When Gemma was 11 weeks old I wrote a whole post about cloth diapers and thought I was some expert. Oh HA HA HA. What I didn't realize is that there is a definite learning curve to cloth diapering and now, a year or so later, I have changed some of my opinions. But one thing has not changed - we still LOVE cloth diapering and have ZERO regrets! (and yes, the above pic is my daughter wearing one of her cloth diapers as a hat)
OK... so for those who are on the fence about cloth let me reiterate some points from my former post...
*You WILL save money on cloth v. disposables. Especially if you have more than one kid. Sure, you can spring up to $30 on one diaper (more on the htf (hard to find) fabrics from wahms (work at home moms) HOWEVER cloth diapers actually retain resale value! You can't reuse or resell a disposable, now can ya? (Um gross) You can also buy used cloth from many places including the babycenter swap board. I've bought and sold. It's a great way to save $$ and mix up your diapers with some new brands and patterns from time to time.
*Changing cloth diapers is just as easy as changing a disposable. In my opinion, you can get a MUCH better fit and best of all - very low chance of ever having a POOPY BLOWOUT!! We NEVER had one in cloth (but we HAVE in sposies!).
*Gemma did wind up with recurring diaper rash. This is rare for cloth diapered babies, but she has super sensitive skin and none of the CD-friendly creams/ointments were working for us. This meant that we had to do 2 things...
1. Switch our laundry detergent from Rockin Green to Tide Original
2. Use A&D ointment (the vaseline based one) with diaper liners
This has made the world of a difference for us and for my LO's nether regions. And it's really not a big deal.
So, as you most likely have lots of questions about CD-ing I will now attempt to read your minds.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?!?!
Do some research on Cloth diapers at various sites. Here are ones I recommend:
http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a16235/cloth_diapering
http://www.kellyscloset.com/?gclid=CMu8q9HFkLUCFcW9zAodQQYAqw
/http://www.cottonbabies.com/
HOW MANY DIAPERS DO I NEED??
For a newborn I recommend 10-18 newborn diapers (more if you don't want to be washing diapers nonstop). You can also rent a newborn stash. I bought ours (many of them barely used) and then resold them for almost the same amount of money I spent on them in the first place! Once your baby is 8-9lbs you can start using One Size diapers and I recommend having about 20 of those. In time you'll probably get addicted and add more to your stash.
DETERGENT... DIAPER RASH CREAMS??
We recently switched to Tide Original powder for our HE machine. I was surprised at how many CD-ing moms reco Tide. We had used Rockin Green but eventually our diapers couldn't get rid of lingering stink and Gemma started developing a reaction to the detergent. Tide has been great so far! There are a bunch of cloth friendly diaper rash creams. We wound up really liking Grandma El's and Angel Baby Bottom but neither protected Gemma's tush as well as A&D ointment. If you go with a non-CD friendly ointment be sure to use either flushable diaper liners (we use Bummi) or stock up on some fleece liners that are super cheap and can be tossed in with your regular wash OR along with your diapers.
CAN I USE MY DRYER OR DO I HAVE TO LINE DRY??
We use our dryer on medium with a bunch of wool dryer balls to help speed up drying. Once the weather is warmer I'd like to do some line drying as that can help keep your diapers in top condition AND the sun will pretty much erase stains!
WHERE DO YOU STORE THE DIAPERS BETWEEN WASHES?
We have 2 different storage systems in place. We have cloth diaper bags that we keep at our downstairs changing table that zip closed to keep stink in (and are good for traveling) and upstairs we have a diaper pail (same kind you'd use with disposables) but with a cloth diaper bag liner. Both methods hold in smell!
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH POOP?
This was the biggest ick factor obstacle for me when I first started considering cloth. The good news is breastfed baby pooh can be thrown right into the diaper bag/wash. Formula fed has to be knocked into trash or toilet first. However, one of the main benefits to using a disposable diaper liner is we can typically lift the poop off the diaper and then flush the whole thing in the toilet.
WHAT ABOUT WIPES?
Because of the sensitive tushy thing we hardly ever use disposable wipes, but when we do I prefer Pampers Sensitive. We have wipe warmers set up at each changing station stuffed with cloth wipes. Then the wipes go into the diaper bag/pail along with the soiled diaper.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU WASH ALL THOSE DIAPERS?
We typically wash every 48 hours.
HOW DO I WASH THEM?
This part can be a bit tricky and frustrating as every washer is different and most moms come up with their own crazy methods. We had been doing 2 wash cycles but another mama (who I sold one of my diapers to) said she thought my diapers could use an extra rinse cycle. You can google "washing cloth diapers" and "washing machines" and sometimes find recommendations. Or head to one of the cloth diaper groups (my fave is the one on babycenter) and ask the mamas what they do.
Currently our cycle is this:
Soak cycle, no detergent, no spin COLD COLD
Heavy cycle, 2TBS Tide Orig Powder, med spin, extra rinse HOT COLD
Normal cycle, 2TBS Tide Orig Powder, med spin, extra rinse WARM WARM
We have an HE machine so I have to kinda force it to use more water, but if you don't you can prob get away with 2 cycles instead of 3.
OK... THIS ISN'T SOUNDING TOO HARD. WHICH KINDS SHOULD I BUY?
Because there are soooooooooooo many different types of diapers, first ask yourself what your main objective is.
