I will admit that with Madison I didn't go above and beyond to try anything new. I didn't cloth diaper, I didn't make my own baby food, in fact I barely survived that child! I'm a little wiser now that I've already done this and I feel more open to trying new things. A good friend of mine kept posting about cloth diapering on FB so I decided to at least look into it for Aiden.
It's VERY overwhelming if you are just doing research online, I think this is because there are so many different types and brands of cloth. What should you pick? Which one is best? How many should I buy? I attended a class at a local shop, Nappy Shoppe, which broke down the cost and what's all involved. If you don't have a store close by find a friend to help you, there are also a TON of Facebook groups that are very very helpful!
When we came home from the hospital Aiden started to develop a diaper rash, we tried 3 different creams that did not help. We were using disposables because the cloth I had didn't fit under his belly button. It was heartbreaking to change his diaper and hear him scream because his little hiney hurt :( Finally I told Oliver no more creams, disposables, or wipes. We stuck him in cloth and within 12 hours his booty was all healed up. It was amazing and made a believer out of me!
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| Bought from Haddon Co on Etsy. |
What I bought and how much I spent:
Like I said I'm new and this is just what I've done, there are LOTS of different ways to go about this.
I spent about 175 on a 'newborn set' of these Bum Genius Newborn size. These are the 'easy' ones that are all one piece and just go on like a regular diaper. I really bought these for Oliver who wanted super simple. There are 12 in a set and we really only use these at night because when it's 4am easy is the best route!
I spent about 150 on prefolds {the cloth on the right, these fold up and fit inside the covers on the left} and covers. I have two different brands of prefolds, but so far the OsoCozy Better Fit are my favorites because they are slightly bigger and more absorbent. I have 6 covers and around 40 inserts.
I have all Rumarooz covers {they are so cute!} some are snaps and some are velcro. I prefer snaps, but it's all personal preference. I like prefolds and covers for a few reasons:
1. they hold more pee than the bum genius, when I change him I only have to change the insert and not the entire diaper unless he leaks.
2. Depending on your baby there are different ways to 'fit' the insert. This video shows how to do it.
Oliver practicing his jelly roll, our chosen prefold method, it holds in the poop really well.
This is a Snappi, it 'pins' the cloth diaper together without using pins.
Both of these brands have fit him pretty well, I know different kinds fit differently so if you have a chunky monkey you might as around for what works best :)
Laundry: this is what people are freaking out about. Poop in your washing machine. The chevron bag hanging there is a Wet Bag, we put all dirty diapers in there until we do a load. No it doesn't smell because he is breastfed right now. Breast poop dissolves in water so no need to rinse before washing just throw it in a wash them up. Later when he switches to solids it will need to be rinsed, I have a diaper sprayer attached to our toilet to rinse it off and I also have diaper liners to put in the diaper for easy clean up.
I use this detergent, but there are lots of brands, and I do an extra load every 2 or 3 days. You are not supposed to put the covers and bum genius in the dryer, but I do. I'm such a rebel and I have no where to 'hang' them to dry.
Overall I predict will will save over 2 grand using this method, that is if I can not buy a huge amount of 'cute' ones :) Everything I have is for newborn, so when he moves up to One Sizes I'd like to branch out and try a few different kinds. If you have a favorite could you leave a comment with the type and WHY you love it? TIA!
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| Like these, I NEED these! |
Tips:
- Find a FB Group, they are a great resource!
- You can buy used! Try Ebay, CraigsList, or Facebook! I bought new, but used it a great route and I may do that in the future although there tends to be a lot more girl items than boys.
- Don't buy all one kind, try a few to see what you like.
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Oh my gosh, the picture of Madison holding Aiden is adorable!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you posted this. I CDed with my son, but not until he could fit into one size diapers. He had a horrible diaper rash that I couldn't get cleared up and it went away immediately with CD. I really want to start my next baby on CD's as a newborn but thought it would be too expensive. I am going to really look into it now.
I used Fuzzibunz one size with my son and really liked them. I liked them because they weren't too bulky and fit well under his clothes and were very easy to use for my husband and our nanny.
Lisa
We cloth diapered too, only my husband was not as hands on as Oliver is, lol! I LOVED my Fuzzibunz, thats all I bought.
ReplyDeleteHeard so many good things about the cloth diapers, if we ever have another I am going to try them!
ReplyDelete(on a side note: Did you know Breast milk will clear up diaper rashes as well, Just and interesting fact I learned from my pediatrician!)
