Cloth Diapering: 18 months later

6 months old and rocking her Charlie Banana

We started cloth diapering when Gwen was 2 months old!  We are still going strong!  We have moved on past breast milk poo, beginning solids, and now to the toddler phase!  Regardless of poop, we are saving tons of money and that's why we are doing this in the first place.  We quickly made back the original investment by the time she was one. I love it!

After doing this for almost a year and half, I definitely have preference and my go-to diapers for certain things. Cloth diapering is one of my favorite baby topics to talk about. I kind of love it.  Here are the pros and cons I have found with the different diapers we use on a regular basis:

BumGenius 4.0 Pocket Diaper

This is one of my go-to out of the house diapers.  Since I bought these as a seconds sale on Cotton Babies, I got them for $11 a piece, but no inserts.  My favorite way to stuff them used to be either with a flour sack towel or Charlie Banana insert. Now, to use either of those two I have to use an additional insert or doubler since her pee quantity has gone up. It is easier now to just stuff them with a prefold.

Pros: There are two HUGE pros with this diaper. First, it is simple to teach others to use.  We use snaps so I tell someone, "Count 4 snaps from the left and snap. Count 4 snaps from the right and snap. Done." Second, I know this diaper will not leak and will contain poop when we are out and about.  Crucial! Who wants to clean poop off a baby's butt, thighs, back, clothes, etc. in general much less in the grocery store?

Other pros: cute colors, multiple stuffing options,

Cons: The only one I can think of is that it isn't the trimmest option. When you have double up inserts, it is going to be fluffy!

**I have no idea what the inserts are like for the diapers. This is strictly for the shell.


Charlie Banana One Size Pocket Diaper

I got my only Charlie Banana diaper when Target carried them in stores.  The best part was I got it for 50% off!  I use the inserts that came with this diaper far more than I use the shell, but I will get into why below.  My friend uses these as her go-to, everyday diaper and loves them.  When I do use the shell, I have never had a problem and love the softness of the lining.

Pros: I can definitely see how this diaper would last until potty training.  For Gwen, the waist is still as tight as it goes without crossing the snap over.  Also, like I mentioned, the inserts are great and absorbent.

Cons: The part about this diaper I don't like is the thigh adjustment strap.  I am sure it is great and helps get a better fit, but I am intimidated by it.  I think I am going to put it on the wrong size setting then it will leak when I am out of the house.  That being said, I have never had this diaper leak.  I am just paranoid about it.  It looks like a bra strap found on the inside of the diaper. People who use these all the time would say it is no big deal, so don't let that deter you.

Imagine Prefolds

These are my everyday, all the time diaper. They still look as amazing as they did when I first bought them and Gwen is still in the size small. I use the unbleached cotton SmartFit kind. I simply trifold them and lay them in a Flip cover.

Pros: Affordable, easy to clean, natural fiber. Gwen is still in the size she was when she was 7 lbs. I have to size her up now so I can use the smalls on baby #2!

Cons: Gwen did start developing a rash from the wetness against her skin because unlike pocket diapers, there is no wicking layer between her skin and the absorbent piece. I simply went to JoAnn Fabric's, bought a half yard of micro-fleece, cut up liners, and the problem was resolved.

Flip

These are the covers I use everyday. Just like the BumGenius 4.0s, I got them at a seconds sale. They were only $7 each! Normally, they are $15 each. For Black Friday, I was able to score some more that are the discontinued colors for $5 each! I love that these have double flaps, one in the front and one in the back, which helps hold the prefold in place.

Pros: You can wipe out the cover in between changes as long as no poop gets on it and reuse it once it is dry. They are affordable, easy to use, don't need very many covers (cost effective), and versatile.

Cons: Not the easiest for on the go

**Once again, I have never used the inserts designed to go in the Flip cover.


Other random things I have learned:

1. Diaper sprayers make life 100x easier. We love the Bumkins brand and it has worked well for us on two different toilets. It is also cheaper than the BumGenius sprayer and has better reviews.
2. RLR is your friend when your diapers are looking dingy or aren't smelling quite right even after washing.
3. Make sure your water level matches the amount of diapers you are washing. I have heard it described as wanting it to be a stew, not soup. They need to agitate and rub against each other and not just float around. This was why mine weren't getting as clean.
4. Kelly's Closet has a Facebook diaper support group that is phenomenal. They have helped me solve problems and give great recommendations. I think you can search for it as "Cloth Diaper Support Group".
5. They are the easiest loads of laundry you do all week. There is no sorting, putting away in multiple bedrooms, hanging up on hangers, etc. I really don't even have to fold anything if I don't want to. It is the clothes laundry I can't keep up with. The diaper laundry is a breeze!

We will see how crazy things are when I have two in cloth. Right after baby #2 is born, I will take a break and have both kids in disposables until we have settled into our new normal. More to come on that later I am sure!

