Can you cloth diaper more than 1 child?

Having multiple kids in diapers of any kind is a lot of work, so when you add the extra washing and prep work that goes with cloth diapers, it can seem pretty daunting.

Many people in the cloth diapering community have more than 1 child in cloth diapers at some point, while it does push you to simplify your routine it isn’t considered a stopping point.

A lot of people worry about the additional cost of disposables for a second or third baby, and many turn to cloth diapers to lessen the financial strain.

If you are interested in learning more about cloth diapering check out my article ” Cloth diapers for toddlers: Brands & important features”

Can you cloth diaper multiple kids at once?

I have 3 kids, all in cloth diapers at the same time, before that I had 2 in cloth diapers for over a year.

Here’s the thing, I know it seems super scary, going from just having one kid too having two kids and on top of that using cloth diapers.

But I did it, and then went from 2 toddlers in cloth diapers too 2 toddlers and 1 newborn in cloth diapers.

Now the more kids you have in cloth diapers the more dirty cloth diapers you have to wash and therefore you will probably have to wash your cloth diapers more often.

When I had 1 baby in cloth diapers I washed my cloth diapers every other day.

I could have gone longer between washes but I just wasn’t comfortable letting dirty cloth diapers longer than that.

Now with 3 kids in cloth diapers I wash my cloth diapers everyday, partially because I’m cheap and haven’t bought many more cloth diapers since my 3rd was born.

And the other reason I wash my cloth diapers everyday is

8 cloth diapers a day x 3 kids = 24 dirty cloth diapers a day.

Most standard washing machines can only wash up to 24 cloth diapers properly, if you try to put in more than that you’re not going to get proper agitation, and your diapers aren’t gonna get clean.

Cloth diapering 2 or even 3 kids is the exact same as cloth diapering 1 kid, there is just an extra diaper change or 2 every few hours.

Don’t overthink it, and don’t let other people tell you it will be too hard.

How many cloth diapers do I need for 2 kids?

It’s actually really easy to figure out how many cloth diapers you need for multiple kids.

24 cloth diapers x 2 kids = 48

24 cloth diapers x 3 kids = 72

Pretty simple right? this equation also applies to cloth wipes.

If you feel like you aren’t going to be able to handle washing your cloth diapers as often as you used to, you can always buy more cloth diapers.

However, even when I had a brand new baby I never had a problem finding the time to do the cloth diaper laundry.

There are other things like wetbags, pail liners and diaper sprayers, that you don’t need to get any more of unless your kids will have separate rooms and you want a wetbag in each room.

Can you use the same cloth diapers on multiple kids?

As long as there is enough absorbency and the cloth diaper will fit then yes, you can absolutely use the same cloth diapers on multiple kids.

Whether it be a few days or a few years in between wearers, as long as no one has a yeast rash you can switch cloth diapers around between kids all you want.

And if your baby potty-trains you can totally save your cloth diapers to use on the next baby.

Usually about every few months I end up switching some cloth diapers from one kids stash to another, usually because of fit changes.

Most recently my 18 month old started getting some molars so like many babies he got teething diarrhea.

So, all the Thirsties pocket diapers with their magical double gussets that were in my 3 year old’s stash are now in Mr. poopy-pant’s stash.

Also all the Alva baby pocket diapers that are in my 18 month old’s stash are starting to be to small to hold all the absorbency that he needs.

So, in the near future those Alva babys will be moved into my 5 month old’s stash.

At least in my experience when you are cloth diapering multiple kids, all at the same time, certain brands and styles of cloth diapers will work better for different kids at different times.

What would a day with 3 in cloth diapers look like?

For me, well , my day looks a lot like anyone else’s who has 3 kids, 3 and under.

All 3 kids magically wake up at almost the exact same time, I get everyone down the stairs and changed out of their overnight diapers.

After everyone is changed (and the older 2 have the freaking sippy cups they start demanding the second we hit the ground floor) I start a load of laundry.

Then I just go about the rest of my day of diaper changes, breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks, breaking up toddler fights, snacks and then dinner.

Luckily for me, my kids all actually go to bed pretty easily ( and stay there), then after the kids are asleep I load the dishwasher and maybe run another load of laundry.

Then my husband and I watch a show and I fold some laundry and get everything ready for the next morning.

The only real difference between me and someone who uses disposable diapers is that the diapers that I change are cloth.

The load of laundry I do first thing in the morning is cloth diaper laundry and some of the prep work I do while watching TV is getting cloth diapers ready for the next day.

If you want to know exactly how much time I spend on cloth diapering check out my article ” How much time does it take to cloth diaper?”

Resources

Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) from qualifying purchases made through those links. * Indicates an affiliate link

Link to Wonderfold stroller wagon W4 Original Quad Stroller Wagon (4 Seater) *

I seriously love this stroller wagon, so if you have more than 1 kid, I highly recommend you check out this stroller wagon.