The New Cloth

So I'm about 5 weeks into cloth diapering with Anna, and it's time to start shopping for my next batch of cloth diapers because she is rapidly outgrowing the stash I have. Although cloth diapering is cheaper in the long run, the initial outlay for diapers can be a little pricey. I'm always up for shopping with coupon codes/discounts--and FREE is even better, so I'm entering a contest at The Cloth Diaper Whisperer. I get a bonus entry by mentioning the contest and their store (Kelly's Closet) on my blog, so instead of just using my blog to advertise, I thought I'd also do a quick intro to modern cloth diapering, in case anybody is curious. Let's just say there have been some major improvements since the plastic pants of my childhood.

The cheapest way to cloth diaper is to use the old fashioned prefold diapers with a cover. However, the covers now are well-fitted, velcro-closed, and allow the prefolds to be used without a pin. For a better fit, you can use something called a Snappi, which holds the diaper securely. My current diaper regimen mostly involves these prefolds with covers, because I knew Anna would grow quickly in the first few months and I wanted to spend as little money as possible during that time period.

Here are the prefolds with covers (Thirsties covers):

Here's Anna with the prefold Snappi-d on:

And here she is with a cover over the prefold:

The next step up is to use a fitted diaper under the cover. A fitted diaper is just what it sounds like--it has elastic around the legs and either a velcro or snap closure, so provides a more customized fit than the prefolds. It's not waterproof, so you still need a cover over it.

Here's Anna in both a Thirsties fitted diaper and a Kissaluvs fitted diaper:

The perk of the previous 2 methods is that while you have to wash the prefold or fitted portion of the diaper after each pee or poop, the cover can be reused (unless it gets a little poo on it!). So you have to buy a fair number of prefolds or fitteds, but only a few covers.

A quicker solution is to use pocket diapers. These diapers have an outer waterproof layer sewn to an inner liner area (often fleece or suede), forming a pocket between the two layers. You stuff the pocket with an insert--which can be a folded prefold, or an insert made of terry, hemp, or microfiber (as well as some other fabrics). You can stuff less during the day to make a trimmer diaper, or more at night so the baby can wear it longer between changes. The disadvantage is that the whole diaper has to be washed each time and you have to remove the insert before washing and restuff the diaper before the next use. These diapers are generally more expensive than the prefold/fitted + cover system.

Here's Anna wearing a BumGenius one-size pocket diaper. This might be the most popular cloth diaper on the market (it's even sold at Target online) because it has snaps that allow it to adjust to fit babies from 8-35 pounds. I bought this one when I tried cloth with Will--it fit him at 20 months old. It's obviously a little bulky on Anna because she's so little.

And finally, the creme de la creme of the cloth diaper line-up is the all-in-one diaper (AIO). It has an outer waterproof layer, a middle soaker layer, and an inner lining--all sewn together. It can come with either velcro or snap closures. It goes on and off just like a disposable. The cons of this diaper are price (it's usually the priciest of all options) and it can take a long time to dry after washing.

We have 2 AIO's, a Thirsties AIO and a Willow Buns AIO:

Here's Anna in the Willow Buns AIO (this brand is sewn by a mom and is amazingly cheap--unfortunately I've had some leaking/wicking with it--although that might be because Anna outgrew the newborn size so quickly):

To complete the system, we use cloth wipes. I made some flannel-terry cloth ones, but you can just use old baby washcloths, or cut up an old towel and zig-zag the edges. Then I put them in the wipe warmer with some water or wipe solution:

Cleaning right now is easy--since Anna is breastfed and breastfed poops are water-soluble, I just put the diapers into a dry pail after using, then toss them into the wash. I do a cold rinse to get rid of any poop, then do a regular wash cycle and dry. All done! I wash about every 2-3 days. Once a baby is on solids or if baby is on formula, you have to dump the poop into the toilet--this is where I ran into issues with Will's diapers because I had a hard time getting the poop off and I never felt like his diapers got very clean. So I'll see how things go when Anna starts solids.

Also, Anna seems to have far less leaks/blowouts in the cloth diapers than in disposables, which is a perk. The covers provide a really snug fit. And they're just so darn cute!

Hope that was a little bit interesting (and wins me some free dipes!)--and if not, at least y'all got some gratuitous shots of Anna's cute little thighs! :-)