Cloth Diapering-One Month Update

Now that Clark is two months old, Michael and I have already encountered our share of unexpected challenges and situations. Not everything has gone as I planned (something that I'm learning is pretty much par for the course in parenting), but one thing that (fortunately) HAS gone mostly as planned is cloth diapering.

Initially I planned to cloth diaper from day one. I even contemplated bring cloth diapers to the hospital for the nurses to use. (Wow--Even I know that's crazy.) However, after doing some research about effects of A & D ointment on cloth diapers, I conceded that we would need to use disposables for the week or so as Clark's circumcision site healed. After that week, I tried our cloth diapers out, but our little guy was too little  for most of our cloth diapers, so we continued with disposables for another few weeks. 

During his first month, Clark gained about two pounds and he was FINALLY big enough to fit in the cloth diapers in our stash. So, here's our update. What I love, what I hate, and what surprised me. 

Our stash (Links to Diaper Junction where most of the stash was purchased)
4-Little Joeys
22-Diaper Rite Prefolds-Small 8-18 lbs.
3-Small Thirsties Diaper covers with velcro
2-Snappies3-Flip diapers with snaps
2-Size One Thirsties Duo Wrap covers (one snap, one velcro)
6-BumGenius 4.0 Pocket diapers with snaps
6-Diaper Rite Pocket diapers1-Thirsties Duo Diaper


Little Joeys
Not much to say about these. They're cute. They work. But for us, building a newborn stash in addition to our regular stash defeated the purpose of cloth diapering to save money. I'll be selling these.

Prefolds & Covers
I love, love, love, love, LOVE our prefolds and Thirsties covers. I was definitely surprised by this. I bought these begrudgingly because I knew that initially creating an entire stash out of pocket diapers would be very pricey. I was able to get prefolds during a great Black Friday sale and decided that since I was very dedicated to cloth diapering, I could be the one to use the prefolds while I was staying home; I wouldn't make Mike use them. 

I got Snappies because that's what most cloth diapering YouTube moms suggested. I never loved using the Snappies. When I looked into different folds, I found that some people simply trifolded their prefolds and stuck them in the cover. I tried this and haven't used a Snappi since. Prefolds are quickly becoming my favorite type of diaper. They're cheap, easy to clean, and take up less space in the diaper bag than pockets.

Flips
My thoughts on Flips are brief. They're essentially expensive/fancy prefolds with covers. For that reason, I don't dislike them, but I probably won't add more to my stash at this point. One final comment about prefolds/Flips--I LOVE them for poopy diapers! (So do a lot of people, including my brother.) The reason is that it's much easier to clean the prefold/liner than a pocket. More on cleaning poop off of diapers in a bit...

BumGenius 4.0
These are my go to pocket diapers. They really are as great as everyone says. Sold separately, they'll cost you about $18. I got mine on a buy five get one free for about $90 on a Black Friday sale. You can also get these used from a variety of places (Ebay, local boutiques, diaperswappers.com, etc.). You won't save too much money buying used because these dipes really retain their value if cared for well (good news for when it's time to be done with diapers), but you should see a bit of a price break. I love these diapers because they are daddy, grandma, and babysitter friendly. The snaps are straight forward and it's easy to size right every time. (Clark is on the smallest rise with three sets of snaps in the middle.) I'm not a fan of cleaning poo off of these. The pocket usually fills with water while I'm cleaning them of off. It's irritating.

Diaper Rite Pocket 
I got two of these diapers on a whim when I was doing my Black Friday shopping. I believe they're exclusive to Diaper Junction, but don't hold me to that. At $8 a pop, you can't really beat the deal on an above average pocket diaper. I love that these are a bit more trim than my BumGenius diapers. They also have more snaps around the waist. This is great for a more customized fit (but can also be confusing to those who are diapering your kid when you're gone). I don't LOVE the inserts. Some of the full size inserts seem to have shrunk on me and they don't have tags either. (I put the tags of my BumGenius in the back so I have something to grab when I pull them out.) I will say that if I have leaks, it is usually with these (though leaks are few and far between). But they're weird leaks, on the sides toward the top--not around the legs. Maybe I just need to snap the rise up? Regardless, I like these diapers enough that I did order four more of them after Clark arrived. Overall, I'd recommend having a few in your stash if you want more pocket diapers for less money.

Thirsties Duo Diaper
I started out LOVING this diaper. There are openings in the front and back, so it's easier to stuff and the insert agitates out in the wash--no danger of touching a pee soaked insert. It used to be my go-to diaper. However, recently I've had leaks with it. Like, why-did-I-bother-putting-a-diaper-on-my-kid leaks. I haven't cared enough to find out why. I know that I always stuff it with the micro fiber insert up and bamboo down like I'm supposed to, but still, it leaks. So, for now, I wouldn't recommend this diaper especially given it too is $18.

Must Haves
I'll finish up with my "I-wouldn't-cloth-diaper-without-this-stuff" list.

Diaper Pail- I LOVE our diaper pail! It's a dry pail (as far as I know very few people use wet pails anymore--they're gross and a drowning hazard). It's not specifically made for cloth diapering, but it works like a charm! I use my Planet Wise liner and life is good. I usually just throw wet diapers in the top. For poopy diapers, I open the entire lid and pull it near the toilet for easy transfer. We haven't had any smell issues either. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!


