So as you know we are getting our new front loaders {actually they arrive tomorrow,eeekk!} but we are unsure of something else. We plan on using Cloth Diapers when we have kids, and I know that they are extra work, so I want to be as prepared as possible for that time. Although we aren’t doing the baby thing for awhile, we are doing the laundry room now. So heres where I need all the amazing mamas out there who CD, or even ones who don’t {but know how messy kids can get} advice.
Do we or don’t we need a sink in the laundry room?
Will only using a sink work {meaning can we put all the gross stuff down a sink drain}? Would we need a sink plunger?! {I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit}
Can we go without a sink if we use a diaper sprayer?
Do we need both, so we don’t go insane?
Do you think were insane for planning this far ahead?!
All valid questions by the way:) We just don’t want to put time, effort, and money into a room and then the second a little one pops out {its totally that easy, right?!} need to change it to accommodate.
If we do need a sink, we have a soft spot in our hearts for one like these babies:
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| image via D*S |
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| image via Flickr |
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| above images via Retro Renovation |
Skip the sink. If you plan to breast feed, breast milk poo is completely water soluble and can go directly into the washer. When the future bean adds solids to his/her diet is when you’ll have to hose the poo off and it shouldn’t go down a sink anyway, especially if you’re not planning on adding a garbage disposal. A diaper sprayer is all you really need.
I would have no idea about this, but find it great that you are planning ahead. I’m sure you can do some research on all those mommy blogs about it.
Hi!!! i wrote on your DIY Driftwood Art a request.
Thanks!!
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Have a good day!
Hey! I’ve been following you for a little while now but I think this is the first time I’ve posted – love your blog! I’m a yet-to-be mom as well, but if we ever redo our laundry room we would definitely add a sink…if only for projects/cleaning/messy jobs. Not sure if you already have this or not, but I would love eventually to have someplace to clean paint brushes besides my bathroom sink. That’s my 2 cents!
I cloth diapered my daughter. Our first house had a utility sink in the laundry and it was a blessing. I breastfed my daughter. So all diapers could easily be rinsed and then kept in the wet bag until I was ready to do a load of diapers. Once she started eating real foods, I would dump solids in the toilet and then use the sink for added rinsing. In the house we have now there is no sink. So we went the diaper sprayer route. It was a lot more work and if the toddler gets ahold of the sprayer a lot more to dry off. Trust me. Hope that helps.
well i would put a sink in it will come in handy for more then babies….soaking bleaching etc….if you have the room for a sink i would def put 1 in.
I personally wish I had a sink. I don’t use cloth diapers, but it would come in handy for lots of other uses. If I had counter space in my laundry room it is likely it would become cluttered and not used any way! haha
I’ve been meaning to tell you that I love your blog! It is smart that you are thinking about all of the diaper stuff now! We have cloth diapered all three of our kids and don’t have a sink (well, we don’t have a washer and dryer either, but that’s another issue). We keep a diaper pail lined with a wetbag next to a toilet with a diaper sprayer. Breastmilk only diapers get dropped right in the pail with no rinsing. Anything else gets sprayed off into the toilet, and then in the pail until washing day. If I had to choose between a sink and more counter space, I would probably choose counter space.
i’ve been with sink and without. if you have the room, i would definitely add one. it’s great for all kinds of clean up. plus, when you move to baby food you’ll be doing a lot of soaking – same with markers, paints, etc…little ones are dirty! glad you are planning ahead. you will thank yourself later.
Hey lady,
So we just started cloth diapering about a month ago…SO easy and we don’t have a sink- I really don’t see the need (like others have said above). We haven’t even gotten a diaper sprayer yet (I just put biodegradable liners in, they catch most of the gross solid stuff, then I just flush them).
P.S. Jack is hoping for a little Lentine friend sooner rather than later.
As far as spraying the lovely poo down,…you’ll want to do that in the toilet. If you go to http://www.younghouselove.com they have installed a really cool spray devise in their spare bathroom for just such a chore…;) Not sure what it’s called, but if you scope around their site you’ll find it and ask them a few questions about it. Maybe have a sink AND a toilet…then it could double as a half bath as well as a laundry?
i don’t have kids and do not plan on cloth diapering, but i will say that if i had room in my laundry room for a sink, i would totally put one in!
they’re super handy for cleaning painting supplies and other things you’d rather not clean in your kitchen sink as well as being able to soak stained clothes, hand wash, etc.
go with the sink!
You can get cloth diaper liners, with are made of a soft papery clothy stuff a bit like dryer sheets. This makes it easy to remove the bulk of the poo and either bin it or flush it. The liners are more comfy for babies too, because terry cloth can get a bit on the scratchy side when frequently bleached. Google online for different ways of folding cloth diapers too, the standard triangle is not the most effective way, or the most comfy for bub. You want to fold it so the bulk of the terry cloth is on the bum, between the legs, and up the front, not on the hips. Cloth diaper covers are a must! You can get all sorts of cute waterproof covers to slip on over the top. This stops the wee soaking everything. You will also want heavy duty nappy bags to store dirty nappies to take home, as you will need to change them while you’re out sometimes!
Hope that helps. 🙂
I have a sink in my laundry room and I use it for more than just my cloth diapers. I removed what I could in the toilet, and, if needed, I used the laundry sink to finish it off. I didn’t have a sprayer. I really love my laundry sink.
I would totally get a sink in the laundry room if I could! I have a counter top in the laundry room and its just completely full of junk. I’m a partial cloth diaperer, (usually only do it on the weekends when I’m home) and just use the toilet and bathroom sink to rinse the grossness off. You can totally cloth diaper without a utility sink, but you do so many crafts and painting projects why would you not want the utility sink! Get it for your craftiness!! (and diaper thing too) 😉
I would put a sink in the laundry room. While I keep diapers in the bathroom and flush down any thing that needs to be removed I would use a utility sink for everything from stain treatment to hand washing my wool covers. My one must have for the next house we live in is a utility room with a sink.
I’m late in on the conversation, but check out the blog “YOUNG HOUSE LOVE” They attatched a diaper sprayer to the toilet, and I don’t think they had room for a laundry room sink – but you dunk/rinse the solid poop in the toilet then flush. The laundry room sink is for where you put soaking wet shoes and clothes after the 2 year old goes puddle stomping, or ‘helps’ fill the the dogs water dish. Good luck!
Great bathroom designs! It is an important room, so I’m very glad for these wonderful ideas. Only thing I’d add is some nice artwork to go with the theme.
God Bless and thanks.