And now for a post that’s a bit more “living” than straight up “home improvement” related. When people ask what question we get here at YHL most often, they’re probably expecting it to be about paint or demo. Not so. It is, without a doubt, some iteration of the following:
How are you liking cloth diapers? How many do you have? What brand are they? Did you get the kind with the liners/inserts? Do they work? Does Clara like them? Are they difficult? Do you regret it? Is it annoying to wash them? Do they really get clean? Are there times when you don’t use them and opt for disposables? How long will they last? Are they bulky? What do you do when you’re out running errands? How exactly do you wash them? What colors did you get? How do you store them when they’re dirty? Does Clara have a lot of blowouts with them? Do they give her diaper rash?
Who knew it could be such a hot topic? But we’re happy to address the many (many) questions that we’ve received right here in this surprisingly exhaustive post. So fasten your seat belts and get ready to read the word poop at least once. And by all means, if you’re not a parent and have no interest in hearing about baby bodily functions, skip this post and stay tuned for more house-related fare tomorrow. You have been warned…
After a lot of research and chats with family and friends who went the cloth diaper route, we settled on the Bum Genius Elemental One Size All In Ones – the ones that are organic with snaps instead of velcro. They’re so easy to use and should last us through multiple kiddos. We’ve heard that velcro can wear out after tons of washings but snaps are good for the long haul so that’s why we opted for that feature. As for inserts or liners, the ones that we chose don’t have them. We figured if we were going to have to wash part of the diaper we might as well get all in ones and wash them all (instead of dealing with liners/inserts). It seemed simpler and so far we have found them to be extremely easy. Plus we love that they’re one-size-fits-all, which will save us a ton of money (they adjust with some easy snapping to accommodate Clara as she grows).
The dozen that we purchased should not only last us through Clara’s potty training days but we expect to use the same dipes for future bambino(s) as well. We picked up 12 and have never needed more than that thus far but we wouldn’t mind 18, which seems to be the magic number for many other cloth diapering parents. We might grab six more someday, but we’re definitely getting by with 12 so far. Oh and as for diapering duty, you might be shocked to hear that John changes way more diapers than I do around here. He sweetly decided that if I would be feeding her multiple times a day, he could be the go-to diaper guy, which is such a big help and actually really cute to watch (Clara loves to pee on him from time to time).
And as for washing them, we’ve found that with a baby you’re always doing laundry anyway. So tossing in one big load of diapers every day-and-a-half or so is no trouble at all. Really, we anticipated the switch from disposables to cloth diapers to be waaay harder (Clara didn’t fit into her cloth diapers for the first 9 weeks so we had some time to get used to disposables and were shaking in our boots about making the switch). Thankfully it was really easy and fun. They’re just so darn cute on her, and she seems really comfortable and happy in them too. Speaking of the aesthetic factor, we got three orange ones (clementine), three green ones (grasshopper), three light blue ones (twilight), and three yellow ones (butternut). That way they’re gender neutral for any bambinos down the line.
How has our experience with cloth diapering been so far? In short: we love them, they’re no harder than disposables (the time we spend tossing them in the wash seems equal to the time we used to spend trudging out to the store to buy disposables before Clara could fit into her cloth dipes). Clara seems to love them more than disposables too (she sleeps longer at night, never appears uncomfortable, etc) and she has experienced 95% fewer blowouts and zero diaper rash since trading up from disposables (where those occurrences were a tad more frequent). Oh and the only time we don’t use them is when we travel overnight somewhere, since it’s more of a challenge to wash them while road tripping.
