Cloth Diapering: The Beginning

  I was interested in cloth diapering before Sean was born. But I assumed because he was in day care that was out of the question. So we went with disposable diapers. And turns out many day care places are willing to work with cloth diapers.

  Since I'm staying at home with Sean we decided to make the switch. I attended a Cloth Diapering 101 class (for free) at a local store and learned a lot. I had previously done a ton of internet research and talked to a cloth diapering friend. Seeing all the types of diapers in person was so helpful. It's amazing how many options are out there. It's nice to be able to get something that fits your needs. 

  I ruled out the prefold kind of diapers. The prefolds are like traditional diapering. What your mom/grandma may have used...uhh assuming you're about my age or older, haha. The prefold diaper is basically like what we used for burp cloths now a days. There are different options for securing the diaper, and there are covers to put over the diaper. This kind would be hard to get on my wiggling 20 months old. So, I ultimately decided to get something very similar to disposable diapers.

  It is recommended to buy 2-3 different styles at first to see what works best for you. And that's just what I did. 

This orange diaper is BumGenius brand. It is an organic cloth (cotton) and is a one size fits all and an all in one (meaning the diaper consists of just one piece). I wasn't particularly looking for organic, but this design only offers organic.

 You can see that there are several layers of cloth which are sewn to the diaper on the ends. With this one you have the thickness to absorb but it's separated so it can dry quicker than if it were just a super thick piece all together. (Don't mind the sleeping doggie, we are watching her for a friend.)

Because it is "one size fits all" there are snaps to adjust to baby's size. I like the one size so that the diapers can be shared between Sean and new baby. There are three snaps that can be snapped up to make it shorter length wise. In the picture just two are snapped up.

 The other diaper I bought is FuzziBunz brand. This one is also a one size fits all. But instead of being all in one (one piece), there is a liner to insert in a pocket on the diaper. This diaper dries faster than the orange one. For some that might not want to fuss with stuffing the liner in the pocket I can see where the all in one is better. But I don't think it's a hassle and I like how fast the FuzziBunz dries. It is micro fiber fleece, I believe. Which is a great absorbent and also great for air flow.

In the picture above you can see the two liner inserts. I think one is infant size, but it's not that much smaller. It's also nice to have two liners so you can double up if you have a heavy wetter, or double up at night.

 Again, this one has snaps to adjust around baby's waist.

 The opening to stuff in the liner is at the back.

 In stead of having adjustable snaps on the front to change the length, the FuzziBunz have elastic adjustment on the legs holes. There are numbers written by the button holes so you know the size. I think this feature is great.  This way if you have a skinny leg baby you can cinch the legs hole to prevent leakage. You can see in the picture that there is a little slit to put the tail end of the elastic into. FuzziBunz even sends you an extra pair of elastic incase yours wears out.

Also, you can distribute the material, scrunch it to one end or the other,  so that there is more material in a certain area. For instance, you can have more material in the front for boys.

  Other products I purchased along with the diapers is a special soap and disposable/flushable liners. The diaper soap is a soap, not a detergent.It's important to use specially designed soap because detergents break down the absorbency of the cloth diapers. It's like a sponge that has soap build up, the sponge can't absorb as much liquid because there is so much soap in the sponge.  The disposable liners are convenient for older babies with... welll...solid poop. It comes on a roll like toilet paper and you just tear off a piece and lay it on the diaper. That way when baby poops you can just lift off liner and flush. The liner is a thin material that's also breathable, so that means some poo residue might get on the diaper, but it'll rinse out. The liner isn't necessary but it makes life a little easier.

 So those are the two I decided to try. There are many more types and it can be quite overwhelming. If you're interested in cloth diapering I suggest you get a basic knowledge via the internet and then talk to a cloth diapering mama or visit a store that sells cloth diapers.

  I have decided to go with the FuzziBunz brand. I'll need to buy a wet bag to put dirty diapers in until its time to wash a load. I'm sure there are other little gadgets and doodads that can make cloth diapering easier, but I'll just start with the basic necessities.

  It'll be interesting to start the world of cloth diapering with an older baby and then a newborn. So far I'm thrilled with the results and look forward to saving money in the long run. Oh, and saving the environment..... also, Sean's little bum will experience less diaper rash.