Crazy In Love

Yup, we’re a cloth diapering family. As such, I am required to ell everyone how awesome it is.

What we use: primarily Chinese prefolds & Thirsties Duos covers and some BumGenius 3.0s.

The first week-10 days we used exclusively disposable diapers.  We did this for three reasons: (1)  his cord stump was still attached and since disposable diapers can be folded easier to sit lower, it was more convenient, (2)  the first poops (the meconium poops) are really gross and black and are likely to stain the pretty white cloth diapers, and (3)  we had tons of disposables from diaper cakes and other gifts.

Prefolds and covers are less of a hassle than I thought.  Really.  I keep the diapers folded and ready to go in the drawer (top drawer of his dresser, which doubles as his changing table, the dresser not the drawer :o) so at changes we just slip it on, snap it together with a Snappi and then the cover velcros on with the same ease as a standard disposable.  Voila! Diaper is changed, my friend.

What I love about the Thirsties Duos covers:  We haven’t had a leak yet.  As long as poop doesn’t leak onto them, we can use the same cover all day (I wipe it off at changes with a wipe to keep it from smelling like pee).  They are cute, fun colors.  They are very reasonably priced.  They accommodate babies from birth to potty training/toddler with only 2 sizes, thanks to convenient snaps that alter the size.

We have some BumGenuis 3.0s which are an all-in-one, one size cloth diaper.  They are pretty bulky for smaller babies and are pricey which is the main reason why we didn’t use them exclusively.  Other reasons we did not use them exclusively is that because the cover is part of the diaper it can’t be reused without being washed first meaning we’d need more of them (adding to the “pricey” issue).  They are very absorbent which makes them awesome for night time use and they are very user friendly (you can have the inserts in place ahead of time making it go on with the same ease as a disposable) which makes them great for middle of the night changes when you want to get back to sleep (or are half-asleep), travel, and babysitters.  Also, like the Thirsties covers, the snaps allow these to be used for as long as your child is in diapers.

We also use cloth wipes.  I use plain white (Gerber, I think) baby washcloths but lots of other people have recommended using pieces of flannel too.  I have a wipe solution concentrate (smells like lavender) that I mix up and put in a little spray bottle (it’s an extra peri-cleansing bottle from the hospital, actually) and just wet each wipe before using it.  I will probably switch to plain water at some point, maybe, but I like the smell of it for now.  (I’ve heard that some people keep them soaked in the solution or in plain water, in an air-tight container, but I don’t like the idea of anything growing in there or the possibility of spilling the solution when trying to get the container open.)

Here is what we have in the drawer:

• 5 Thirsties Duos size one (we have 3 more that aren’t in rotation yet)
• 2 dozen Chinese Prefold cloth diapers (I have 4 different sizes of prefolds, 2 dozen of each)
• 2 Snappis (we have 3 more that aren’t in rotation yet and may not use unless we lose one)
• 7 BumGenius 3.0s
• 2 dozen cloth wipes
• bottle of wipe solution (actually, this is kept on the dresser in the changing basket, not in the drawer)

We have yet to run out of anything, even with washing them every other day.

Keeping it clean

Supplies: bucket with lid, OxyClean powder, Charlie’s Soap laundry powder, BumGenius sprayer

What we do:

• In John’s room we keep a plastic shopping bag for the used diapers and either at the end of the day or after a nasty poop we bring the dirty diapers and any covers down to the laundry room to soak.

• We use the sprayer, hooked to the toilet, to spray off poop.  We were using the old rinsing method but that is sort of gross and thought we’d give the sprayer a whirl.  It’s about $45 and, in our opinion, worth every penny.  Just hold the clean part and spray away the dirty.

• Fill large bucket about half-full of hot water and add 1/4-1/2 scoop (scoops included with packaging) each of Charlie’s soap and OxyClean.  Add dirty stuff.

• We let them soak until the morning of the 3rd day (2 days worth of dirty diapers, etc.) then wash.

• Wash on whites cycle (faster spin and agitation), hot water, using about the same amount of soap and OxyClean as was used to soak.

• Thirsties covers get laid out on a wire rack (can be hung, laid out on counter or on top of washer/dryer, whatever just don’t dry them or they can wear out very fast).  BumGenius covers and inserts may take longer than prefolds to dry because of their extra absorbent material.