Here’s a little peek behind the scenes at our house (oh what glamorous and exciting lives we lead). Cloth diapers can be laying out in a sunny windowsill to dry, and a strange devil-may-care chihuahua might come prancing along…
… and decide to do a little birdwatching…
… followed by some leisurely lounging…
… right on top of the diapers. What a weirdo, right? But he’s our weirdo. (Cue the collective “aww.”)
And since one of the most common questions that we get has nothing to do with home improvement we figured we owed you guys an answer. It’s always some iteration of “How are you liking cloth diapers? Is it harder now that Clara’s on solid food? Do they show any wear and tear? Have you purchased more? Do you still like that they’re all in ones with snaps? Do they still fit since they’re one size fits all?” So we thought we’d share a quick little update on that front. Oh and if you have general cloth diaper questions please check out this post first (along with the comments) since it can answer any basic questions (and then some).
As for the cloth dipes, we still love them and use them pretty much all the time except when we’re traveling (since we don’t have access to a place to wash them). And we haven’t ordered a single additional cloth diaper or tried any other brand. Yup, for the last year we’ve stuck with the original 12 Bum Genius Elemental One Size All-In-Ones that we purchased over a year ago (more on them here). And they all still look mint and don’t have any smell issues or staining (thanks to our diaper sprayer – more on that here and here). And also thanks to laying them out in the sun to dry from time to time, which bleaches out any stains and keeps them as white as Ryan Seacrest’s teeth.
Since we still use the same diapers that we got about a year ago you can imagine how much loot we’ve saved (we did some how-much-will-we-save-math back in this original diaper post). And since we’re cheap-os, that alone should explain our downright obsession with the whole cloth diapering thing. And for those wondering if the cost of washing cloth diapers compares to buying disposables, our Energy Star front loaders are estimated to cost $15 a year to run (assuming you do eight loads of laundry per week). And we probably only do 5, (so perhaps they cost $12 or $13 to run for a whole year?!). Which puts our washing costs at about a dollar a month (and includes all the other laundry we do besides diapers). Pretty sweet.
For anyone who worries that it’s some sort of intense 1900’s hardship, cloth diapers have come a looong way since the safety pin days. We honestly expected them to be a lot harder (to take more time, to be more annoying to put on, to somehow be inferior to diposables, etc) but it’s a pretty simple process (detailed here) that’s completely second nature to us by now. We’ve even taught the grandparents how to do it. Plus it really seems to agree with Clara (she has far fewer blowouts and issues with diaper rash than she does when we travel with disposables). So that’s the icing on the cake. Well, that and the cute colors they come in (and the added softness thanks to fabric instead of plastic).
As for the whole solid food thing, we both agree that there’s a definite adjustment that occurs during that time, but it has much more to do with your nose than the whole act of cloth diapering (stuff actually gets stinky, but that happens no matter what kind of diapers you use). Just like any other parent of a kid who has started solids can attest, we had to work on the gag reflex and the whole hold-your-breath-while-you-change-them approach, but I think that’s pretty universal with disposables as well. And in some ways cloth got easier with solid stuff because as gross as this sounds, you can shake out the diaper into the toilet and the “stuff” rolls out instead of needing to be sprayed out (like the liquidy baby-poo that preceded solid foods, but that’s not too bad because it smells like buttered popcorn – at least Clara’s always did). Although we still give the diaper a shot of water even after we roll things off – just to be on the safe side (we think that’s why ours still look so good, we’re generous with the diaper sprayer and we love setting them out in the sun to bleach them back to spotlessness).
Hmm, maybe I need a little disclaimer not to eat while you read this post. Or not to read this post while you eat. Oh well, I hope you figured out where this might go when you read “cloth diaper update” so you don’t have a mouth full of oatmeal or something.
