Cloth Diaper Review: Part Two

I decided that it might be time to do a follow-up post about cloth diapering since we're now six months in and there seems to be a lot of curiosity from friends about the ins and outs. You could really just call this a continuation review since I wanted to cover some things that I've either discovered since my first post or questions I've been asked and wanted to cover. I have to tell you, it makes me so happy to share our experience with friends and hopefully, encourage others to consider cloth as well!  Bottom line, we are still loving this system and wouldn't change a thing about our choice to cloth diaper!

For some background, here is my original post covering the main reasons we choose to go cloth and here is the first review of cloth diapering I did when Claire was 2 months old.

Before we get started, there are some things to note: We use bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Snaps and our diaper stash contains 30, which we love though you could definitely get away with 24. After doing significant research on different brands, we decided to go with the bumGenius one-size option, as it was the best route for our family. These are my personal opinions based on my own experience.

Stains: It's true that over time the diapers and inserts are going to get a bit dingy. And I guess it doesn't really matter since the stained part is going on their bottom, but it still irked me that after a few months they no longer looked bright and new. After looking extensively into stain-removing remedies that would be safe for cloth diapers, I was skeptical with the overwhelming number of people who swore by good old sunshine. Could hanging them out in the sun really do the trick? Sure enough, after their first sun bath our diapers were back to looking like new! I am now a complete believer in mother nature's stain remover. And if you are someone who doesn't love the "crunchy" feel that line drying them leaves, they can always be thrown in the dryer for a quick touch-up before stuffing them.

Heavy Wetting: As Claire began sleeping through the night, she definitely needed more protection from leaks. For the first few months we were able to get away with just one of the thick/overnight inserts with no leakage. But as she is getting older, we found it necessary to start adding a regular insert in addition to the overnight one. So far, it's done the trick.

Swimming: As the swimming season was upon us, I began looking into cloth swim diapers. Based on various reviews, I ended up purchasing an iswim cloth swim diaper from Amazon for $10. Unfortunately, their sizing chart is less than accurate and I ordered the wrong size, making it necessary for me to send it back to exchange it for a different size. While in the midst of my search, BumGenius posted on their Facebook page that their diapers could actually be used as swim diapers if the cloth insert was taken out! What great news as we have a few to spare for that purpose!

We have since used both the iSwim and our BG diapers for swimming and here are my thoughts: While the iSwim serves it's purpose, we will still need to upgrade to a bigger size as Claire grows, making the fact that it's a cheaper option a non-factor. And because of the nature of our BumGenius diapers, she can wear the same swim diaper(s) until she is 35 lbs., definitely a perk, especially since we already have them!

Laundry soap: It's important to know that for the warranty to be valid, you need to use "cloth diaper safe" detergent on your diapers. For the approved list of those detergents click here. We use and love Nellie's Laundry Soda. After buying a small bag to make sure it as right for us, I purchased the bulk size from Amazon for a really great price! And it goes a long way-six months in and I've barely made a dent in the box and I typically do a load of diapers every 2-3 days. By my calculation of the average load I do and how many loads the detergent guarantees, it should last me about 8.5 months.

Diaper rash: While diaper rash occurs much less frequent with cloth diapers, the reality is that it can still happen for various reasons. We've actually dealt with a few small bouts of it ourselves. Much like with the laundry soap, it is important to use caution when using certain products (such as Desitin) on diaper rash because the active ingredients can actually ruin the absorbancy of your cloth diapers. Our personal favorite product, created especially for cloth diapers, is Angel Baby Bottom Balm! But here is a list of other safe creams as well as some great home remedies.

Traveling: We have now taken two extended trips with Claire, both of which we decided to use disposables. I wrote my first CD review shortly after the first trip and noted that we had decided to spare ourselves any inconvenience of finding a place to launder them and had no issues. After the second trip however, I feel a lot differently. After what can only be described as a world record of blowouts, I don't think I will ever use disposables long-term again! When we started the trip we had size 2 diapers that were leftover from our first trip back in January. Since Claire was right on the cusp of size 2 and size 3, we concluded that the diapers were just too small. And then the first size 3 diaper we put on her ended in another blow out (something, by the way, that just doesn't happen for us with cloth). Needless to say, several stained outfits and emergency airplane changes later, I think the minor inconvenience of doing some laundry while we traveled would have been worth it. Our one saving grace on the trip was that I had decided to bring enough overnight cloth diapers for the trip because we ended up putting those on her for the flight home. This is definitely an area I will be looking into more before we travel with our girl again!

Solids: We had a lot of people tease us about cloth diapering when we started solids as babies poop tends to get really, shall we say, foul. While we are certainly noticing the interesting effects solids have had on Claire's poops, it really isn't that horrible. Again, I highly recommend using the diaper sprayer, as it makes even the most gruesome diapers manageable.

