Cloth Diapers

Considering I am a rare breed who cloth diapers, I figured I should post some things on here about it since I’ve been at it for well over a year.

I decided to try cloth diapering because I wanted to save money.  That was my first initial reason.  Then I started reading up about how great it is for the environment.  I still don’t really use that as a reason.  That’s great that I help the environment but I do plenty of other things that prove I don’t really care.  I have the type of personality that when I hear about something that might be difficult or challenging and I set my mind to it, I have to do it.  I took the plunge and bought some cheap diapers to try out when Andrew was 4 months old.  When a baby is exclusively breastfeed you don’t have to even spray the liquid-y poop off because it is water soluble.  That was really nice and an easy way to ease into cloth.  I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it!  And you know what, I have done it.  For over a year.  I thought cloth diapering moms were crazy when all they would talk about were the stashes they had.  Some had over 50 diapers and I even read a lady that had over 100 for one child!  Well, after buying a brand that I found to like and fit Andrew’s skinny body I started to understand what those moms were talking about.  When the Blueberry one size deluxe pocket diapers with bamboo inserts go on sale or have sales on the seconds, I buy them.  Here is the current stash ;)  We’re up to 33 in the current rotation.

So pretty!  HAHAHAHA!  I know, call me crazy.  I’m totally fine with that.  I get a lot of, “Oh wow, you are so brave” or “I could never do that” or “That would be too hard”.  My answers are these.  Yes, it does take a little bit more extra work.  Washing them is easy though.  Once I figured out my wash routine with the right detergent it has been easy.  I use a bidet type spray thingy by my toilet.  I spray the poop right off, take the inserts out and throw it all into the wet bag.  Once the bag fills up I know it is time to do a wash, which is usually every 3rd day.  I love folding and stuffing the diapers once they are dry though.  I just put on a good show and get going.  It’s satisfying.  Am I brave?  Maybe for being crazy enough to try it out, but like I said it really is pretty easy. 

A couple of things that I love and don’t love about cloth:

LOVE that Andrew rarely leaks out.  Every now and again it happens.  Andrew has been in disposables for about 4 days because of a bad diaper rash and he has leaked out every flipping morning.  That means no morning in pj’s and new sheets on the bed. 

LOVE how cute Andrew looks in them

LOVE that I don’t have to run to the store to buy a package of diapers.  Though I do keep a package on hand for emergencies, bad diaper rash or for babysitters

LOVE that I can use flushable liners so that when he poops I just grab the liner and flush.  So nice when at church or gone all day so I don’t have to carry poop around :/

LOVE that I don’t have to keep a poop diaper grocery bag right outside my front door or run to the dumpster every day.

LOVE how much Brian has evolved about it all.  He use to change into disposables and now he will do cloth every time.  I’ve even caught him spraying some of them off and he said he would never do that.

DON’T LOVE that I can’t treat a bad diaper rash in them.  I have to use Triple Paste and that would ruin the cloth diaper. 

DON’T LOVE how bulky they can be.

DON’T LOVE the smell when I dump it all in the washing machine :/

DON’T LOVE when I let the diapers pile up after changes and I have to spray a bunch off at one time.  When I do it after every time then it is fine.

The love outweighs the don’t love.

I was on the news for the Great Cloth Diaper Change.  It was for the Guinness World Records on how many cloth diapers were changed at the same time across the world.  Pretty nerdy but kinda cool at the same time. :)