Every person I mention this to recoils with horror.
However, with all the research I have done so far, it seems like it might really be worth the extra hassle. The main reason I've thought about switching is that it can save a lot of money. Of course, it's also better for babies' skin and the environment. I would use cloth at home and disposables for nursery time at church, traveling, etc.
My plan is to buy several varieties of the different options (one each of my favorite ones I've found) and try them with Lucy. Even if I decide cloth diapering isn't for me, I will have ended up saving money using them for a while with Lucy. (I figure cloth diapering just part-time for even a year would more than pay for itself.)
My favorite varieties are, of course, the more expensive kind: all-in-ones or "pocket" diapers that require no covers or extra pieces--usually just the diaper, which closes with velcro or snaps, and a "soaker" insert. Some diapers even come in "one size" options, with lots of different snap options so they can fit from newborn to toddler. One-size diapers are probably much bulkier for the littlest babies, so I would probably get some smalls no matter what. Here are some of my bookmarked diapers:
BumGenius one-size: Good reviews no matter where I've read. Expensive but very beginner-friendly. The picture below shows all the different sizes of ONE diaper.
Wonderoos: another one-size option. I've read that snaps last better through multiple washes and don't gather lint like velcro does; however, snaps offer a little less size customizability.
Fuzzi Bunz: these are pocket diapers that come in various sizes. I like the snaps and the good reviews.
"WAHM" (work-at-home mom) diapers: I've found some cute designs on Etsy and Ebay made at home by moms. I plan on buying one from a couple of different sellers to test the quality and then might buy more.
Here are the links for the above diapers:
Pink and brown
Pink polka dot
Yellow with ruffles
Dinosaur
P.S. To be truly cost efficient, I probably won't buy any of the adorable obviously-girl designs (e.g., ruffles), since I wouldn't be able to reuse those on the new baby. (I guess I could, but I'm sure Jon wouldn't approve.) :)
8 comments:
Yay! I knew you'd come around! :) It goes with all your going-greeness. We have Fuzzi Bunz (Medium) for Ezra. I love them! Have you checked out www.diaperswappers.com? People post their second-hand ones for about 1/2 the price. If you wash them with baking soda and vinegar and line dry, all bacteria should be out in a jiffy. Generally we just use 7th Gen. or Charlie's Soap to wash and line dry and they're new every wash! (Email me if you have questions as getting into cloth can be confusing).
LOL... I plead the 5th! LOL. I had thought about using these for about 10 minutes. My husband immediately freaked out, and insisted that the washing machine would be so nasty, etc. Of course, I explained that the poo doesn't get thrown in there. LOL Duh. ;) It's definitely not for everyone. But, good for you. We are doing green things in other places. and, I just went cheap with Zoe's diapers, so I am saving about $15 each time I buy diapers. Target brand baby! ;)
I'm going to do the cloth route for sure next time around. I think I'm going to actually get them for Eli since the BumGenius ones are one size fits all. Sara loves them!!! The hard part is the initial investment, after that it's way cheaper, healthier I think too!!! Don't you kind of feel like a hippy using cloth diapers? That's how I feel when I think about it, not a bad thing, just more like our parents than I thought I'd be!!!
Ashley - Thank you for the diaperswappers link! I hadn't found that yet. That will be perfect.
Ricci - Yes, I feel kind of hippy! But really, we're just frugal! Yep, I was thinking the same thing with my kids: get some of the one-size ones now for Lucy, and I can reuse those for baby. Even if I get some mediums for her, the baby will grow into those too.
So I love my bumgenius, but I am so curious to see what you have to say about the others!! The one difference that I LOVE with mine are the velcro--For a squirmy 11 month old, I would never last trying to snap it shut!!!!
Feel free to email me too--It takes a little to figure out a system (upstairs, downstairs, travel), but it's trial and error too.
as far as lint on the velcro, there are special tabs inside the diaper to attach the velcro to while they are in the wash, so they don't collect any lint. And the website tells how to make them stickier if they seem to lose that, too (dry them on med. heat, I think), but I haven't had any trouble. In fact, I have trouble getting them undone from the wash tabs sometimes. I had Elena in a disposable the other night (because the cloth were all in the wash) and she undid the tabs and took it off and peed all over her crib and floor! She cannot undo the cloth ones!!
Go for it! I've approached the subject with each child with Nate and he is not ready for that step yet... :)
I'm really interested to hear how you like them after a few weeks. Keep us updated.
Go Katie! I'm really proud of you. I have a friend who uses cloth diapers at home on her 2 boys and it has been great for her. She uses the velcro diapers and has a super-duper expensive washer that has a special setting to get those dirty diapers sparkling clean. I'm not there yet. I can barely stay on top of our regular laundry, but dumping more plastic into our environment does bother me. I may get Enzo a pair since he hasn't been pooping after every feeding anymore. At this point, we are just using the chlorine-free 7th Generation or Whole Foods diapers.
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