FAQs
Common Questions
Where are Thirsties products made?
100% of Thirsties products are manufactured in Denver, Colorado. We do not stop at just making our products in the USA. We go to great lengths to source USA-made fabric and components as well. To date, over 90% of our fabric and components are manufactured domestically. Even our hemp jersey fabric is knitted in the USA...which was a hurdle and an accomplishment we are so proud to have achieved! Thirsties is committed to fair and sustainable labor practices, providing people in our own communities with much-needed jobs and doing our part in boosting our local economies.
How long will my Thirsties products last? Can I expect my reusable diapers to last through multiple children?
We take care to choose high-quality USA-made fabrics and components that have been proven to withstand the test of time.
Your Thirsties diapers can be expected to last for that specific diaper's size range for one child, as long as the care and use routine is followed. You may have the added perk of using them for a second child depending on your washing conditions. Drying in the dryer will hasten the retirement of any apparel item, therefore we always recommend hang drying whenever possible.
What about PVC (vinyl), phthalates, and lead?
All Thirsties products are free of PVC, phthalates, and lead.
What type of dyes are used in the Thirsties products?
We use low impact reactive dyes and processes that are eco-friendly. Our textile dying processes meet or exceed criteria set forth by the European Union. No heavy metals, toxic substances, or environmentally destructive practices are used in dying our fabrics.
Can you recommend a good 'starter kit'?
We recommend the following number of diapers if you are washing every other day:
Newborn: 20-24 diapers
6-12 months: 14-18 diapers
12-24 months: 12-16 diapers
Potty Learning: 4-8 diapers
We recommend the following number of covers if you choose a two-piece system:
Newborn-9 months: 1 wrap for every 3 diapers
9 months-18 months: 1 wrap for every 4 diapers
18 months to potty: 1 wrap for 5 every diapers
A single Thirsties Duo Wrap or Thirsties Diaper Cover can be wiped clean and reused 3-4 times before requiring a full washing. Not all diapers require a cover. Many diapers include a waterproof shell. Diapers that do require a separate cover include Flats, Prefolds, Contoured, and Fitted.
Here are a few bundling options that provide a good stash to start out with for a newborn:
Economical – Flat or Prefold/Wrap Package
20 Organic Cotton Flats or Duo Hemp Prefolds
8 Duo Wraps
6 pkgs. Organic Cotton Wipes
1 2oz. Booty Love
1 Deluxe Wet Bag
2 Simple Pail Liners
Convenient – All In One Package
24 One Size All In Ones
2 pkgs. Organic Cotton Doublers
6 pkgs. Organic Cotton Wipes
1 2oz. Booty Love
1 Deluxe Wet Bag
2 Simple Pail Liners
Absorbent - Natural Pocket Diaper Package
24 Natural One Size Pocket Diapers
2 pkgs. Hemp Inserts
6 pkgs. Organic Cotton Wipes
1 2 oz. Booty Love
1 Deluxe Wet Bag
2 Simple Pail Liners
Should I fasten my prefolds with pins or Snappi before covering with your cover?
We do not recommend using pins or snappis with our Duo Hemp Prefolds or Organic Cotton Flats. This is due to the fact that the diapers are made from a knit material, and the pins and snappis can damage the fabric. Thus we do not recommend using the Diaper Cover with the Duo Hemp Prefolds, as these covers are not trim fitting enough to hold the prefold in place without fastening.
When using Thirsties Duo Wraps, you can simply trifold the prefold, lie it in the Wrap, and fasten around your baby. Thirsties Duo Wraps are trimmer fitting than our original Diaper Covers and will hold a trifolded prefold in place without shifting and sagging.
Can I tuck my prefold diaper under the flap of Thirsties Diaper Covers?
The flap is a facing and is designed to cover the stitching holes and snaps on the front of the cover. Tucking a diaper beneath the flap may cause wicking through the holes created by the stitches or snaps. If this does happen, you may also need additional absorbency.