And have we mentioned that they’re hugely cost effective? Especially thanks to our Energy Star front loading washer and dryer (which make the cost of cleaning them negligible and keep our water/energy usage extremely low). We also often line dry our diapers out in the sun to save even more energy and keep them looking mint (more info on that in a minute). For around $265 (for a 12-pack of cloth diapers) we have unlimited dipes on hand for the rest of Clara’s diapering days. Plus we’re not sending tons of disposable diapers to the landfill so that makes us feel good. In retrospect, the only thing we would have done differently is purchase some newborn sized Bum Genius diapers as well. The one-size-fits-all versions are a bit loose on most newborns, so they also make cloth newborn-sized dipes, which we opted to skip since we didn’t know how big Clara would be at birth (the doc estimated she’d be 10lbs (!) but she was only 7lbs 10 oz in the end). So since we skipped the newborn sized cloth diapers, Clara’s first nine weeks were spent in Seventh Generation disposable diapers- and we learned just how expensive the non-reusable diaper route really was.
We’re actually happy we experienced life with disposables so we have some point of comparison. If we hadn’t relied on them at first, we never could have kept track of the money we spent on them (and the money that we would thereby be saving moving forward). After nine weeks of disposable diapering we had spent more than $180. That’s only a bit less than we spent on our entire stock of Bum Genius diapers that will easily last through the end of Clara’s diaper days and hopefully through future babies’ as well! And by our $180 for 9 weeks estimation, we could have easily spent another $3000+ on disposable diapers to last her until she turns two. Crazy, right? We also hope to make the change to cloth wipes sometime soon for even more savings in the future (we’re currently using Seventh Generation ones, which we like a lot).
As for our dirty diaper system, we have a pail for dipes and a smaller pail for wipes in the nursery (we snagged both pails at World Market). We rinse the dirty (read: not just wet) ones with the diaper sprayer that we mentioned a while back (pictured above). Some people say that you don’t need to spray dirty diapers when a baby is exclusively breastfeeding but we have found that a quick spray helps them come out a lot cleaner and less discolored so it’s worth it to us (and for what it’s worth, our friend Katie Bower also had the same experience). What can we say, we’re pro-spray kinda girls. And it only takes a second. It’s kind of fun too (but I won’t get into that as I’m probably one of the weirdest people on the planet since I get an inordinate amount of joy from cloth diapering).
After spraying the dirty ones, we place them in the larger pail, while only-wet ones go right into the same pail without a spray. The dirty wipes go straight into the smaller pail for disposal (both pails are lined with “recycled” plastic bags that we have laying around from places like Target when we mindlessly forget our reusable ones). Note: we hung the pails off of the hard-to-see corner of the dresser with coat hooks and anchors, which keeps them much easier to reach than placing the pails on the floor. Then we added small strips of weatherstripping on the bottom edge of the pails (where they meet the dresser) to keep them from scratching the wood.
We haven’t experienced any issues with odor thanks to the lids (of course we hear that things can get stinkier once we transition to solid foods but we have a few family friends who still use the pail method so we don’t anticipate having a problem as long as we continue to wash our diapers every day and a half or so). Which brings us back to dirty diaper laundering. As recommended by Bum Genius, we prefer to launder them at least every other day. We usually wash 11 of them in one big load every day-and-a-half while Clara wears the remaining 12th diaper- that way we’re not washing just a few at a time.
And as for our detergent, we use Seventh Generation Free & Clear (update: we learned our diapers would last even longer thanks to Charlie’s Soap Laundry Powder so that’s now all that we use) and we just wash them once on the warm heavy duty setting and either machine dry them or lay them out in the sun. We have heard that you can do a cold pre-wash before the warm heavy duty wash, but so far that hasn’t been necessary (possibly because we pre-spray the dirty diapers into the toilet as soon as they come off).