As for if we’re still loving the all-in-one with snaps choice (as opposed to cloth diapers with separate inserts or liners and velcro tabs) we’re very happy. We’ve heard that snaps tend to last longer than velcro tabs (which can wear out in the wash) and so far ours are all in great condition (not one bad snap of the bunch after lots and lots of washing). We also don’t have any issues with loss of elasticity or absorption. And as for the decision to go with all-in-ones over separate inserts, we just thought stuffing diapers sounded like an extra step, so we appreciate the simplicity of the all-in-one feature. About the fit, although Clara has gone from a tiny bean to a much bigger baby slash soon-to-be-toddler (sniffle) they still fit well and we don’t have any leaking issues. We just adjust the snaps from time to time to make the diaper larger to accommodate our growing girl.
As for detergent, we still use and love Charlie’s Soap (and Seventh Generation Free & Clear whenever we run out). Both work well for our front loaders (there’s a lot more on washing and caring for cloth diapers here in the original post by the way). And The Amazing Clara is now sleeping 12-13 hours straight in one diaper (we don’t wake her up to change her or use extra inserts and we don’t have any issues with leaks or rashes). I’m sure every baby is different, but the whole cloth diaper thing definitely works for us. And we know it’s one of those completely personal parent-how-you’d-like-to decisions, so we’re just sharing our experience when it comes to the whole thing. We’re not anti-disposable by any means (tons of our family and friends opted to go that route because it worked best for their household and we still rely on disposables whenever we travel). So consider yourselves updated. And let me know if you hear of any circus acts involving walking over a pile of diapers. Burger would be all over that.
Psst- Check out the original cloth diapering post here for tons (and tons) of info about how we chose/wash/care for/adjusted to cloth diapers.
Pssssst- We announced this week’s giveaway winner. Click here to see if it’s you.
Cait @ Hernando House says
Haha I have a pretty strong stomach, so I was happily reading this on my lunch break until the part about solid foods, then I paused. But no worries, I knew what I was in for from the title.
Between you and Katie Bower I have pretty much decided to go cloth when the time comes, so thanks for the good advice!
YoungHouseLove says
Katie was a huuuge factor in making the leap. She’s such a good cloth diaper ambassador. Haha.
xo,
s
Cait @ Hernando House says
She really is! haha
Pamela says
Having read Katie’s post on how she launders them, I’m not so sure she is as big a fan of cloth diapers as she started out to be. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be a fan of poking out week-old poop with a stick.
kristin says
i’ve also heard that using cloth diapers can lend to an easier transition potty training. i have boys, so obviously another difference there, but still. something about the ability to “know” you’re wet or akin to that.
YoungHouseLove says
I’ve heard that too! Here’s hoping…
xo,
s
Jacy says
Sadly, I can’t agree here. My son will be 3 next month and is not yet potty-trained. :( I stopped using cloth about five months ago. He has a habit of taking his diaper off after he poops (cloth or disposable), not pretty!
With Baby #2 on the way, I hope he learns SOON!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, good luck!
xo,
s
Ashley says
Just found out we’re expecting #2 and considering going the cloth diaper route. I’ll have to buckle down and do my research.
I have to say I’m a little bummed that in a cloth diaper post there were no pictures of The Amazing Clara. Is she off beautifying herself for her big day?
YoungHouseLove says
You’re right! I’ll have to add one in there right now…
xo,
s
Cait @ Hernando House says
That’s so funny, I thought I just missed the picture the first time when I came back over to read comments.
Lindsay P. says
Thank you so so so much for the cloth diaper updates!! We’re not quite ready for a family yet but I save all the posts about baby related things for when that time comes. Did you ever have to deal with any family or friends who were not so nice about your decision to go with cloth diapers?
YoungHouseLove says
Never! Once everyone sees how cute they are they’re totally on board. Which is funny and superficial, but the cute colors and easy snaps seem to win people over. I think there’s a stigma that they’re big pieces of cloth that you have to fold and pin, but they’re easier than snapping on a onesie- and every parent does that all the time!
xo,
s
Lauren says
We are expecting our first baby in September and have decided to go the cloth diaper route. My mom was VERY skeptical at first because she remembered how cloth diapers were when I was little (with the pins and such). I’ve shown her what we’re planning on using and now she’s on board!
I also wanted to thank you for all these posts. They definitely helped us make the decision to go cloth!
Amanda says
I cloth diaper my 6 month old twins and when I first announced we were going to cloth diaper a lot of family and friends encouraged us not to. Every single one of them has changed their mind once they saw how easy, and cute cloth diapers have become.
