Entering the Land of Cloth Diapers
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So. If you’ve been following along on Facebook, whether as my personal friend or as a fan of Yankee Homestead’s page, you may know we are about to enter The Land of Cloth Diapering.
Once we actually begin using the diapers, I think it will be super. But Oh My Goodness, the process of getting started has just about killed me! I guess it’s sort of like painting a room: it takes longer to prepare than to do the actual work. {I hope.}
Decisions, Decisions
The oh-so-many options are rather mind-numbing:
- Which kind of diapers: covers, pockets, all-in-one’s…
- Which brand: BumGenius, FuzziBunz, GroVia, Blueberry, Thirsties…
- Which kind of prefolds: unbleached, organic, Osocozy, Green Mountain…
- Which kind of inserts: hemp, microfiber, cotton…
- To spray or not to spray, and which sprayer to choose
- Diaper pail vs. wet bag; what size wet bag(s); which pattern(s)
- I have to prewash the diapers? And inserts? And prefolds? (Prefolds must be prewashed at least five times. Dark-colored diapers must be prewashed separately from light-colored diapers. Some folks say to wash them in hot water. Some folks say cold.)
My Current Stash
I know we’ll need more diapers, but wanted to try out a few before committing to a large stash of any one kind. My goal is to have 24 diapers and/or covers when it’s all said and done.
- 4 Flip diaper covers
- 6 Bumgenius 4.0 pocket diapers
- 3 Prorap covers on loan from a nice friend
- 1 Thirsties cover on loan from another nice friend
- 12 unbleached cotton prefolds for the Flip covers + another 12 on loan from yet another nice friend (I’m feeling so loved!)
- 3 Snappies on loan from nice friend #2
- 4 hemp inserts
- 36 flannel wipes
- DIY Baby Wipe Spray, with essential oils (
recipe coming soon!) - 1 large Planet Wise wet bag with handles
- 1 medium Planet Wise wet bag with handle
- 3 medium Planet Wise wet bags (Sadly, I accidentally ordered these handleless versions. I’m hoping they’ll be handy for use in the diaper bag or by the changing table.)
- 1 Bumkins diaper sprayer
- Tropical Traditions Laundry Detergent–I’m excited to learn that my favorite detergent is safe for cloth diapers!
Here Goes Nothin’!
As I type this very post, the light-colored diapers, inserts and prefolds are in the washing machine for their prewash. The prefolds will need to be prewashed several more times before use, but the diapers and inserts will be ready to go! Of course, I’ll need to wash the dark-colored diapers separately…
One of these days we’ll actually start using all of this stuff, and then I’ll officially be able to add Cloth Diapering to my list of personal adventures. I’ll keep you posted…
Update: After four months of cloth diapering, here are my thoughts:
Cloth Diaper Update: Flip Diaper Covers
Overnight Leak Protection with Cloth Diapers
Do you cloth diaper? Got any tips? Favorite brands or systems? I’m all ears!
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I diapered with my second and loved it. Life has been crazy with moving and some other life things so with number 3 she has yet to venture into the land of cloth diapers. My encouraging advice is once you are in the routine of our all l or is awesome! I need to get back in the routine so we cab save some money again. I also need to learn how to strip my cloth diapers bc they are not absorbing any longer so there is another r blog post for ya! Good luck!!!!
Hi Kirsi, Yes, the money-saving aspect is a big draw. 🙂 Disposable diaper costs really add up! I’ll keep you posted on the stripping process… (that sounds bad, doesn’t it!?)
Oh my, Kathleen..too many decisions! Back in the day, before pampers or any other disposable diapers, all cloth diapers were white. There were some that had a thick mid-section and did not have to be folded as much and all were closed with diaper pins, some choices here – colors or decorative. The waterproof protection was in the form of pull-on rubber pants, some choices here as well, but all the choices were limited. The best washing/drying methods was hot water and hang out to dry on a nice sunny day! Dryers only when necessary – weather / time issues. Enjoy your baby and it looks like what was old has become new! Barb
What was old has become new, indeed. In many other ways, too! Fun to hear from you, Barb. 🙂
It’s been three months! How is it going with the cloth diapers? We are putting together the registry and are trying to figure out our options, and could really use any advice you have! Thanks!
Connie–I’m working on an update! Stay tuned… 🙂
Here are two updates (with more on the way):
Cloth Diaper Update: Flip Diaper Covers
Overnight Leak Protection with Cloth Diapers