Do you sell seconds?
We do occasionally come across a slightly defective diaper or cover. When we do, we list it in our Outlet Store. All the diapers listed in our outlet store are fully functional, but contain a very small blemish such as a slight mis-stitch.
I'd like to sell Thirsties products. How do I receive information on opening a wholesale account?
We appreciate your interest in carrying Thirsties in your own business. Please apply for wholesale information here. Your company must be fully established and registered with your state or province before applying for an account. We will not disclose our policy and pricing information until we can verify your business status with a Resale Tax ID.
Laundering Tips
Please visit our Care and Use for instructions on how to wash your Thirsties products.
Do I need to wash my diapers before using them for the first time?
Yes - All Thirsties diapering products must be prepped before use by washing and drying at least once.
Thirsties natural fiber diapers need to be washed and dried 3 times before use but keep in mind that they will be fully primed and at their maximum absorbency after 8 wash cycles.
Tip: You may wash your natural fiber diapering products with your other white laundry for the prep cycles, as long as you use a cloth diaper safe detergent.
At what temperature should I wash my cloth diapers?
We advise pre-washing your cloth diapers in warm water. Use hot water for the wash cycle: between 100-130°F. Water temperature in your washing machine depends mostly on your hot water heater settings. An easy way of making sure your water temperature does not exceed the maximum recommendation is to adjust your hot water heater to no more than 130°F. Alternatively, you can use a candy thermometer to check the water temperature in your machine. Add a second warm rinse after the wash cycle.
Warning: Please do not use the sanitize on your High Efficiency machine for any diapering products with elastic, hook and loop products, or lamination. The high temperatures can damage these components and can void your warranty on them. Sanitize cycles are fine for natural fiber diapers or inserts without components, such as prefolds, inserts, and doublers.
What if I have hard water?
Hard water solutions
Hard water has a lot of minerals in it, namely calcium and magnesium. Detergents don’t work as well in hard water causing buildup issues, stinky and dingy diapers, and diapers that don't work very well.
Hard water may present itself as a grainy, dark buildup on faucets in your home. To determine the hardness of your city water, you can call your city water department. If you have a well or other source, you can go to a local pet shop for a water hardness test kit.
Here are some options to combat hard water:
- Make sure you are using the recommended amount of cloth diaper safe detergent. Hard water may require a bit more.
- ¼ cup of washing soda can be added to a wash load in addition to the detergent, to soften laundry water adequately. Please add the powder to the water and agitate before adding your diapers, or dissolve thoroughly in some hot water before adding to the washer.
- Add ¼ cup of Calgon Water Softener to your diaper laundry. You can start by doing this once a week, and adjust the frequency as necessary.
- You can purchase a water softening tank that you attach to your water supply. This is an expensive option, but will be noticed throughout your household, from cleaner dishes to increased longevity of your appliances.
Other tips:
- Make sure you aren't overloading your washer and are using an adequate water level. Diapers need to be able to agitate against each other to help remove waste. A good water to diaper ratio is to select a level that offers enough water to create a “stew” consistency and not a “soup”. Too much water means that the diapers will float around and not have enough friction to scrub out the waste.
- For HE machines, we suggest a load of 12-15 diapers. Diapers need a good amount of water to clean them properly, and HE machines use less water. Adding a wet bath towel to your diaper laundry will trick the washer into adding more water, in some cases. You will use this in the prewash cycle, and leave in for the wash and rinse cycles.
- Clean your water heater at least every 3 years or as instructed by the manufacturer. Acidity in the form of mineral buildup in your water heater is culprit to deteriorated components.
My baby has a diaper rash, what do I do?
Diaper Rash
A diaper rash is inflamed skin. It can be very alarming for parents, although usually more of an annoyance to baby! Causes can include dirty diapers, introduction of new foods, irritation from product ingredients, bacterial or yeast infections, teething, and clothes or diapers that are too tight.