Cloth diapers to me are a bit like ceramic animals to Sherry though… I just can’t seem to stop buying cute ones. I think it is a sickness and I need a 12 step program. I just bought a Charlie Banana diaper that says “Goodbye Disposables Hello Cloth” in fun rainbow colored writing on the butt. Love!
Emily says
@Amanda, nice seeing someone who successfully uses cloth diapers with twins! We’re expecting twins in late August/early September and are planning on doing cloth diapers. All we from people is no way! you’re crazy! haha Everyone I know who does cloth diapers loves them though, so I’m very excited to see how things go with our little ones :)
tarynkay says
My sister-in-law cloth-diapers her new twins. While she is sleep deprived and feeding them is a challenge (she is more or less feeding one or the other 24 hours a day), the diapering part does not seem to be overwhelming. It can definitely be done!
Tuesday says
Burger needs his own show!
YoungHouseLove says
I totally agree. I want to mount a tiny camera to him and live stream “The World According to Burger.” Haha.
xo,
s
laura says
we started using those same ones only with inserts (boo) and we didn’t last very long but I’d like to give it another shot next time around. I have one question for you: so after you spray off the “stuff” do you put it in your diaper pail wet? and how long do you wait to wash it? Because mine were getting pretty stinky between washes and didn’t always come clean. I was using Country Save detergent.
YoungHouseLove says
We have a Planet Wise wet bag that we put it into. Works like a charm! There’s more info on the original post about all that stuff (linked to at the bottom and throughout this one). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Heidi says
My first baby was born just a few days after Clara, and we also use cloth. I have 6 of the diapers you guys have (plus other styles). We’re beyond happy with our decision to cloth, and it’s really amazing how easy it actually is!
Maybe it’s because he’s a little boy, but we do have to do some extra stuffing for nighttime, & can’t use our BG AIOs at night, so you’re lucky in that department!
Thanks for the update :)
Stephanie says
Thank you for the update! Your original post inspired us to go cloth and we love it so far. Our only regret is that we wasted so much money on disposables during those first 6 mo.
Georgia says
Although i dont have kids so this post was a bit pointless for me, i found it interesting, and i will deffo go down this route when i have kids in the future!
However totally unrelated question, does Burger mault alot? or is he quite good at keeping his hairs attatched to him? lol
My place looks like someone blew up a jack russell in it, there is dog fur everywhere! arfghh
xx
YoungHouseLove says
He seems to lose little hairs pretty regularly, but he’s short haired and very bald when it comes to his underbelly so it’s not a big deal. I definitely wouldn’t say he never sheds but I wouldn’t call him a “shedder” either. Haha.
xo,
s
Kim @ girlevolving says
We’re expecting our first and registered for bum genius (inserts, not all in one) in part due to your posts! Also registered for the diaper sprayer! THANKS!
jessica says
thanks for the update! I just ordered bumgenius with inserts (bc they had a good deal and were cheaper than sewn-ins). But def next time I’ll be ordering sewn-ins. They are super easy! And I totally could not eat butter, peanutbutter, or yogurt while my baby was only breastfed. I could not stand that overly sweet browned butter smell!
jessica says
we use fuzzibunz one size on our finn (about two weeks older than Clara) and aren’t sure how the summer is going to go…the extreme heat days I have a feeling we’ll slide to disposable. what about you guys??
YoungHouseLove says
She was in cloth last summer and it was great so we’re definitely planning to stick with it. I don’t think we could ever adjust to buying disposable diapers other than for travel since she goes through around 9 a day (it’s just so nice when they can just be washed and reworn!). She also seems to get less rashy in cloth so that might help in the middle of summer when it’s super hot.
