Cloth Diapers January 27, 2012

I have a confession: we use cloth diapers. Don’t be so shocked, they aren’t the folded cloth and pins you’re thinking of. They’re actually very easy and pretty good looking. I’ve had a bunch of people interested, so I though I’d share this post. Keep in mind, this is only after 3 months experience, and my opinions and suggestions may change depending on new products and discoveries. So, please email or call me if you’re considering going cloth, and I’d love to give you my advice!

(Hint: Just skip to the pros & cons section at the bottom if you’re only mildly interested in this post)

• What to Buy:

Bum Genius snaps only! I’ve had friends try multiple varieties and they all say they wish this was the only kind they bought.

• All-in-one vs 4.0:

I personally have the 4.0, but I really want to try the all-in-ones. They’re new so I don’t know how well they work, but they sound ideal. The benefit of the all-in-ones is that laundry is so much easier because you don’t have to stuff the insert into the diaper- they’re permanently in place. They say you can still add extra inserts, but I’m not sure how that works. The reviews say they wash out well, but take a little longer to dry. If I could do it all over again, I would get a set of six 4.0s and they rest all-in-ones. The reviews have nothing negative to say.

• One-size vs newborn + one-size:

I have the one-size variety, and I’m happy with them. Newborns would be beneficial for the first 6 weeks or so, but the all-in-ones are also supposed to work for 7lbs and up. All-in-ones are supposed to last you through at least one kid, so theoretically if you bought newborns too and you used them on multiple kids, the cost would average out.

• Colors:

I had a hard time deciding if I wanted bold colors or white when I was ordering. This was because I was concerned about color showing through white onesies. My personal opinion is to get all fun colors. They really are cute, and Titus hardly ever wears white anyways. You could get a few white or light colors if you’re still concerned, but I have no white ones, and I’m glad I made that decision.

• Where to buy:

Kelly’s Closet
They have the best deal I could find: Buy 5 get 1 free. They run this deal every month or two, so don’t feel pressured to make the deadline. If you google Bum Genius, there are also similar websites that sell them.

• Accessories:

1 large wet bag for nursery
1 medium wet bag for diaper bag (1 for each bag)
1 toilet sprayer or shower head extension sprayer
2 peri bottles or spray bottles (1 for home, 1 for diaper bag)
1.5 cloth wipes per cloth diaper (I made my own and can send you an email with instructions if you want. It’s as easy as sewing a pillow case.)
Cloth diaper detergent

• Cloth Diaper detergent:

You can order some online, or you can buy some in local stores. They important thing is that the detergent doesn’t include dyes, enzymes, fragrance, brighteners, and softeners. There is a website that makes it easy to find detergents in the store. We use this site all the time. You can pull it up on your smart phone at the store. Just make sure all the boxes say no.

• Washing instructions:

I don’t spray off or prewash the diapers, unless there’s alot of poop in the creases. In this case, I spray it off, but it doesn’t completely clean it until it goes through the cycle. One cycle works well for me.Use hot water and only cloth diaper detergent. I separate the inserts from the shells because it washes a little better. The inserts have to be removed anyways to dry, otherwise it takes forever. Friends of mine have to prewash and run it through a couple cycles. I just have a regular washer and dryer and this is never needed. Also, you technically aren’t supposed to dry them, but I always do. You’re supposed to line dry them. Bum Genius gives trouble shooting advice and washing instructions. These include occasionally adding 1/4 cup of bleach occasionally, dealing with detergent buildup, and stain preventing advice (which includes drying out in the sun).

• Spraying instructions:

We hooked up a shower sprayer as a shower head. Make sure the hose is long enough. They also have toilet wands. I kept making a mess spraying it into the toilet, so we found the shower sprayer more convenient. Plus it makes bathing my water-phobic dog about 10x easier!

When the baby starts eating solids, you can just plop the poop into the toilet (or so I’ve heard). So much better.

Cloth wipes pros and con:

• You can leave the wipes in the diaper and wash it all together- no separating and getting your hands dirty!
• No trash can needed in the nursery
• Cloth wipes are better for babies’ bottoms. My pediatrician told me not to use disposable wipes when he has a rash because of the harsh contents in the solution.
• You don’t have to worry about them drying out.
• con- you have to carry around a sprayer

• Wipes solutions:

You can google wipes solutions. There are tons. I just add 10-20mls each of baby oil and baby soap to an 8oz bottle.

Diaper pros and cons:

Pros:

• economical. Think of a the land fills that are full of diapers. Being green is very popular.
• good for baby’s bottom. The contents of disposable diapers aren’t regulated by the FDA or any other agency. Who knows how harmful the contents are? Babies are supposed to get less diaper rashes with cloth diapers because they’re stay-dry.
• money friendly. We spend $286 on all the diapers we’ll ever need for him compared to thousands with disposable. Just google how much you spend per kid on diapers throughout their lifetime. Sickening.
• cute colors
• I’ve never had poop leaking out of cloth diapers
• You can add extra inserts to prevent leaking at night

Cons:

• more laundry (I wash them about once every 2-3 days)
• you can’t use diaper cream (but they’re supposed to have less rashes)
• people aren’t used to cloth diapers and may be intimidated (in reality, they’re just as easy!)
• you have to spray off really poopy diapers that get in the creases
• I’ve had an issue with urine leaking, but I think it’s because I’m waiting to change it more than 3 hours.

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