-Let baby air out. Diaper free time is important! Use only a gentle soap and/or lotion on baby for bath time, with no perfumes or dyes.
-Use cloth wipes, and water or a wipes solution, instead of disposable wipes. Most disposable wipes contain chemicals and perfumes that can irritate baby’s skin. Thirsties Organic Cotton Wipes are very soft on your baby’s delicate skin, adding Thirsties Booty Love will help to aid in healing and keeping diaper rash at bay.
-Follow diaper changes with a cloth diaper safe rash cream if needed. Our first recommendation would be our very own Booty Love diaper ointment. Made with certified organic oils to moisturize and nourish your baby’s sensitive skin, and natural herbs to relieve dry skin and rashes. It can also be used to aid in the healing of minor cuts, burns and skin irritations.
You may also use Coconut Oil or Olive Oil in place of a diaper ointment.
-If a diaper rash is persistent or painful, please speak to your pediatrician to rule out a yeast infection, food allergy, or other condition.
If you do need to treat your diapers after a yeast or bacterial infection, please e-mail us at support@thirstiesbaby.com for instructions.
Why do my diapers smell?
There is nothing like a smelly problem diaper to deter parents from using cloth diapers. It can be very frustrating, but the problem is normally very easy to fix.
Even if you follow all the recommended washing tips, you still might end up with occasional stinky and less absorbent diapers due to detergent, diaper rash ointment, and/or water mineral residue. Please go through the causes below to find a solution.
Check your water hardness.
Detergents do not work as well in hard water. If you are not sure, you can call your municipal water supply. If you have a well, you can have the well tested. If the water hardness is above 1 GPG (grains per gallon), your water is hard.
Solutions:
- Use 1/3 more detergent, and
- Use a water softener such as Calgon Water Softener or washing soda
Take a look at your detergent.
What works for one person may not work for another. You may be using too little or too much detergent. We recommend to start with the recommended amount of detergent for the wash load, but keep in mind that soft water may need less detergent while hard water may need more plus a booster.
Have you used diaper creams or ointments?
Diaper rash ointments and creams can coat the fibers of your diapers, making them repel and hold odor. Please be sure to choose a recommended cloth diaper cream or ointment such as our Thirsties Booty Love ointment which will wash out of the diapers. If you are using natural fibers, a solid washing routine will have no issues with removing any type of cream or ointment, however synthetic fabrics should not be used with any type of petroleum based ointment and will need to be scubbed by hand with Dawn dish soap in a bathtub or sink.
Do they simply need a deep cleaning?
If you are following the Care and Use instructions, and still have an occasional diaper odor, they may just need a deep cleaning.
- Use the recommended amount of oxygen bleach powder, in addition to your detergent during the hot wash cycle. This can be done once a month, but you will need to tweak your routine if this is needed more than every 4 weeks.
- Make sure you are using the proper amount of water – this is very important! Use a heavy cycle with enough water to allow the diapers to move around. If using an HE machine, please follow the washing instructions for HE machines.
Ammonia smell?
Urine gradually turns into ammonia as it sits…a little smell of ammonia can occur in overnight diapers and diaper pails almost always smell like ammonia. But a strong ammonia smell in a freshly worn diaper may be an indication that something needs to be remedied. Please feel free to contact us directly to troubleshoot.
Why are my diapers leaking?
The fit may be too big. It is tempting to purchase diapers a bit larger than what you need in order to get longer use out of them. If you size-up to soon, the diapers will not fit properly and will end up leaking. Check to see if the waist and legs are snug against baby. If they are not snug, and the fabric does not touch the skin, the diaper will not be able to absorb the liquid before it makes its way to the openings. Please check your baby's measurements against our sizing chart.
The diapers may be worn for too long between changes. Cloth diapers need to be changed more frequently than disposables, and on average will need replacement every 1.5 - 2 hours. If the diaper is fully saturated before the 1.5 hour mark, then baby may be considered a heavy wetter and you may need an all natural fiber diaper or to add a doubler or insert.