xo,
s
Rosemary M. says
I know Burger is a house dog and I am pretty sure that he is kept clean by his mom and dad buttttt I have to ask.. do you feel ok with him laying on Clara’s diapers like that? It just seems like he has his own doggy germs that probably don’t belong on Clara’s diapers. Or maybe you washed them again and I’m assuming things here. Either way.. i’m somewhat of germaphobe so when I see a doggy in someone’s bed or laying on something like a baby’s blanket I feel a bit odd about it. So sorry if I sound rude in any way.. just curious about your outtake on this whole thing. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, he lays on the same rug that she plays on and she pets him and all that good stuff. Our doc said that trying to keep the dog from touching anything that touches a baby is an exercise in futility and we have learned that he’s totally right. In the end it’s just impossible to keep Clara from crawling on surfaces that Burger walks on (since they’re both very mobile these days). Haha. Our only rule is that he can’t lick her mouth. And thankfully Burger now gets that concept. Haha. So far Clara hasn’t had any issues with rashy diapers or UTIs or even had an ear infection, a cold, or the flu yet. She’s an amazingly healthy girl so far in general (now I’ll go knock on wood).
I also think we try not to shelter Clara from any and all germs just because that can hurt immunity and stuff (our doc actually encouraged us to take public music classes and other things to expose her to germs to help her build immunity since we both work from home and don’t get as many “germs” in our house). Isn’t that funny?
xo,
s
Lara says
Rosemary, I have to agree with you too.
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
Meh – dogs aren’t as germy as day care and very rarely do dogs harbor any people-doggy diseases that would cause a person to get sick. They’re so vaccinated these days that dogs are really pretty clean creatures. Good call on keeping Burgsie away from her mouth though – good tip for the future :-)
Lara says
Lindsey, I’m not sure…but, i think Rosmemary was talking about dog butt”germs”..not necessarily regular germs.
My neighbor has a dog and she said she doesn’t like her dog’s butt to touch any of their pillows that they sleep on, somaybe that is what Rosemary meant.?
YoungHouseLove says
Burger’s butt doesn’t touch those dipes! Gross! When he sits or lays down his little, um, hole (this is totally TMI) is completely not exposed (it’s closed up thanks to the top of his tail). I think the only way a dog can rub his butt germs on something is to sit down and drag his bum across it while pulling his tail back like a dog with worms. Which takes way more balance and room than he has on a windowsill (and Burger is waaay too much of a gentleman to do that anyway, haha). Not only is Clara a pretty healthy girl, Burger has never had worms or fleas or any of that stuff. Whew. Off to knock on more wood.
xo,
s
Rosemary M says
Cool! Sounds like you have it covered! I did mean him sitting on the diapers bc he goes to the bathroom. I didn’t know if that could cause some kind of harm.
I have heard that it’s good to have germs around children. Glad she’s super healthy!!
Heidi says
Oh! I forgot to add that I always thought our son’s poo smelled like popcorn, too! I’ve never heard anyone else say that before, but that’s exactly how it smelled before solids! Oh to have that smell again versus the sold-food-stench.
Erin says
Our son’s smelled like popcorn too!! We thought we were crazy at first, but then other people said the same thing. Our daughter’s did not, so apparently it is not consistent from child to child…
Valerie says
No one ever believes me when I say my kids nursed poop smelled like buttered popcorn! In fact, I couldn’t eat popcorn until they were about two…..flashbacks!
Among says
eww! you peeps are so gross :D (sorry not a mummy yet and I love pop corn) :(
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’ll understand when you have a little one. I hope. Maybe we’re just gross. Haha.
xo,
s
Emma says
Ha!! I always thought that too, and people looked at me like I was crazy! Glad to know I’m not alone.
Sarah says
How quickly were you able to start using the cloth diapers on Clara? Do the one-size-ers really include infants?
I love these baby-stuff updates! Keep them coming :)
YoungHouseLove says
We started them when she was 9 weeks old (we used Seventh Generation Disposables before then so we didn’t have to buy “newborn” sized cloth diapers to use for just a few weeks). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
erin says
Sherry,
We also have the bum genius 4.0s (haven’t used them yet because he’s too little) and I was wondering if you ever put them in the dryer?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, check out the first post (linked to at the bottom of this one) for all of our washing info.
xo,
s
Alexis says
I know you guys both work from home, but have you heard anything about cloth diapering and day cares? We want to cloth diaper, but we will def be a not-work-from-home family.