1 week of Cloth Diapers

Imagine Prefold with a Snappi

Alright, guys!  We have officially made it a little over a week of cloth diapering!

Let me just say, those first few days I kept thinking, "Oh no.  What have I gotten myself into?"

It is intimidating at first.  How do I wash them?  What if they leak?  Did I pick the right detergent? What if I hate this?  Will my husband kill me if I just spent all this money and want to just use disposables?

As of right now, I don't hate it.  I also don't love it.  I am somewhere in the middle.

Here is a little summary of things:

What I like about cloth is...

-Rarely having to buy disposables (we use them at night for now)
-Saving money
-Fun colors and patterns
-Superiority of holding in explosive poop

What I don't like about cloth is...

-Extra laundry... lots of extra laundry
-Stress of making sure I am doing it right
-Stains on my pretty diapers

Things I am still figuring out are...

-Which detergent really is the best
-Best way to put on the prefold
-Which covers of mine leak and which don't
-Which type of cloth diaper I like the best
-Is it cute for babies to have an abnormally large, puffy butt


More updates to come!

My Diaper Stash

My original plan with cloth diapers was to begin immediately after arriving home from the hospital .  I wanted to throw myself into things so I would not know any different.

Well, Gwen arriving early threw us off a bit :)

I am simply cloth diapering because it saves a ton of money.  The diapers we purchased I chose because they are known for their longevity (multiple kids) and least amount of sizes (less time you have to buy the next size).

I am happy to say though that we should be cloth diapering within a week!  That is the goal!  I am currently waiting on 2 dozen prefolds and my wet bags.  Once those are here, I just have to prep them all and we will be done with disposables!

I am trying A LOT of different diapers.  Partially because a lot were given to me and partially because I think cloth diapering is addictive and I just want to try every diaper in sight.  Thank goodness a lot of them were gifts!

Here is a run through of all my cloth diapers.  Obviously, I have not used any of them, so in the future I will come back to them and give my review.


1. Charlie Banana: One Size Pocket Diaper

This diaper we purchased at Target.  It was on sale for only $8!  Super cheap.  It is one size which I love because it fits from 8 lbs until potty training.  It is so cute and soft!  I can't wait to try it.

2. Thirsties Duo All in One: Size 1

These diapers were a baby shower gift from David's aunt that cloth diapers.  I love them!  These are all in one diapers so you put them on and take them off just like a disposable... except way cuter.  Thirsties Duo diapers come in two sizes.  This is the first size which goes up to 18 lbs.

3. Prorap Covers: Size Small

These diapers were a gift from a friend who cloth diapered.  I have 10 of them!!!  They fit from 9-14 lbs.  I am excited to try these with prefolds because I think I will be able to get a really good fit with them. 

4.  Bummis Super Whisper Wrap: Size Small

These were also a gift from my cloth diapering friend!  How can you not love that frog print?  These will fit from 8 lbs. to 15 lbs.  I have heard amazing things about these covers.  I will also be using these with prefolds.

5. DiDee Snug Prefit: Size Small

 I actually have never heard of this brand and therefore, know nothing about it!  I know this part goes on the baby's butt and then I put a cover over it.  We will just have to try it and see!  I have two of these.

6. Fuzzibunz Pocket Diaper: Size Small

Yes, these also were a gift passed down from my friend.  Fuzzibunz is one of the most well known types of cloth diapers and gets fabulous reviews.  I love that one of them is super girly!  I only have the pocket diaper for these, but no inserts so I will most likely be stuffing them with prefolds.

7. Snuggle Hugs: Size Small

Gift from my awesome friend.  I have never heard of these and could not find out much from the internet.  The ones with fish on them make me wonder if they could be a swim diaper cover.  They also snap the opposite direction that most diapers do.  I will give them a try a try and see how it goes!

 8. Flip 

I have been dreaming about these diapers ever since I started looking into cloth diapers.  These are one size diapers and are so easy to use.  You either lay a Flip insert or prefold into the cover and off you go!  The biggest thing I love about them is that while you need to wash the insert each time, as long as the cover does not have poop on it you can reuse it.  I have 5 of these beauties. I was able to get the covers without inserts for $7 each from a Seconds sale.

9. BumGenius 4.0

These are the other diapers I have been googly-eyed over from the start.  These are all in one, one sized diapers.  Like the Flips, they did not come with inserts, but I got them super cheap.  I have 10 :)  My plan is to again just use prefolds to stuff them.

10. Imagine "Smart Fit" Prefolds

These have been ordered, but not yet come in.  I ordered 2 dozen of these.  I hear that they are amazing so I am excited about them!  I love that we can use them for so many things.


That is my diaper collection... so far :)  Stay tuned for how cloth diapering start out!  Hopefully my detergent comes in this week so I can get washing!