Planet Wise liners/bags- I registered for two liners and a wet/dry bag by Planet Wise. (P.S. I HIGHLY recommend registering at Amazon. You can register for cloth diapering necessities and the deals are awesome. My friends and family loved the ease of shopping online too!) My mom got us our diaper pail and all of our liners/bags. Isn't she awesome?! I couldn't be more pleased with the liners. They fit my diaper well, never leak, and wash well. Having two is a MUST. One is in the pail while the other is in the wash. I adore our wet/dry bag as well. Although I don't know that the wet/dry combo is necessary. I think having 2-3 regular wet bags would suffice. I need to purchase a couple more because having the one is a pain.

Our diaper pail with slate colored liner

Diaper Sprayer- This probably should have been the first item of this post. Let me tell you this. IF I DID NOT HAVE A DIAPER SPRAYER I WOULD NOT CLOTH DIAPER! Seriously. This thing is awesome. We have the Bum Genius diaper sprayer. Some people complain about leaks, but we haven't had one problem with ours. My husband and his dad installed in less than 10 minutes. It has a hook that lets it hang off the toilet. It looks nice and is the best thing in the world for spraying out poopy diapers. There are other options for a sprayer. My brother used a kitchen sprayer and attached it to their toilet (I have no idea how, so don't ask) and it works beautifully too. I know because I've sprayed out my share of poopy diapers while at their house. It's pretty awesome to have that luxury while out and about. 

Here's our diaper sprayer attached to the toilet.

Eco Sprout- I use this detergent quite honestly because our local cloth diaper boutique (Cutie Poops & Bottoms) sells it and it's what my sister-in-law, Becky, uses. She's never had issues so, why mess with a good thing. So far I love it. We have no staining, wicking, ammonia, or other issues.


I'd love any recommendations, comments or questions you may have about cloth diapering!

Yes, we're cloth diapering.

Before you read on, please know that this post is in no way meant to sound preachy or critical of disposable diaper using parents. Would my child die if I used disposables? Of course not. Do I think that parents who use disposables are incompetent or bad parents? Definitely not. I'm slowly learning that we all make choices about what is most important to us. For Michael and me, cloth diapering is important.  I'm also learning that sometimes people do what is easiest in order to survive; I get that too.  

I wanted to write about our decision mostly because so many people ask about and are surprised by our choice. My guess is that because the cloth diapering revolution is rather new, few people know about why and how people do it. If nothing else, I hope this post answers some of your questions and leaves you asking some too. :)


Top Ten Reasons We're Cloth Diapering


#10--Cloth diapers are CRAZY cute! 
This is the most superficial reason, thus it is number 10. If all the other reasons didn't exist, I still might have gone this route just for the adorable factor. 

#9--Cloth diapers have more padding.
There's more cushioning for our little one as he takes toddles and topples while exploring the world. 


#8--You can't beat the convenience.
We won't have any midnight runs to Walgreen's because we're out of diapers!


#7--Potty training is easier.
When it is time to get our buddy out of diapers, he's more likely to train faster since he'll know that he's wet. (Chemicals in disposables/Pull Ups keep the baby dry, so he's less likely to realize that he's had an accident.)


#6--Being a leader is much more fun than being a follower. 
All I mean by this is that I'm not about to do anything as a parent simply because "everybody else does." I get that most Americans use disposables. Most Americans don't vote either. In fact, there are A LOT of things that most Americans do that I you'll never catch me doing.


#5--Cloth diapers are more reliable.
When tested against disposables, cloth diapers are more likely to contain leaks and blowouts! Less mess? Count me in!


#4--These aren't your grandma's cloth diapers!
When I tell people we're going to cloth diaper, after the shock and awe face has subsided, one of the first questions they ask is, "Like with pins?" No, people. There are no pins involved. A majority of our "stash" consists of pocket diapers (they go on like disposables) that are VERY user friendly. Here's a little diagram:

#3--I want our great-great-great-great grandchildren to live in a clean world. 
The average child will go through as many as 8,000 diapers before being potty trained. These diapers end up in landfills (accounting for 3.5 million TONS of poop and plastic going into our ground) that are not created for human excrement. This waste ends up in our groundwater and can cause a variety of problems. (Disposable diaper packages instruct users to dispose of feces in the toilet...when was the last time that happened?!)


#2--It's cheaper. (If Michael were writing this post, it would probably be his number 1!)
So far, we've spent about $300 on cloth diapers. By the time our stash is complete, we may  have spent $500--TOTAL. These diapers will not only be used for our first little guy, but can also be used for any children who join our family after him. If we were using disposables, we'd be spending a minimum of $800--A YEAR! (Yes, we'll be doing more laundry, but a couple extra loads a week won't even touch the money we'll be saving!)


#1--It's healthier for our baby. 
I've done TONS and TONS of research on this, and here's what it boils down to: disposables have crazy chemicals that I do not want on my child. In extreme cases, children have sustained chemical burns from these toxic elements. I know that I will sleep a little easier at night knowing that our little guy's bum is resting comfortably against soft cotton sans chemicals. In addition, the fact that we are having a little guy makes me want to cloth diaper even more; there have been studies connecting the use of disposable diapers on boys to lower sperm count as adults. I'd like grandchildren some day.