Oh and we learned that occasionally one may come out of the wash with a slight orange tinge (very rarely, this isn’t an everyday thing). The good news is that it’s 100% clean and sanitized, sometimes one every few weeks is just a bit discolored from breastfeeding poop (since the pure organic cotton liners are awesomely absorbent). It’s kind of like how old tupperware containers can get stained from tomato sauce and even if you run them through the dishwasher and they’re totally clean they can still have that tint. Luckily we learned if you lay them out in the sun while they’re still moist from the washer it bleaches them white again- it’s like magic! Seriously, you might want to cross your fingers for that tinge every once in a while just for the fun of seeing the sun undo it in a few hours. We wish Clara was old enough to watch in wonder like we do. She’d probably make this Zoolander face:
Oh and they’re also pretty easy on the go (we only use disposables when we’re traveling somewhere overnight, but for day trips and errands and things we stick to cloth). If we have to do a diaper change while we’re out – at Home Depot for example, haha – we just slip the dirty cloth diaper into a plastic bag and rinse it when we get home. We hope to upgrade to a reusable zippered wet bag for dirty diapers while we’re on the go (we currently just reuse Target bags and stuff that we have laying around) since we’ve heard those work well and contain everything nicely (no smells or leaks).
Now for the bulkiness question. They’re definitely a bit bulkier than disposables but nothing too terrible. In fact we think they’re super cute! Clara can still fit into a few newborn sized outfits with them on and she’s almost three months old! So they can’t be that huge, right?
So there you have it. Over 2,000 words on cloth diapering. Can you tell we’re enthusiastic? Of course this is a completely personal parent-how-you’d-like-to decision, so we’re just sharing our experience when it comes to diapering. And 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 when we travel. If there’s one thing we’ve learned in three months of parenting it’s that there’s no right way to raise your wee one, and it’s all about sussing out what works best for you and your family. So go forth and diaper your beans and beanettes any way you’d like with a smile on your face. Or am I the only weirdo who grins every time I snap a fresh diaper on those cute little buns?
UPDATE: We switched from diaper tins to wet bags a while back (since they’re super easy to toss into the laundry with our diapers too keep things smelling fresh – here’s that info for ya). As for how cloth diapering is going, we still love and use the same 12 cloth diapers that we purchased over a year ago! That’s it (we haven’t purchased any more or tried any other brands). They still look mint, work well, and don’t smell or anything. Best money we ever spent.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Our cloth diapers are still holding up really well two years later. Check out the update post here.
Theresa says
I noticed you mentioned upgrading to a reusable wet bag for storing dirty cloth diapers in while you’re out and about, and in case you haven’t come across any yet, Itzy Ritzy makes some really cute ones in different sizes that are machine washable. They are called “Wet Happened” – I don’t have any, but being the overly concerned parent that I am, I read reviews on everything, and these seem to have gotten pretty good reviews. Just thought I’d share! :)
Kendra Jean Photography says
I have never tried cloth diapers on any of my kids. I love looking through your blog! I am getting lots of inspiration to get stuff done around the house:)
Libby says
Poop tint- something about baby blowouts or just general poops-they are the hardest to get out stain wise. I have tried everything!! Have you ever heard of Melaleuca? They have something called Prespot. It is a pretreater. Google it. It gets the worst set in stains-all natural. If you can find someone in your area who uses this company you can sign up together. SO WORTH IT!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip. The sun does the same thing and it’s free! Only takes an hour or two. Seriously try it. It’s like magic!
xo,
s
Julia says
I loved cloth diapers and when I was pregnant, decided that would be what we would do. With my son, it turned out to be a complete no go. Apparently I have a rarity in babyland – a kid who cannot stand a wet diaper. He’s the happiest baby ever, but if he feels any wetness he goes absolutely nuts and the cloth diapers I put him in made him very unhappy. I’ve changed as many as 22 diapers a day for him and I have to say that we’re blessed – we’ve never bought diapers due to all my baby showers even with my sons constant potties. Wow. I still wish I could have done cloth. When he’s a little older I may see if it works out…
Beth says
Great post Youngsters! Love that you are spreading the word about how really easy cloth diapering has become these days. And of course not to mention the savings both on your wallets and on Mother Earth! I don’t have bambinos (yet) but have several friends and family members who cloth diaper – and they all swear it’s just as easy as disposables, if not easier. Hopefully this post will inspire more timid folks to give this a whirl! It really is very do-able!! Try it!