YoungHouseLove says
We heard from tons of people on the original post who said their daycare would do it and some who said theirs wouldn’t. The best suggestion to get them on board was to bring a diaper and show them how easy they are (no pins, etc) and offer a wet bag for them to fill with dipes that you then take home and wash.
xo,
s
sophie says
our two daycares were fine. We just brought along a small pail adn took the dirty ones home eveyr night. and we weren’t the only cloth diaperers there!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing to hear!
xo,
s
jessica says
I think it’s a health ‘hazard’ (violates code) in a lot of daycare settings (boooooooo!!)
Amanda says
Our daycare was more than willing to try as long as they were exactly the same as disposable diapers, so we picked up some diapers with velcro instead of snaps, so they didn’t have to worry at all about getting a good fit. Another thing with working outside the home – I suggest 24 diapers. Washing, while not difficult, is time consuming when you consider the length of the washer and dryer time, and there were some nights I was up until 11:30 or getting up early to make sure they were ready for daycare – just our preference.
sallie says
Our daycare was happy to use cloth! We use BumGenius 4.0 velcro and they love it. I take a planet wise wetbag for them to put the dirties in. Couldn’t be any easier! We also have 24 in our stash.
Johnna says
Is your dryer gas or electric? And what was type of washer/dryer do you have…I know it’s the Whirlpool Duet from your post about them…but is it the 3.0 cu or the 7.5cu? I don’t even know what that means, but I need a new washer & dryer and would love to know what you went with…I haven’t been able to find that specific detail in your washer/dryer posts yet…WOW…I just felt like a real stalker! LOL!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s electric, and it’s the Whirlpool Duet 4.0. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Windy says
Too funny…I am having a late lunch at my desk as I read this post. Funny enough my co-worker is munching on her popcorn in the next cubicle. Baby poo talk +turkey sandwich+ popcorn= an interesting lunch.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so sorry!
xo,
s
Cara says
The mother of a good friend of mine saved all the cloth diapers from her children and used them as dust rags later. She still had them 20 years later. It weirded me out to think about it but it certainly was “green” of her.
Rosie says
Same with my mom – I’m 23, and I think there are still a few old cloth diapers in her rag bin left over from me and my sisters. (Incidentally, when I was a baby there was apparently a “diaper service” that would pick up and wash the dirty diapers – they went out of business a few years later, but it was a life saver for my mom, since my parents were building their house and didn’t yet have a washing machine installed…).
Amanda says
My mom did this too – and still has them! And I am now 30, to put it in perspective!
Vikki says
I’m 32 and the same as you guys. Apparently disposables didn’t work for me as a baby. 32 year old diapers as dust rags is a bit scary.
Cait @ Hernando House says
My mom did that, too! I think a lot of washing and probably bleach was involved.
annabelvita says
Oh yes, all mine and my (30 year old) brother’s terry cloth nappies were the defacto cleaning rag in our house growing up and my mum definitely still has some left. She taught me all the folds on my baby doll when I was little!
Rae says
My dad used the diapers from my brother & my early childhood to wax the cars!
Shannon says
We just got our first delivery from the diaper service, expecting baby in 2 weeks or so. There are actually 2 diaper services here in the SF Bay Area, so perhaps it’ll make a comeback? We asked for diaper service gift certificates for our shower so we don’t have to buy newborn sized diapers, but I hope to get our own when the gift credit runs out because the service is definitely not cheap (though remarkably, no more expensive than buying disposables at retail cost from Babies R Us, my husband did the calculations).
Mary says
From talking to my cloth diaper experts (http://cottonbabies.com), apparently cloth diapers now are so advanced, that the potty training early thing is no longer true with the diapers as they are. They absorb too quickly for the kiddos to “feel wet”. You can counter this, though, by placing a piece of cloth, like a cut up t-shirt, on top of the diaper before putting it on, which absorbs the liquid, but doesn’t wick it away from the skin.
YoungHouseLove says
Interesting! We’ll have to play around with that in a while (Clara’s def. not ready yet- haha).
xo,
s
Beth says
This is actually only true if you use diapers with a stay-dry inner layer. It’s true that many modern CDs have this layer, but the BG Elementals that Clara uses are not stay-dry (just organic cotton), so with this type they can still feel wet.
