You use WHAT?!

That is normally the reaction I get when I tell someone that my boys are cloth diaper babies! We have been using cloth diapers since the boys were around 3 months old, (I think for the next baby, we will start right away), and we have loved doing it.

First, let me say, that in no way do I think cloth diaper is the "right" choice for every family. It was the right choice for our family, but I definitely don't believe it is "gospel truth." Our reasoning for choosing to do cloth diapers was mainly due to financial reasons. We were having TWO (not one, but two) babies at the same time and I knew that we would be going through diapers like crazy! Their first few weeks of life we went through a pack of preemie diapers a day and let me say, that sure does add up! Some other reasons that led to our decision was that I was aware that it helped prevent diaper rash and there is nothing better then patting a cloth diapered bottom (Can I get an amen?)

I have had many friends inquire about cloth diapers and I have sent out tons of emails in different form regarding diapers. I figured that I would just blog about it and it can be a central location that I can send to people that are interested in choosing this for their family. So here it goes:

THE ACTUAL CLOTH DIAPER:

We use several different diapers.
The one that we use on a regular basis are the Pre-Folds from Green Mountain Diapers.


The boys used the green trim ones (they are no longer pictured, but they are about the same size as the orange timmed ones.) They can still fit in them a bit and they are currently in the yellow trim ones (the boys are near 20 pounds.) We have a dozen of the brown trim ones for when they are a little bigger and they should be able to be in those until we are potty trained. These diapers are on average about $30 a dozen. We have about 4 dozen of these prefolds and I would say that we had plenty. We have two babies too, however I think a mom of a single baby could get away with ALOT less. I guess it depends on how often you want to do laundry. A good thing is that if you have several of the size they are currently wearing, and then you have some that are for the next size, you can still use the larger size you will just have more diaper on the baby, but it will still be usable.

My ultimate favortie diaper is the kissaluvs from kissaluvs.com.



These diapers are amazing because they are just snaps and already formed. It is just as easy as a disposable but can be reused. The boys have been in the same size (Size 0) of these diapers since the get-go. They are suppose to just go up to 15 lbs, but they still fit the boys, so we have definitely gotten good usage out of them. The downside to these diapers is that they are rather expensive. They cost about $13 a diaper. We were given all of ours, or I would not have purchased them, but I am so thankful that we have them because they are perfect for husbands and babysitters. I normally don't leave cloth diapers for sitters, but if I have some kissaluvs cleaned (and I know the sitter wouldn't mind) I ask if they use them, because there is NOTHING to it!

THE ACTUAL COVERS:
Both of those diapers require covers. You can purchase diapers that are an All-in-One, but they are rather pricey. We have a few that were given to us, but we do not use them on a regular basis.

The covers that we use are as follows:
1. My favorite cover is the Whisper Pant by Green Mountain Diapers (GMD).

They are nylon and run a bit large, so you really get use out of them. They are very thin, so your diapers isn't quite as bulky as it is when you have some other covers on. It is easier for the boys to sit up, crawl and walk in these. They are financially afforable at about $6 a cover. The ONLY downside to these covers (and it really isn't a downside, just a factor) is that when you have those fun poo-poo's (you mom's know exactly what I am talking about!)and you go to pull off the cover you have to be super careful or it gets all on the legs. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but the way I see it is that I am saving TONS of money, I can put the effort to clean a little poopoo off their thigh.

2. We also use the Bummis Super Whisper Wraps/Super Brights by GMD.


These were cute, but they were not my favorite and had a lot of down-sides to them. They were given to us and they served their purpose for a good bit of time, but once the boys showed any signs of beginning to grow out of them, we weren't able to use them anymore. These are not a pull-on so therefore if you had one of those fun poo-poos we discussed earlier they were much easier to handle and you can just wipe them clean with a washcloth, or wash them if you desire and have extra's. They have velcro which seemed to rub on the boys stomachs and after a while they would have red marks on their tummy's. When the boys started learning how to sit up, these were difficult for them because they couldn't bend real easy in them. I did like these when they were small and they were very cute (We had several colors and also the plain white ones) and I could make them as snug as I needed.

***Note: When you are looking at covers, I would recommend either pull-on's or velcro. I would stay away from the snap covers (or snap all-in-ones). The problem with the snaps is that when the child is growing and they are in in-between stages with the snaps, they won't fit properly and you will have leaks.***

THE CONNECTIONS:
One of the number one questions I receive when discussing cloth diapers is if I use pins. The answer is NO WAY! Green Mountain Diapers sells these nifty things called Snappi Fasteners.


It is basically a "T" shaped ace-bandage clip like thingy majig (not sure how else to describe it). You just snap them to the diaper and they stay in place wonderfully. They are very cheap (3 for $7) and so easy that even the dad's can do them.

THE LINERS:
Some people choose to do cloth diapers as long as they don't have to rinse them in the toilet. If you are really grossed out about that, then you might want to make sure you take stock in liners. A liner is a thin sheet that you place on top of the diaper. Basically, when the babies have a bowel movement you can pick the liner up and flush it in the toilet, and then toss your diaper in your diaper pail for washing. I did not start using these until the diapers required rinsing after a bowel movement. And I still only use them occasionally. It helps to decrease any fowl odor from the diaper pail, so if I know I am having company or something, then I will try to use them. They are re-usable up to three times (as long as it was just urine) and are fairly inexpensive. At GMD they cost $7 for 100 sheets.