Baby boy? Be sure to point his privates downward when changing his diaper. If he is aiming to the side or up, it can cause leaking out of the diaper or cover. It may help to fold an insert and put in the front where boys need more absorbency.
Leaking due to repelling How do you know if they are repelling? If the fit is correct, and the absorbent part of the diaper is not soaked, then you may have residue that is causing the liquid to repel. This can be due to detergent or mineral residue, fabric softeners, or diaper creams or ointments. A hot wash or two with no detergent will reveal a sudsy drum if too much detergent is the issue. If this is the case, you will need to run more hot washes without detergent until you have eradicated the suds, then email us at Support@ThirstiesBaby.com for a new wash routine. For other causes, a bleach wash with hot water will be the solution, please email us for the correct bleach-to-diaper ratio, and ways to avoid having this issue again.
The waterproof lamination is compromised. If you feel that the liquid is coming through the fabric, examine the lamination for cracks, holes or peeling. There is an easy way of checking to be sure the lamination is intact. Flip the diaper inside out to reveal the laminated side of the exterior fabric. Examine the lamination to see if you see any separations or cracks in the places where you have noticed leaks. Most often the diapers are just leaking. When this happens, it does seem as though the liquid is coming straight through, but most often it is just wicking along the reverse side of the fabric. Diapers with double gussets will also need to be adjusted, as the inner gusset can cause wicking if the elastic comes into contact with the wet diaper. We recommend to run a finger around each leg gusset at diaper changes to pull the gussets down on baby’s thighs.
An occasional 15 minute tumble in the dryer on high is actually beneficial to the waterproofing layer. This may reseal tiny pin or stitching holes in the lamination and resolve leaking issues.
If you still have trouble after reading our leaking solutions, please contact our customer service team so we can help to find a solution.
I have received a defective Thirsties product...what do I do now?
Return Merchandise Authorization
Defects are rare, but they do occasionally occur and we apologize wholeheartedly if you have received a defective Thirsties product. We stand behind our products and are happy to work with you to provide a resolution.
Our Warranty:
- Your product is under limited warranty for possible return for up to 1 year after the original purchase date.
- Defects include loose stitching, holes discovered upon arrival, broken snaps, etc.
- Staining, fading, holes that develop with use and potential build-up are all considered normal 'wear and tear' and does not suffice for repair or replacement purposes.
- Leaks are not considered a defect. Please search our database for detailed instructions in battling leaks or call us and we will be happy to troubleshoot with you to ensure successful cloth diapering.
- If your products were damaged by the use of additives or improper care, the warranty will be void.
If your product meets our warranty guidelines please click here to complete the necessary information.
What to Expect Next:
Upon receipt of your information a customer representative will review and contact you shortly. If a replacement item is deemed necessary, we will send the same color and size of the defective diaper at no cost to you. Your replacement product will arrive with a prepaid label to send your defective item back to us.
If possible, we will repair the defective items and donate to supply needy families with cloth diapers and accessories.
I would like to use cloth diapers, but I cannot afford the up-front investment. Do you offer donations or low-income assistance
It can be tough initially to make the leap to cloth diapers. But you can save over $2000 by choosing reusable diapers over disposables over the course of birth to potty. Purchasing cloth diapers is a wise investment!
Here are a few tips for making cloth diapering as affordable as possible:
- Try making your own flat diapers from old T-shirts or receiving blankets. Find some other no to low cost diapering options here.
- Locate a local Cloth Diaper Bank or Nappy Library in your area. The Cloth Option and Jake’s Diapers both offer diaper assistance to families in need.
- Flats or prefolds with diaper covers are the most affordable diapering option.
- Check our Outlet Store for some great deals.
- You can purchase cloth diapers that are gently used from buy/sell/trade pages via Facebook.