Quite honestly this whole cloth diapering adventure has me very nervous. When Austin was about 2 months old I decided I wanted to cloth diaper. There are so many benefits to cloth diapering. One of course being economically better. Did you know that a disposable diaper takes about an estimated 250-500 years to decompose? GROSS! Another benefit is that it is CHEAPER. The average household spends over $3,000 on disposables on just ONE child. With Cloth Diapers you can save an estimated $2,000. Head on over to Banana Peels Diapers for a break down. Of course if you have another child, you can reuse your previous cloth diapers for even MORE savings! Plus, a child wearing cloth diapers is typically easier to potty train! WooHoo! So why did I wait so long to make the switch?
Cloth diapering is like entering a whole new world with a whole new language. It can be quite overwhelming. There are so many different types of cloth diapers out there, how do you choose which brand and style is best for your child? How often will you be doing laundry? How are you suppose to clean them? What types of detergent do you need to use? How in the world do you prep a diaper? How many cloth diapers do you need? What exactly is the difference in the style of diapers- what’s an AIO, a hybrid, a pocket, a prefold, etc? I’m sure you’ve asked yourself all these questions and more as I have and still am asking.
I have decided to start blogging about my journey throughout cloth diapering. I am hoping that some of you may be wanting to cloth diaper, but haven’t due to the unknown. I want to be able to share my experience with you and hopefully through this make it an easy and comfortable switch for all you moms who would like to get rid of those disposables.
So here I am.. 9 months later and still kicking myself in the butt for not cloth diapering sooner. I really wish I just went for it in the beginning like I had planned to, but I wasn’t ready. I didn’t even know where to start. So… I started asking around. Here are some great ways to find out which styles and brands are best for you and your child.
*** Many people recommended doing a diaper trial. A popular website is Jillian’s Drawers. They have a pretty neat set up. For $10 you can try out enough diapers for 12 diaper changes and you can keep the diapers for 21 days! The neat thing about doing something like this is you get to sample all the different types of diapers out there and see which one works best for you and your child. You pay $160.94 upfront and if you decide you want to keep them they’ll refund you $10. If you decide they are not for you, that’s okay, they will refund all but the $10. Simple enough.
***Head on over to a local boutique that sells cloth diapers. Many of the local stores I have found host cloth diapering classes. There are also benefits to this because you can actually see the diapers in person, talk to someone in person and bring your child in for a consultation. Usually the owner or employee can recommend a great diaper. Luckily for me an amazing store opened up in Vacaville, CA called Eco Chic. So if you are in the Bay Area, East Bay, or Sacramento, I would recommend stopping by this store for all your cloth diapering and baby needs. Chrissy, the owner is SO knowledgeable. She went through every diaper she had in her store and really explained in detail the differences of each diaper and recommended some diapers that suited our family best.
*** Choose a website that really have you and your child in mind and is there to help you throughout this process. They also tend to carry a bigger selection than local stores. I would recommend Sandbox Lane . I can not begin to tell you how much support and encouragement they have given me. I am pretty sure I have emailed them late at night and received an email immediately back responding to my question. They have seriously been my go-to place for the thousands of questions I have had.
Now lets go through all the types of diapers. With us, I knew I wanted something easy. Something that made me feel like I wasn’t “cloth diapering”. Luckily cloth diapers have become modern and are really quite simple to use. Here’s a great guide from Jillian’s Drawers:
*click image to make larger*
You can also learn more about the Snappi that was talked above by clicking HERE.
