Our small Esembly team is made up of some truly inspiring mamas - from twin moms to expecting moms, moms of toddlers to moms of teens. We regularly share parenting and diapering hacks with one another and we thought - why not share them with you!

Cause let's be real; parenting is beautiful chaos. Whether you're balancing work meetings or playdates, commuting to an office or wrangling toddlers at home, life with little ones is nonstop!

If you're considering cloth diapers but are worried that life is just too busy and you won't be able to keep up – we're here to tell you (based on our own personal experiences) that with the right products and the right instructions, cloth diapering can be easy and, dare we say it, FUN!

In this post you'll hear from six of our resident cloth diaper experts (aka the amazing moms on our team!) to get their best tips for keeping it simple. No matter what your parenting journey looks like, these tried-and-true tips will help you cloth diaper with ease and confidence - because sustainably diapering your kiddos should fit into your life, not take it over. 😉

You might be wondering if cloth diapers can fit into your busy, demanding family. Here’s what the mamas on our team had to say, along with what inspired them to cloth diaper their little ones in the first place…

What's your favorite Esembly print?

Wildcats!

Who or What Inspired You to Cloth Diaper? 

My grandma! She was my favorite person on the planet and I spent a lot of time with her as a child while my parents worked. My grandma also volunteered as a foster mom for an agency in NYC and would care for newborns before they were adopted. She cloth diapered those babies and I LOVED helping her with diaper laundry. We would sit on her couch and fold diapers and chat. At the time I had no understanding of the fact that she was doing it because it was more cost efficient or that the diapers were not contributing to landfill waste, all I knew was that the slow and thoughtful way in which she carefully folded and pinned the clean cotton diapers on the tiny baby appeared to soothe them both. She made diapering seem like an act of love rather than a necessary chore.

Your Favorite Tip for Cloth Diapering as a Busy Parent?

Parenting can be so hectic! Some weeks you feel like you’re running a race and crawling to the finish line. It’s so important to find moments throughout the day where you can pause and connect with your baby in a way that fills you both up. For some parents those built in moments happen during feeding, or when rocking a baby to sleep. For others it’s bath time, or maybe the early morning shift when it’s just the 2 of you before the sun comes up. For me, it was diapering (perhaps because of my grandma?). I honestly loved diaper changes. When I was a new and inexperienced parent and nursing was really diffcult, diaper changes were my favorite because I knew how to do it.

No matter how fussy my daughter was in the moment, I would lay her down on the changing table and speak or sing to her and she would almost always coo back at me. It would give me a chance to catch my breath and rebuild my confidence. I loved this time with her so much that I didn't care that cloth diapering took a few more seconds than a disposable would have. I appreciated the slowness and artfulness of it.

Favorite Esembly product and why

Hmmm….it’s a toss up between the Day Bag and the Paperless Towels. I honestly think the Day Bag is just so cute that I still wear mine and my kids are both out of diapers. Having a bag that’s waterproof AND looks good on your shoulder is amazing. I get LOTS of compliments! As for the Paperless Towels, with 2 messy kids and a new puppy, I use at least a dozen a day. I am obsessed and don't know what I’d do without them.

Favorite Esemby Print:

Buds or Bunnies — Buds is such a timeless classic, and Bunnies has the most adorable, storybook artwork! 

Who or What Inspired You to Cloth Diaper? 

Lots of reasons - avoiding synthetic materials and reducing waste were the two biggest influences, but something about the pace and the routine of cloth diapering, “going back to simpler times” was also alluring.

Your Favorite Tip for Cloth Diapering as a Busy Parent?

Cloth diapers help keep your home smelling fresh — trust me, they don’t smell nearly as bad as disposables! Instead of tossing dirty disposables into multiple trash cans around the house, use Stay-Dry Liners to shake or wipe the poop off directly into the toilet and flush. Poop’s gone, no smell! Pair that with cloth wipes, and your house stays poop-free (other than the Pail Pouch, which holds odors WAY better than I expected).

Favorite Esembly Product and Why?

Our Inners—the heart of the system. They were the very first thing I put on my daughter when we came home from the hospital on a hot July day— I’ll never forget that moment. I just couldn’t wait to get her out of the sticky plastic disposables from the hospital, and into breathable organic cotton. Their thoughtful design made cloth diapering feel completely approachable—no folding, no pins, no confusing snaps. They’re what truly sold me on cloth diapering. And honestly? They’re so cute. A totally modern take on cloth diapering.

Favorite Esembly Print?
Vintage Campers

Who or What Inspired You to Cloth Diaper?

