Cloth Diaper Lovin'

So, this is per Rachelle's request.

I have been delving into the cloth diaper world with great gusto! And LOVING IT!!!! I really like the sustainability of cloth diapering and it works for our family.


We started CDing Ava when she was about 18 months old. We started out using Bumgenius 3.0 one size diapers with polyester microfiber inserts (came with the dipes) and we were quite happy. After a while, the liners began to retain STINKY odors and we had to "strip" the diapers using a little bleach, some VERY hot water and dawn liquid dish soap. We originally tried oxyclean. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS. It ruins the elastic and makes the diapers even stinkier because it is super difficult to rinse completely out. This process was both time consuming and frustrating because I was washing diapers all day some days because of the washing instructions for BG. You wash cold, rinse cold, wash hot, rinse hot. Using 1/4 to 1/2 the manufacturers recommended amount of detergent. You also can only use specific detergents because of the synthetic fibers in the inner and liners. Too much hassle.

With Teegan, we CD'd from the start, also used BG OS and thought, "well, this is ok for us". Problem was, I was now washing like 40 diapers every couple of days...it was taking nearly 2 days if I forgot to switch diapers or restart the load right away. So, my dear friend introducted me to www.diaperswappers.com and I am addicted! It's a great place to buy, sell and trade your used cloth diapers. So, I sold off some BG and purchased some prefolds (these are the old skool dipes with the thick centers that most people use for burp cloths...only WAAAAY better than the one's Gerber makes and sells), pins and a couple of slightly used wool Aristocrats covers. We were doing ok, I didn't have enough covers for 2 kids though and I ended up resorting back to BG frequently, especially because Ryan is VERY resistant to change. Well, I kept acquiring (that's what we call them) in woolies: longies (think wool pants) and shorties (like the name suggests, woolen shorts) and soakers (like underwear, only 2 ply knitted wool). I've tried a variety of sizes and manufacturers. Felted and not. Tested for new companies and I covet a few very reputable woolies now.

So, here's what we are using and really liking right now:

• Sustainablebabyish one size diapers - these are awesome during the day, and are one size, so they will last quite a while.
• Sustainablebabyish organic cotton and bamboo diapers (aka the magic diaper) - FABULOUS night time diaper...I want a million! however, I can't afford a million, so...
• unbleached prefolds from www.little-lions.com - these are good for around the house when frequent changes are easy. Make sure to get LOCKING HEAD diaper pins..no pokes that way!
• Aristocrats soakers - these are a fairly good soaker. They have softish wool and absorb really well.
• Babyology longies - these are slightly more scratchy than aristocrats, but are really good for night use. Especially when felted...they're bulletproof! We've gotten these second hand from DS and brand new on ebay. If they're brand new, you have to lanolize them...that's a whole process, but not terrible. Just takes a little time.
• Kestlyn one size cover in interlock wool - these are very trim and work reasonably well under regular clothes, however, tehy aren't super absorbent, so you can't run errands all day with them...at least not without a million diaper changes.
• Disana soakers - these are the SOFTEST wool I''ve touched so far. I'm still lanolizing htem, so we'll see how they are soon.
• Disana sleep sack - great for night time, when you might want extra wool for wicking. Or, if you want the baby to be able to not have a cover for a nap.
• Ewe Need It wool wash bar - AWESOME at getting out poop spots in between washings. Never had a problem getting a spot out! (check them out on www.hyenacart.com)
• Wool Ones Wash liquid wash - great for washes when the woolies start getting stinky.
  

Here are the things I'm dying to try out:

• Sustainablebabyish pants, shorts and soakers - I hear these are worth the $64 per pair of pants...yeah, now if I could just convince Ryan of our "need".
• Wild Child Woolies - also interlock like SBish, only slightly less expensive...hmmm.
• Lansinoh lanolin - yes..the stuff for your nipples when you breastfeed. This is pure lanolin and can be used to lanolize your woolies. Google search lanolizing with lansinoh for instructions.
  

Here are the things we've tried and aren't so fond of:

• Bumgenius 3.0 - they just get too stinky, but are good for a CD newbie (or daddies resistant to CDing).
• Flats - these are the SUPER old skool diapers...birds eye cloth in a very large square that you have to fold creatively and pin in place. They're not terrible, but our poops seem to leak out the front...pretty nasty on the 5 month old and the 2 and a half year old.
• Recycled wool - think someones old sweater that they accidently felted in the dryer and decided to make into a diaper soaker. Sometimes they work great, sometimes not. If it's your own sweater, go for it...what have you got to lose. If you're buying it, you had better LOVE the pattern or be prepared to use them for pants alone.
• Cashmere soakers - I thought these would be awesome...supersoft, natural fiber. Yea, no wicking properties. Maybe if your baby doesn't pee like crazy like mine, but try at your own risk.
• Hand knit woolies - I have had mixed results with these as well. Sometimes great, sometimes not. It totally depends on the quality of wool yarn used. Beware.
• Sudz n duds liquid lanolin - WAY too liquidy. I have not used their other products though, so those may be awesome.
• Wool Ones Wash solid bar - it does and ok job getting the woolies clean, but doesn't touch the above mentioned bar at getting out the poop stains.

Here are a few tools to make this endeavor slightly easier:

• A large wetbag for hanging in your bathroom on the back of the door handle (obviously with a handle for hanging). Get a good one because you want it to keep odors on!
• At least one small wetbag for the diaper bag, car, and whatnot. We have two and they rotate nicely when one is washing.
• Wool wash. We use liquid for regular washing (about monthly or every couple of months) and bar (for spot treatments).
• A good strong drying rack.
• A diaper sprayer for spraying solids into the toilet...very nice to not touch the poop.
• A good soap like planet or charlies soap. Charlies gave my kids BAD rashes, but to each his own. Planet's been good to us. I've hear eCover is good too.

I think that is all of my CDing knowledge at this point. I will probably update this in the future, as my experience and repertoire expands! Happy diapering!

Um...been a while...

Well, LOTS of things have been happening for our family this past year. Received a promotion at work, moved out of our house, let friends live for free in our house, filed and received a discharge on our bankruptcy, started a daycare, stopped a daycare because we found out we were unexpectedly pregnant, back into our house, job at work no longer exists and took a $10 and hour pay cut, been to the hospital twice for the pregnancy...still paying that off (and he's not even here!), trying to renegotiate with our mortgage company so we can keep the house, you get the idea. Through it all, we are still happy and love each other. We find joy in simpler things now, not necessarily a Maui timeshare, or an expensive car, but having Ava come into bed with us at the crack of dawn and snuggle to us and say "Hi, Daddy! Hi, Mommy! What you doing?" As we crack our eyes to the EARLY morning rays. Spending time with friends and loved ones because we just aren't sure how long we'll be able to live this close. Making new friends and keeping the old. We've been extremely fortunate in that regard. Though we may not have every material thing we would enjoy having in this world and we are essentially having to start over, we are grateful everyday for the blessing we have and the joys we are blessed with. Heavenly Father is exceedingly good to us. And we have much to be grateful for.

Ava makes her grand debut

What a fun and exciting time in our lives! We are grateful every day for our little girl...she has made our lives complete. Between 1, 3 5 & 7 am feedings, 6-12 diaper changes per day, and more chaos than someone who can't even find her own hand should be able to bring about, we get the small smile and giggle that reminds us why we signed up for this CRAZY ride.

Seriously though, meeting her for the first time immediately set our priorities in order. We are making some BIG life changes so we can be the best mommy & daddy that our baby could ever hope for. She's constantly reminding us that she's in charge!

Hey, you don't mess with a baby diva who knows when it's time to chow down.