Advanced apologies to my friends who don't have kids and really won't care about this post. But please keep reading... you might find something interesting. Or you might learn something about me or my baby!
Continuing with my obsessions. Here's the whopper. Cloth diapering!
Yes, you read correctly, and I know what you're thinking... "WHAT? You must be some kind of hippie! Isn't it gross?" And here is my answer: A hippie? Maybe. Gross? Nope. Not at all.
And it really isn't! Cloth diapering isn't like it was "back in the day." I did a lot of research before I got into it, and although I wasn't sure I would like it, I decided to do a two week trial. And I loved it!! Emmalyn's diaper rash IMMEDIATELY cleared up and it was super easy!! There was no touching poo or folding and pinning! Don't get me wrong, some methods are easier (for me) than others, but there really is an easy way to cloth diaper for just about anyone!
This is the point where I absolutely MUST give a shout out to my girl Angela! She is the one who introduced me (and ultimately got me hooked) on cloth diapering!! Thanks chica!
I won't get into too much detail about ALL the different kinds of cloth diapering because I'm definitely no expert... but I WILL tell you about what I use! Hopefully this info will help at least one person to understand that it IS possible to have something that is good for your baby, good for the earth, and good for the pocketbook!
Let me start by telling you the advantages that I have found with cloth diapering so far:
1. Emmalyn has not had a diaper rash since we started cloth diapering. She had them frequently with disposable.s
2. Cloth diapering my daughter will eliminate literally TONS of waste from landfills! Even more with CD'ing the rest of our kids!
3. With the diapers and accessories I use, I will save over $1500 by the time Emmalyn is potty trained! And even more with reusing (most of) the diapers for our next child. (Obviously the pinks will be out if its a boy!)
4. I NEVER have that "Oh, crap! I'm out of diapers! I have to run to the store real quick!" moment. I usually never even have the "Oh, crap, there are no clean diapers! I have to do a load of wash" moment. Funny enough, I actually LIKE doing the diaper laundry!
5. The diapers are so CUTE! I don't even usually cover them up! I just put little dresses or long shirts on Emmalyn and let the cute diapers show!
Okay, that being said, on to the diapers!!
The first things I use are prefolds and covers. Prefolds are kind of what you would consider the "old school" diaper. Except you don't have to pin them! I usually fold mine into thirds, but sometimes I do it "old school" diaper style, but I use a Snappi. Let me illustrate.
Prefold
Prefold fastened with a Snappi (I borrowed this pic from the Snappi website)
Or I just fold it in thirds and lay it inside a cute cover! I LOVE these covers:
Often times I will use a fleece liner on top of a prefold to make sure my baby has the softest stuff against her little bum!
The prefold/cover system is the cheapest of all the cloth diapering systems I use. However, it is a little more labor-intensive than other methods.
Emmalyn in her striped diaper cover with a prefold.
The next system I use is called the Flip System. It is like the prefold/fleece/cover system, only easier!!
It has an awesome stay-dry insert that is fleece on one side and thick, absorbent cotton on the other. You just fold it to the size you need!
Then you just lay it in the cover, and snap it on to fit baby!!
Emmalyn in her Flip diaper!
I also sometimes use a fitted diaper, which don't always need a cover for the first hour or so. And they make really cute prints in fitteds too!
SUPER cute Kissaluvs fitted diaper!
These systems work GREAT when we are at home and out on short trips. But I won't be sending them to the babysitter's because I want to make CD'ing as easy as possible for the sitter!
Therefore, I will be sending pocket diapers to the sitter. These are actually my favorites because they are super soft and super fluffy! I use two types of pocket diapers. Fuzzibunz and BumGenius. I mostly use one-size pocket diapers that can grow with my baby. Just stuff them with a super-absorbent liner (2 for bedtime) and go! I will be pre-stuffing them for the babysitter, so then they will just go on and off like disposables! (At least I think so... Ashley, since you're the only babysitter Em's ever had... what did you think?)
The Fuzzibunz have a fleece interior against baby's bum and close with snaps. They have patterns AND some awesome colors!!
Fuzzibunz in Green Apple, Blue Daisy, and Grape
The BumGenius have a suede interior and close with velcro... but they recently came out with a new version that closes with snaps too! They are more limited in colors and don't have patters, but they work wonderfully!
BumGenius with velcro in Sweet, Twilight, and Blossom
Emmalyn in a small Fuzzibunz in Crushed Berries
One Size Fuzzibunz in Kumquat
BumGenius 3.0 in Blossom Pink
There really is a color or pattern for every outfit and occasion!!
Here is my current cloth diapering stash, minus a few that were in the diaper pail (or on Emmalyn) at the time of the picture! This "organizer" is actually for toys (like for in a playroom) and will eventually be moved to the children's game room of our house after I am done using it for diapers!
Top row: Pocket diapers on left, fitteds and covers on right
Second row: liners and Flip liners on left, unbleached prefolds on right
Third row: liners, hooded towels, fleece liners, extra elastics and Em's bathrobe
Bottom row: burp cloths, wash cloths, large wetbags, small/medium wetbags
For my friends who DO cloth diaper: please feel free to add whatever info, advice, etc. you may have!!
There is a TON more info available out there about cloth diapering! Here are just a few of the resources I love:
Here is the website for the detergent I use on my diapers (and all of Emmalyn's clothes):
Ha! I love it Meggan! I was really curious when I heard you were doing this! I have something to think about while we dont have kids... very interesting! thanks for sharing! We should get together for lunch or something before vball and football get started!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm kidless and I still think they're pretty cute! (And this topic so fits the title of your website blog)! And btw, what are we going to do in August when we can't be up at midnight and 1AM blogging?
ReplyDeleteAwesome awesome blog post!!!! This will definitely help others out that know nothing about CD'ing. Thanks so much for the shout out!!! :D I'm so glad that I could help you out and that's it working out so great for you and Emmalyn!!! It's funny that you said you don't mind doing diaper laundry because neither do I! I hate regular laundry but diapers aren't bad because there's no folding and sometimes I just leave them in the basket and grab what I need.
ReplyDeleteCatherine ~ That would be great! Shoot me a message or a text and we'll make it happen!
ReplyDeleteJill ~ Buying all these cute diapers is what sparked the name of the blog! I was a shopaholic for myself before Em came along, and now I'm a shopaholic for all the cute baby stuff! I don't know what we're going to do when we can't blog in the middle of the night! Maybe we can have bloggging PLC's! :-P
Angela ~ Thanks! Funny how I love to do diaper laundry and stuff the diapers and see them all cute and lined up on the shelf!
Hey Megan! I'm glad to hear you are CD'ing. There are SOOO many cute diapers out there and people don't EVEN have a clue! I know I didn't until one of my "hippie" friends did it and I found out it wasn't as hard as people think.
ReplyDeleteWe CD'd with Will for about 4 months when he started to break out randomly with a rash that we couldn't ever get rid of with any of our diapers (after stripping, boiling, etc.).
We LOVED them and were SOOO sad. I've got them all saved and ready for the next one though (if there is another :)
BTW... I've enjoyed reading your blog :) It was good to catch up with what's going on in your life!