Cloth Diapering Update

Top: Early in my cloth diapering days. L in her 1st BumGenius 3.0 at 14 mon. Bottom: H in (likely) same diaper at 4 mon.

I've got diapers on the mind. Several things are going on right now and rather than just solve the problem, I feel like I should sit down with some coffee and whine (aka blog) about it....

First- my stash is quite large and I have decided to consolidate. I have already sold some on craigslist and have some more to liquidate. It is bittersweet for me, as I (strangely) have emotional attachment to these diapers. It was a hard decision to make, but it is what is best for us right now AND maybe I can slowly work NEW diapers into my mix!

I'll ship if you're intersted! http://pennstate.craigslist.org/bab/1992114994.html

Secondly- H is getting a pretty unattractive rash these days. I had previously solved this problem by adding vinegar to my laundry routine, but it seems my hand-me-down purchased used diapers are riddled with yeast and bacteria. L recently got a terrible rash when I switched her back to cloth at night and has since been using disposables overnight. (Boo.) I found a blog post addressing this issue and hope to implement some good changes.

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2010/10/got-yeast.html

Third- L (as mentioned) is using disposables at night and I am annoyed every time I wrap her little butt in paper. Even more annoying is tossing the diaper in the morning and smelling it in the trash thru the week. She just barely fits into my BumGenius 3.o for overnight coverage, but can't use them currently due to the rash. Ultimately, I'd like to purchase her a pull-up type replacement to wear, but am not sure what there is out there. I'd need a heavy wetting option, as she often sleeps 12+ hours. (She could teach her brother a thing or two about that...)

Fourth- I am dabbling in making some diapers. I sold one set on etsy and have a few more to post. If I had diapering to do over, I would start with these. It is a decorated prefold with snaps. I am currently troubleshooting a one size (or at least multiple size) option.

Fifth- Fall is here and the crappy weather came with it. Line drying outside is increasingly difficult as all the laundry around here is getting ahead of me. We got a wood burning insert for our basement fireplace and are needing to fire it up overnight. I am considering moving a drying rack down there for diapers over the winter. No benefit of sunlight unfortunately, but less energy usage.

Sixth- I have high hopes of converting all my aplix to snaps. It has turned out to be a very time consuming process but is highly needed if I don't want to replace my entire stash anytime soon. I had purchased a snap press a month or so ago thinking I'd like to try converting and since it's purchase, my diapers have started to suffer the wrath of aplix that is wearing out.

Lastly- Wondering about wool. I am preoccupied with the thought of ALL the chemicals that are being used in many textiles (and toys and food and cleaners and, and, and) and I think wool is a natural option. Many cloth diapering moms tell me wool is wonderful and highly recommend it. Is there a wool overnight for my 3 yo (L) or a one size option for H?

So, those are the woes of a cloth diapering mama. I suppose it's time to start remedying my multiple situations.

Cloth Diaper Addict

I cloth diaper.

I started thinking of using cloth diapers sometime after L turned 1 and I am not sure why. I think it was primarily an eco-friendly decision, but also financial and (for lack of better description) it just felt like the right thing to do. I researched and researched and finally decided on testing some Bum Genius 3.0.

My first impression of these was good. I did not like having to use special detergent and it was hard for me to tell if/when they were wet, but I felt good about using the diapers and soon decided to purchase more. I found some Motherease fitteds at a local consignment shop and soon began to like those more than the Bum Genius. L was adjusting very well to the new arrangement and I was soon cloth diapering full time.

L began to develop diaper rash almost immediately after we took up cloth full time. I decided it was due to nighttime use because she sleeps close to 14 hours and switched back to disposables at night. We continued this way (cloth all day and 1 disposable overnight) until she potty trained and her brother was born. Somewhere along the way, I picked up some Bum Genius 2.0 size M (because it turns out stuffing pocket diapers is not for me) and some Growing in Greens one size fitteds. And because I was feeling quite apt at diapering, I picked up some random diapers on craigslist as well as some prefolds with snappis.

When I was pregnant with H, I decided to start with cloth ASAP. I knew the pockets weren't for me and thought the one sized diapers would be big on a newborn. My daughter was 6 lb 14 oz at birth and wore premie clothes for the first month of her life, so I assumed (despite my belly telling my otherwise) that I'd have the same experience the second time around. I purchased 12 Bum Genius 2.o in the XS size and picked thru what I had that I thought could work early on.

H arrived almost 2 weeks late and weighing in at an astronomical 9 lb 6 oz! Those tiny (and expensive diapers) only lasted a few weeks. And I squeezed him into them at least a week past when he'd outgrown them just to try to recoup some of the wasted money. I cruised craigslist once again and found some Bum Genius bamboo fitteds for a reasonable price. H is still wearing those and I absolutely love them. They are super soft and cute. He's outgrowing those as well, so I picked up some homemade microfleece/PUL diapers at the local consignment shop.

Soon after I was cloth diapering H full time, I began to *hate* disposables. I hated the thought of wrapping my children's bottoms in paper. I hated seeing and smelling the disposables in the trash can. I hated thinking of them in the landfills for the next hundreds of years and decided to try to switch my daughter back to cloth at night. Rash ensued. I did some research and it turns out they just needed to be stripped. Thru the advice of some online mamas, I ran the entire lot thru the washer on hot with some vinegar instead of detergent.

Upon loading my washing machine with ALL my diapers, I realized 2 things:

I own no less than 100 diapers.

I am a cloth diaper addict.

Many of my diapers have been used for both kids and some have faired better than others. The Growing in Greens (while super cute and well fitted on a newborn) wore out fairly quickly and needed replacement elastic. The Bum Genius have held up, but I realize now that snaps are much better than Aplex for the long haul. The Motherease are nice, tho bulky and too big until about 13 lbs in my opinion. Prefolds are cheap and easy and are my go-to diapering in a pinch. Imse Vimse makes a great cover, but I'd steer clear of the Gerber covers sold at most department stores. I have also tried many other diapers, covers, and accessories. Any questions, just ask!

Long story short, I love cloth diapering. I recommend it to all my friends. It is increasing in popularity and with good reason. No more butts wrapped in paper for us. Hope you'll join me if you haven't already!