Cloth Diapering The Infant

I talked before about our plans for cloth diapering our newborn.  Well, that beautiful baby girl is now 9 1/2 weeks old.  We started off with disposables.  Mostly because they were easy and my mom was there to help.  She does not do cloth diapers.  ;-)  They also proved to be helpful when my husband lost his job and we had to move.  Laundering cloth diapers would have just added to the headache and stress of that moment.

But now, we are back in our home and are cloth diapering her most of the time.  I have tried everything I bought and here are our experiences up to this point.

Fitteds....
The ease of using fitted diapers is wonderful.  They go on in a flash and we are back to doing something else much more exciting than diaper changes.  However, they take FOREVER to dry in the dryer.  In fact, I normally have to hang them for a while after being in the dryer to finish them off.  That is annoying.  Since we plan to start hanging out the diapers to dry in the back yard, I can imagine it is going to be an all day deal to get them dry.  At least it won't add to my electric bill.

Prefolds....
I really was not looking forward to using them.  But, I must admit that once I got the hang of putting them on and securing them with the snappi's, They are my favorite.  So easy, so simple.  I do like the hemp ones a bit better than the cotton ones for laundering.  Because of how they are made, they are MUCH easier and faster to dry.  They also, after time, are more absorbent than cotton. 

However, while the unbleached cotton prefolds take longer to dry that center section, for some reason I just like them better.  Chalk it up to preference, but the cotton prefolds are the first I reach for when it is time for changing her. 

Now, we had some Gerber bleached cotton prefolds and some of the non-bleached cotton prefolds.  The non-bleached ones are much softer, much more absorbent and dry faster than the bleached ones. 

Flats...
I can't lie, we have primarily used these for burp cloths.  However, since I really hate drying the fitteds and the prefolds, I need to really practice my folds on the flats.  If we can figure them out, not only will they be the cheapest option, they will dry in a flash since they are a single layer of cotton. 

There is one pocket diaper we have been able to use so far.  It is one that was given to us as a gift.  I believe it is from Thirsties.  It has both a hemp and a cotton insert that snap together.  It is also a size one.  I really like this one and it just reminds me that I long for the day my baby girl chunks up enough that we can use primarily pocket diapers on her.  They are still, by far, my favorite overall. 

So, wish me luck figuring out those flats.  I'll update you once we have mastered the art of flat folding. 

Crunchy Mama - Cloth Diapers

Picture this....


It is 3:30 in the morning. Your infant informs you it is time to get up and feed him and change his diaper. So, you get him something to drink and snack on. When that is done and sleepiness ensues, you go in for the diaper change. As you are removing those fancy disposable diapers, the smell of concentrated urine combined with the perfumes and plastic in the diaper hits you like a brick; only to be multiplied by thousands when you open that diaper pail to throw it and the wipes away. EWWWWWWWWWW..... I won't throw up, I won't throw up.....

As convenient as disposables are, they smell. At least they do on my son. So, my wonderful friend Nicole introduced me to the world of cloth diapers. I'm not going to lie, it took some convincing. But, once I got up the nerve, I immediately fell in love.

Did you know there are fabulous and easy options that do not include folding or pins? Washing them is no big deal. Now that I have figured out the right mix of detergent and such, it is a breeze and the diapers DO NOT smell after many uses. Once I learned and accepted that less is more in regards to detergent, we were on our way. The best part? They do not stink like disposables when they are waiting to be washed.

Lil' D is a heavy wetter. That kid drinks a lot of milk and water. So, we do have to watch that his cloth diapers do not get so wet that they leak through the outer PUL layer. Especially at night. He pretty much sleeps all night long. So normally, even with a disposable he is wet on the outside in the morning.

I tried several different kinds of cloth diapers to figure out what combo of diaper and insert will work best. And, thanks again to wonderful Nicole, we eventually tried the Fuzzibunz (FB's) Hemp One Size diapers.




As you can see, they are not in super fashionable colors. I guess to hang with the "green" look, they are a natural color. And, they only have one insert instead of the two that FB's normally come with. I will admit, I was worried at first. Is Hemp really that much more absorbent and will it really hold on to as much or more fluid than two of the thicker, cotton inserts?

YES YES YES!!!!!

In full disclosure, Lil' D will still wet through them for an entire night's wear. However, they are more comfortable since they are only stuffed with one instead of two inserts. They still wash up great and the part of the diaper that is next to his skin is still super soft cotton.

It is a win/win for all. These FB's Hemp One Size diapers rock! With realistic expectations for what cloth diapers provide in terms of waterproofing, I don't think you will be disappointed if you tried them. And, Lil' D's clothes fit much better under them because they are not as bulky as the cotton inserts.


Want more information on cloth diapers? Check out http://clothconvert.com/ Nicole would love the opportunity to help you figure out the best options for your family.