cloth diaper remix

Two weeks old, rocking a prefold and cover.

We've done cloth for 10 months now, and I am to the point where people start asking me questions. Despite my present battle with detergents (maybe), I know what I'll do next time for the first six months and beyond.

Prefolds get my vote
We started with Lil Joey newborn diapers that leaked like a faucet no matter what and automatically equaled a clothing change. Regardless I think they are the cutest and I used them until I realized that cuteness < laundry efficiency. So 90 percent of the time we used prefolds with Thristies covers. I had 24 prefolds in newborn size, which fit until 8 months because we have a small-bottomed child. I could usually make the covers last for two or three diaper changes before the went into the laundry pile. Now we still use prefolds but use vintage Gerber prefolds from the 1980s. True story. I have no idea if the current version of these work as well as the old school ones, but my hunch is no.

One-size pocket diapers for speed and laziness
My current stash includes 1 FuzziBunz one-size, 4 FuzziBunz mediums, 2 Kawaii one-size, 6 Bum Genius all-in-one one-size with snaps, 1 Bum Genius with velcro and 1 Blueberry Deluxe. I am neutral on Bum Genius vs. FuzziBunz. They work equally well, and I think it's a matter of personal preference. Kawaii diapers have a bamboo insert and are half the price of the other two brands. I could use my other one-size diapers even when he was teeny tiny by adjusting the snaps but the Kawaiis leaked and I could never get as tight. They work fine but I see them wearing much faster than the more expensive brands.

We like the pockets for babysitters, daycare and anytime we're going to need to change diaper fast in public. The downside is I have to air dry them and of course I only use them once (versus the Thristies cover).

Nighttime battle
Henry is a nighttime nurser and until he switched to his now up once to nurse and only for comfort routine, we'd leak and have to wash our sheets weekly (yep, we slept on pee sheets some nights, judge away). Wool soakers worked but the cleaning/lanolizing routine was just too much for me to fathom in the beginning. I had Sugar Peas fleece cover that worked sometimes but mostly not. It's better now that he only nurses once during the night, usually closer til morning.

I was committed to cloth from the beginning but I always fear that when we do use disposable (travel with no access to a laundry room) I will experience the glory that is throwing a diaper in the trash and never seeing it again.

It doesn't happen though. And every time I do shell out $12 for 36 diapers, it confirms we made the right choice.

diaper stripping

Ten months in, we're loving our cloth diapers.

I'm careful to use only cloth-diaper-safe detergent (Charlie's Soap) and diaper rash ointment that won't ruin the absorbing magic of my diapers (GroVia Magic Stick).

Recently, however, they have been stinking it up.

First, I thought Henry's pee just smelled that strong. Then he started getting little blisters in his nether regions. So naturally, I started googling and found that most likely he was getting ammonia burn. Holy mom guilt!

Last night I did my first attempt at stripping aka removing all the nasty.

Pocket inserts and prefolds

1. One teaspoon (for HE machines) of Dawn dish detergent* 

2. 1/4 cup bleach in the wash cycle.

3. Normal diaper cycle (I do "Whitest White" with extra rinse)

4. Hot rinse again

5. Hot rinse again

6. Dry as normal.

*They say to use the blue formula. I used green because I was lazy and didn't want to go to the store.

Covers
Same as above minus the bleach.

This morning they smelled neutral which I feel might be a good sign. Fingers crossed!

our cloth diapering choice

Most people's reaction to my choice to do cloth diapering is - "people still do that?" or "You say that now.."

But really, we're doing it. And here's why.

Health
Disposable diapers contain dioxins, which are potentially carcinogenic and listed as one of the most toxic chemicals according to the EPA. Plus, there are dozens of other chemicals linked to allergies and irritations that I'm not sure I want baby boy being exposed to so early in life. We've already switched to green cleaners - mostly Green Works and Meyer's for chemical reasons.

Earth-friendly
It doesn't make sense to me that we would go about our recycling ways and then throw 60-70 diapers a week into a landfill. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, disposable diapers make up 3.4 million tons of waste or 2.1 percent of landfills (1998). Critics will say that , my cloth diapering ways will use more water in my washing machine and diaper sprayer. True. But, we have Energy Star appliances, which bring the cost and impact of laundering way down. Cloth diapering also means human waste ends up in the sewer system - where it belongs.

Cost
While I'd love to tell you that my dedication to health and environment was so loyal that I'd do what I could no matter the cost, it's just not true. But the shocking amount of money saved per year using cloth sealed the deal. I plan to calculate this all out once baby boy has arrived and offer a more accurate count. Right now, we don't know exactly what works and how many days per week we're willing to launder. But, assuming we only got the bare minimum, here's the cost of our initial diapering:

5 FuzziBunz One Size Pocket Diaper - $100 ($19.95 each)
5 BumGenius 4.0 One Size - $90 ($17.95 each)
2 Sugar Peas Fleece Covers  for nighttime - $40
5 Thirsties Duo-Wrap Covers - $60
12 pre-fold diapers - $24
1 diaper sprayer - $44
2 wet/dry bags - $32

Total: $390

We're starting off with pre-folds and covers along with the four newborn diapers we received from our shower. Then we'll switch over to one-size diapers that will last the rest of his diapering days. We're planning on the fleece covers and wool soakers for nighttime use but I'm trying not to have concrete plans until we see how the little guy does. We'll buy special soap in bulk from Amazon's Subscribe and Save program. Right now I'm undecided on cloth versus disposable wipes. We'll probably use a combination depending on degree of nastiness.

For comparison's sake, disposable diapers cost around $16.80 per week (national average of 24 cents per diaper at 70 diapers per week for a newborn). To see a detailed cost comparison, click here. At that rate, we'll make up the cost in just five months. If you include the fact that the majority of our diaper stash and supplies will come as gifts, we could make up our costs in mere weeks.

These diapers will last us for boy's entire diapering career and snaps/elastic are easily replaced so we expect them to last for kid #2 as well. The savings will be in the thousands per kid. It's hard to doubt the choice we've made.

Stay tuned for what I am sure will be many more posts as we figure out our own system. For more on cloth diapering and natural parenting techniques, these blogs are great!

Cloth Diapering Whisperer
Happybottomus
The Diaper Jungle: Cloth Diapering 101
Kelly's Closet
Cotton Babies