.