YoungHouseLove says
Sweet! Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Lani says
Smells like buttered Popcorn – ha! – that’s what I always thought it smelled like, too!
Kelli says
We bought those exact diapers for our little guy after reading your post. He’s 3 and half months old now, but his skinny legs seem to make them leak! Hopefully he’ll chunk up soon so we can finally start using them. Something about seeing them drying in the sun just warms my heart. :)
Sabrina says
Some babies experience a ‘pee ramp-up’ or probably more of a consolidation around 13 months, so keep an eye out if things work less well soon. I find the BG AIOs still work nicely for toddlers with an extra insert tucked under or between those cute flaps.
Ami says
We had actually initially bought a variety of different types of dipes and sold ALL but the BG elementals!! Our whole stash (about 15 dipes) is the BG elementals now! Every other kind was either too much of a pain to use OR leaked! The only time we have had a leak issue with the BG is if we don’t do the diaper up properly or something (now that we have a squirmy son).
Our son sleeps about 9-10 hours a night straight at 9 months old (12-13 say wha??! Lucky ;)). And we don’t wake him up to change him either, and we have NEVER had a diaper rash or anything of the sort.
Love them!
Nina says
Aside from the Organic part of the diapers, do you ever wish you had the 3.0s so that you could have some inserts for nighttime??
YoungHouseLove says
Thankfully we don’t have any issues needing inserts (check out the last few paragraphs) but if we did we’ve heard that you can add them to All-In-Ones (just laying them along the length of the diaper and snapping it on).
xo,
s
LauraC says
This may or may not be related, but my 13 month old gets a diaper rash, usually right when he’s teething, and we use the same BG AIOs as Clara. You’re not supposed to use diaper cream on the cotton, so I just cut up an old pair of flannel pjs and lay the strips down between the cream on his bottom and the diaper. The flannel gets the cream but “wetness” can still soak through to the diaper, and he’s fine all night. His rash usually disappears in 1-2 nights, then we don’t need the flannel strips anymore. It was a good, quick and easy solution.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh very smart tip! Thanks for sharing. If we ever have rashiness and need cream we’ll know what to try!
xo,
s
Eevie says
I clothdiapered my baby (who is going to kindy in the fall, yikes!) for 2 years, until he potty-trained. We tried various fancy diapers, but the one-size BG diapers that I first bought were the ones to last us the whole 2 years. Loved those diapers (as much as anyone can love diapers, I guess).
Michele says
If you do ever need a little extra absorbency at night, we really like Hemp Babies doublers. We just lay a large one folded in half in the diaper (we use fitteds and the doubler ends up being the closest layer to our son’s skin). They work really well, are quite thin, and only cost $3. http://www.google.com/#q=hemp+babies+doubler&hl=en&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=-C3MTdf-Fajk0QGO463mBg&ved=0CDQQrQQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=4a6afda2e5e8ee6f&biw=1576&bih=815
Amanda says
We just switched to cloth diapers with our baby girl when she turned one. We bought some pocket diapers and I have also made some pocket diapers. We LOVE them and will never go back! Its hard to convince the grandparents and auntie that they can change them…but hopefully they will get used to them :-).
Cara says
Do the cloth dipers you made work well? I am thinking about trying to sew up a couple. I am not by any means an expert seamstress or even intermediate through. Is it hard?
Kaitlin says
We cloth diaper our twins, I can’t even imagine how much money we have saved! I love it!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s amazing! And you’re keeping your trash down too!
xo,
s
Jennie says
We got some Bum Genius all in ones and some pockets, and after pre-washing them (the baby is due any day now!) I found it took DAYS for the all in ones to completely dry. How long do yours take? Do you ever just put them in the dryer??
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, check out the original post about that (linked to at the end of the post)! Our washer spins them so they’re mostly dry anyway, so it’s not a big deal to dry them (by air, sun, or machine – depending how quickly we need them). The cost worked out in this post includes washing and drying them!
xo,
s
Kelli says
Oh, and I totally agree about the buttered popcorn thing! I used to call our son Orville Poopenbacher for a while until he went to formula and it started to smell kind of like swamp water. Yuck!
