Our Stash
10 Kawaii One Size Pocket Diaper (snaps)
24 Alva Baby One Size Pocket Diaper (snaps)
10 Bum Genius AIO (all in one) V 3.0 size L (velcro)
Inserts
30 Bamboo Inserts
12 Bamboo Doublers (basically a trifold insert)
52 Microfiber Inserts
Cost
$398.83
Pros
-Cost. Cloth diapering is something I've always wanted to do. The price of building a cloth diaper stash was very daunting and the reason we didn't cd the twins from birth. I didn't know cloth diapering could be affordable. I've never spent more than $9 on a diaper. I've gotten some for as little as $3 (co-op). When I learned that I could cloth diaper on a budget I was ecstatic! I also learned about the world of buying used cloth diapers. Even this late in the game, cloth is saving us so much money. We used to spend over $120/month in disposable diapers. Its nice not to have that expense anymore.
-The smell. I think disposable diapers have a nauseating smell when they get wet. A mix of baby powder and damp cardboard. They didn't do much to mask the odor of amonia when the babies got bigger, either. Cloth smells like your detergent or nothing if your detergent is unscented.
-Not having chemicals against my babies skin. Fancy used to get a horrible diaper rash every once in a while. Our pedi told us it could be chemical burn from the diapers. We used Pampers! How could a diaper burn my baby's skin? I read an article about a year ago about the chemicals used to make
disposable diapers. The word chemical was enough to get me seriously
thinking of an alternative. I wasn't naive, I knew they weren't
'organic', but seeing it in black and white lit the fire I needed to get
going with cloth. No diaper rash for either baby in the 4 months we've been cloth diapering. NONE.
-The environment. In reading about the pros and cons of cloth (prior to my switch) I learned that disposable diapers are not biodegradable. Every single diaper you throw away will sit in a landfill forever. I'm not as green as I'd like to be, but we're taking steps everyday to make sure we conserve what we can and reduce our use of chemicals and toxins in our lives and our home. I make our cleaners and laundry detergents. A good friend just told me she uses vodka and hot water to clean her tub and its never been cleaner. Can't wait to try!
-The are cute. Who doesn't love a fluffy baby booty? The diapers are soft and come in fabulous patterns and colors.
-Endless choices to help you succeed. There are so many kinds of cloth diapers. Fitteds, All-in-ones, All-in-twos, Pockets, Prefolds, etc. There's a "method" for everyone. They recommend trying several kinds of diapers to find out what works best for your baby. What works when baby is a newborn may not work when he/she is 6 months or a year old. We started late, we've always used one size pockets and AIO (all-in-ones). I'm excited to try fitteds and prefolds someday when we have another baby. I plan to cd from birth next time.
-Super EASY to use. Many cloth diapers are as simple as disposable diapers. There may be a few extra steps (like stuffing inserts in the case of pockets), but they are put on, pooped/peed in, and taken off just like disposables. We used to throw disposables in the trash. With cloth we discard the poop in the toilet, spray if need be and put it in our wetbag to wait for laundry day (I was every other day). That's it. When I do laundry I pull the inserts out of the pocket diaper and throw everything in to the washer. I dry the inserts in the dryer and line-dry the covers. When everything is dry I stuff the inserts back in the diapers and put them away to wait for use. I'll address the laundry cycle below. Generally it maybe adds 30 minutes worth of work on laundry day ABOVE what we did with disposables. Not much at all.
Cons
-Getting used to the poop. It took me a little bit to get used to dealing with the poopy diapers. I couldn't just roll them up and toss them. I had to actually get the poop off and "treat" the diaper so it wouldn't sit soiled for 24 hours until I did laundry next. I flush the poop, toss the wipes in the trash (septic system) and if there is any 'leftovers' I spray it off. If not, I usually just spritz the diaper with Bac-Out and toss it in the wetbag. I haven't had any odor issues since I started using bac-out.
-Up front cost. Even though we built our stash affordably, $400 is still a lot of money. That's around 1/4 of the cost many families spend to build their stash. It can be daunting! Budgeting, buying through a co-op (they are all over facebook), buying used, buying from more affordable companies, etc. It can be done!