Courtney says
Love these diapers too! I am the same have 14 Bum Organics and wash them and always line dry them when it sunny! Great stain fighter!! When she was smaller (she is almost 5 months and still 12 pounds so not much smaller!) I did the Bum AIO size xs and small and loved those too! All in all its a great brand and I love to hear people praise it!
Megan Gray says
Hey guys,
Just wanted to pass this link along. You might be able to find a better detergent. We use liquid Dropps and/or Ecos for our BGs, but we have a friend who swears by Charlies.
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html
I’m gonna have to snag the pail system you have!
Allisson says
I don’t have any kids but I still found your post very interesting as I always thought that cloth diapers would be more hassle than they are worth. I did think of something when you mentioned a reusable bag, if you haven’t found one yet may I suggest the Sweat Mate http://www.thesweatsack.com/products.html(formerly the Sweat Sack). I use this to store my sweaty clothes after hot yoga and it works great and is machine washable.
Good luck!
Megan Gray says
Sorry, one more thing, when little girl starts eating solids may I HIGHLY recommend bummis flushable liners? You will appreciate nothing so much as those, and I say that having the BG diaper sprayer. It’s the softest brand, earth friendly, and definitely worth it. Promise :)
Keegan says
Thank you so much for posting this. My almost 4-month-old is currently in daycare (or “School” as I euphemistically refer to it). I cloth diapered for the last month of my maternity leave when he was finally able to fit into the Thirsties we purchased. Unfortunately our daycare provider is unable to accommodate cloth diapering (even with all-in-ones). I just wanted to raise my hand and say that, no, you are not alone in your joy of diapering :) I teared up a little in my office while reading this because I miss it so very much.
Kaitlin says
I do cloth diapers too (my little guy is 5 months now) and I definitely relate to that part about shaking in your boots to get started. I used disposables and right before I switched I was so worried. Then one day I just did it and it’s been so easy- I love it! And this last week our dryer was being repaired so I tried the sun method of drying- and it did get any little stains out and they dried so much quicker than I thought they would. Great post!
Beth @ bethcooks says
Aww….this is a very helpful post! I am definitely leaning toward cloth diapers. This may have made my decision!
Becki says
I LOVE cloth diapering. Sadly, my daughter fell into the 1% of babies who actually get more diaper rashes in cloth than disposables (bad ones that wouldn’t clear up unless we put her in disposables, no matter the detergent we used). Boo. But, I’m due in a few days with #3 and hope to at least cloth diaper her, since I will have TWO kids in diapers. I have small babies so I can’t CD at first…one more boo.
Anywho, I wanted to pass these along to you! AWESOME wet bags. When I was CDing, I used the large one. To attest to its “You’ll never smell a thing” awesome-ness, I forgot to wash a whole bag of dirty dipes before we left for a week long trip to Disney. I was sure that my laundry room would be full of toxic poo gas by the time we returned…but nope! Check ’em out…they come in fun patterns that I think you’ll like and you’ll love the family that makes them!
http://www.envibum.com/products.html Just scroll down to the bottom!
rachel says
We have cloth diapered both of our kids, and I will say that the cloth wipes are one of my favorite things about it. You’ve got to try them! You can use a pack of washcloths (baby ones work for little ones, normal-sized washcloths are better for after-solids and toddler poops.) I just wet a few each morning to use for the day. You’ll never go back to disposable wipes again!
Keegan says
I forgot to add this in my earlier comment – you mention that you are using disposable wipes. Have you tried reusable flannel wipes (easy to DIY or purchase on Etsy)? I loved them. It was fun to make a simple wipes solution (water, almond oil, and a little Dr. Bronner’s) and then place them into our wipes warmer. It was so much easier than having to remember NOT to throw the wipe into the pail with the dirty diaper. This way everything gets washed together :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Keegan,
We’ll definitely be looking into lots of DIY washable wipe options. Thanks for the info!
xo,
s
Jessica B says
Wow… I always thought cloth diapers were a ton of work… this post kind of makes me want to switch my 11 month old!
Where did you guys find those ‘pails’?
