Cloth Diapering in the Summer

Posted by rebecca

28 Jul

Is it too hot to cloth diaper? One complaint we’ve heard about cloth diapers is that they’re just too bulky and warm for babies, especially in the warmer months. Here in Portland, Oregon, our heat waves don’t last too long, and I never switched over to disposables because I was worried about overheating my baby.

A quick search for “summer diapers” yielded only one result: the Blueberry Deluxe diaper in “blue summer.” While the pattern is nice and summery, it doesn’t appear to have any magical properties that make it more appropriate for the hotter months.

I’ve also heard of parents using Chinese prefold diapers with old-fashioned diaper pins in hot weather–without a diaper cover. This approach would make the diaper more breathable but would require vigilant parental attention. And it probably isn’t the most practical solution when you’re out and about!

Have you given up cloth diapering in the warmer months? Or do you have any tips for keeping with cloth no matter what mother nature brings? Let us know!

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10 Responses for "Cloth Diapering in the Summer"

Leigh July 28th, 2011 at 5:55 am 1
Last year my son (then 18 months) spent most of the time running around in a fitted diaper with no cover. My daughter (born this may) gets heat rash, particularly in her diaper area and the only thing that really helps is bare (lying on prefolds), fitted with no cover or a wool cover.
Most people think wool with roast their kids, but it is so breathable and wicks the moisture away that they stay cool. Think wool hiking socks.
Jana July 28th, 2011 at 6:07 am 2
We’ve stayed inside much of this summer during the heat wave. She had a horrible rash that actually only went away once summer started and it was warm enough to do some diaper free time. She is mostly potty trained but still in a diaper much of the time at 11 months. I haven’t had trouble with rashes although she rarely sits in a wet diaper either. We use primarily prefolds with covers and sometimes GroVia.
Rachel C July 28th, 2011 at 10:51 am 3
Wool diapers are excellent for summer because it allows baby’s skin to breathe. We live in Florida and cloth diaper all year round, even in summer. I love wool for summer b/c it keeps baby’s skin cool and dry unlike the plastic derived covers which keep moisture in.
Kymbr M. July 28th, 2011 at 11:07 am 4
My son is 11 months old, and his most common outfit is a T-shirt and Rumparooz pocket diaper (and it’s double stuffed!). I even take him out & about in said outfit. Most people think it’s cute, it makes diaper changes easier, and it cuts back on laundry. DS doesn’t seem to get over heated and doesn’t have problems with heat rash.
Becky July 28th, 2011 at 12:08 pm 5
I have never thought that my cloth diapers were too warm. If anything, I think it’s fun to let my son crawl around in just a pocket diaper and his babylegs. Way cuter than if he was wearing a disposable
Betsy (Eco-novice) July 28th, 2011 at 5:07 pm 6
Wow, that is the weirdest complaint I have ever heard. I started to cloth diaper precisely b/c I felt bad at how sweaty my baby’s bottom got inside the disposables. Even with a waterproof cover, there is no way that bum is as hot as it is inside a disposable. What about that scrotum temp study too? But, yes, if really hot, lose the cover if you can — or just naked! Summer is a great time to try some early potty training — esp. if you are in the backyard (no mess to clean up).
Kristine July 28th, 2011 at 7:15 pm 7
Paper diapers actually have a plastic layer in them that keeps in moisture and body heat and traps it between baby’s skin and the diaper. Cloth diapers, even with PUL covers do not do this. For baby boys, the increase in temperature that this causes when using paper diapers may compromise their sperm count later in life.
We live in Arizona (hot hot hot) but it is dry here, which helps. We use prefolds with PUL covers and baby seems very comfortable in them. The only times he has gotten a rash or red “warm” marks around his groin is when I have to put an emergency paper diaper on him for whatever reason. It have notices that those red rashy areas are primarily where the plastic elastic bits of the diaper go around his legs.

Which would you rather wear for underwear in the summer: a plastic bag or cloth?
Jennifer July 29th, 2011 at 4:20 am 8
Our first summer with cloth, we did use disposables a fair bit because I really worried he would get too hot. But the second summer, we really never did. If we were outside very long, I sometimes put him in little fabric “diaper covers” like the kind that go under little girl dresses (only these were made for boys, for the record lol) and just let him run around like that. Otherwise, I just didn’t keep him out all that long. I suspect it doesn’t make too much difference, since disposable diapers have layers of plastic in them that would be less breathable than even PUL covers.
Janine @ Alternative Housewife July 29th, 2011 at 6:10 pm 9
My son is always hot and seems fine in his pocket diaper (and nothing else most of the time, regardless of the season!) and even happier in just a fitted. We are in Portland too and it may not be hot but it is MUGGY. I can’t say that disposables would be any better though…

Chemicals leach out of plastics and other materials with heat, so a disposable in the sun is likely even more toxic than usual. Think about it: Would you rather wear a cotton pantyliner in the summertime or a sticky scented paper one? It’s a no brainer for me.
nathalie August 4th, 2011 at 12:35 am 10
We work and live in SE Asia where there are two seasons – hot and hotter. 37C is a a normal afternoon. My 7mo uses one-size AIOs BumGenius, FuzziBunz, Rumparooz, GoodMamas, BottomBumpers etc. When he’s just at home he uses Pianissimo (from Etsy) or Kissaluvs without cover.
On the few occasions when his bum area starts to look red we put some vitE on it (squeeze the gel out of the capsule) while his skin’s a bit wet after his bath.
It’s when we travel and have no access to a washing machine so no choice but to use disposables that he’s gotten a real diaper rash, and it develops rather quickly.