More Cloth Diapers

I promise this will not turn into a blog where all I write about is cloth diapers, but it's currently on my mind, and what good is a blog if not to help you figure out what is currently on your mind.

So, cloth diapering is going really well.  We don't use them every day because we only have six currently, so it's usually a day or two between times we use them.  But I did decide that my favorite are the Bum Genius Freetime diapers, so I made a bulk order for 14 more which will give me 20 total diapers, enough to last 2 days, so I can wash them every other day.  I've been told 20 is a good place to start with cloth diapers, so we'll see how it works out.  But we did run into a snag that we didn't anticipate with cloth diapers, what to do with the wipes.  We've been using disposable wipes, and of course with disposable diapers you just put the wipe in the diaper when you fold it up and toss it, but with cloth diapers you don't do that.  So, we tried just putting them in the garbage can.  And we do have a garbage can with a lid, but after a few days the smell from the wipes can get pretty powerful.  So, we made the decision to go ahead and try cloth wipes too.  We'll always have some disposable diapers and wipes on hand, but I'm feeling very green with my cloth wipes and diapers.  I've ordered the Cotton Babies cloth wipes as well as another brand, and a wipe warmer which apparently is important if you use cloth wipes.  The wipe warmer comes with cloth wipes as well, so I'll get to figure out which cloth wipes I like if we ever need to order more.

The next snag we've run into is our diaper pail.  We got a great diaper pail that my sister recommended.  It really cuts the smell, but you don't have to use a specific brand of refills, just a regular trash bag will do.  And with disposable diapers it fits about 30 diapers, so we only have to empty it twice a week.  But with the cloth diapers it only fits 6 diapers!  That's fine since that's how many we have right now, but once we go full time with the cloth, we're going to need a new solution.  Fast!  I'm dubious wether a regular garbage can will keep the diaper smell inside.  I've read about wetbags that are made of fabric that you just toss in the wash with your cloth diapers, but I wonder how well they work at containing the smell too.  Does anyone else have experience with cloth diapers, and if so what did you use that worked?  My priorities are a container that will hold up to 20 cloth diapers AND will keep the smell contained.  And if it was also cheap that would be nice too.

Final question, I want a nice wetbag that I can keep in the diaper bag for on the go diaper changes, but Shawn thinks just taking ziploc baggies will be just as effective and cheaper.  Any thoughts?

Cloth Diapering Day 1

Our Stash! (Sorry for the phone picture)

We got our cloth diapers on Thursday!  I was so excited, it was like Christmas Day opening our box from diapers.com.  In fact, I waited all day for the UPS delivery guy to arrive just waiting for our diapers.  (He naturally arrived just as I had gotten Eliza to fall asleep, so I opened the door when I heard the truck pull up in hopes that I could head him off before he rang the doorbell and prevent Scooter from barking, but naturally Scooter barked anyway, Eliza woke up, and I might have cursed at Scooter, maybe.)  First step in cloth diapering, preparing the diapers.  I had read stories of having to wash diapers on hot FIVE TIMES without detergent to prepare them, but luckily I found this website that explained how to prepare diapers, and also that if I didn't get cotton diapers I would only have to wash them once to get the shipping residue off, just like I do with any of Eliza's clothes.  Shawn was almost as excited as I was.  The diapers got washed and the covers air dried while the inserts went into the dryer, and they all got stuffed and folded Thursday night so I could start cloth diapering Friday morning.

I have to say, cloth diapers are CUTE! They look so cute on a little baby bum, but at the same time, they do look pretty huge on our little tiny baby.  They fit the way they are supposed to, but since I got one-size diapers that fold and snap smaller and will grow with our baby, they look pretty bulky on our baby girl.  Now, why are disposable diapers so ugly looking?  What newborn cares if they have Elmo or Winnie the Pooh on their diaper?  Why not make diapers that appeal to the adults who change them?  There are no characters on our cloth diapers, they're all just solid colors (but I did want to try a different diaper brand simply because they had this cute pattern with flowers, but they were too expensive to really justify it to Shawn).

When the diapers came I was most excited about the Flip diapers. I liked the idea of an outer cover and an insert, and I can pull out the insert and reuse the outer cover. (We got a deal with two outer covers and six inserts.)  So, they were the first diapers I put on Eliza, and they really are easy.  Of course her first diaper was messy, not just wet, and the mess got onto the outer cover, so I tossed the entire thing in the diaper pail.  (Yep, the diaper pail works for cloth diapers too!) Next I tried the Bum Genius Freetime diaper.  These diapers have the inserts semi-attached, so you don't pull them out when you change the diaper, but throw the entire thing in the pail.  I was least excited about trying these diapers out, but after a couple of days, they are definitely the easiest to change, the most like a disposable diaper.  The third type of diaper I tried was the Bum Genius 4.0. This was what I had read the most about, and what really sold me on trying cloth diapers.  Like the Flip diapers they have a separate insert, but unlike the flip they inserts are put into a pocket in the outer cover, so you pull the insert out of the pocket to wash them, and you still have to wash the outer cover every time too.

Overall, after two days of using cloth (Friday and Sunday, since I have a limited supply I washed them on Saturday and used disposables) I have to say that the Bum Genius Freetime are my favorite.  I like the ease of throwing the whole thing into the diaper pail and laundry.  Pulling a wet insert out of the Flip Diaper or the Bum Geinus 4.0 isn't that bad, but pulling a messy diaper insert out is still a little gross.  And the poop does have a habit of getting around the insert on the Flip Diaper and getting onto the cover, so if it's a poopy diaper I definitely have to change both the cover and the insert.  But if it's just wet, I still like the idea of not having to put the whole diaper in the wash, and just changing the insert. The biggest thing I like better about disposables is the convenient yellow line printed on the diaper that turns blue when it's wet or messy.  With cloth diapers you have to touch them to tell if they're wet.

I'll give them another few days to try out, but if I was ordering my supply tomorrow I'd go with the Freetime diapers.  As it is, I want to try them out longer, see how they do with more messes, if I get blowouts or other diaper problems.

Do any readers have experience with cloth diapers?  Do you have a kind you love?  We're just working on the diapers right now, but I'm starting to research cloth wipes.  And I want a couple of wetbags too (waterproof cloth bags you throw your diapers in but can also throw in the laundry) but Shawn is pretty determined we'll just use plastic bags.  And since we're not doing this to be environmentally friendly, but just economical, it seems the most economical way to go about it.  Advice?