There are also Hybrid AI2 diapers which I found that I like! Basically you have your diaper shell and an insert that you snap into your shell. When your baby pees, you unsnap the insert, and put in a fresh clean insert in. With all other diapers, not only your insets, but the diaper shell itself needs to be changed and then thrown into your diaper pail to be washed after EVERY diaper change. Here is my GroVia Hybrid AI2:
Along with the Hybrid AI2, I like a couple others as well. Pocket diapers, like Fuzzibunz are great. With a pocket diaper the insert goes inside a pocket located on the inside back of your diaper. When your child goes to pee or poo, you simply remove the insert and the insert and shell both go into your diaper pail to be washed:
I also like AIO (All in ones). Like stated above an AIO is as close to a disposable because there is no taking an insert in or out. Everything is sewn and attached for you. A popular brand for AIO’s is bumGenius:
Items you will need:
12-24 Cloth Diapers- this is dependent on the age of your child and how often you want to be doing laundry.
Cloth Diapering Safe Detergent– You can check out a list of safe detergent on The Diaper Jungle.
Diaper Rash Cream – you will need one that is SAFE for cloth diapers.
Additional Inserts – of course only if you are doing a diaper like the Hybrid AI2Items that you may want to make things easier:
1-2 large wet bags or pail liners – this is where you dirty diapers will go into
1-2 small wet bags for outings
diaper pail – the pail liners go into a diaper pail. You can substitute a diaper pail for a home depot bucket (the big orange ones) with 3tbsp baking soda and some peppermint essential oil on the bottom of the bucket. Thanks for the tip Amanda-Natural Living Mama!
Diaper sprayer – to help clean the poo. I will be going into more detail later, but a great place to buy is from The Diaper Sprayer.
Flushable Liners-This is a biodegradable piece of material that sits on top of any cloth diaper. It catches solid waste and makes it easy to flush away.
Disposable Inserts – this basically looks like the inside of a disposable and stick onto the inside of a cloth shell. They are biodegradable and environmentally safe. You will get people asking if it defeats the purpose of using cloth, but it doesn’t. Regular disposables take over 200 years to decompose, these don’t. Plus if you are sending your kids to a non-friendly cloth diaper daycare, these are an excellent thing to have around.
Still overwhelmed? I know, there are so many things to try and remember but really… it’s quite simple once you get started. Remember, the more questions you ask the better understanding you will have of cloth diapering. If I can do this, you definitely can too!
***Stayed tuned for Day 2- where we learn all about PREPPING the cloth diapers for use!***
25 COMMENTS
Amanda Klenner
14 years agoGreat job at getting all the info out there! There are so many great CD benefits and you did a great job sharing a lot of the essential info (and go to places to get help!) So proud! I hope you are enjoying your cd journey. I wrote a review on Bummis easy fit diapers, and will have more up this week if anyone was interested! http://naturallivingmamma.com/category/cloth-diapering/
Jasmine
14 years agoThanks Amanda! I’ll check out your review :)
Brittany b.
14 years agoI’m excited about this series… I’m interested in cloth diapering.. But some thing is holding me back.
Jasmine
14 years agoGlad to hear you are excited! I kept teetering with the idea as well, mostly because I really had no idea about the steps to cloth diaper. I look forward to your thoughts and feedback!
Brittany B.
14 years agoThat’s exactly how I feel..i need to know more about the steps. I think the other thing that scares me..is dealing with stinky diapers..and how to care/clean them.
My sister and best friend cloth diaper and I know it is economical! So hopefully I can jump on the bandwagon..but I def want to be more educated about it.
Jasmine
14 years agoWell then you will really want to keep an eye on our blog because I will be talking about ALL that! I got SO overwhelmed with everything, especially with prepping. I for some reason couldn’t get how to do it BUT it really was quite simple. So I cant wait to keep sharing everything I have learned! :)
Kaydee
14 years agoWow this was an awesome blog!!! I’ve been thinking about cloth diapering to ease the cost of always having to buy disposibles since I’m a single mom of two boys. My little one is going to be two in a little over a week so I was thinking cloth diapers would ease potty learning and save me a bit of money. Not sure if it’s really the best idea since I’m a little late in the game. But I got really excited when I read about the store in Vacaville because I live 5 minutes away : ) I’ll definitely make a trip there but any advice I can get from other mamas would be great!
