But Wait! There's More...

When we began our cloth diapering adventure, we did so to save money. The environment had absolutely nothing to do with it. Even now, I list "cuteness" over "environmentally friendly" when listing the reasons I love cloth diapers. After diving into the world of cloth diapers, I learned about the health benefits. Money and health still rank high on my reasons to skip the diaper aisle at the grocery store, BUT I've found other benefits to fluff.

• Stink: When Babyzilla has a rather stinky poop, it gets flushed down the toilet. Actually, all of his poops get flushed down the toilet, but I'm most thankful when it's a really stinky one. With disposable diapers, the stink stays in the trash can until you take out the garbage. Even if you take it out every night, a stinky poop in the morning will fester. People tell me that cloth diapers are "way gross" but I think letting poop sit around and stink up your kids room is grosser (more gross?).
• Blowouts: Really, it's more the lack thereof that I love. I'd heard horror stories about car seats, couches, carpet, etc. covered in poo. Babyzilla had one blow out in his 10 months on Earth, and it was while he was wearing a disposable diaper. Relatively speaking, it wasn't that bad of a poo. He's had way worse since then, but the pocket formed by the pre-folds holds the poo. There have been some stinky, messy ones, but never a poo leak. No matter how bad a poop is, I'd rather spray it down the toilet than scrub it off the walls, carpet, and couch.
• Versatility: We use pre-folds, which look like a thick dust rag. I've used them in more pinches than I can name. They're burp rags, soft enough for wiping faces, extra padding on high chairs in restaurants, toys (especially for peek-a-boo), oh the list goes on and on.
• Travel: By using our overnight method (bamboo insert with a pre-fold and cover), Babyzilla can ride in the car for hours without getting a rash or needing to make a pit-stop just to change a diaper; a big time-saver, let me tell you.
• Emergency preparedness: We live in Florida. Hurricanes are real. I have a great deal of peace of mind that, in the event of a big storm, my kid has diapers. Worse case, I have to hand-wash diapers in a 5 gallon bucket with rain water and line dry them. (We have drying racks that we use on a regular basis.) Super clean? No. Better than nothing? You bet.
• The illusion of a butt: My kid has NO butt. The cloth diapers give him some padding so his pants stay up. I know most people don't have this issue, but it makes my life a heck of a lot easier.

I'm sure this list will grow when Bump #2 gets here.

Cloth on the Go

This past weekend Hubby, Mimi, Babyzilla and I went to a family reunion. It was our first time traveling with cloth diapers, and I was nervous to say the least. I packed some sposies "just in case," but we never used them. That's right. Our trip was 100% cloth! No leaks, no chaos, and, unlike previous road trips, no rash from waiting for the next rest stop to change a wet diaper. Even better, no need to stop at a rest stop just to change a diaper!

For travel we used a prefold with a hemp fleece insert. It works for overnight, why not in the car?  The drive to the reunion was about 3.5 hours, including a stop for feeding, and when we got there Babyzilla got passed around, so he was in the one diaper for about 4 hours. I changed him, and the pee hadn't made it to the outer part of the pre-fold. I swear, those inserts were the best $5 we have ever spent.

We stored the wet diapers in the normal wet bag, but ran out of room on the way home Sunday. Target bag to the rescue. Thank goodness it was only the one diaper.

I will say that the one down side to packing cloth was the room the prefolds took up, but it helped us organize everything. The black bag for clothes and toys, the brown bag for diapers, and the green bag for bottles/ feeding. Hubby and I could grab what we needed without rummaging through everything, so I guess it wasn't much of a down side.

Monday morning, I popped the diapers into the washer and washed them as usual. The ones from Saturday morning were a little strong, but nothing terrible. I sniffed them after they came out of the washer. No smell at all.

At first, I wanted to use all cloth just to see if we could do it. Maybe for a bit of shock value. Maybe to show how easy cloth diapers are for family members that think we're "crazy." Either way, I'm so glad we did it. Cloth diapers made the trip so much easier! And we're one step closer to being 100% cloth!

I use cloth diapers because I'm cheap and lazy.

Originally, using cloth diapers was a matter of money. Everybody is on a tight budget theses days. When I was pregnant, Hubby thought we could save a few bucks with cloth. (Yes, my husband wanted to use cloth before I did.) Then we crunched the numbers.

We are assuming a box of diapers lasts about a week, and a box of diapers costs about $20. (I'm a coupon girl, and I can usually score some really good deals, but I've never been able to get a box of diapers cheaper than $15.) Also assuming a child will potty train at age 2. There are 52 weeks in a year (104 in two years). Thus:

104 weeks X $15 = $1560 to diaper a child from birth to potty training. *2 years is an average. Most will take longer and keep in mind that you won't be able to get $15 diapers every time, so this number should be higher.*At $20/box, it will cost more than $2000!