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
Is it just me, or does it totally look like a baby is levitating above Clara on the swing?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s her friend Elsa. Shes almost two so her daddy swings her waaaaay higher than we swing Clara.
xo,
s
Joan G says
I was just going to say the same thing!
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
It’s like her little baby conscience is about to land on her shoulder and tell her not to, um…what does Clara do that’s bad? (It looks like she’s maybe contemplating giving someone the finger?) Oh, the terrible things you let us say about your baby….
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, she does accidentally give us the finger all the time!
xo,
s
LoriD says
I used cloth diapers for all three of my kids – I loved them. My only complaint was that sometimes the diaper was too bulky for under some of the little jeans and pants, which I guess were sized with disposable diapers in mind. I only ever bought 6 cloth diapers – all the rest came from friends who had started to use cloth, but didn’t stick with it. Quite the deal!
Susan says
Hooray! I’m glad you’re still using them and that they work so well.
We use cloth, too, now on our second child. We have a mishmash of dipes but the bumgenius are faves of ours for sure!
We use disposables from time to time, for sitters and sometimes overnight–and I can honestly say that I dislike the little masses of landfill fodder sitting around in the bathroom trash can MUCH more than I could be bothered by spraying or washing cloth! This was a big surprise to me.
Congrats!
Katrina says
Thanks for the review. We didn’t cloth diaper with our first, but if we ever have number two on the way we are definitely considering going that route, especially since we’re on a pay-as-you-throw system in our town (which I love – they take all the recycling!). And, yes, I giggled when I typed “number two on the way” – I think I’m still in middle school!
Do you like the sprayer? We’re potty training right now and I am having to work on improving my gag reflex again. I was thinking the sprayer could be useful for cleaning out the potty.
And, off topic, I saw this and after I cleaned up my drool and sent it onto my husband I thought of your patio (or future outside eating area) – http://pinterest.com/pin/21893020/
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we love our sprayer. The only bad thing is that kids who come over like to play with it (eeks- messy) so for Clara’s party we’ll twist the nozzle so the water is cut off. We learned that the hard way. Haha.
xo,
s
Nikki says
Your post reminds me of a question I thought of a few weeks ago and then promptly forgot: Do you also ever air dry your clothes? I was thinking of how green you guys are but never remember hearing anything on the blog about a clothesline. I dream of having one of those pulley ones out the window of my laundry room…but that hasn’t exactly happened yet :) Just curious! Love the blog! I always tell my family I’m doing cloth diapers and they go on and on about how terrible it is…I’m totally using your family as inspiration!
YoungHouseLove says
Our last house wasn’t conducive to having a line anywhere that made sense, and we have always had energy efficient washers that spin clothes so much that they’re a lot closer to dry when them come out of the washer (which is amazing) so we’d looove to air dry more at this house and add a nice accessible clothes line!
xo,
s
annabelvita says
one for listy mclisterson!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, seriously- off to add it!
xo,
s
Rosie says
Would a few lines strung up in your allyway work(off the sliders, between the old and new part of the house)? There are a whole bunch of retactable lines on the market, so it wouldn’t have to be there when you weren’t drying clothes – or you could do something like this diy one from Martha Stewart – http://www.marthastewart.com/272859/outdoor-clothesline
(I have clothesline envey – we live in rowhouse and our landlord specifically prohibits us from having a clothesline in our lease – so annoying!)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I love that Martha one! Thanks so much for sharing it!
xo,
s
Bridgit says
I totally cracked up about your “don’t eat while you read this” disclaimer because I have been known to eat a sandwich with one hand while spraying my bumgenius diapers with another–sometimes it’s the only time I have to eat! I have two boys and both have used the same set of bg diapers. I can’t even fathom how much money it has saved us. Maybe we should have started a “diaper” savings account, putting 20 bucks a week in on what we would have spent, and used it for college!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you get major Varsity Mom points for the spraying and eating thing. Haha.
xo,
s
Rochelle @ Princess Hotcakes says
Soo rad! :) We’re in the process of ttc and I’m pretty adamant about going the cloth diaper route. I just am not comfortable sending single use items to a landfill. Thanks for sharing your experience thus far.
