As many of you know we decided to go with the cloth diaper route and starting using them when Henry was about a month old. Took the advice of my midwife and got into the swing of having Henry and breastfeeding before starting to use cloth. I had done a lot of research and decided to go with diaper covers and prefolds. It seemed to be the more traditional and cost effective way to do cloth. This worked great until Henry got around 7 months. He would kick and roll over and made it impossible to keep the prefold folded right. At this point more research had to be done. Then I discovered the Wee huggers Diaper cover which had flaps inside and the front and back so you could tuck your cloth diaper insert in. Loved them!!!
In December Thirsties had some of their all in one pocket diapers on sale. So Henry got some from my Dad for his Birthday. Now I was in trouble. These were so awesome I wanted more and found a good deal on a 5 pack of the BumGenius All In One. I was hooked at this point.
Here are some pictures of each system I used:
Prefold:
Fold diaper in one of the many ways you can; I went with the newspaper fold.
Prefold with Weehugger:
All In One Pocket Diapers:
The all in one systems run $17 and up for the most part per diaper. I wanted more since I find them so much more convenient, so I ventured on to Ebay. I found a bunch of different types (non-name brands) that were on there for around $4-$10 each. Did a little research on one brand and decided to give them a try. I bought a bundle of 10 for $44.99 with shipping. I have been using them for 2 weeks now and they are working great. They are not as nice as the Bumgenius or the Thirsties brand ones I have, but for a 1/4 of the price well worth it. We haven't had any blowouts or leaks and they are super cute. I am giving them a few more weeks and if I am still happy I plan to pick up a 20 pack for the new baby and Henry. Here are some pictures of them.
Just in case you are wondering. The cloth diapers come either in one size (around 7lbs-35lbs) or in a couple of different sizes (S,M,L) depending on brand. The one size and some of the sized models have snaps that adjust to make the diaper smaller or bigger. You can see these snaps in the pictures.
All In One pocket diapers make it so simple it is just like a disposable except when you are done you put it in a diaper pail and wash when time.
I do a load of diapers every other day. It isn't as gross or as hard as some like to make it. I have a pail specifically for the dirty diapers. When I get a yucky poopy diaper I spray the diaper out in the toilet then put it in the diaper pail. You can buy a diaper sprayer or you can make one of your own. Chris didn't believe in spending $50+ in a sprayer system so he picked up the smallest hose he could and a garden hose sprayer and that is what I use. It is set up in the bathroom beside the toilet. Works great and was less then $20. I found using Rockin Green Laundry detergent and their ammonia busting formula works best for us since we have very hard water (well water).
I would recommend every Mom and Dad out there to give cloth a try. Not only is is better for the environment but it will also save you money. I buy a box of disposable diapers every 2 to 2.5 months for night-time use; that is it. You can use cloth during the evening too; Henry is a heavy night wetter so I use disposable for the long night hours. There are night-time cloth systems, I just haven't researched them enough yet. There is an initial investment in the cloth diapers, but it is a lot cheaper then cost of disposable diapers in the long run.
Plus cloth diaper systems have such cute designs/patterns :-)
Here are some cute pictures of Henry in some of his diapers at different ages.
I hope this information helps some Moms and Dads out there with some information on cloth diapering.
