After talking at length with a couple of my friends who cloth-diaper and much, much thought, I have decided to make the switch from disposable diapers. Gasp! I'm actually really excited to save some cash, do my part for the environment, and - who am I kidding - mainly see how sporty my baby looks in those diapers. Cloth diapers are seriously cute these days. We'll see if my enthusiasm remains after I've used our DIAPER RINSER (which, in case you don't know, is a hose you attach to the back of your toilet to power-wash out the solid variety of baby waste from the diaper... and which I am praying that the three-year old (or six year old, for that matter) doesn't discover).
I've purchased a mix of one size bum genius all-in-ones and the 4.0 version, which should carry us all the way into potty training. Two days into it, my favorites are the 4.0's because the fabric inside does a great job wicking away moisture from the bum (the night before I started, I woke up in a panic worrying about this very thing. Not an issue at all.)
(sorry for the bum shot, but in case you wanted a closer look at the diaper. there are about a billion snaps you can choose from to get a custom fit.)
Any tips would be most welcome (like, what do you overnight? I'm a little scared to use them all night - and, what happens if the little ones do discover the fun of the DIAPER RINSER? I'm hoping there is some kind of locking mechanism.) I totally get that this adventure is not for everyone, but so far, I really love it. The softness of the diapers and how comfortable they seem on the baby - the way they smell off the clothing line outside - I'm enjoying the entire process so much, and since I do laundry at least every other day already, it hasn't seemed to add much extra work to my daily routine.
Other details:
-oddly enough, all of the cloth diaper-ers I know are named Jennifer.
-I bought mine here (free shipping, plus they threw in a dozen cloth wipes, which are incredibly soft.) You can choose your diaper colors.
-I'm using Crunchy Clean to wash them, which I bought here (again, free shipping. Such an incentive for me). It smells so good. Has anyone used the laundry detergent they sell for clothing?
-My friends tell me that to start, you should get a minimum of 12 diapers, a diaper rinser, cloth wipes, a spray bottle (for moistening the cloth wipes during diaper changes) and a wet bag (for the dirty diapers - it contains the odor until you are able to wash). All of this will probably set you back around $275, which seems like a lot until you calculate how much you spend on disposable diapers each year.
-my favorite color of diaper is noodle. So cute.
34 comments:
Thanks for this info - I have been thinking of doing this for months and the bumgenius tab on my browser seems to be permanent. It just seems like such a different process. I know it can't be that big of a deal, but yeah, a hose in the bathroom could be very, very, bad at our house.
we loove cloth dipes! we've only ever done cloth with our 2 - age 2 1/2(who no longer sports the dipes as he's been pt'd for 5 months) and an 8-month old. for nights we have always used a variety. either a fitted (we love bagshot row bamboo) with wool or a flip cover, a double-stuffed flip cover, or a double-stuffed bumgenius (we like a combo of prefolds and hemp or bamboo). lmk if you have any other questions. i'd love to help. although my name's not jennifer :) (i was one of ann's mission comps in sweden)
We're a bum genius house and I really like them. For overnight I use the bum genius soaker pad and it works perfectly. I'd definitely recommend the soakers. They are also good for when you are going to be out and about for while and won't be able to change a diaper as often as you'd like.
Here is the link: :)
http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=98&products_id=765
You are a brave woman. Seriously! It sounds like there is much more support for cloth diapering moms now-a-days - Please make sure to give us an update on how it's going~
Love cloth diapers!!! We have been cloth diapering my almost 10 month old since he was about 3 weeks- I never thought I'd be so excited about diapers :) We have 1 set of bamboo wipes, but I've found that the cheapo Circo brand baby wash cloths that Target sells work just as well.
I've got a pretty heavy wetter so overnight we use the big and small inserts that come with the bum genius, plus a hemp insert, just for good measure. The hemp insert is a slow absorber, so put it further away from baby's bum. We haven't really even used our diaper sprayer now that the poo is "plopable" (sorry I'm getting graphic here!) Most sprayers have a shut off valve, so hopefully you won't have too many hose accidents :)
Wow, sorry for such a long response! I can get carried away with cloth diapers!
My little one is nt a heavy wetter so we use the BG 4.0 which comes with a NB insert and a regular insert overnight. but if you have a heavy wetter yourself then i would recomend the regular insert and purchase some extra inserts and it doesnt have to be BG. but i would recomend either microfiber which can NEVER sit on baby skin, hemp or bamboo liner. Bamboo liners are anti bacterial and soak up so much liquid. it's crazy!
We used BG 3.0 until my daughter potty trained at 2. Would do it again too. Congrats on starting this. As others have mentioned, doubling up on the inserts at night.
ps. not a Jennifer
I started cloth diapers when we discovered we were having baby #4, and #3 had NO desire to potty train. I made my own pocket diapers and use the bummies whisper wraps. The biggest issue I had was finding the right detergent that didn't leave residue and lead to stinky diapers. My solution was Charlie's Soap. I loved it so much I bought a 5 gallon bucket of the powder. For extra night protection, I add a folded up microfiber towel, and have never had a problem. Good luck! I love taking the diapers off the line and folding everything up. It's very therapeutic.
