"Isn't cloth diapering A LOT of work?"
The answers to both of these questions is NOPE!!
According to some sites, using disposable diapers until your child is potty trained can cost AT LEAST $1600 (the linked site says it costs more). Cloth diapering can cut that cost more than in half!! In fact, everything cloth diaper related that I have has cost a total of LESS THAN $400!! So, what are you waiting for?! (Warning before you go any farther: I use BumGenius, so I know a lot about BumGenius, but not a whole lot about any other brands. The end of this post gives websites where you can learn more about the other brands. Okay, now keep reading!)
I use BumGenius 3.0 and BumGenius 4.0 One-Size diapers on Clara. I have 25 of them, however some people choose to have more in their stash. I know people who send their kids to daycare and are still able to use cloth diapers (they have to have more in that case)!!
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| Anatomy of a BumGenius diaper. |
I chose to use them because I have many friends who use them, so I knew they worked well. And, they will grow with Clara as she grows (up until about 35 pounds).
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| I was REALLY excited when I saw this picture and discovered that my one-size diapers could possibly also work for littler babies!! |
They are SO cute and easy to use! They use elastic and Velcro to fit (they are also available in snaps).
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| Velcro (or called hook and loop) on the left and snaps on the right |
When they are on, they look exactly like disposable diapers... except they come in much prettier designs and colors!!
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| This is the BumGenius Artist Series (which I have heard rumor that there will be more designs coming in early 2012). They are also available with Velcro. |
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| These are the solid colors available (and there are more rumors of new colors coming in early 2012 as well). |
BumGenius diapers are pocket diapers. This means that you can pick the amount of absorbancy your diaper is by stuffing it with inserts (made of microfiber, fleece, terry cloth, hemp, etc).
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| You can see the pocket that you stuff the inserts into here. |
Obviously, when your baby has a dirty diaper, you have to use wipes. I have decided to use cloth wipes as well. They are available to buy, but I made my own out of flannel. You can also buy a wipe solution, or make it as I do.
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| You can buy this, or my recipe (that I got from Ashley) is: 2 cups water, 1 TBSP baby wash, 1 TBSP baby oil, and a few drops of tea tree oil. (Use just 2 or 3 drops of the tea tree oil... more than that makes them VERY strong!) Once I have made it up, I put it in a spray bottle. I like this because it leaves her skin dry instead of wet like disposable wipes. |
Once you have a few dirty diapers, it is best to spray off the diapers to get off most of the poop. I don't spray a diaper if it was just pee or if it has barely any poop on it. And, I use the BumGenius diaper sprayer to do this. My husband (who is no plumber) was able to attach it to our toilet, so it is easy to attach (as long as your toilet doesn't have ANCIENT parts in it)! I have posted a video on how to install it below.
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| Make sure you know which side the water comes out of... I have sprayed myself in the face before. |
I wash my diapers every other day. As I have eluded to in a past Confession Friday post, cloth diapers require special detergents. The detergent you use has to be fragrance, dye, phosphate, optical brightener, and enzyme free. There are lists of detergents you can use if you don't know which one to use. Or, you can use the BumGenius diaper detergent (which is the one I am currently using). After I get done using the box of it that I have, I am going to order Country Save detergent. Country Save powder has the same ingredients as the BumGenius detergent, but it comes in a MUCH bigger box for less money.
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| Awesome detergent! Which is the same as... |
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| ... This detergent. |
I have just scratched the surface of cloth diapering, so here are even more sites that have general cloth diapering tips.
http://clothdiapers.blogspot.com/
http://blog.diapershops.com/category/cloth-diapering-101
BumGenius is the brand that I use, but there are many, MANY more brands and types of diapers. I don't know much about them, but you can go to the top four websites below to learn more about them.
Once you have decided to start cloth diapering your child(ren), here are some sites where you can buy them! And, if you can find them on Facebook and "like" them, they will keep you up to date on what coupons are out there... saving you even MORE money!!
www.diapershops.com
www.healthybabyboutique.com
www.fuzzibunz.com
**For my St. Louis Area readers, there are not one but TWO Cotton Babies stores in St. Louis. You can go there, ask questions, see diapers in person, and take really cool classes. They sell more than just diapers and more than just Cotton Babies made diapers, too And, Mom's Milk Boutique is in West Frankfort if you want to visit that shop as well! I CANNOT wait to go home and check these out!!**
Awesome! I used to think "no way!" to cloth diapering, but the more I learn the more I'm willing to consider it when baby #3 comes along. :)
ReplyDeleteI think it will be just the two of us on this trip, but I am looking forward to it. I don't know if cloth is that much cheaper when you have the laundry costs added, but I am amazed that Clara doesn't get diaper rash! You save money with not having to buy cream to combat that nastiness.
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