I was cloth-diapered myself as a baby, and by the time I was pregnant, I had spent 10 years working at ad agencies. During that time, I'd sat in focus group meetings with Procter & Gamble marketing teams as they brainstormed how to sell more Pampers. It was obscene how their only goal was how to get families to spend more on single-use diapers all to make a massive company even richer. I thought to myself, "I have no problem pressing the 'start' button on a washing machine a few times a week, so I'll cloth diaper. My kids will stay dry and comfy, I keep more money in my pocket, and we’d avoid contributing to the disposable waste stream.”

Your Favorite Tip for Cloth Diapering as a Busy Parent?

Don't go overboard with a million different styles and brands. Stick to a system that all works together so you are not having to fish around in the middle of the night for the right insert to match with a certain diaper cover. Our Esembly diapers make it super easy- grab a cotton Inner, grab a diaper cover. Done!

Favorite Esembly product and why?

The Inner, because if you've ever tried to use (and wash) a different diaper, you'd think so too!

As a twin mom, I also have to say that having an Outer diaper cover that doubles as a swim diaper is AMAZING! One less thing to have to buy and keep track of! We did lots of water play with my kids as toddlers so I speak from experience!

Favorite Esembly Print:

I'd have to say Fantastic Fungi and Botany Those 2 prints make me wish my little guy didn't potty train last year! (You can read more about Nicole and Everett's potty journey HERE)

Who or What Inspired You to Cloth Diaper?

I didn't know anyone personally who cloth diapered! I just knew I wanted to help reduce waste and also save money ☺️ So, when we were creating our registry, we went out on a limb and decided to add Esembly products! I was a leap of faith and one of the best decisions we made.

Your Favorite Tip for Cloth Diapering as a Busy Parent?

1) Always be prepared with extra diapers (Inners aka our cotton fitted diapers + Outers aka our waterproof diaper covers) ready in a to-go bag for outings!

2) Our Day Bags and Ditty Bags were SO helpful and went with us everywhere (and now, even after cloth diapering, they still go everywhere with us).

Favorite Esembly product and why?

Is "all of them" an acceptable answer?! Our family first fell in love with the adorable designs of the Outers, so they'll always hold a special place in my heart. But the sleeper hit is probably the amazing Washing Powder, which we still use post-diapering! I also really love our Day Bag and still use it for SO many different occasions. (Potty training hack — my son's potty seat fit perfectly in there!)

Favorite Esembly Print?

Prints get all the attention so I'm I gonna give some love to the solids! I love Forest. It is the most gorgeous and rich deep green.

Who or What Inspired You to Cloth Diaper?

I actually didn’t start cloth diapering my son until the pandemic. (so he was over a year old) I started seeing toilet paper becoming more and more scarce on the shelves, and worried that disposable diapers would be next! Thankfully, at the time I was working for another baby brand that owned a local children’s boutique, which happened to sell cloth diapers! This meant I had a wealth of options available as soon as I started getting curious. I tried several brands, and after some hands-on testing and washing, I found that I loved both the functionality and the ease of washing my Esembly diapers the best! (and they were far and away the cutest, too!)

Your Favorite Tip for Cloth Diapering as a Busy Parent? 

For me, it was keeping things simple storage wise! I had one basket for our ready-to-use Inners, and one basket for clean Outers, Overnighters, and liners. They weren’t organized neatly or folded, but it worked just fine for us! I could grab what I needed quickly and easily. I also loved Esembly’s messaging that cloth diapering did not have to be all-or-nothing. We continued to use disposable diapers from time to time and I never felt pressure or like I was doing something wrong when I did.

Also, a true Insider Tip from someone who answers the majority of our customer support tickets, USE THE WASHING POWDER! If I could only show you the ratio emails we get from people not using our detergent vs people who are, you'd be horrified! If you want your cloth diaper laundry to be easy-peasy, use the Washing Powder!

Favorite Esembly Product: 
The Inners and Outers were my first loves, but the Washing Powder was a game changer as mentioned! I also must shout out the Pail Pouch—we've been using ours for years! (Long after my son has been out of diapers). We still have one that we use for my son's dirty clothes in his room, and one that we keep with our camping gear to toss icky clothes and towels into while out in the wild! 

The truth is, cloth diapering doesn’t have to be complicated – even for parents with packed schedules. With the right system and a few tips and tricks, keeping your baby in cloth can be a hassle-free (and major money saving!) addition to your parenting journey. (Bonus: Esembly cloth diapers are blowout-proof! That’s one less mess to worry about during those already busy days!)

So if you’ve been wondering whether cloth diapering could work for your family, take it from parents who’ve been there: Yes, you can make it happen – and we’re here to help every step of the way!