I never, never thought I would be writing about cloth diapering. I was SURE I would not do it - memories from childhood and all (I'm the oldest of 7)... :) But here I am, writing to tell you about the cloth diapers we've been using for the past few months. We use Bumgenius 3.0. We have 18 diapers - they are all-in-ones (AIO) and the size adjusts as the baby grows. We were given 9 (from my parents and our church family) and we purchased 9. They are $17.95/diaper and we ordered them online through Cotton Babies.Pros:
-Easy to use.
-Grow w/baby so don't need various sizes.
-Eco-friendly.
-Saves LOTS of money (none of my kids have been able to use off-brand diapers).
-Cute - many color options.
-Usable as night time help for bigger kids (our 3 y.o. boys have worn them successfully).
-Gentle on baby bottoms.
-Comes with two liners - a longer one and a shorter one which can be combined for extra absorbency.
Cons:
-A little bulky (pretty much all cloth diapers are but it really hasn't been a problem for us).
-Occasionally leak (completely avoidable when changed a little more frequently).
-Expensive initial cost.
-Increased laundry.
-Rinsing dirty diapers.
-Cannot use diaper creams without a barrier between the bottom and diaper (we just use disposable on the rare occasion that we have had rash).
We have an awesome hose that hooks to our toilet (thanks, Ann!) which makes rinsing dirty diapers a little easier (we would both agree that rinsing is really the biggest con :)). We also used disposable for the first couple of months which was a good decision.
Honestly, I was a bit skeptical to make the investment so we bought them in increments. I also really, really didn't want to do cloth diapering but I'm married to a environmental attorney. :) We both felt that while we wouldn't be purists, we had to make a change. Disposable diapers stay in landfills for huge amounts of time without decomposing and we didn't/don't feel good about that. After researching and talking to several veteran cloth diaper users, I felt these would be the best fit for us. We have not been disappointed. We have really saved so much money, too. I've bought disposable diapers maybe once or twice since we started cloth diapering as opposed to the giant boxes I went through with the older boys. That means that the diapers will have paid for themselves very soon (I know that you can get free disposable ones through CVS sometimes but we had a lot of trouble with brands, so it didn't work very well for us).I do not regret using disposables with the older boys. We had a lot to adjust to and there were two of them! But I am glad we went this route - they are as easy to change as a disposable and the pros definitely outweigh the cons for us. It's definitely not the same cloth diapering I remember from years ago. So, if you are considering cloth diapers, check them out! Here's a picture of our youngest cutie sporting a cool blue one. :)
11 comments:
I love the colors.
cute baby Ty!! :) We are going to be using cloth again if we are placed with a kiddo in diapers. I feel guilty not too. Thad doesn't care as long as he isn't required to change a poopy one. LOL Love the Bumgenius, the new colors are cute!
Our boys still need something at night. So I went & bought Happy Heiny pocket trainers & we use those. They have worked really well, it was a tough sell to get J to switch over. I let him choose colors & now he is fine with wearing them I talked to him about using these because the others aren't good for the earth blah blah.
I'll send you some of my salve(if you want it) for diaper rash. It has always worked better for us then the name brand stuff. And you can use it with cloth diapers.
They are expensive at first but do they ever pay for themselves! That's what I tell myself when I'm washing the boys' trainers anyway. ;)
I was just thinking that I hoped you posted about cloth diapers soon because I was wondering how it was going for you!
Where did you get the hose that attaches to your toilet and how does that work?
Think of how you are helping the environment! Way to go!
KIm
your little diaper model does a very good job of selling these diapers.:)
I'm with Jenna -- I want pictures of this hose!!!
This was a great post! I've been wondering what you thought about them. Since the CVS deals have been "blech" lately, I haven't been getting near the deals I was getting on disposables, and have considered making the switch with Maggie. I was thinking I might venture out and make my own - since sewing is my passion, I guess that would only be appropriate =).
p.s. your model is the best part of this post ;). He is TOO cute!
Another quick question: Do you find that 18 cloth diapers is "plenty" or "enough"? Do you have to change him more often than you would in a disposable (I probably change Maggie 4-5 times a day, at 9 months old). Have you ever tried the flushable diaper liners, and if so, do they help? We have LOTS of dirty diapers a day =). I'm trying to gather up my supplies and hope to start sewing these up next week. I was thinking of starting with 12, then make 12 more next month (because of budgeting purposes ;).
Livie is acting like she feels much better today - in fact well enough that she and Kate have been arguing all day - AHHHHH!!! =D
And one last thing, I forgot to say THANK YOU for the name suggestions! That is exactly what I was looking for!
Hey Micah,
I think 18 is plenty. You really need to wash them every 2-3 days. We go through about six a day but we usually only have 1-2 dirty ones. I really, really like the all-in-one style. We have not used the disposable liners but I have seriously considered ordering some.
So glad Liv is feeling better and I'm glad the names were helpful!
Jenny & Jenna - I'll try to get a picture of the hose but is basically hooks down at the back. You can turn it on and off with the faucet. The actually spray nozzle has a button you push that sends out a high-power spray. It works very well!
What do you do when traveling? I've found that using some of the ecologicaly friendly disposable diapers is handy. Brands like Nature Babycare or Seventh Generation. I prefer Nature Babycare personally.
Hi DiaperDandy,
He is 5 months and honestly we haven't travelled but for a day (I've taken cloth for the day trips). I probably would use disposables - I'll have to check out the Nature Babycare, that's a new one for me! Thanks for the recommendation!
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