I had 3 babies in cloth nappies. I didn't have a diaper rinser. Perhaps if you are worried about the other kids reaching it, you would be able to attach it to your laundry sink. Tip the solids in the toilet and finish the rinsing in the laundry. I have an outside laundry and just used a garden hose to do the same job.
Hi there, we've been using cloth diapers for our 9-month-old since the beginning. We use thirsties + pre-folds during the day, but at night, we use disposables (a size up). I tried using the bum genius with an extra insert for overnight, but half the time he'd soak through the front. Fortunately this just means 1 disposable diaper used per day, so it takes us forever to go through a box.
We were also using the diaper sprayer/rinser attachment when his poop started to be more solid but it really ended up being kind of gross and time-consuming. We used tongs to hold the diaper while spraying into the toilet, and didn't like that poopie water back-spray, since the water pressure has to be pretty high on the sprayer to be effective. After talking to some friends, we switched to Imse Vmse liners, which are flushable, and also re-usable if it just got pee on it. It's worked out very well for us.
Hope this helps, and good luck!
We used cloth for my daughter and loved it. Which isn't to say there were never disposables used but very limited numbers. We used microfibre inserts with a hemp booster and found that was the ideal combination - microfibre closest to the skin, hemp at the back. We didn't have a sprayer, just put what we could into the toilet using a scraper and washed the rest in the laundry sink. I always figured there would be nasty splashing etc. with the sprayer and the toilet. The other trick was making sure the inners of the nappies didn't get water-resistant which is just a case of trial and error to find out what detergent works best with your machine and in what amounts. If you start getting a lot of leaking out the legs or a bad smell then you probably need to strip them, lots of advice on the internets for that. But really just enjoy the lovely cloth bum and the fun colours and the other stuff is mostly incidental when you get your system down.
I was so excited to see this post because we just started cloth diapering, too! We really like it so far! We just had our third child four months ago, and we decided to start cloth diapering her about a month ago. We used disposables with our two older children. I was really apprehensive about using the cloth diapers at night, but I have been pleasantly surprised that she wakes up leak free. For nighttime, we are using Thirsties fitted diapers with Thirsties covers. I agree with you cloth diapers are really cute (in addition to all the other benefits that you mentioned). We tried to make it for the first two weeks with 12 diapers but we have since upped our number to 21. That seems to be a good number for us. During the day, we are using BumGenius AIO organics, Rumparooz pocket diapers, Imse Vimse AIO, and Tiny Tush pocket diapers. I really like the BumGenius and the Rumparooz during the day. The Rumparooz have inner gussets that work well for our poopy daughter. We are using Rockin Green detergent, and I really like it. Instead of a diaper sprayer, we are using flushable bioliners. They have worked well for us, although I have never tried the diaper sprayer. It is nice to hear others experiences with cloth diapering...no one in my circle of friends cloth diapers and all of my friends think that we are crazy for cloth diapering.
Yep, cloth diapers are rad! We've used a zillion different types over the course of 4 babies and I would have to say that gdiapers are the very best, in my opinion. We use them with a prefold insert instead of the flushable one and they're the trimmest, non smelliest, most absorbant. But the bumgenius wins for ease of cleaning off the solids. Our rinser has a lock at the top, just above the trigger. Good luck!
oh, but we don't use gdiapers for nights. We use baby beehinds with their pul wrap (although I think the wool one would be great too) The only problem with this is that ours do smell lots (but maybe that's to do with my detergent?)
I cloth diapered my 2nd child toward the end nearing potty training and now I'm CDing my 3rd (now 12 mo's). I do love it but there have been times I want to scream. I have a front loader washer and I have a hard time with the stinkies. I have used
-Rockin green Hard Rock
-Nellies
-Charlies
-Allens
-Bio Kleen Liquid
-Ecos
-Planet Ultra Powder
and Calgon for my hard water
I've had to strip my diapers a couple of times. It's been trial and error for me but the good outweighs the bad. Here is a list of laundry soap and the ratings
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html
I like Bum Genius and Happy Heiny's for day use and night is tough for us. I have about 6 different brands in my stash. I have a heavy wetter so night time I use a Happy Hempy's fitted with a wool cover. Wool covers can be expensive so I buy old wool sweaters and make longies and shorties. Here's a blog with free pattern downloads to make your own. http://katrinassqs.blogspot.com/
I buy sweaters at the goodwill and from Resweater on Artfire http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=15159&ga_query=wool%20sweaters
I am laughing that there are a few blog posts in the world that can get such long responses as topics like cloth diapers or breastfeeding pros and cons. Us moms sure can get long winded. Hope some of this helps.
I am a Jennifer and have nothing to do with cloth diapers, which is probably a good thing considering my kids are 12 and 8...hehe
But they are dang cute and soft...the diapers that is:)
Sorry, no experience with cloth diapers but had to say that your baby is adorable!!!!!
