Cloth Diapering

Several months ago, I decided to try out cloth diapering for both environmental and financial reasons. I had a few friends who did it and loved it. So, I bought six bumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers and tried it out. Really, it wasn't as disgusting as one might think and they actually performed really well. But, I didn't commit to go for it and switch to cloth entirely. Why? Well, a few reasons. Brett really wasn't sold on the whole idea and at $18 each it was a significant expense to buy more. (At that point Lucie was using more than 6 diapers/day so my original purchase wasn't enough to get through the day AND I had to wash them every day. It was kinda a pain.) Also, they were significantly bulkier than disposables and I thought they looked a little weird under onesies. I used the cloth occasionally to make my disposable stash last longer, and I still played around with the idea of fully switching to cloth.

After months of being irritated each time I bought disposables, I seriously started considering it again in November. Brett wasn't really changing many diapers anyway so his preference really didn't bother me anymore. Lucie was starting to phase out of onesies so the bulkiness didn't really to seem an issue in my mind. But, realistically, I needed to have at least 12 if I was going to make it feasible to do cloth. When I saw a "Cyber Monday" sale at Cotton Babies, I decided to "go for it." I bought another eight diapers in really cute colors and got a pail liner and was set to go.

When I got the diapers, I was pretty excited. They are pretty darn cute. Supposedly, they should fit Lucie until she is potty trained. So, just for kicks, I had Ella try one on too just so I could see if these will really fit a big girl. It was a pretty funny sight.

But, it did prove to me that these should last through potty training, I should get my money's worth out of them, and hopefully I should even save a little money too.

After using them for over a month, I've decided that it really isn't that hard. I wash them every other day and have gotten the routine down. Also, amazingly enough, the diaper pail doesn't really smell at all. I just use a little bit of essential oil on the pail liner to cope with what little smell there is. It is NOTHING compared to the whiff I got each time I used the Diaper Genie.

Now if you're a relative of mine reading this post, don't worry. I won't be bringing my dirty cloth diapers to your house. I still plan on using disposables when we go stay with other people. But, when we're at home, I think I'm sticking with cloth.

Cloth Diapering: Day 1

If you have no interest in my latest adventure (aka cloth diapering), just enjoy the pic of Lucie. If you're interested, read on....

So, yesterday was the first day that I used cloth diapers. My first impression of cloth diapers? Bulky. There’s no getting around it. To absorb, the diapers need several layers of microfiber terry cloth unlike disposables which have a synthetic something or other to do the job. So, there is going to be bulk…I’ll just have to get used to it. ....

As for doing what they’re supposed to, I think they do a good job containing the mess. So far, the BumGenius! diapers (BG) have not leaked and have kept in the mess…unlike the disposables that we used this past weekend. (Just ask Uncle JJ about that one – he was holding Lucie while she had a blowout and quickly put her at arms’ length to keep from getting slimed. I think she dirtied at least 3 outfits during our 2-day visit!) I didn't try using them overnight, but Lucie did wear one for at least 5 hours without a leak -- she fell asleep for a long nap before I changed her!My guess as to why they are so good at containing the mess is that they have great elastic both around the legs AND along the back. Plus, the tabs are stretchy just like a disposable so you can make a pretty tight fit. So far, it doesn’t appear as if the elastic bothers Lucie in any way. Surprisingly, the BG’s also feel dry next to the skin even when they’re wet (not poopy). I read that the microsuede lining does that, but I didn’t really believe it until I saw it. ....

Overall, BGs seem just as easy to use as disposables -- they go on exactly the same way, velcro tabs and all. But, the real hard part about cloth diapers is that they need to be cleaned. Since the machine does the work, it's not THAT difficult...but, it does take a little monitoring. Each load needs to be washed twice -- one in cold and once in hot and then dried in the machine or on the line. Since I only have 6 of them at the moment, I needed to wash them last night to use today. So, I did find myself staying up to wash them when I really wanted to go to bed. I could see how this would be a bummer if I were close to running out of diapers and needed to clean them. I suppose that is remedied by buying enough that I'm never strapped for a clean one and by having a wash routine that works with my schedule. As for the yuck factor (and my gag reflex), it wasn't terribly gross. In all honesty, once you're diapering a child, you get a better tolerance for all of that stuff.....

It's too early to make a verdict on it...but the way I figure it, right now it is the most work it can be since I'll have to wash daily to keep using them. If I can handle it with only 6 diapers, I can handle it even better with a larger stash. I'll keep you posted....

My newest adventure

Despite always saying I only wanted to have ONE child in diapers at a time, it looked as if that would not be the case. I was pregnant with Lucie, and Ella seemed quite content to wear her Pull-Ups forever. She thwarted my attempts to potty train her on my time-table. With finance a concern, I started contemplating cloth diapering. When I mentioned what I was thinking to Brett, he said, "Are you crazy? With your gag reflex? You can’t do that!" Well, life went on…Lucie was born…and we started using disposable diapers. At the time, Ella was still using Pull-Ups (at about 30 cents each!), and I cringed every time I had to buy another package of diapers for either her or Lucie.

Then one day I was perusing my friend Rachel’s online store Euphoria Maternity for a baby carrier. Her site also includes products for babies, and I noticed a link about cloth diapering. Rachel has provided TONS of information about cloth diapering on the site, and I got sucked in! I even emailed Rachel with additional questions and got her feedback about her personal experience with cloth diapering. (She is thorough and FAST at answering questions about any products on their site!) That inspired me to look at other sites as well for more information, and once again I was contemplating cloth diapering.

I’m not going to get into the disposable vs. cloth debate – there is plenty of info out there if you’re interested in learning more. And I’m not going to pass any judgments on people for their diapering choices -- I’m sure cloth diapering is not for everyone. But, after all that I’ve read about cloth diapering, I personally felt like I just needed to give it a try at least.

So, the other day I headed to diapers.com to buy a few bumGenius! 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers – I had a gift certificate (thanks Jill!) so I figured that was a good place to try out the diapers. (If I end up buying more, I’ll probably head over to Euphoria Maternity since they have comparable prices, they let you choose different colors AND they give you a free wetbag.) BumGenius 3.0 is designed to go on like a disposable, but it is adjustable so that the diaper grows with the baby – no need to buy additional sizes. Plus, if you’ve got more than one child in diapers, you tote the same diapers with you – it simplifies the diaper bag! Yesterday, I gave the diapers a prep wash and today I’m giving it a whirl. I’ll report thoughts about this cloth diapering thing at a later date.