I did cloth with my daughter and I when I found a brand I liked I looked on eBay... I got some covers as low as 90 cents!!!
ReplyDeleteMy friend makes adorable cloth diapers! Check her out on fb. Butterbuns is the name! Cloth diapers are the way to go! Your kids are just so darling!
ReplyDeleteI have a 1 year old and have loved doing pre folds and covers. Flips are nice and trim, but my elastic is.getting fairly relaxed. Swaddle bees covers are a bit bigger but have held up better so far. I need a couple more so i will be trying some rumparooz, they look adorable on your little guy:) For aio, I love bum genius original elemental! Good fit and absorbent. Swaddlebees aio are extremely well made and so very cute, but not as absorbent so I throw a hemp doubler in there.
ReplyDeleteI may have to look into this for our next baby. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteHoly Kanolies I have so much to learn
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post! I am really thinking about going this route when we have a baby. I love the cuteness factor along with all the other pros.
ReplyDeleteIt just seems like a lot of extra work. I had three kids, all case cations in five years. I don't think I could have ever done all that.
ReplyDeleteMeant to say c- sections!
ReplyDeleteRagababe.com they are pretty awesome and from my hometown!
ReplyDeleteI went with pockets...easy like an aio but you can stuff them with as many inserts as needed to adjust absorbency. My favorites are os Charlie banana and os sunbaby
ReplyDeleteWe used Bum Genies for the majority of our time CDing. I definitely recommend snaps, not velcro though. Also, bamboo inserts hold up better once they get into other foods. I breastfed for 2 years and I could definitely tell the when she started transitioning into solids. We had to replace the inserts a few times. I know they're suppose to save you $$ but I couldn't stop buying them! Now, we stopped using CDs but we use Honest Company diapers and love them. HELLO cute patters! But I miss the puffy butt!
ReplyDeleteTina @ www.abettertina.com
I used BumGenius pockets and LOVED them. I also really like Kawaii pockets but they are a little bigger than BG. My son had skinny legs and I couldn't get the right fit on the fuzzibunz I bought. If you need liners/doublers definitely spend on bamboo liners. They are much more absorbent than microfiber. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI used prefolds as an infant and then from 1 year on used FuzziBunz. I love, love, love and spent entireley too much money on Twinkie Tush diapers...though the patterns are SO WORTH IT!! :)
ReplyDeleteThe picture of TS and Aiden is so precious! Congratulations!
Here is some good info from a blogger I really admire
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jodimockabee.com/2009/03/rock-cloth.html
We have (but rarely use cause I need to get a wet bag) fuzzi Bunz 1 size diapers. I like the 1 size so you don't have to keep buying new diapers. It has adjustable elastic and lots of snaps so they fit from newborn-potty trained.
ReplyDeleteGlad you posted this! We aren't going to start TTC until later this year, but I've always thought I wanted to try out cloth diapers! You're baby Aiden posts are giving me major baby fever :-)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post! I never considered using cloth diapers, but when I have a baby maybe I'll have to learn more about cloth! Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteLauren
http://stayathomewifey-lg.blogspot.ca
I love cd'ing. I love the little diaper butts, so puffy and cute. You are correct on the amount you will save, unless you are like me and have a cloth diaper addiction. I found a lady on Etsy that makes them. Her inserts ROCK and the diapers are super cute but she can make them as only covers as well. The store is Little Butt Diapers. She is currently on leave because she just had a little as well. But her diapers are sooo cute. I have ghost busters, superman, camo, reindeer, turkey, tuxedo, Christmas moose, and she does customs designs, which I have my name on the list for TMNT and Oliver tractor (because that is my littles name).
ReplyDeleteI also have a lady that sells them and she has an array as well. Her name is Sara McCullum w/ Tender Tushies Cloth Diapers. Her diapers are super cheap and super awesome. I mean you can't beat $7 for a brand new pocket diaper. Her brands are Alva, Kawii, etc. She ships everywhere in the world. She does house parties as well and if you don't live close to her she will send you a package and do a video house party. She is super cool and super nice.
I was like you, I never did cd'ing or making my own food but this time around I am doing all of that. I can't believe how much I love it and how much we have saved. I can't wait to read more about your journey with cd'ing.
Congrats on your new little boy! He's so adorable. My neighbor's business is in CDing. She knows everything about it. Here's her website. lots of good info in there.