I had to laugh as I'm a Jennifer and cloth diapered my son from birth to potty training. Enjoy the adventure!
You are awesome!
I can't wait for an update. I LOVE the idea. Definitely want to hear if it works with the older (active) children and how gross they are to clean, if so.
I bet when you use clothe diapers you are more motivated to potty train earlier!
Fun post and great comments. I would add that a dozen is fine for testing the waters, but not enough if you're really going to do it. At least 18 for the commitment. We have 13. I found the laundry rotation mucked things up so we clothed for a couple of days, washed and used standard diapers. This round, we'll be all cloth from the beginning (Bum Genius as well).
Of my mamas who cloth, only one is a Jennifer. (But in the Bay Area, lots use diapers :)
I tried it with my first but I didn't stick with it. The rinser probably would have made all the difference. I was so grossed out by in the first time around that I didn't even bother to try it with my second but I should have. She's not quite 9 months old now though and I just haven't gotten around to it.
I should have done it with her mainly because, and I apologize in advance for the graphic nature of this comment, but her poop is totally different. No sprayer required with this baby. Even though they are both breastfed babies they are, interestingly enough, totally different. My first always had these disgusting explosive diapers that i just couldn't deal with in cloth. I really should be using them since I have a whole set of bum genius.
It was also the first time I wished I didn't have a front loading machine. I struggled with stinky diapers after a while too. I'm off to read back through the comments here to see what I can do about that.
Good for you! We just switched to cloth too for our second child. It's true what you say about doing laundry all the time, so what difference does a couple extra loads make? I'm loving the cloth & how soft & nice they are on her skin. It makes the disposables feel like scratchy, stiff paper in comparison.
We do still use disposables at night as well as when we travel. It's our 'hybrid' approach. Still green, but also very do-able.
I use our normal 7th Generation laundry soap to clean them, as do several of my friends. We use a teensy tiny bit (1 or 2 teaspoons or so), hang them to dry & we've had no problems. Our diapers are still very soft, absorbant & have no smell whatsoever.
I'm glad to hear all is going well with your foray into cloth diapering. Hope it continues to do so!
Good for you! They are definitely adorable.
I will say not to be afraid of prefolds and wool wraps for nighttime. I use two prefolds (or one prefold and a bamboo/hemp doubler) and they last all night long. I've used prefolds for the past 2 1/2 years, but recently acquired some pocket one-size diapers for my toddler. I don't worry about using a little diaper cream with the prefolds because they strip so easily.
I just recently made the switch to cloth too, and I am loving it! Although most of my family thought I was totally crazy to do it. I have been buying some cloth diaper stuff and sewing a lot of the rest, and really enjoying myself. The 'Chloe Toes' pattern has been very good to me, I made my pocket diapers using it and I have really enjoyed working with the FOE. We use them for nighttime since I can stuff them to last overnight with no leaks in the morning. I am also using gDiapers with homemade inserts and they're great for a trim daytime diaper. Still working on the best laundry routine though. Not there yet, but I think I'm getting close. And I wish you lots of fun with your cloth diapers! I know I am still learning something new all of the time, its almost like a new adventure it seems.
Thank you SO much for all of this wonderful advice. I just bought some flips, and am excited to experiment with those. It's so great to hear that there are just so many ways of making this work. !
Also, thank you for so many terrific links!
So much advice...don't need to add any...just that I'm a (former) cloth diaperer named Jennifer. We've moved on to the potty, but loved our Fuzzi Bunz in strange-only-a-cloth-diaperer-could-know kinda way. Best of luck - have fun!
You are so brave. It makes me almost want to switch, though I'm about ready to potty train my baby...
I am very excited about your switch!! And the planet thanks you! I rinse pooey nappies then leave on a special line outside to dry then chuck them in the laundry basket. Wet ones I don't even bother rinsing, just let dry then wait to wash. Waaaay more pleasant to deal with than grimacing with a peg on yer nose as you open up that wet bag or bucket. Eeuuw.As for the hose....I think your kids are definitely going to have a go at it. Not sure I can help you there. I made our nappies out of op-shopped flannelette sheets and they're great! xx
ahhh, I have nothing to add, in a constructive way ;) but I have to tell you, that of ALLLLLL the glorious things I miss about my babies, it's the cloth bums running around the house...I still to.this.day. remember the all-in-one snap closure hemp wool diaper a friend made me...had a cow jumping over the moon embroidered onto it's butt, I think I cried the day liv didn't fit into it/need it anymore *sigh*.
You'll love it, nothing cuter than seeing the little 'dipeys' hanging to dry and bleach in the sun on the line.
Great move switching to cloth! My thought is...if you're gonna have to change a diaper, you might as well make it as fun as possible. And cloth diapers are waaaayy cuter than sposies. CD'ing my 3rd babe now. BGOS stuffed w/ their mf insert along w/ a joeybunz hemp insert or two always help up overnight, never a leak!
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