-Can be bulky. In the early days of cd, we ran into the issue of bulk-butt. Some of their shorts/jeans didn't fit around the diapers. I've since adjusted the inserts we use and bought bamboo. It helps a lot. They are more absorbent and much thinner. Each type of cloth diaper has its issues, but this is one most deal with. I've just started buying a slightly larger size pant and I prefer the built in expandable waistbands. Easy fix, really.
-Figuring out your laundry routine. When it comes down to it, you're dealing with bodily fluids. These diapers need to be clean. You put them back on your baby after their are laundered. You don't want lingering bacteria and build-up. It took me a couple weeks to find my stride here. The right detergent and bac-out helped tremendously with that. I run a double hot cycle with Tide Original Powder (recommended to me by a guru) and then a cold cycle. Out of habit I still do the sniff test after the cycles just to be sure. It takes some extra effort, but I can assure you its worth it.
-Water bill. You will be using a lot more water with your cloth diaper laundry. I think everyone worries about their bill making a big leap. Even when we washed daily, we didn't notice a massive jump in our water bill. I think the most it ever went up was $10, but that was when we ran the dishwasher and took showers/baths several times a day. Cutting back on those made a big difference. The amount attributed to cloth was probably just a couple dollars a month.
-Prep time. While I don't consider the time spent stuffing and un-stuffing diapers to be significant, I suppose some may. I do laundry in the evening, so my diapers can line dry all night and be dry by morning. My inserts are dryer dried, so they're ready to go. While the twins are eating breakfast I stuff diapers. It takes me about 20 minutes. Easy.
-Wearing out. Cloth diapers can wear out with time, washing and use. They are built to last until potty training, but not every diaper is treated equally. They can bite the dust from time to time. Most companies will work with you and send repair kits or even replace the diaper if the diaper is prematurely wearing out. Velcro is notorious for wearing out. I haven't had any issues and all my velcro is used (from another set of twins even!), but I know that's a major deterrent for some.
-Leaking. When we first started cloth, I noticed a lot more leaks than I did with disposables. Until I found the right diapers and inserts we struggled with this. Once we found that magic combination it was smooth sailing. I was cautioned to try several types/brands of diapers/inserts before buying a big stash. I would echo this sentiment 1000%. Babies are all different shapes and sizes and so are cloth diapers. What works for one baby might not for the next. Thankfully, at this stage pockets and AIO's work very well for us. We haven't had leaks in a while and we use cloth 100% of the time now (including travel, naps, bedtime).
I know I'm leaving things out and I'll come back and add them as I think of them, but overall, this gives you a good picture of cloth. Everyone does things differently, but general procedures are similar. My babies are happier in cloth, I'm happier with cloth and even The Daddy has come to love cloth (never thought I'd see the day!). He was VERY resistant to cloth. I sort of just forced it on him (that didn't go well initially). Within a couple days he was a changed man. I don't recommend forcing cloth diapering on anyone, by the way. I'm just proving a point that even the biggest skeptic has come to love it!
I have a very basic stash and I have nothing to contribute to cloth diapering a newborn. I keep it pretty simple. We bring ziplocs for outings and wash when we get home. I don't have fancy sprays or creams. I use disposable liners if I notice we need some lanolin or desitin. I haven't had to use desitin yet with cloth, but my disposable liners are waiting for me if I do. Drug store diaper rash creams are NOT cd safe. They will cause build up (similar to the wrong kinds of detergent) and you have to strip your diapers.
There are so many websites out there to field any and all questions. A lot of natural parenting stores are popping up all over the place and have classes weekly about cloth diapering, breastfeeding, baby wearing, etc. If you are at all interested in cloth diapering your baby, don't make the mistakes I did and assume you can't afford to or that they are too much work. They can be very affordable and I hope my pro/con list helped to chase away any fears.
I can honestly say I don't have a definite favorite as far as diapers go. I love our Bum Genius AIO. LOVE. But I haven't tried any of the other big name brands. I'll have to do another post on the pros/cons of each diaper brand we have.
I don't think anyone reads this except family and friends, but I'm happy to answer any questions if someone stumbles my way!
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