YoungHouseLove says
World Market!
xo,
s
sallie says
for anyone wondering about cloth dipes in daycare: 3 out of the 4 daycares we visited were totally fine with dealing with cloth dipes. i would just ask them when you are shopping around for a daycare. in our experience, most of them are willing to do it….especially since it’s becoming more and more common.
Annalea says
I’m so glad cloth diapering is working out well for you! Fwiw, I thought I’d share my experience with you on cloth wipes. With a front-loading washer, you can get serious problems with detergent buildup when you use cloth wipes if you use a wipe-solution on them. (Something with soap or detergent and a little oil.) If you use plain water, you should be fine . . . but because front loaders use so little water, the added soap/detergent in the wipes can seriously throw off your ability to cloth diaper at all because the FL-washer just can’t rinse them enough times to get them clean. (Unless you want to run a couple extra washes, and that gets to be seriously time-consuming and expensive.)
I’ve found that using paper towels (either the select-a-size ones or a regular roll cut in half with a hacksaw) and a spray bottle with a water/organic soap/olive oil mixture in it works fabulously . . . and I know that the wipes will biodegrade nicely in a short time once they’re disposed of. It’s a little more expensive than cloth wipes (which you can make yourself from old towels, flannel sheets, etc.), but in the long run, it allows you to cloth diaper a lot longer because you’re not derailed by serious build-up and stink issues.
Good luck, and keep us posted!
Karen J says
Wow, very informative post! I even read the whole thing despite the fact we have two older kids (7 and 4) and don’t plan on having anymore! I have to confess I thought you were “cuckoo for cocoa puffs” when you said you were going to cloth diaper (obviously we used disposables for both). But after learning more, it does sound like a “do-able” thing to choose. And you do save bundles of money to boot!
Lauren says
I’ve been using cloth diapers with my son who is 9 months old now, and we live in Richmond, too! We use the FuzziBunz One Size (with insert) and Flip (with insert). I love the FuzziBunz, but am a bit jealous of your All-In-Ones. The inserts can be a pain to stuff. I’m also surprised that you get by with just 12 diapers! We started with 28, then added about 10 more when I saw them on sale. My baby must pee and poop a lot more, because he goes through about 10 a day. I wash them on every third day. So I wash about 30 at a time and have 10 leftover to use while the laundry is running (sometimes it takes me a day to move them from the washing machine to the dryer, so it’s nice to have a buffer of extras). As for reusable wet bags, I love the Planet Wise wet bags.
Erin says
I don’t know if anyone followed up with Holly…5weeks away and wondering about daycare and cloth diapers. I am hoping to cloth diaper and asked my daycare if they “accepted” cloth. They said yes (albeit with a bit of a face). They just pack them up to go like dirty clothes, no washing and no treating. I think that will be fine. What more can you expect really.
Sherry, I have been patiently awaiting this post. I am a first time preggo hoping to do the best for the baby and planet. I just can’t see all that poopy garbage. Thanks for being so open with your experience with Clara and with your home it is a true inspiration.
Thanks!!
Sara says
Awesome post. Why am I obsessed with the idea of cloth diapering, I’m not even a mom yet?! Every where I turn I see babies… our time will come, I know. I have two nephews that are both disposable diaper guys, but I think I could give this CD thing a go some day. Thanks for the inspiration and information! You guys are great.
k+b adventures in renovating says
sorry if this has been asked / answered a million times but i cant find it!
where did you get all the fabric for claras weekly pictures?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey K + B,
It’s all from either Joann or Hancock fabric. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
K (Barking BabyMama) says
We (yes, that includes my husband!) LOVE cloth diapering! Good call on picking the snaps over the velcro, as my 14-month old has taken to taking his diaper off if we don’t keep shorts or pants on him when we lay him down for a nap – lots of fun! I think the snaps are harder to undo.
