Cloth Diapering (part one)

Lots of people had crazy reactions when I said I was going to cloth diaper (CD), mostly they thought i was crazy , that it is so much extra work at an already crazy time & that it is pretty gross to CD. Generally I'd say I'm a pretty lazy person, and i'm not finding it too much extra work! (I will say, today was an exhausting day and I was a tiny bit bummed that i had to to do CD laundry, but, since it isnt THAT hard to do, i survived! :))

On me and Cloth Diapering !

Since day 3 I used prefolds(PFs) (traditional rectangular diapers like our Mom's remember) and covers. These days they have covers that have velcro, instead of rubber pants. (Well, some people DO still use the rubber pants, but I'd rather use velcro! :)) I used PFs from Green Mountain Diapers. I also bought some from another company, but so far they are too small or too big. I use them as burp cloths and changing pad covers for now. But I can tell the quality is MUCH better from Green Mountain Diapers (GMD). GMD is a tad more expensive but they make PFs in sizes that are less bulky.

If I knew then what I knew now...

I would've ONLY bought PFs and covers!! This is the cheapest way to CD! And it really isn't very hard! I bought other diapers for night time because i thought in my sleep deprived state it would be too hard to use PFs at night, but it really isn't!

I will say that the Orange Edge PFs didn't last too long for us. C was a big baby, but actually, I found she outgrew them as far as absorbancy went, before actually outgrowing them size wise. I never had a leak though, so they were still absorbant enough, but just barely!

Because I wasn't sure how I'd feel about PFs, I was looking for a simple system that would *hopefully* last throughout diaper wearing days for more than one kid. A new diaper hit the market while I was planning my CD "stash" & it seemed to fit the bill. I ended up going with this system for my longterm use diapers. Diapers that are meant to last from newborn stage to toddlerhood are called "one size" (OS). Most OS diapers are NOT infact, one size, because they usually don't fit newborns. (which is why i had PFs and covers on hand). However, my ginormous baby (ok, not really. she was slightly bigger than average, at 8lbs 11oz) fit her OS diapers pretty much right away. I tried them on her at 6 days old & they were quite bulky, but fit. I'll post some pictures so you can see.

I'll go ahead and say here some advice that is good, but i kind of ignored. You really shouldn't invest in ONE system before your baby is born, b/c you just don't know what you will like. it's best to try out a diaper or two and THEN commit. I would've only gotten PFs and Covers if i had done that... but I wanted to have diapers ready to go when she came...plus, people got me some as gifts! :) But that's my tip to you, even though i didnt really follow it...

Anyway, the diaper I selected was the Gro Baby diaper. It is a OS diaper, but what i like about it is that the absorbant part snaps in & out, so if the diaper is wet only (or if poop didnt get on the cover), you can keep re-using the outer part. Exclusively breastfed newborns poop is quite runny, so it often gets on the cover, a complaint by some, but it doesn't really bother me. you could get away with a lot less shells though, (so cheaper) if you waited to start using these for an older baby who is eating solids. I figured in the long run, since i had already committed to this system, it was cheaper to just have a lot of shells. I also didn't want to have a lot of different diapers around- it would just confuse B!! (and i don't want to get addicted to diaper buying- that isn't gonna save money!! :)

As far as washing goes, I keep it simple. I use either country save or tiny bubbles (both cloth diaper safe and good for the enviroment). I do a hot wash with extra water (a setting on my HE washer) and an extra rinse. NO liquid softener in our washer (in any load, not just diapers) anymore! And no dryer sheets either. I use dryer balls and LOVE them.

my "pager" (aka C is crying) is going off, so i'm going to finish this for now. I'll try to make a post soon with pictures of C in her diapers. Also, if you post any questions in the comments, I'll do a follow up blog answering them! :)