Part Time Cloth Diaperer

I was nervous to have Lucy, not to be a mom (I couldn't wait for that part) but nervous because of some of the horrible things people would say before I had her. Adults came out of the wood work when they heard I was pregnant and said things like You'll never sleep again, You'll be broke for the rest of your life. Okay, maybe they didn't say those words exactly, but similar ideas. I researched the cost of diapers and how much it costs to raise a child today and I was speechless. I think if those numbers are/were true there would be very few kids running around. One way I thought I could cut the cost of having a baby was diapers.

The point of this post is that we decided to try out cloth diapers. I love it. It's easy and I'm lucky my husband has been on board with the idea. We don't do it full time. I have a few outfits for Lucy that I just don't love the bulky diapers in. I also don't love carrying cloth diapers around when we are out and about. Lucy is 10 months old now and I usually only carry my purse (with a few key items thrown in). It's easier for me to have a few tiny disposable diapers that will be thrown away if we are going to be out all day.

I was very overwhelmed when I looked into cloth diapering. Everyone seemed to have an opinion and there were endless options available. I tried researching but all the pocket, all-in-one, hybrid talk was confusing. We dove into the cloth diapering world blind, but we quickly learned what worked for our family and what didn't. And we are STILL learning. My family chose this cloth diapering avenue more because of cost not the environmental benefit, but that is a perk.

Why I prefer Pocket Cloth Diapers

We have a small collection of cloth diapers. We use BumGenuis and I prefer the pocket diapers. I do have an All-In-One (this diaper doesn't have a separate insert) and I love it because I don't have to mess with placing and removing the insert. I don't love that it takes longer to dry. With the pocket diapers the shell dries relatively quickly and I can throw the inserts in the dryer. The All-In-One diapers have to air dry for a bit longer. I think my husband prefers the All-In-One's because he doesn't have to do anything extra when changing Lucy's diaper.

All-In-One

 I love our All-In-One that has all the math equations on it. It's perfect for a math teacher's child, and even if it is a little 'boyish' I tried building our collection thinking of future children, too. The inserts you see in the All-In-One are sewn in to the actual diaper.

Pocket with inserts

The liners just slip inside the pocket of the diaper shell. When you clean them you remove the insert and you can dry the liners separately.

Part of Our Collection

The Pocket diapers came with a larger insert and then an extra smaller insert. We used the smaller insert when Lucy was little. Now that she is bigger we use the larger insert and sometimes add the smaller one as well for extra soaking ability. We did not use cloth diapers in those early months. Even with the small inserts it was really bulky on Lucy and we were going through so many diapers a day, it was overwhelming. Especially while learning to be a new mom. I know some people do it successfully right away! We didn't have many cloth to try and it wasn't our priority then.

I'm sure there are many other fabulous brands out there. I liked that I could swap coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond for BuyBuy Baby and collect more on a discount. I also liked the colors and cute styles. We registered for one, they worked so we stuck with the brand. I have friends that have used the hemp inserts and love them. And I know many other people that have been happy with other brands.

Part Timing It

Most days that I am home I use cloth diapers. You do have to buy larger clothes sometimes for the onesies and pants to fit over the larger diaper. Because they can look larger, I don't use them when we get pictures taken. We have cloth diaper bags or wet bags that we throw the used diapers in. It's perfect to keep in the house, but I don't love to carry that around with me if I am running around. You can buy smaller ones, and it is perfect to go in a diaper bag, but it just wasn't worth it for me (usually). I still use cloth occasionally while out and about, but that is when I am running low on disposable.

We use disposable at night. Honestly, because we haven't tried the cloth at night. I have heard too many horror stories of children being soaked the next morning and I just haven't dove in yet. Also, sometimes when I use cloth all day long, if I am not excellent at changing Lucy right away when she is wet, she will get a little red and it's nice to take a break from cloth. Some people have the opposite trouble and have their babies get rashes using disposable diapers.

I do have to do a little extra laundry. That is no big deal to me. Every other day or so I throw in a small load of wash to soak the cloth diapers. I usually do a cool rinse and a hot rinse. There are people that are better experts at cloth diapering and washing, and there is great information out there on cleaning. I did love the Rockin' Green detergent, but I usually use my regular detergent to wash.

Why I love Cloth?

I love that I don't have to buy diapers regularly. I love that I don't have a full trash every day of stinky diapers. I love that Lucy isn't (always) being exposed to the chemicals in the diapers. I love how cute some of the patterns are. I love that she has something soft on her bum. I love that they will be/are difficult for her to try and pull off. I love that we are being environmentally friendly. I love that I can save money using cloth! It really is easy.

Pre-folds

I didn't mention these before. We do use these occasionally. They are simple to use. The only reason they are not a favorite is the bulkiness. Lucy is sometimes extremely wiggly while I'm trying to change her and trying to get a folded insert in the shell was just too many steps for me. There are definite pro's to using pre-folds, like being able to continue to use the same shell (assuming it hasn't gotten messy) and just adding new inserts in throughout the day.

Bottom Line:

You wash diapers. (It's a small load every couple days)
You put the diaper on baby. (Put insert in diaper if your using pocket or prefold)
You throw dirty diaper into wet bag.
Repeat.

I could and quite possibly may do cloth full time. I have found some super cute Tots Bots brand cloth diapers that I am dying to try! It's the Three Little Pigs. So Cute!

My Cloth Diaper Must Have's:

I like the snap diapers; the velcro wears easily and it sticks to things like crazy.
I prefer pocket diapers because they have liners that dry quicker since they aren't attached.
I do like my All-In-One's because everything is all together so you just throw it on almost like a disposable, BUT they take longer to dry because you can't just throw the liner in the dryer since it's attached.
After baby starts solid foods, get the disposable liners. They are fantastic and easy to use.


Hope this helps those that are looking into cloth diapers. Go and buy some different brands and try them out with your little one. Build your collection slowly if you need to, but don't stress about it! I felt like I needed to know everything before I tried, but we didn't and we still don't!

Good Luck friends!!

Sarah