Kim says
I’m glad you wrote this post! I was just telling my husband that we should use cloth diapers when we have kids. He was completley against the idea, but my mom used clothes diapers with me–she still has my diaper pin–and she really liked it. I’m looking forward to showing this post to my husband and hopefully getting him on my side of this debate.
becky says
Thanks for the great post. I’ve been using the BumGenious diapers with my little guy too and love ’em! He goes to daycare during the day and our provider just tosses the dirty and wet diapers in a wet bag (wet happened! size large) and I empty it into our large diaper pail for washing every other day. We probably interviewed 5 different daycare centers and all of them were willing to work with cloth diapers. There’s a helpful article here: http://daycarematch.blogspot.com/2009/02/cloth-diapers-at-daycare.html
I recently picked up some gDiapers (disposable inserts and two gPants) for when we go out of town overnight and have been really happy with them as an alternative. If you think spraying off the diapers is a good time you’ve gotta see the inserts dissolve in the toilet! or they can be tossed in the trash or you can even compost the wet ones.
Amanda says
My mom cloth-diapered me 31 years ago the old-fashioned way! When I’d go to daycare, they didn’t know what to do and sent me home in a disposable diaper. But I’m planning on doing the same when I have babes of my own.
Mindy M. says
I’m glad you are enjoying the cloth diapers. Good call on the snaps. I did BG one-size pocket dipes with my 2 1/2 year old from the time she was 2 weeks old (she was a big baby). I loved them, except I went with the velcro. The velcro on them has seen better days & it definitely wouldn’t make it through another child. Luckily BG sells repair kits for just $1 each. I’ve replaced the worn out velcro, so they’re good as new for the next child.
Sherry, I get the little bit of happiness that cloth diapering brings – I’m a little weird, too.
And, John, you are a heck of a guy to volunteer for diaper duty.
Christie says
Glad you loving your cloth!
I’m looking forward to trying bG’s Flip covers with prefolds and flats. Pretty much the same fit as the bGs you have.
Also, as reuse/recycle/repurpose people you might like trying some wool pants, sewn from an old sweater you have. I’ve been making lots of “karate” pants from wool for my new little one to wear over prefitted diapers.
Fatima says
You keep mentioning future bambinos. You’re not pregnant already, are you? :) Very informative post, btw!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Fatima,
No way! We’re planning to wait at least 2-3 years between babies. We really want to take our time and enjoy Clara for a while before adding to the pack!
xo,
s
Sarah says
What a great post!!! We, too, use cloth diapers on our 11-month-old and have saved bundles! I’ve bought all of them used on diaperswappers.com, and use cloth wipes (baby washcloths that were gifted to me with my first) just wetted down with a little water if needed. I use a mix of Swaddlebees pockets and AIOs and many other brands of AIOs. My favorites are Very Baby AIOs, super absorbent and easy to clean, quick to dry.
YAY for saving some of the environment though!!! Kudos to you John and Sherry!
Melissa says
Hooray for cloth diapers! We use Fuzzi Bunz all-in-one one-size diapers for our toddler and our baby, and my husband and I both love them. Save money, reduce waste, and prevent diaper rashes? Yes please! Thanks for spreading the word about them. I think if more people know how easy modern cloth diapering is, it’d be way more common.
Alissa says
Glad to hear you’re loving the cloth! We use cloth diapers on our seven-month-old daughter, and both my husband and I are huge fans. We’re “old school”, using prefolds, Snappis, and Bummis covers. We actually use a diaper service (www.diaperkind.com), since we live in Manhattan and end up paying for laundry anyway. We pay $30 a week, which is totally worth it. We got through maybe a pack of disposables per month, since we use them for overnight and traveling.
Also, you must get a wet bag! We have a Bummis one, and it’s great not just for dirty diapers, but just to have on hand for any baby messes while you’re out and about.
Jasmine @ Eat Move Write says
I can imagine how weird it must be to post this, but this is great! My hubs and I are trying to get pregnant and I think disposables are a fantastic idea! And, what a cost savings to boot!
