There are plenty of blogs and websites out there that can explain the different TYPES of cloth diapers available on the market (so I’m going to spare you the in-depth explanation of each type and just briefly recap, as much for my own understanding as yours, the types I would even consider)… Safe to say…These are NOT your momma’s cloth diapers. As Dan would say, “Dem is Fancy” (Translation: They are Fancy)… As if further clarification is needed – I only considered the fancy variety… no pins or folding.
Types of “Fancy” Cloth Diapers
- All in One (AIO) – Most similar to a disposable diaper, all one piece, waterproof shell attached to absorbent material sewn in, fastens with snaps or velcro. Wash after every use.
- All in Two (AI2) – Waterproof outer shell that can be combined with replaceable (sometimes disposable) inserts. Fastens with snaps or velcro. For most diaper changes – you only replace the insert, washing the cover after several uses.
- Pocket – Waterproof outer shell with stay-dry inner pocket that you stuff with an absorbent liner (+ optional overnight doubler). Fastens with velcro or snaps. Wash both pieces after every use.
Other Stuff You’ll Need
- Diaper Pail/Pail Liner for Nursery – Fits inside your trash can – usually with elastic banded top or drawstring closure (not necessary to buy a special can – anything with a lid works well)
- Small “Wet Bag” for Diaper Bag – contains your dirty diapers while you’re out and about. Zipper closure keeps the stink inside. Usually PUL interior/fabric exterior. They come in a variety of sizes and designs – hold ing anywhere from 2-10 or so dirty diapers.
- Cloth Diaper Laundry Detergent – To prevent build-up, stinks + stains. There are a few brands of cloth diaper safe detergent on the market.
- Cloth Diaper Safe Diaper Rash Cream – Regular diaper cream isn’t ideal for cloth diapers but compatible varieties are similarly priced and easily accessible.
- A positive attitude and reliable washing machine.
Inspired by one of my newbie momma friends, Brandi over at Pigtails & Pacifiers, who recently began cloth diapering her sweet doll baby Brooklyn. And by this blog post over at MilkFriendly. Daniel and I agreed that we probably should have given more thoughtful consideration to the cloth diapering route before Olivia was born. We agree that the benefits (environmental, economical, adorable) outweigh the negative (yucky, time-consuming) and are slightly kicking ourselves for waiting so long to give it ago. In the same breath – I’ll mention that we’re just now (after 6 whole months) about to exhaust our supply of gifted (disposable) diapers. Therefore – I guess the timing couldn’t be more perfect! And here we go…
Before buying anything, I asked around and found that most people agreed that the BumGenius brand was the most accessible and reasonably priced… great quality and generally well-reviewed. Certainly not the cheapest option out there… but definitely middle-of-the-road.
To test the waters, we ordered (1 “BumGenius Freetime All-In-One” and 1 “BumGenius Elemental Organic All-in-One“) from DiaperJunction (They offer a 30-day Risk Free trial period)… and picked up a couple of the “BumGenius 4.0 Pocket Diaper” at Buy Buy Baby; We decided that we preferred the design and fit of the “BumGenius Freetime” and ordered 14 from CottonBabies (They we’re running the best promo – Buy 6, Get One Free – Lowest Price + Free Shipping).
BumGenius Freetime
BumGenius Elemental
BumGenius 4.0 Pocket
We had agreed that we would need to start with a minimum of around 20 diapers to make CDing practical. Our plan is to slowly build our arsenal to ~40 as we find great deals on sites like Zulily, Totsy, BabyHalfOff, EcoBabyBuys. In fact, Zulily featured a 50% deal on Lotus Bumz the other day and we snagged 2 more bringing us to our benchmark. Other (pricier) brands I’d scoop up if on sale: FuzziBunz, Swaddlebees, Itti Bitti, and GroVia.
Lotus Bumz
We also settled on 2 pail liners from Planet Wise (these have elastic around the top that work REALLY well with our trash can and 2 small wet bags from DiaperRite (the most simple + cheap!) We did order some Rockin’ Green – Motley Clean Detergent to get us started, although I’ve researched some EASY DIY recipes on Pinterest for further down the road.
**UPDATE** Today was our first day 100% cloth diapering… and we picked a challenging day to start. Olivia and I left the house this morning or a play date then ended up going straight to dinner with Daniel + MawMaw… basically, we were out of the house for 10 hours – 4 wets + 1 dirty diaper later and I still feel pretty good about it all… the ONLY (so far) hiccup… dealing with disposable wipes! I’m so used to discarding dirty wipes neatly tucked inside the diaper – clean & easy… and contained. Tinkle wipes – not really a problem. Poopy Wipes though… What if a trash can isn’t within arms reach? For Example – If you’re changing a diaper in the backseat of the car, on a picnic blanket… or in the middle of a friends living room floor? Thoughts?
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