Dear parents of older babies, babies who have just hit their first birthday, or even toddlers,

It's not too late to switch to cloth! There are even benefits of starting later on in the game. In this article, we are going to discuss the benefits of starting cloth later on in your diapering journey as well as share some tips to help you navigate the later diapering stages.

Starting Cloth

Kiddos that are 12-24 months only have between six and eight diaper changes a day, on average. In comparison, an older toddler (two year olds and older) may only need four to six diaper changes per day. This means, assuming that you are washing your diapers every other day (which is what we recommend), you can get away with having a collection of only twelve to eighteen diapers in total.

When choosing a diaper style for your older baby, aim for something that has maximum absorbency. You may want to invest in a small collection of doublers as well which will allow you to boost absorbency should you need to for nap time or nighttime.

A great style to use for this stage of diapering is the Duo Wrap/Duo Hemp Prefold combination. Duo Hemp Prefolds are extremely absorbent and allow you to customize absorbency should you need to add a different fiber, an addition insert or even double up on your Organic Cotton Doublers for nighttime.

Advantages

One great advantage of this system is that it is less costly than others due to the fact that your Duo Wrap can be wiped out and reused as long as your baby has only wet their diaper. Each cover can be used two to three times and therefore each individual change will be less expensive than a one time use diaper such as a the Thirsties One Size All In One. To take this system from day time to night time, you can simply add a Thirsties Natural Duo Insert for increased absorbency and fast absorption.

Another great advantage to cloth diapering later in the diapering stages is that potty training will be faster and easier. Kiddos who potty train after using cloth typically have an easier time making the connection between feeling wet and needing to use the restroom. The bonus is that because you will already have all the diapers you will need, there is no rush to complete potty training in order to save money on buying more diapers.

The environmental impact of using disposable diapers is another fantastic reason to switch to cloth diapering, even if you are getting a later start. Each disposable diaper saved from a landfill makes a difference, so don't feel that your later contribution isn't important!

Recouping Your Costs

The amazing thing about cloth diapering is that cloth diapers can be used across multiple children. Even if you start your cloth diapering journey a little later than most, you will still get your money's worth by using your diapers for subsequent kiddos.

Another thing we love about cloth diapering is that cloth diapers hold their value well. Consider reselling your cloth diapers on local sales pages or even checking to see if your local cloth diaper retailer accepts used diapers as part of a consignment or store credit program.

Don't want to bother selling your diapers and done having kids? Think about donating your diapers to a non-profit organization such as Jake's Diapers. Many families are truly in need of diapers and even a few donated cloth diapers can make all the difference.

Sizing Up

The Thirsties Duo Wrap in size three (40-65+ lbs) will allow you to continue your cloth journey well beyond your toddler years. This system may be perfect for families with toddlers that potty train a little later and/or families of kiddos with special needs. It may also eliminate the need to buy costly pull ups for the nighttime accidents that are a little tougher to out grow.

As always, you can shop the entire Thirsties collection at your local retailer or online with Thirsties. For more cloth diaper tips and tricks, you can visit Thirsties on Facebook or join the online community, Thirsties Groupies. And don’t forget to checkout the Thirsties Instagram feed, @thirstiesinc