Compare that to cloth, using pocket diapers (which are more expensive than PFs, but are the most common choice) at $25 each (most are not that expensive). A two day supply is about 20-25 diapers. 25 diapers X $25= $625 Keep in mind that most pockets are one size, so once you have your stash, you're set.

You could save over $1000 by the time the child is potty trained. If you have more than one child, you've already made the initial investment, so every cloth diaper you use on child #2 is pure savings. That's a savings of $3000 or more with two children! Even with detergent and electricity factored in, that's a huge savings. We use a quilt rack to air dry the diapers, so we don't use the dryer.

Even with the "extras" we've acquired along the way, we've spent less than $500 for everything (including 6 boxes of sposies). We have 1 more size to go with pre-folds and we plan on using cloth training pants, so we'll probably end up spending about $600 total.

While money is our main reason for using cloth diapers, it's not the only one. I've heard stories about "emergency" trips to the store for diapers. We never have that issue. We wash on a schedual, but if we do run low, we can always pop a load in the washer and in less than an hour we have a full stash again.

Another motivation for using cloth is the concern over the chemicals in disposables. The same absorbent materials in diapers used to be in tampons, but were removed because of the connection to TSS. Now, I know that the method of contact is different, but there's something to be said for keeping a toxic material that close to a baby's genitals. Have you every smelled the diaper area at Target? It reeks of chemicals and I'm not comfortable with putting that on my baby's skin 24/7.

The most common reason to use cloth diapers is the environmental impact, but to be honest, even if cloth diapers were just as bad as sposies for the environment (And that argument has been made) I would still use cloth. Eco-friendliness or "going green" is at the very bottom of my list, even below cuteness. (Cloth diapered butts are SO cute!)

I'll admit that we're not cloth purists. My mother in law watches Babyzilla 4 days a week while I'm in class and he wears sposies there. When we visit my mom, she buys a box of diapers, so we don't have to worry about packing them. Every family has to develop their own system that works for them. Many daycares don't use cloth, but baby wears cloth at home. I know a family that uses cloth on the weekends and overnight. In our cloth adventure, we've been all over the spectrum too. It's not something you're locked into. That's why I'm a huge fan of the Change 3 Things Challenge. The idea is that you commit to changing at least 3 dcloth diapers a day. It won't save you thousands of dollars, maybe just a couple hundred, but it's a good place to start. Many people find themselves changing more than that. I'll give you fair warning though: Cloth diapers are highly addictive! :)

Cloth Diapers

I've had quite a few of my friends ask for information on cloth diapers. I dedicate this post to them. I am not claiming to be an expert on the subject, but here is some of what I've learned on my cloth diapering journey.

First of all, there are lots of acronyms and abbreviations with cloth diapers. Learn them or you'll be lost.

CD: cloth diaper
PF: pre-fold
CPF: Chinese pre-fold (made from Chinese cotton. more durable than Indian cotton, but not as soft)
IPF: Indian pre-fold (made from Indian cotton. softer than Chinese prefolds, but probably won't last through multiple children)
DSQ: diaper service quality (refers to the quality of a pre-fold. You definitely want them DSQ.)
AIO: all- in - one
Sposies: disposable diapers
OS: One size
OC: organic cotton
PUL: Polyurethane Laminate- a waterproof material used to
make covers, and the outside of many pocket diapers & AIO's

Types/ Styles of CDs

Flats: Rarely used anymore. These are the old fashioned ones your grandma probably used.
Pros: Cheapest diapers. Can be folded for a tailored fit to your baby.
Cons: They need to be folded and pinned. None of the convenience of disposables. Also require covers. Hard to use with a Snappi. (What's a Snappi? Don't worry. I'll get to that later.)

Prefolds:

Like flats but already folded (hence the name) with an absorbent middle. When you see numbers such as 4x8x4, that refers to the layers. 4x8x4 would mean 4 layers on each side, and 8 in the middle. *Note: You don't want the thin Gerber ones from Target/ Babies R Us. They're useless as diapers.*
Pros: Cheap. Relatively easy to use. Work with a Snappi. Come in many different materials. Dry quickly. Can be doubled for heavy wetter/ nighttime. PFs have 1000 or more uses: burp cloths, dust rags, changing pad, make-shift bib, absorb spills, etc.
Cons: Not as similar to sposies as other styles. Require cover, so diapering is a 2 step process. Need to buy multiple sizes.