Elizabeth says
Not diaper related, but just curious, how do you pronounce Clara, is it “Cl-air-a” or “Cl-are-a”??
YoungHouseLove says
Rhymes with bear-a. Hehe.
xo,
s
Amanda says
Glad to hear you are liking your cloth diapers. I didn’t read all 234 comments before me, so I apologize for potential repetition. A few things we love that make our cloth experience even better. Our little girl turns 1 next Saturday.
1) A small wet bag for errands, longer outings, like these
http://www.abbyslane.com/catalog.php?category=804
2) We use a washable pail liner (the kind with that lining that doesn’t absorb moisture – PUL or something?) – it goes right in with the diapers – looks like you are using disposable plastic bags?
3) A mini spray bottle and Mustela’s no-rinse cleansing solution poured in with some bamboo wipes to eliminate the need for disposable wipes.
4) You might want to think about a pocket diaper or two for nighttime. Once Clara is totally sleeping through the night (for like 12 hours and not getting up to nurse), the ability to stuff it a bit more gets you through that longer time period with no leaks, especially as they get older.
I love our diaper sprayer too! I CANNOT imagine not having one, especially as baby gets older (read: eats more solids!)
Thanks for sharing your cloth experience. It’s always interesting to hear how (and that others) are doing it!
Amanda says
Oops – I forgot one more thing. Once our baby made bigger messes, we put a stylish toilet roll holder on the wall, out of view, next to her changer. This way we can wipe the really gross stuff off of her and flush it down the toilet while we spray the diaper and then we use our reusable bamboo wipes for the “final” wipe and clean. That’s all – promise!
Carmen @ Life with Sprinkles on Top says
That Clara sure is a doll! I just giggled out loud at her Zoolander face. This post is so informative. You are making me want to order cloth diapers for my granddaughter. We’ve probably spent over $265 already on diapers for her and she’s 8 1/2 months old. I think the diapers you use are absolutely adorable. :)
Tracy says
My baby is due in September and I have decided to cloth diaper. I already bough one-size fits all BumGenius, but the newest style is snaps. I am so excited about it. And even though I already knew I was going to go down this road, I appreaciate every post so I feel more prepared….plus I learned about the diaper sprayer from your first “prep for baby post”.
So thanks so much for filling us in!
Erin C. says
Cloth diapering mama here…I use cloth wipes most of the time but when I do use disposable I just throw them right in with the wash. They wash and dry just fine then you can throw them away. It works fine either way I guess. Just a tip. Also, be careful washing in Seventh Generation detergent. I use that for my clothes too but you might want to try a no residue detergent for your diapers like Charlie’s Soap or Country Save. You might have some detergent build up issues with the Seventh Generation.
Yay for cloth diapering! I also love drying my freshly laundered diapers on the line outside. The sun really does get them nice and bright. I love it! You aren’t the only weird one.
Mary says
Congrats on loving cloth diapers! I too am a total convert. We went with cloth diapers from the very beginning, which means we had to buy some newborn sizes, and we went the route of let’s-try-ever-style-and-then-stock-up. In the end, our big-purchase stash of 24 were a combo of pocket diapers – Bum Genius, Fuzzibunz, and Happy Heineys. But, I will tell you that good old-fashioned pre-folds saved us last month, when our little one had a terrible diaper rash/yeast infection, and we needed to give him some airing out time without a plastic cover.
So although it sounds like you’re committed to Bum Genius, I would definitely be open to other styles and brands if things start to change. I have one of the Bum Genius styles that you have, but I’ve found that their pocket style diaper keeps my heavy wetter super dry (and prevents those nasty rashes that he’s prone to!). The inserts do take an extra step, but totally worth it. You might want to try pockets if you do invest in the extra 6.
By the way, congrats on only going through 12 in a day and a half! My little guy has gone through 12 in a morning! LOL
Diane says
We LOVED our cloth wipes. As soon as you make the switch you will again be amazed at the ease, the savings, and how much Clara will love it!
