When using any two-part system like our Wizard Duo or a fitted diaper + cover, you’ll often read that the covers can be used 3 to 4 times before they need to be laundered. Sounds great – fewer covers to buy! But then you go to change your little one for the first time…

You get everything ready, take the diaper off your baby, unsnap the wet insert/diaper and discover the cover is wet on the inside. Is this supposed to happen? I thought I could reuse this cover 3 more times?! I don’t really want to put a new clean insert on a wet cover… is this normal?

The answer is, yes, it is completely normal for a cover to be anything from a little damp to quite wet on the inside after use. Simply wipe down the inside of the diaper cover and let it air-dry until your next diaper change.  For this reason, it is a good idea to rotate between two covers for day time diaper changes.

Ok that takes care of what to do when the diaper is just wet – what about poop?

If poop is contained to the insert, you can treat it the same as a wet diaper and wipe and reuse.

However, if poop does manage to get onto the diaper cover, you will need to put the cover in the diaper pail and get a new cover. The likelihood of poop getting onto the diaper cover is higher when your baby is little and not yet eating solids because that is when the poop is rather runny.

A night time diaper cover should always be put into the pail in the morning and not re-used during the day as night time diapers tend to be far more saturated than daytime ones. As a result, urine can get into the bindings and then cause a reaction on your little one’s thighs. 

So how many covers do you really need?

If you are washing every other day, then you’d need a minimum of 3 covers per day – two to rotate during the day and 1 for nighttime. It’s a good idea to have a few extra for just in case a cover gets soiled.

So, in short – wet covers are normal, poop covers must be washed before reusing – easy peasy!

Written by Jennifer Smith