Cloth Diapering Pt. 2

Alrighty then, I am going to do my best to answer all of your questions!

1. What diapers do you use?

I use a combination of diapers. I had an abundance of disposables that we were given when Keating was born. So I have tried to use all of the disposables and then add in more cloth diapers as we needed them. I started with Bum Essentials, they have a great starter pack that includes 2 diapers, inserts, and a wet bag. I then purchased 7 Rumparooz, these are my very favorite (Great colors and prints!). I have one random Bum Genius that I got free from purchasing other diapers, and I recently added two Fuzzi Bunz.

Here is a diagram of a Rumparooz diaper. The thing that sold me was the inner leg gussets to prevent spillage! It really works too! Where it says stuffable pocket, that is where an absorbant insert or inserts go before you put it on the baby.

I love that this diaper also has snaps. I prefer snaps to velcro because Blue has already figured out how to unfasten his diaper... that could get messy!
Fuzzibunz are really really soft!

I prefer pocket cloth diapers such as the Rumparooz, Fuzzibunz and Bum Genius. They are much more user friendly when I leave him with a family member and they are very reliable for over night. I like the concept of the "All in Two" diaper such as the Bum Essentials, but they haven't fit him right. (All in Two diapers have snap in inserts and no pocket. So if the baby has a wet diaper you can just snap in another insert if you dont feel its necessary to change the cover) Again, great concept, they just dont fit him that great, maybe he will grow into them better.

2. Are there different sizes? How many should I get?

Cloth diapers come in a variety of sizes. All except one of my diapers are one size diapers. Meaning they will go from birth to potty training! Rumparooz does make a smaller diaper for newborns in addition to the one size shown above. Many people choose to use disposables in the beginning because they fit newborns better (less bulky) and there are so many diaper changes in those early days.

Right now I only have 12 diapers. Some will say that 20 diapers should be the minimum, we really just dont need that many. I may slowly add to my stash as I see them on sale. 3. What do you do with the dirty diapers?

This is the part that I think turns people away from cloth diapering and it really shouldn't. Below on the left is my original munchkin diaper pail. I still use the diaper pail to put dirty wipes in. (I use regular Costco brand wipes) On the right is my wet pail. It has a waterproof washable liner that I purchased online (not shown, it was laundry day.)

When I change a diaper the wipes go directly in the left hand pail, sometimes I flush wipes if they are really nasty. If the diaper is just wet, then I pull out the insert and toss the whole thing into the wet pail on the right.

If its dirty, then I use my diaper sprayer. This is the handiest thing ever. It costs about 40 bucks and you attach it to the back of your toilet. It is SUPER easy to install, I did it myself! Basically you take the diaper, spray it off and then toss that into the wet pail as well. You only really have to do this if your baby is formula fed or eating solid foods. Breast milk poo can just be tossed in the wash. May sound gross but its completely water soluble.

4. How do you wash them?

To do laundry I dump the entire wet bag into the wash. Add a scoop of detergent such as Tide Original, All Free & Clear, or a fancier detergent like Rockin' Green (Which was a waste of money in my opinion) set the washer to a hot/ cold cycle and let it go.

When they are done washing I either lay them outside to dry, or toss them in the dryer. As it stands, I do a load of diapers every other day and a half. Its so easy, that it isn't a hassle to wash them. I also have an HE washer that doesnt use much water, so our bills haven't increased either.

5. What do you do with them when you are out?

Online stores sell wetbags to keep in your diaper bag. I found that mine took up too much room. Instead I'm really classy and I use ziplock gallon size bags. Its just more convenient for me and it contains smell completely rather than a drawstring type bag. If the bag gets funky then I just throw it away. (See, I'm so not green)

6. Where can I buy them?

I have bought all of mine online. I have purchased from KellysCloset.com and Sugardipes.com I follow both shops on twitter and wait for them to post coupon codes or deals, and then I buy a few more diapers. DONT PAY FULL PRICE, they go on sale ALL THE TIME!

Well, with all this being said. I really do love cloth diapering. I wish that I had started it from the get go, but everything with Keating has been trial and error! Maybe next time we will have it all figured out! HA!