How often should you change a baby's cloth diaper?

Reusable diapers are perfect for everyday use. They absorb moisture, protect clothes, and shield both the environment and the child's outfit from dirt. How often should a child wearing a reusable diaper be changed?
 

This is a very good question: How often should you change a baby wearing a reusable diaper? It comes up very often, which is not surprising. After all, a reusable diaper will not change color when the baby pees. In a way, you have to learn how often to change a baby wearing a reusable diaper.

How often should you change a baby wearing a reusable diaper?
 
After peeing/pooping
It is a good idea to change your baby after every time they pee and/or poop. The principle of caring for your baby's hygiene should be your top priority. When arguing for this approach, I always refer to thinking about yourself. I am sure that no one would want to function in an environment surrounded by their own excrement, and we certainly would not want that for our child. Of course, a child in a properly prepared diaper is comfortable: moisture is drawn away from the child's skin and the toddler stays dry. However, it is still worth changing the baby. Advertisements for disposable diapers have strongly conditioned us to think that changing a baby infrequently is good. This is not true. The sooner we change the baby, the better (this applies to both disposable and reusable diapers).

Changing your baby's diaper after they poop should be done immediately. However, peeing does not give such clear (i.e., smelly) signs. Here, it is worth observing your baby and recognizing the signs of peeing. Alternatively, you can go by the absorbency of the diaper and the passage of a certain amount of time.

 
How can you tell if your child has peed?

• The diaper worn by the child becomes fuller in appearance.
• The diaper becomes heavier.
• the child signals that they have peed – change in facial expression, grabbing the diaper, verbal communication in older children;
• visible leaks around the legs, with less absorbent pads and less frequent changing.

How often should you change the diaper?
If we do not notice any visible signs that the child has peed, it is worth changing the diaper every 1-1.5 hours for infants with medium-absorbent pads. With super-absorbent pads, this time can be extended to about 3 hours (e.g., during a nap or walk). Older children hold their urine a little longer and urinate in larger amounts at once, but even in their case, diapers should be changed/checked at least every 2 hours. At night, we use thicker, more absorbent pads, and there is no need to wake the child to change them, unless there is a flood.