AFFORDABILITY IS THE MAIN GOAL:
Look into prefolds and covers. This does require using a pin or "snappi" or "boingo" to hold your prefold in place. And then a cover (either PUL, fleece or wool) to make it waterproof. I did not trust myself or the many people helping us take care of Gemma to go this route. I wanted something far simpler and we were able to spend a little bit more on our diaper stash, so we looked for other solutions. Any mamas reading this post who have gone this route PLEASE comment with how you do it and why you love it since I know the least about this option!
YEAH I WANNA SAVE MONEY, BUT I HAVE A FEW EXTRA $$ TO SPEND AND WANT TO GET DH ON BOARD WITH THIS:
In this situation I think your best bet is to go for One-Size fits all for most of your diaper stash. Typically these diapers have a "snap down rise" that you adjust as the baby grows or, in some cases, there is adjustable elastic inside the diaper leg area. This has become our FAVORITE option and we have a mostly Charlie Banana stash. My nanny, MIL, parents and hubby all find these diapers to be the EASIEST to manage! In theory they'll last you from birth to potty training! One-Size are typically offered as AIO, Pockets, AI2, and hybrid diapers - more on that below...
I'M A SAHM AND WILL DO MOST DIAPER CHANGES. I WANT SOMETHING AS NATURAL AND CUTE AS CAN BE:
Whenever I'm home I put Gemma in our fitted diaper stash. Fitteds are NOT waterproof. They require a cover. So they are a bit more high maintenance. Some mamas let their LOs run around without a cover and just change more frequently. In our case, I have been using fleece or wool covers over our fitteds. I'll get into that more later. Fitteds are usually made with either cotton velour (CV) or Bamboo velour (OBV). I like using Bamboo as it is the most absorbent and super gentle on Gemma's sensitive skin. My favorite 2 brands of fitteds come from 2 WAHMs:
Orange Diaper Company:
https://www.facebook.com/orangediaperco?ref=ts&fref=ts
Sassybumz:
https://www.facebook.com/SassyBumz?ref=ts&fref=ts
THERE ARE 10 MILLION ABBREVIATIONS AND TYPES OF DIAPERS. HOW DO I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?!
Here is my cheat sheet:
AIO = All in Ones
These diapers are as close to disposables as you can get. Almost all diaper types offer the option of aplix (aka velcro) or snaps. We started out using aplix for a snugger fit and I would still do this for a newborn, but people kept forgetting to secure the aplix to the laundry tabs (to prevent the diapers from snagging other diapers) and so eventually we went all snaps. These are probably the most daycare friendly, but do take the longest to dry. These usually have PUL outer which means they are waterproof and do not require a cover.
POCKET DIAPERS
These have an insert that gets stuffed into a pocket inside the diaper. At first I thought this would be a pain as an "extra" thing I'd have to do, but it's really no biggie. I prefer pockets over AIOs because it has significantly reduced our drying time. PLUS you can increase or decrease absorbency by putting different sizes or types of inserts into the pockets (ex: people add in a hemp "doubler" sometimes behind a microfiber insert to help catch extra pee pee during a long nap/overnight or for heavy wetters). These usually have PUL outers which means they are waterproof and do not require a cover.
AI2 = All in Twos
These typically have snap in or lay in inserts so you can customize how absorbent you want the diaper to be. Initially I really liked the AI2 but it became a bit less user friendly so these have gone to the wayside in our collection. I have seen different kinds of AI2 systems - some that have PUL outers and others that require a cover to be completely waterproof.
HYBRID DIAPERS
These are typically diapering systems that let you alternate between using just cloth inserts or switching in a disposable insert - many folks like these for on-the-go diapering instead of using full-on sposies.
FITTEDS
My obsession with fitteds started with Orange Diaper Company diapers which are just divine. The patterns are crazy cute. The workmanship is top notch. And the resale value is SUPER high as there are a ton of diehard ODC mamas. I also found Sassybumz (she makes all different types of diapers including AIO and pocket diapers) but her "natural collection" or "bambooties" are also some of my faves. Remember, fitteds are NOT waterproof and do require a cover. Many mamas like fitteds because they typically use natural fabrics and allow your baby's bum to "breathe". I notice that Gemma's tush looks the best after she has worn a bamboo lined fitted.
PUL COVERS
These are probably your trimmest option to go over your prefolds or fitteds. We briefly used some, but I didn't love the plastic-y feel to them. They are waterproof.
FLEECE COVERS
Fleece is a cost efficient way to hold in the moisture for a prefold or fitted. Fleece makes the diaper work harder and so when you take off a fleece cover the diaper is usually soaked. Fleece is convenient and can be washed with your regular clothes or diapers. This lovely WAHM has made us a bunch of cute soakers and pants in fleece:
https://www.facebook.com/wahmpant?ref=ts&fref=ts
WOOL COVERS
Wool pulls the excess moisture out of the fitted and into the wool and it "self-cleans" if it has been properly lanolized. This is a process that I've found a little daunting (I have yet to wash/lanolize my wool!) BUT I am LOVING wool as a cover. Because it pulls the moisture away from the baby's bum it keeps them feeling dryer longer. My favorite wool soakers, longies and "weggings" (wool leggings) are from Wild Coconut Wear:
http://hyenacart.com/stores/WildCoconutWear/
I realize there is a lot of info in here, but hopefully I've helped simplify the process a bit. ANY questions please post below (I need to approve comments before they show up so don't get discouraged if you don't see your post right away). I am a huge advocate of Cloth Diapering and we have gotten so many compliments on Gemma's cute collection. Yes, you will do more laundry, but the CD community still stands strongly together that, all-in-all, this is far more green and cost efficient than disposables. And, in my opinion, far cuter, too!