Diane says
Thanks so much for the update! We, too, are cloth-diapering with the BG Elemental all-in-ones, thanks, in large part to the review on your blog. We’re about a month away from starting solids and, although I’m not looking forward to the new smell, I’m glad to hear it hasn’t made cloth-diapering too much harder for y’all.
Cara says
I am pregnant with my first and am excited to cloth diaper. I started researching it when we started trying and I think I am going to go with one size AIO2s and pocket styles. Since I’ve read one size typically don’t fit newborns I’m going to rent the newborn size. You can rent 20 brand new fuzzibuns for $100 for 3 months. None of my friends cloth diaper but I think I will prefer it especially since it is better for my baby, the environment and wallet! Plus I don’t mind doing laundry at all. Thanks so much for the update. You make it all sound very simple. I can see my small dog doing the same as burger and my 130 pound puppy grabbing them all off the ledge and tossing them around the room.
Amanda says
I just got 12 of the BumGenius 4.0 diapers and I’m so excited to use them! Our first baby is due in about 4 weeks, so I’m sure it will still be a few months before I can put him/her in them, but they are so cute! Do yours not have the insert pocket things? Ours came with them. Hopefully we won’t have to use them, but I guess it’s nice to have if we need!
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, ours are all-in-ones so they don’t have pockets to stuff since the liners are sewn in. It’s nice and simple, but we’ve heard great things about the pockets though.
xo,
s
emily says
amanda – you will have to use the inserts, as there is no other absorbency to the bg 4.0’s unless you stuff the inserts in the pocket. it’s not hard though! we’ve used ours for over a year :-)
Shawna says
I can honestly say that I’ll forever pause before eating buttered popcorn thanks to this post. (But it won’t stop me from eating it . . . .)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it only slowed me down for a day or so.
xo,
s
Kathy says
That Burger is just the cutest!
He is always in the right place and right position for all your post pictures. :)
He is one of a kind.
-K
Stephanie Messmer says
No comments on cloth diapering but I do have a comment on the scent of buttered popcorn. This is so crazy you mention it because I just got done explaining to my husband that my milk smells a whole lot like buttered popcorn…how weird (maybe that’s TMI…)
CB says
Both of my sisters use cloth, they use FuzziBunz. They have both loved them although, one sister was using a lot of medicated ointment with her daughter and it eventually blocked the diapers absorption. Turns out that is a big no no with cloth. Who knew? My nephew still rocks them, I even like how we can match his outfit to the diaper color :)
Kelly Irene says
I’m so glad you took the time to write this post. I think it really helps to have lots of good vibes coming from those who do use cloth to help encourage those who don’t but who want to! I am not a fan of laundry in general, but I love diaper laundry! I get a lot of satisfaction putting away diapers that I didn’t have to throw away :) (and they are soooo soft)
Sarah says
Perfect timing with this post! I just looked up your original CD post this morning to see how you washed yours. We just got a new washer and dryer yesterday (our old ones were oooooold…) and we’re getting ready to cloth diaper our little boy due in July.
Also, I registered for and received the exact same wet bags you have for Clara – same pattern and everything! I knew you guys had switched to wet bags, but totally forgot which brand and pattern until I looked it up again today. Great minds think alike, I guess. :)
Lara C says
Love all this info – our 3-week-old’s a bit too young for his cloth diapers, but we’re ready to make the transition as soon as he’s big enough!
A friend passed on a link to jilliansdrawers.com that might be valuable to folks interested but not yet sure about cloth diapering. They do a trial period – you spend $160 to get a ton of different diapers (to see which brand best fits your baby’s body and your style) and you can return them and receive $140 back, or keep all the dipes (for a pretty good price).
Thanks for getting the word out about how easy, economical, and ecological it is to go the cloth diaper route!
YoungHouseLove says
I love programs like that! Such a smart way to get comfortable!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Oh, totally forgot to mention that those pictures of Burger on the diapers are hilarious! Our [much bigger] dogs love to lay on the laundry when it’s all dumped out on the bed for sorting.