ReplyDeletewww.abbyslane.com
My baby is 4 now, so I hope I'm remembering this right, but I really liked the g diapers. I also used prefolds and covers, I think the brand was Thirsty's? Something like that? Super helpful, right? lol I also found a lot of cute handmade covers, for cheap, on Ebay
ReplyDeleteI have considered cloth diapering for my baby boy who is due in June and went to the Nappy Shoppe for a class as well. I'm afraid that I am just too lazy for the additional laundry. I'm glad to read your post though...the way you write about it makes it sound so easy and less overwhelming. It's obviously the right choice for little Aiden! I might have to put CDing back on my list of considerations.
ReplyDeleteI CD my son who is now nine.. At that time we used fuzzy bunz, and we loved them! In fact he was potty trained by the age of two, and I really think that is partially thanks to CDing. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is easy to use the dryer those things will start to smell no matter how many times you wash them. I had to buy a whole new set when she was past a year because of the stink!! So glad to see cding going mainstream. Just 5 years ago it was much harder. When my husbands grandmother heard I was breastfeeding and using cloth, she said "oh I didn't know they were so poor!" Ha ha
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is easy to use the dryer those things will start to smell no matter how many times you wash them. I had to buy a whole new set when she was past a year because of the stink!! So glad to see cding going mainstream. Just 5 years ago it was much harder. When my husbands grandmother heard I was breastfeeding and using cloth, she said "oh I didn't know they were so poor!" Ha ha
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these resources! My husband and I are planning to start TTC this year and I'm definitely interested in cloth diapering.
ReplyDelete- Caitlin @ Weights and Measure
Some places will let you do a trial of CD: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10/tryclothfor10 I don't have a local store so this was a great way to try different types without a lot of cost. Buying used diapers is so much cheaper than brand new too. I use and love bumgenius and flips.
ReplyDeleteWe used Fuzzi Bunz from day one. I liked that they had so many snaps so they fit through a lot of growth spurts! I mostly used the dryer for mine and when they got stinky I would strip them in the washer with dish detergent and lay them out in the sun on the deck. The sun will bleach out most stains. We CDed from birth to about age 18 months and then I switched to regular disposable pull ups. I saved ton of money because I bought my diapers used from a friend for $100 and then sold them to another friend when I was done for $50! Fuzziness Bunz hold up really well! :)
ReplyDeleteI am way beyond the diapering stage (teenagers) but I learned a lot about cloth diapering from your post. I have to say, the fact that you used the words "jelly roll" and "poop" in the same sentence has me thinking I never want to eat a jelly roll again. And that's probably a good thing. So thanks for that! ;) haha!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to hear you're using cloth! We are a BumGenius family. I tried a little bit of everything with my middle child, but have only used BumGenius with my third because that's what we really like.
ReplyDeleteI was really interested in cloth diapering for my son but my husband was very much against it (he didn't get it). He was deployed at the time so why i listened I have no idea. This makes it seem pretty easy and I KNOW that for the next kid, we are using cloth. Thanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteWe use the bumgenius inserts. I really like them, but the only other kind I tried were the bumgenius AIOs, the ELemental .I didn't like it as much because the cloth would get all bunched up and with the insert diapers it stayed flat. When he starts solids you'll be so thankful for that diaper sprayer! I use the dryer every time and the dipes are holding up well (she's 8 months) but they are getting a little stinky because of the solids. If its ever sunny here on a laundry day I'll probs lay them on the deck in the sun.
ReplyDeleteWe have some good friends that own a cloth diaper company called The Little Bee Co. Their diapers are AH-MAZING and for every diaper purchased, they donate a diaper to a baby in need - its a great company with a great mission. http://thelittlebeeco.com/ They have been featured in a couple of magazines and guess what their newest pattern is .... CHEVRON! :)
ReplyDeleteWe use Bumgenius 4.0's. They are one size and have snaps, which is awesome. My husband has no issues cloth diapering and so many of our friends and family can't believe how easy it is when they see.
ReplyDeleteJanitorial Supplies at Janilink. U.S. and International source for cleaning supplies, industrial cleaning equipment, janitorial supplies and cleaning equipment. Now anybody can buy products at wholesale prices from our huge inventory Microfiber Rags.
ReplyDeleteAre you still cloth diapering? Has anything changed as far as your preferences go as he has gotten older? I'm due with #2 next year and am really wanting to cloth this time around. Just trying to get all the information I can. Thanks
ReplyDelete