That's all I've got for now, but as always, I'm here if you ever have any questions!

Cloth Diapers: A Review

 These past few weeks I've had several friends ask me how cloth diapering is going. And it seems that just about everyone who noticed them on our little one is curious. So as promised, I wanted to give you curious minds my thoughts on cloth diapering so far.

In a nutshell, we LOVE them! Seriously would not change a thing about the diapers we went with or the decision to go cloth (more on that here)! They are impressively easy to use and have even made believers out of the biggest doubters we know.

My only complaint is that we had to wait until she was two weeks old to start using them because they were too big on her. Those two weeks quickly made us aware of how many diapers she was going through a day and how that expense can really add up. Thankfully for us, the hospital sent us home with enough to get us through those first two weeks!

As far as maintenance goes, I wash a load every 2-3 days. The addition of laundry is honestly so minimal that I hardly notice the few additional loads. Which brings me to how happy I am that we have thirty. It gives me plenty to get through 2-3 days and still have a few extras in her room and diaper bags just in case! That also means that each one is getting slightly less wear, extending their lasting power for additional kiddos:)

There are a few accessories that I would highly recommend if going this route. While of course not necessary, we have been completely grateful for our diaper sprayer! It makes cleaning out poopy diapers a breeze (even for the faint of heart:). We also purchased two wet bags from Planet Wise, a large one for the bathroom and a medium one for the diaper bag. They are brilliant at keeping odors at bay and fit an impressive number of diapers. These simply get tossed in with the diapers and washed every couple of days.

While we use cloth diapers exclusively day-to-day, we did opt to use disposables while we traveled for five days. I'm sure we could have found a way to wash them, but we decided it just wasn't worth the hassle while on vacation! With that said, I know several people who make it work while traveling, so it can definitely be done.

So there you have it, my brief version on how much we love using cloth on our little one! If you ever have questions please don't hesitate to email me!
 

Choosing Cloth

I've been trying to mentally formulate this post for months, but before I shared why we are choosing to use cloth diapers instead of disposables, I wanted to have some pictures for you (obviously!). And now that we have our own set of 30 bumGenius dipes, the time has come to indulge you in our thoughts, findings and excitement over cloth diapering!

Let me start by saying that I completely understand if you're skeptical, as I have received countless stares like I have three eyes when I tell people we are going cloth (including my own mother at first). But the misconception that they are your mother's bulky, safety-pinned contraption is so 20 years ago. People can barely believe that today's cloth diapers are so convenient and practical! Plus, they are adorable (a definite perk!).

Allow me to begin with the top reasons we chose this route: 

Cost
I am the first to admit that we've been more conscious of our budget with our family expanding and that alone made this choice a no brainer for us. When I first began my research, I came across a jaw-dropping fact: the average family spends $50+ on diapers a month. And take into consideration that you pay that until baby is potty trained (between 2-3 years). Yikes! And then add a few more kiddos to the mix. That's a serious dent in your wallet! Obviously, we were enticed by the one-time cost of cloth.

Of course, with cloth diapers you are required to shell out the funds up front.  But knowing it was the route we wanted to take, we shopped around and waited until they went on sale, buy 5, get 1 free, which saved us a whopping $90! So while our set of 30 diapers cost $449, they will pay for themselves in about 7 months (a few sets were even given to us as gifts). And did I mention that they can be used for multiple kids? So let's say we have 3 kids. In their lifetime, we will have only spent $149 on their diapering needs!

Baby Friendly
Countless reviews have claimed that after switching from disposables to cloth diapers, their babies no longer experienced diaper rash as the natural cotton fibers allow the skin to breath more easily. And I love knowing that my baby won't have harsh chemicals and dyes against her skin. According to several studies I came across, about 75% of babies who use disposables get diaper rash as compared to about 7% who use cloth. Statistics like those speak for themselves.

Convenience
This particular brand we choose makes a one-size diaper option, fitting babies 7-35+ lbs. Which means that with a 2 year old still in diapers, your newborn can be wearing the same ones, thanks to this genius design. Basically, the 30 diapers we already have will hopefully see us through all of our kids diapering years. Sweet!

And don't let me forget the glorious fact that they look and go on just like regular diapers, making them that much easier for grandparents, friends and babysitters to use.

Green
And finally, there is the obvious reprieve on the planet to consider when eliminating all that waste of disposables. We have a little more peace of mind knowing that we're not contributing to the insane amount of diapers stuck in our landfills.

So why bumGenius?
From all of my research, I concluded that bumGenius offers the best warranty in the business, making me that much more confident of my purchase. And in addition to the overwhelming positive reviews I read online about these particular diapers, the majority of friends who offered me advice preferred them to all other brands.

So there you have it, a quick summary of why we have decided to go cloth. Who knew you could get so excited about diapers, yet I find myself passionately singing their praises to anyone and everyone who will listen (and I haven't even used them yet!).