Cloth Diapers--something I'm doing right!

I feel like my last two posts were a little whiny, so I'm going to write about something I think I'm doing RIGHT...cloth diapering. I didn't even THINK about doing cloth with my first, thought about it for 10 seconds with my second and decided it was something that was too hard but I am 100% on board with cloth diapering for #3. I am SO happy with my decision and I can't encourage people enough to give it a try. It was so much easier than I thought it would be and I feel so much better about protecting him from "who-knows-what" chemicals being up against his skin 24/7 for 2-3 years. (I am, of course, hoping for closer to 2 than 3!)

I've had a lot of people ask me what I do, which I totally understand because I was kind of lost when I started too. I went to The Breastfeeding Center in Massillon to get the diapers. Luckily, they gave me quite a bit of guidance. I started out with FuzziBunz and Bum Genius brands. I LOVED the Bum Genius and was so-so about the FuzziBunz at first, mostly because of the snaps on the FuzziBunz that seemed to take FOREVER to do. Now I just grab whichever. I had some prefolds that I had been using as burp cloths with the other two and I figured since I had them I would give them a try as well. I bought some Snappis, a Thirsties cover and a Bummis cover as well as some organic cotton Bummis prefolds. I really like this option as well now too. The main reason is that they don't need to be stuffed so folding the laundry after I wash is goes much smoother.

I know a lot of people say they plan to use cloth at home and disposables when out and about, but this never really worked for me. When I was out and about and he needed a diaper change, he was always in cloth (I have a small lined, zippered bag that I keep with me when I'm out) . This is the messy part so it always seemed kind of silly to slap a disposable on him just to change it when I got home. Plus, then I'd need a diaper pail and a diaper genie---it just seemed too complicated. Exclusively cloth has been easier for me.

I was pretty confused about the wipes situation when I started as well. I found all these fun wipe solution recipes online and I couldn't wait to try them all out. Fun essential oils, different kinds of carrier oils---and they caused a diaper rash. So out with those. Water has worked best for me. I bought a wipes warmer, which I will be honest and say I always thought was a frivolous purchase, but in this case, it's a must have. I just throw all the baby washcloths in and dump some water on them. They're warm on his little butt and they're fast. When I'm done, I just throw them in with the diapers to be washed. I also have California Baby's Diaper Area spray that I use occasionally. He LOVES it so sometimes I spray his hands just to keep him busy at diaper change times.

As far as washing goes, I bought a trash can, throw in a washable liner (I have two, one to wash and one to use) and toss the diapers in. The instructions say that the diapers should be washed every 2 days, and as luck would have it, the can I found hold just about that many diapers. When it's full, I pull out the liner and dump everything in the washer and throw the liner in on top. I use Allen's Naturally detergent and I've been very happy with it. I do a cold water wash, then a hot water wash and then a final cycle with on hot without any soap. I JUST got a HE washer today so I'll have to see if anything changes with the new washer.

OH, and the poop. This is the part that I think makes everyone not want to do cloth. Exclusively breastfed my little guy until he was 6 months old. Because he didn't have any solids, I didn't really need to spray the diapers off before I washed them. As he started eating solids, I used the Bum Genius Diaper Sprayer, which attaches to the toilet tank. It's been fantastic AND the older two have left it alone--which I have now probably just jinxed by putting it in writing!

I know it's better for the environment, and better for him, but the reason I chose to start with cloth was to save money. Being my third, there wasn't much for people to buy in the way of baby gifts. I received all my diapers as gifts. (I have about 20 all-in-ones and 10 prefolds with 3 diaper covers.) I went for 14 months without ever buying a pack of disposable diapers. The only reason I did then was my washer was broken.

So that's about it. Easy, right? Mothering Magazine had a FANTASTIC article on cloth diapering. It talks about all the different kinds of cloth diapers, and makes a very convincing argument about the benefits of cloth.

And I'm off to throw a load of diapers in my NEW washer now!