Cloth Diapering

I've had several people ask me about cloth diapering. I know this info is of NO use to 99.9% of my blog readers, but I'm going to post it so that I can direct people to the information when they ask.

I did tons of research, and the more I would read, the more confused I could get! There's SO much information and SO many options out there!!

I'd say the two most popular brands are probably FuzziBunz and BumGenius. Simply because I knew someone who had used them, I was leaning toward the FuzziBunz. Someone loaned me a stack of the small perfect size FB's, and I purchased 6 of the medium size. FB also makes a OneSize that grows with the child, and I have one of those. Overall, I'm not impressed. They are falling apart!! For a $20 diaper, I need something that's going to last more than a year.

I've heard good things about the BG's, but what leaned me away from them was the velcro closures. I do have a few dipes with velcro, and I don't like dealing with it at all. However, I think there are BGs out now with snaps. Those would probably be worth looking into.

My fave dipes have surprised me. I found a knock-off of the FBs at a local consignment store, and I love them! www.greenerbaby.com
The best part-- they are 3 for $25!!At under $10 a pop, they have been very reliable, and held up very well. I will say that for the first couple months, we had a lot of leaks. The leg holes just couldn't be adjusted small enough to keep her all together. I just saw it as an opportunity to change her clothes more often! :-)

I currently have a stash of about 20-22 dipes that I keep in rotation. That's enough to easily get me 2 days, and will usually stretch to three days between laundry. If you stay home, you'll need less than if you do daycare, just because they have to change them so often in daycare.

I definitely use 2 inserts in every dipe. I probably started using two when she was 5-6 months old. They do make her bum rather bulky, but we're just used to it. Keep that in mind, though, when thinking of clothing sizes. She's had to go into the next size earlier than she would've, just because her booty is bigger.

I will say that for overnight, she's a heavy wetter. I always grab the name brand FBs for night because they are a bit bigger, and will hold a thicker longer insert. I get those inserts at Mama's Hip in the highlands. I think they are the BG flip inserts.

For wipes, I bought a bunch of flannel on sale at Joann, and just cut it into squares. It frays on the sides a lot because I didn't stitch it, but for wipes, who cares? However, I wouldn't recommend that if you choose the velcro closure dipes. The bits of fray will get all in the velcro and make you crazy.

One major word of advice. Get a diaper sprayer for your toilet! It's just like a kitchen sink sprayer, but goes on the toilet to rinse the poo off the dipes.

I do still buy a pack of disposables every couple months. We keep them around for when I just don't get the laundry done or when she has a rash and we need to use cream. I've never purchased wipes. We still have some I received for showers.

You can find info on the net saying that you do or don't save money with cloth. I KNOW we've saved a ton. Further, I feel like I'm doing something good for LJ, and something good for the environment. That's all a win in my book. I really feared I would regret the investment, but I've LOVED doing cloth with her. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.