Cloth Diapers

I mentioned in a previous post that we are clothing diapering Lila and I wanted to take some time and explain exactly how and what we are doing. This will probably be of no interest to 99% of the people who read our blog, but a couple people have expressed interest, so this is for them (and for me :). If you don't care, don't read. Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings.

Well, before you skip over this entirely, at least look at all the cute pics of Lila in her cloth diapers!

She was really cranky when I took this. I was trying to get her laying on her belly looking sad b/c it was so cute. She apparently caught on to what I was doing and didn't want to cooperate. Every time I pushed her head down she popped back up and was trying to flip over. She thought she was pretty funny.

This is my whole cloth diapering stash. It's amazing for it to all be clean at one time (obviously that never happens), but Lila was sick this weekend so I got it all clean and organized.

I store it in the drawer that goes under her crib. This is only about half of our stuff. It doesn't all fit when it's clean (which like I said, doesn't really ever happen.

These are Bumgenius pocket diapers. They make up the majority of our diapers b/c they are pretty simple to use and don't ever leak. These are the ones we use when we are going out and about, and at night. These are waterproof (as are all the colored ones I have). The outside layer is made of PUL ( I can't remember what that stands for, but something like poly-?????, ????? and laminated :). Whatever it is, it doesn't leak.

The inside of the diaper is lined with suede cloth. Others I have are lined with fleece. This layer keeps the baby's skin dry and draws the liquid down into the diaper.

Here is the pocket opening. You stuff these with different types of inserts, depending on what you need. More stuffing for night time, less for day. Microfiber or hemp.

These are microfiber. They are very absorbent and come in different lengths and thicknesses.

All of my inserts. The tan ones are hemp. They are thinner than microfiber and more absorbent. I use them mostly for night time, or when we are going to church or out and I want her diaper to last longer.

These are called All In One diapers. Instead of a pocket to stuff, an absorbent insert is sewn directly into the diaper. They are easier for dads to use, but take longer to dry.

The insert is sewn into the back. I like these, but you can't leave them on a baby as long as a pocket diaper.

These are fitted diapers. They require a diaper cover b/c they are not waterproof. They are just flannel and cotton that has been sewn together so no folding is require.

These are prefolds. The white ones are Chinese, and the tan ones are Indian. These are what most people think of as burp cloths. You can use them for burp cloths, but you wouldn't want to use burp cloths from Target as diapers. They are not nearly as absorbent. These are diaper service quality and are much better.

With the prefolds, there several different ways to fold them. It's actually pretty easy. I bought a couple just to try, and ended up ordering more b/c I really like them. Especially for around the house. The purple thing is called a snappi. It is used instead of pins. It has little teeth that grip the cloth and you just stretch it across the baby. Super simple

Diaper covers that go over the fitteds and prefolds.

Cloth wipes are one of my favorite things. I used a special wipe mixture that I ordered online and make myself. I just put in several spray bottles and wet the wipes as needed. For my wipes I have a few that are hemp (the oval ones) but mostly I use baby wash cloths that I got on sale at Target.

My diaper pail. We keep the lid up though b/c the diapers don't smell. I'm a little freakish about rinsing them out before I put them in. You don't have to, but since I have a sink right here in my laundry room I always do.

Right before I did laundry. I have enough diapers to go about 3 days between loads (which is the most you would want to wait. Otherwise they would start to stink), but usually I wash every day and a half. I only do it this much though b/c it's really simple and I like to have all my diapers clean.

Finally, these are wetbags. This is how you take your cloth diapers out in public. I carry the big bag folded up in my diaper bag. When I change Lila out in public I just throw the wet diaper and wipes into the bag. It has a water proof liner call PUL on the inside. The you can just throw the bag in the washer with the diapers if it is dirty. The smaller bag is just for quick trips. It has a diaper and wipe inside and a pocket on the outside that I put my keys and phone in. If I need to change her I can just put the clean diaper on and stick the wet on in the bag. This one is also waterproof.

Wow, this has gotten long, but I wanted to show exactly how it's done. Ryan was not really on board with this idea at first. When I was pregnant I kept talking about it and he said "NO WAY". I dropped it, but then in August decided I really wanted to do it and he could just deal with it. He agreed to let me buy two diapers to try, and then we could see what we wanted to do.

Turns out he loves it as much as I do. It is so much simpler than I ever thought. The laundry isn't that much extra work, and the diapers work great. They rarely leak, and if they do, it is b/c we left them on her for too long. Same as with disposables.


Warning: Poop Talk Ahead


Oh, a final word about poop. No big deal. If you're breastfeeding, you actually don't even have to rinse the diapers. The poop is water soluble and will wash out by itself. However, I would never do that b/c I can't stand the idea of poop in my washer. As far as poop goes, Lila doesn't go very often (tmi, I know) and when she does it solid. So, I just dump it in the toilet. Then I rinse the diaper in the laundry sink and throw the diaper in the pail. So simple.

If cloth diapering sounds interesting or like something you might want to try, I would really encourage you to get a sample pack and see what works for you. I have ordered from several website and these are all great.

www.diaperpin.com --reviews on all kinds or cloth diapers, accessories, and online stores
www.jilliansdrawers.com -- great trial package with lots of different options
www.nickisdiapers.com -- I have ordered several times from here. Super quick shipping.

www.abbyslane.com
www.cottonbabies.com
www.mtdiaperstore.com
www.babybunz.com

www.greenmountaindiapers.com --Lots of info. and pictures. I learned a ton from this site!