Reality : cleaner than disposable (:
We have decided to try cloth diapering Aden !
After watching tons and tons of videos , emailing multiple cloth diaper moms , we have decided to switch to cloth diapering (:
No it is not gross , no you dont have to touch anything , no it is not the safety pin diapers.
Modern cloth diapers are ADORABLE ! I am soooo excited ! I dont have a little girl to dress in head bands and bows so I will dress my son in cute diapers (:
Questions I had answered that changed my mind about disposables :
1. Isn't it gross ? No , you don't touch anything. Modern cloth diapers are called "pocket diapers". They are cute stylish fabric diapers with a pocket for an insert. There are different kinds of inserts , micro fleece , micro fiber , bamboo , muslin , and many more. The insert is what soaks up the wetness and when the diaper is full you just shake the insert out into a diaper pail and drop the diaper and the insert in until ready to wash. You dont touch a THING.
2. Well how does it work? They look exactly like a disposable (but in lots of cute patterns). You add an insert into the pocket of the diaper and put it on your baby just like a disposable. No need for any diaper covers , they are leak free (if you change when needed). The average times you change a cloth diapers is every 2 hours. Just like a disposable. But of course it all depends on how heavy of a wetter your baby is. When its time to change your baby , remove the cloth diaper and hold onto the insert and shake the diaper off the insert into the diaper pail and toss both in until you have a full load. Now that is for the pocket diapers. There are cloth diapers called all in ones that do not have a removable insert. Its like a disposable , you dont have to add anything to it , you just put it on your baby and when its soiled , toss the whole thing in the diaper pail. There are also "all in two" cloth diapers. You can reuse the cover , you dont have to toss the diaper in the dirty pail every time you need to change the liner. You only toss the liner/soaker and just reattach a new liner.
3. Well what about poopy diaper? When you change a poopy diaper all you do is change your baby and take the poopy diaper to the bathroom and dump the poop in the toilet , flush and then toss your diaper in the pail. Companies sell "diaper sprayers" it is a sprayer that you attach to the bottom of your toilet and it allows you to spray off any access poop after dumping it in the toilet. So those work great for newborn poops. You dont have to touch ANYTHING! You can buy liners for cloth diapers. They are flushable and it allows you to dump the poopy diaper in the toilet without needing to spray off anything. They are as thin as a dryer sheet and they can be flushed.
4. How many do I need? For a newborn you need at least 2 dozen if you only want to do laundry every other day. For 3-6 month 20 diapers. And for 6-9 months 15 diapers. We are going to start out with 18 diapers and work our way from there. Sense they are expensive start by buying a few at a time , instead of forking out $500 up front to stock up a decent amount of diapers.
5. How do you wash them? Use dye free , fragrance free and fabric softener free detergent. There are detergents that are just for cloth diapers like Charlies Soap and Rockin' Green. Start with a pre rinse with no soap and then do a hot wash/cold rinse with an extra rinse. Put the inserts in the dryer and line dry the diapers. If there are any stains , dry them in the sun to bleach out the stains.
I was overwhelmed by all the different brand of cloth diapers and all the different types. I was also surprised by the cost. The price range is anywhere from $6-$30 each. $6 being wholesale from China and $30 being name brand highest quality like Fuzzibunz. After doing my research though I decided cloth diapering is something I really want to do. I can not wait until my diapers get here !
Heres a few pictures of the different brands and different types:
This is a Fuzzibunz. They retail for $19.95
This is a Rumparooz. They retail for $23.95
This is a Kawaii. They retail for $10.95
This is a Smartbottoms. They retail for $23
This is a BumGenius. They retail for $17.95
This is Alva Baby and these are what we are getting. They retail for $5.59
There is your basics for cloth diapering! I hope it changes your mind like it changed mine !
