Cloth Diapering in the Smith House: Part 1

We're a cloth diaper family. We love them. Well, mama loves them, and if you ask me, that's what matters the most. ;) And after seeing all the nasty rashes caused by the new Pampers with Dry Max lately, I'm sure my babies bottoms will thank me one day, too. That aside, it's also one of the best decisions- financially- that we've made as parents. We've cloth diapered with all the kiddos, so about four and a half years. I know that's nothing compared to some moms, though!

Most people are well aware of the "new" cloth diapers, courtesy of the internet. Cloth is no longer exclusively "prefolds, pins, and plastic pants." There is a whole world of diaper options out there now. I've been blessed with the opportunity to try quite a few different kinds (what feels like "one of everything" to me, but I know there are still plenty more out there for me to get my hands on!) and have decided what works for us and what doesn't. (Here is a list of reviews of the diapers I've used. I haven't updated it yet since I had my 3rd baby so it may be a little outdated...)

My diapers of preference throughout all sizes are usually Fuzzi Bunz. I really love pocket diapers because of the versatility of absorbancy levels, and my Fuzzi Bunz diapers have held up better than any other over the last 4.5 years. The other regular diapers in our current (small/medium) stash are Bum-Ware Extreme AIO's, prefolds, receiving blanket flats, hemp/bamboo/microfiber inserts, and PUL and wool covers. Although they're a tiny bit more work, the receiving blankets (folded origami style to create a built-in soaker) are by FAR the trimmest diapers I've ever put on a baby's bottom! So they're great for outfits that don't allow for much bulk underneath. Plus, I think they're about as inexpensive as they come. You can buy flannel receiving blankets for super cheap, new and used. The only drawback (to some) is that they require pins to fasten them on, as Snappi's don't catch well on flannel.

I'm not too picky about covers when I need them. I currently use a couple Bummis Super Whisper Wraps that I've had from day 1 (and were used before that!). I also use wool covers. The awesome thing about wool is that you don't have to put clothing over it. Most wool covers, whether they're soakers, shorties, skirties, longies, etc, are designed to BE the clothing. Talk about serving multiple purposes! Wool is SO cute, and despite what most people think, the wool used for diaper covers is SUPER soft!

I rarely buy my diapers new. When I first started out, I was hesitant to purchase them used because...well, it just sounded gross! But in reality, it's not. Especially when you learn to dissect diaper listings and pictures and identify good sellers, you rarely run into problems. Plus, it helps me to remember than many moms out there are just like me- they just need to sell diapers to buy new/different ones or swap sizes, and wouldn't sell anything in a condition that they themselves wouldn't buy in. There are some great places to purchase used cloth diapers from. Some of my favorites are Diaper Swappers and The Baby Wearer. (also an awesome source for babywearing...but that's another post!)

When I do buy new, I often buy from discount sources like Fuzzi Bunz Seconds. "Second" quality diapers are usually perfectly fine and only have minor (usually unnoticeable) cosmetic errors and function perfectly. I have yet to actually be able to see why any of the [tons] of "second" diapers I've purchased ARE seconds.

Even though one of the most common cloth diaper questions is "How many diapers do I need?" I have no answer to this questions as I have NEVER kept track of how many diapers per size I have and use, nor do I have any clue how many diapers my children have gone through on the average day. Basically, less = more washing, more = less washing. However, the less washing you do the more likely you are to run into stink issues. One thing I do have a lot of is inserts/doublers. I have quite the assortment of microfiber, hemp, and bamboo inserts, far more than just one per diaper. This is because I primarily use pocket diapers, and many times I use more than one insert for absorbency. Also, while you don't want to use microfiber against baby's skin (because it pulls moisture away so well and can dry and irritate the skin quite easily), bamboo and hemp work wonderfully as doublers inside prefolds or flats.

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I have gone through many different storage systems for my diapers. Right now I think we've settled on something that really works for us. I have a Sterilite 3-drawer system in the children's closet (all 3 of them share) where I store all of my diapers, covers, inserts, and wetbags. I have a small dresser right outside the closet with a changing pad on it, and beside that (also on top of the dresser) I have some inexpensive plastic stackable shelves. (I guess you'd call them shelves?) That's where I keep the wipes, wipe solution, flushable liners (which I rarely ever use, but I won them, so I have them anyways!), etc.

Above the changing table I have a few shelves on the wall. They're actually decorative shelves, but they serve a purpose for my diapers as well. I keep my pins and Snappi's up there, as well as a couple small tubs of cloth-diaper-safe balms.

Another thing I use my wall shelves for is hanging up covers to dry. Covers don't need washed after every use (unless they're obviously dirty). If they're just wet from the diaper underneath, I clip them up to the shelf to air dry until the next use.

Wipes are simple with cloth, too. I admit that I often use disposable wipes, even with cloth diapers. However, I do use cloth wipes many times, and for those I've just purchased several packs of terry baby wipes from the Dollar Store. I don't like how thin and flimsy they are when used individually, so I serged two together for each wipe. I much prefer the double layer. I've also tried layered flannel wipes, fleece wipes, and bamboo velour wipes, and I like how the fleece ones don't flop around and fold over on themselves, but I much prefer how clean the inexpensive terry wipes can get the baby.

My wipe solution is just a few drops of Dr. Bronner's Almond castlile soap (no particular reason for it being almond, it's just all we had left at the time I made up this batch) and water. I re-use my foaming soap pumps from Bath & Body Works for my solution. I've purchased different foaming soap pumps in the past but have never found any that work as well as B&BW's pumps do. I just put one or two pumps of solution onto a wipe to moisten it up. I usually have to use 2-3 wipes for poopy diapers, and they get my baby MUCH cleaner than disposable wipes do.

Now, all that said...stay tuned for tomorrows post, Cloth Diapering in the Smith House: Part 2, where I will discuss diaper pails, washing, drying, and a little bit of elimination communication! In the mean time, are you a cloth diapering family? What is your favorite part about using cloth?