THE CLEANING METHOD:
One thing that differs in cloth diapering mom's is their method of cleaning. Everyone does something different, so you just need to find a method that works for you and go with it. I keep a trash can in their bathroom with a trash bag in it - along with baking soda on the bottom of the can and in the bottom of the bag. The trash can also has a lid so that helps decrease the smell a bit. I toss the diapers in the pail. When they were breast-fed only their bm's were water-soluble so their was no need to rinse their diapers. Once they had more solid bm's then we would rinse the diapers in the toilet (or use a liner) and then put them in the pail. I will re-use my covers up to 2-3 days, depending on if they get dirty. Once the pail is full or I run out of diapers, then I take the bag out and dump it in the washing machine (I do not hand pick the diapers out and put them in - the bag gets poured out!) I wash 2 full cycles and then a rinse cylce. The first cycle is with 1/4 of detergent on Warm water. The second cycle is a full amount of detergent on cold water. And then I finish it up with a final rinse. I dry in the dryer as normal. You can line-dry them in the sunshine and that will keep them bleached naturally. I need to do that with some of ours!

THE DETERGENT:
One of the major discussions with cloth diapering is soap build-up. I haven't experienced anything like that on our diapers and I feel that they have been washed a good bit to where we might have escaped the dreaded build-up. A neighbor in Louisville once told me that the best detergent to use on cloth diapers was the generic brand at Sam's! So, we picked up a HUGE bucket that only cost $10 and we aren't even half way done with it yet and we have had it for a little over a year. I will also use some of Mike's hunting detergent because I noticed on the label that it said it helps prevent "wicking." Hunting season is coming back up, so unfortunately I will have to hand over the detergent for other purposes. If you click here it will take you to a very helpful website on picking out detergents and basics on how to care for your diapers. I try to keep the best care of them because I want these diapers to last through the rest of our children.

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE:
Another question from curious moms or soon-to-be moms is "What and how much should I get?" This is what I suggest if I was starting from scratch and purchasing diapers for ONE baby:
One Dozen Newborn (orange) pre-folds $21.00
One Dozen Yellow Edge Pre-folds. $25.00
One Dozen Brown Edge pre-folds $32.00
4 Whisper Pants $6 each = $24.00
3 Snappi's $7.00
2 Package of Liners $14.00
TOTAL COST: $123.00
*** We choose to skip the size between the yellow and brown, because they are growing quickly that I knew they could get more use out of the brown. They will most likely be potty trained before they are out of those diapers. Also, depending on your budget and how often you want to do laundry would be how many more diapers you would want to purchase***

COST COMPARISON:
Disposables - If you change your child on average before and after every feeding - you will be going through 16 diapers a day the first few weeks/months of their life. That will soon go to before and after every nap (with a bm change here and there) which would be around, let's say, 8 times a day. So 16 changes times 30 days times 2 months equals to about 960 diapers. Then you have 8 changes times 7 days in a week is 56 diapers a week times 96 weeks (equivalent to the remainder of their diaper time if you plan on potty training by age 2) would come out to 5,376 diapers plus the 960 from the first two months. Brings your total number of disposable diapers used (give or take) to 6,336. That comes out to around $1300 in diapers. So even if you decide to buy more diapers and invest $300 in cloth diapers, you are saving $1,000 and that is PER BABY!!!!!! The great thing about cloth is that you can use them for more children that God may bless you with. As you can see we saw that it would cost us near $2600 in diapers for the boys, that it was an obvious choice for us to do cloth diapers.

HOW EXACTLY DO YOU PUT THESE THINGS ON?
I'm glad you asked! I changed the boys today and we did a little cloth diaper tutorial via pictures for you guys! The boys were more the ecstatic to have their diaper changes documented! They will see this blog one day and say "Mom, really?! Did you have to do that!"

Prefold Diaper and Whisper Pant Pull On

This is the yellow trim pre-fold with a liner on top of it.

Lay the baby (Jeremiah) on top of the diaper with the back lined up near his belly botton.

Form a "gutter" by rolling up the two sides at the bottom.

Pull it between his legs.

Unfold the front edges a bit and pull the back edges up to connect them.

Connect the snappi to the diaper by doing one side at a time then pulling the middle tab down.

Viola!

Put the cover on. We used a Whisper Pant here. You want to make sure that NO DIAPER at all is showing through the cover. That is how you have leaks. So if it looks like this it needs to be tucked in....

..and look like this! Perfect!

Here he is sitting in the finished product.


Kissaluv and a Bummis Super Bright
This is the Bummis Super Bright cover.

Michael has on a Kissaluv (you just snap it on) and is laying on the cover, ready to put it on.

This is what it looks like on.

This happens often after you put the cover on. You will see part of the diaper sticking out on the legs. This will cause leaks. So you need to make sure you tuck in all the diaper....

.. for it to look like this!

The cute bottom!

This is what this looks like sitting down. Do you see how it rubs on his tum tum?

This is where I store our cloth diapers (behind that curtain, that my amazing sister-in-law made! Way to go Aunt Wissa!)

The prefolds are stacked on the right. My covers and liners and in one green box, and my kissalivs and other diapers are in the other one.

This is the diaper pail in the bathroom along with the disposable trash can as well.


Hope this post is helpful and that it wasn't too confusing.

Here are some helpful websites that I have referred to:
Green Mountain Diapers
My friends Becky that does cloth diapering.
Cloth Diaper Care

Happy Diapering!!!