Jasmine
14 years agoYes! She has training pants that look like underwear. It is never too late IMO. Let me know if you head into Eco Chic and let her know Jasmine from Modern Day Moms sent you! :)
Kaydee
14 years agoAwesome, I will most definitely let her know you sent me! As soon as we get back from Disneyland I’ll be in there to check it out. :D
Jasmine
14 years agooh how fun!
Here is her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eco-Chic-Baby/180512408662578
Kaydee
14 years agoThanks!
Katie
14 years agoGreat intro to cloth diapering! I can’t wait to read more
Jasmine
14 years agoYay!! Thank you!!!
mary
14 years agoI just started too. I will share pics too I just need to find my cord for my camera “somebody” misplaced it…lol. I tried Bum Genius aio and I have to say it would be great but the snaps leave marks on my DS tummy. So they are my back up stash now :)
Heather
14 years agoGreat post Jasmine! I’ve been interested but hesitant to cloth diaper and I’m really looking forward to reading your honest opinion and adventures. I can’t wait for your next post!
Deanna
14 years agoJasmine, I am so excited to read your adventure. I have been wanting to try cloth diapers, but I have been missing that little thing called motivation. Your posts might be just what I need. I hope you next post is very soon!
Jasmine
14 years agoI am so glad to hear you’re excited to read about my adventure! I hope I can give you the motivation you need to make the switch! It really has been so fun but you will hear all about that soon! =)
Elise
14 years agoawesome blog. I wish we had stores like that over here. I spent about 2 months of my pregnancy reading reviews and comparing cloth before I decided on mine. Definitely was an investment but so worth it. Nothing better than watching hubby get confused about how to use a disposable because we rarely use them
via Facebook
14 years agoAwesome!
Tamie
14 years agoJasmine,
Great blog. You know I have been screaming the benefits of cloth diapers for a while now. I love them. For the lady who was wondering if cloth diapering for a 2 yo is cost effective, I just wanted to say yes it is. You can use the diapers or training pants for now and then if this is your last child or if you don’t like them (I can’t imagine that one) you can sell them and re-coop at least 75% of your investment as long as you keep your diapers in good condition. Diaperswappers.com has a great forum for mom’s who are selling cloth diapers.
I have been diapering my son from the moment he got out of the hospital with cloth and yes I have used disposables on occasion and I do have a husband that is not 100% on board and if given half a chance, he will put a disposable on if I don’t hide them from him.
The best advice I can give anyone looking to cloth diaper is this.
Try to find a store like Jasmine or a friend that you can actually go to and see and touch the diapers. This is the best way. Don’t worry about how many different styles and types there are and all the rules and stuff. There is so much information on the internet that it will actually make you insane. Find a style you like or do the diaper trial (I did Jillians drawers trial) and go from there.
I did not start cloth diapering to save the world (but it is a nice benefit). I cloth diaper because my son was a surprise that was not in our budget. It is so nice not having to spend $20 a week on diapers and knowing that I will not have to run out at 3:00 am to get diapers because I didn’t realize I was out.
Jasmine
14 years agoThank you so much for this reply to my post! You are so amazing Tamie!
Alicia
14 years agoJasmine, this is awesome!!! Is there any way we can bribe you for your next chapter….. like right now?? heheheheh Your blog is like the next major blockbuster. We’re all sitting on the edges of our chairs just waiting. :)
Jessica
14 years ago AUTHORTotally agreed!
Jasmine
14 years agoAre you getting ready to prep your new diapers? Haha. =)
Alicia
14 years agoha! Are you kidding?? I’ve got one more wash to do after this one (I’m washing my bamboo ones first ’cause I’m waiting on more of the “non bamboo” ones to come in.) I just hope and pray that I’m doing it right! hahah You better not get sick over the weekend, cause we just GOTTA have the next installment! hahah ;) We love ya, Jasmine!