P.S. totally digging the sideline Clara posts ;-)
JessieBelle says
You probably ansered this already, but what do you guys do when you take her to the pool/lake? Don’t the cloth diapers gets soaked? Also I know most pools require your kiddos to be in Little Swimmers type diapers for sanitary reasons…did you guys just bite the bullet and buy those kind for the pool? Or do they actually make cloth diapers for water?
YoungHouseLove says
Well, we haven’t taken Clara to the pool or the lake yet, but for those occasions we’d probably get disposable or reusable swim diapers (they do make those and sell them at places like Babies R Us). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Megan says
As I read your post, I was reminded of how excited I was when I had my first child (he’s now 3) and got to crack open those cloth diapers for the first time! Now, after 3 years of washing diapers every other day (because now I have a 15 month old too), I can say I am so very weary. My husband and I find ourselves asking each other, “Is tonight a diaper night?”, and when the answer is “no” we get so excited! I’m not knocking cloth diapers at all – obviously I chose to use them and definitely agree about the cost savings, I AM JUST SO SICK OF SPRAYING POOP OFF DIAPERS!
That being said, I think you may have resuscitated me to be able to survive another month or two at least. I have to keep reminding myself of the cost savings and the land fill thing. Thanks! ;-)
Jessaca says
Loved this post! Recently pregnant and debating it. Our kid will be in daycare, so that will be a big factor. Oh, and convincing the husband. I love when you guys do a baby post. I enjoy learning more about your guys lives (not stalkerish), but in a that’s how they organize their day and their life kind of way. It’s really useful!
Bryn says
I have a question for you working-outside-the-home moms…Do Daycares let you use cloth diapers, or do they mandate the disposable ones? My hubby and I are looking to have a baby in a year or so, but we both work away from home, and would need to do daycare. I love the idea of cloth diapers (my mom used cloth on me…boy they have gotten a lot better since then!) but I’m afraid of what daycare has to say about it…thoughts? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Bryn,
The good news is that many people have been chatting about this if you scroll back through the comments and tons of daycare centers allow them. Of course it differs from place to place but bringing one in and showing them how easy cloth diapers have become may help (according to some helpful commenters). Feel free to scroll back through the comments for more info!
xo,
s
Amanda says
We love cloth diapering. Our primary stash is made up of bumgenius one size 3.0 pocket diapers but I just got a few 4.0s and we have a few other random dipes. We actually used prefolds and covers for the first few months until he grew into his bgs. We also started cloth wipes after we needed several wipes for some bad diapers. The cloth wipes clean so much better and I like bit having to remember to toss it in a different bin-FYI some people still toss their disposable wipes in with their diapers and when they come out of the wash use them as diaper liners like the bummis. I just use cheap thin baby wash cloths. I found a 24 pack at Ross for 4.99 and bought two. It’s so easy! We also have a great wet bag for our diaper pail-we use a stainless steel trash can-we just throw it right in the wash with the diapers.
tasha roe says
I used BumGenius and LOVED them! like you said – the velcro ones stink. i suffered through replacing all of them – on 17 diapers. gah!
As for making it through multiple kiddos….. mine only lasted 2 years. :( They started leaking through the plastic covers. Total bummer! I talked to customer service at cottonbabies.com and they didn’t have an answer as to why….
They did tell me NOT to put a lid on the diaper pail though. Saw that in your picture. might be worth giving them a ring and asking them.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Tasha Rose! We’ll definitely look into it. We want these guys lasting for the long haul! Happily a few of our family friends have used their identical Bum Genius dipes for multiple kiddos so we’re crossing our fingers!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
Perfect timing with this post! We’re expecting our first and have just decided to use cloth diapers. This post has been very helpful!
Julia says
I have been patiently waiting for this post for a long time!! I am due in Nov and have been dying to find out how you guys are doing with the cloth diapering. I was also anticipating super detailed step-by-step instructions on how you are doing it and as usual you did not fail me! I have been wondering about the diaper pail and how often you have to wash them–those tips are great! Thank you so much!