Pockets:


Knicker Nappies pocket diaper. Great brand!



Very common type of CD. Pockets have a waterproof outer layer, and an inner layer which wicks away moisture. These two layers are stitched together leaving an opening in the end where you stuff inserts. The inserts absorb the mess. You remove the insert when it's time to wash.
Pros: Design is similar to disposables (great for people not used to changing cloth diapers, like a babysitter). If you have a heavy wetter, you can add more inserts. One step process. (No cover needed.) Dry quickly. Most are one sized, meaning baby can wear the same diaper from birth to potty training.
Cons: After each wash, you have to stuff the diaper again. Can be more expensive than PFs.

AIOs: A waterproof layer on the outside, with an absorbent layer sewn right in (hence the name, all in ones). Often includes a "stay dry" layer closest to baby's skin such as microfleece or suedecloth.
Pros: Closest to disposables. Easy to use. Most are one size.
Cons: Most expensive. Slowest drying. Can't customize.

What we do:
Our main motivation for using cloth was the money factor so we use PFs with covers most of the time. Babyzilla is a "super soaker," so we use a hemp doubler with the PF at night. They're easy to use, once you get the hang of it. My mom found some pocket diapers at a consignment store for about $3 each. They're normally $20 or more each. We use them for running errands because they're easier to use on a small bathroom counter. (It never fails that we're somewhere without a changing station. Thanks Murphy!) We have 4 pockets and they're a bit of a pain to stuff. I couldn't imagine doing it for 20 of them. With PFs you just stack them by the changing table. We use a small bin to hold the covers and doublers. Personally, I don't understand the popularity of AIOs. Pockets are just as easy to use, but take less time to dry and you can customize the absorbency. Eh... to each their own, right?

Other things to consider:

Diaper pail/ pail liner: You need a place to put the dirty diapers. We use a trash can with a lid that flips up. People used to use a "wet pail" with water and vinegar. This is unnecessary and can actually make the smell and bacteria growth worse. A pail liner is great. It keeps the ...uh.. mess from getting all over the pail. You just pick it up like you would a garbage bag and dump the dirty diapers in the wash. The liner goes in with it. I recommend having 2. One to wash and one to use. (Our liners were about $15 each)

A CD friendly butt cream: Cloth diapers have fewer issues with diaper rash, but sometimes it happens. Desitin and Butt Paste will do serious damage your diapers. Grovia makes a stick that you put on kind of like deodorant. It smells really good. It's a bit pricey, but one stick will last as long as your kid's in diapers. Ecological Babies sells CD friendly diaper rash treatments. (No, I don't receive anything if you buy from Ecological Babies. It's a great company and I'm happy to support them.)

Diaper sprayer: Nonessential, but you'll want this when your kid starts solids or if you formula feed. Breast milk poop is water soluble, so you don't have to clean it before you pop it in the wash. Formula poo and solid food poo need to be washed out first. (If you want to get technical, you're supposed to do that with sposies anyway.) With a diaper sprayer, you spray the poop into the toilet and flush it away. Diaper sprayers are good for hosing down high chairs, too. (Sprayer was $30. I asked for it as an anniversary present. Wow, I'm a cloth diaper nerd.)

Wet bag: The one we have has a dry area for clean diapers and a wet area for dirties. Not a must have (you could use a plastic grocery bag instead), but definitely nice to have. (Ours was $17 and worth every penny.)

Fasteners:  If you use flats or PFs, you'll need a way to fasten the cloth before you put the cover on. You could use the old fashioned diaper pins ($1 for 5 at Burlington Coat Factory) or you can use a Snappi. Snappis are AWESOME! They work kind of like the old ACE bandages. The ends have little teeth that hook into the diaper and hold it. No worry about sticking you or the baby during night time changes and no storing them in soap to keep the ends sharp. (Snappis are about $4 each and should be replaced every 6 months. We keep 3 on hand.)

Doublers: Doublers are great if you use prefolds and your kid is a heavy wetter. They're the prefold equivalent to adding more inserts into a pocket diaper. Ours are hemp (very absorbent) and cost $5 each. We have 4.

Cloth wipes: You're already doing the load of laundry, so why not? More savings, less mystery ingredients on your baby's bum. I confess, we're not using cloth wipes yet. It's the next step though. I'm sick of sorting the wipes from the diaper. I like to roll it all up and toss it in the pail (or garbage, if I'm using a sposie). I've found some great recipes for homemade wipe solution, but good old water works just fine, so I've been told. (Price will vary by what you use.)


I know it's a lot of information and CDs can seem overwhelming. I promise that it's not as bad as it seems! If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.