Throughout my pregnancy I was researching...and researching.....and researching...and...well, you get the idea. I researched everything from foods that were safe to eat while pregnant to exercises you can do while pregnant to what clothes run the truest to size. FYI none of the clothes are true to size in my opinion. That's not the point of this post though.
As mothers we tend to research everything. We want to give our children the best possible start to life. We also generally try to find the most practical and affordable things for our family, or at least ways to spend money on more fun things and still give our babies exactly what they need. We knew going into parenthood that babies are by nature expensive. Parents buy food, clothing, toys, books, etc. One of the most expensive items that i've found outside of food is diapers. Diapers are insanely expensive to me for what they are. Poop catchers. We did a lot of thinking and had thought about cloth diapering but decided against it for the time being because we were planning on going home to visit and didn't want to be putting poop in other people's washers...silly now that we think about it.
When mike was away at training starting early August, we took the plunge. We used up the rest of the disposables that we had and made the commitment to cloth diapering. It IS a commitment and one that is well worth it. Rosalie hasn't worn a disposable diaper since August 9th and darn it, I'm pretty excited about it!
There are SO many ways to cloth diaper, they aren't your grandma's style anymore! They have fun prints, diapers that go from birth to potty training, nifty little things that replace diaper pins, the list goes on.
We've used several types so far and are still working out which ones we like best. I feel like they all have their time and place, though.
We started with prefolds and covers. This is one of the cheapest ways to go. You can go from birth to potty training for around $100 if you shop around. My favorite covers right now are Flip or Thirsties Duo Wraps. They're both about $13 each. Flip come in "one-size" meaning they can be worn starting at around 8lb and go to 35 I believe. The thirsties come "sized" and come in sizes one and two. Size one goes up to around 15lb and then size two goes to 35-40 or so. (all numbers are guesses right now, I'm too sleepy to look them up ;D) Prefolds come in three sizes: Infant, Premium and Toddler. You can usually find them for between $1 (used from a diaper service and good quality) and up to $10 for hemp, organic or bamboo. I use the one dollar ones. You'll need 4 covers or so I would say. You don't change the cover with every diaper change unless it's soiled by poop. You can wipe off the pee with a baby wipe or rinse it and let it dry. THese are nice as well because they aren't bulky like other diapers. These are also very quick to dry. You can use a "snappi", diaper pins or trifold a prefold with a snug cover.
(Top left is the flip onesize cover, top right is the econobums one size cover and the bottom is a thirsties size 1)
Pocket diapers are nice as well. They dry quickly because they have an "insert" that is usually microfiber, hemp or bamboo that can be taken out. These need to be changed with every diaper change, they aren't reusable like covers. They come in sized and one size. The sized are generally the most bulky diaper I've found but the most versatile since they go from birth to potty training and a better bang for your buck. There are TONS of different brands! Tons and tons and tons. There are WAHM (work at home mom), commercial, chinese made, etc. I have used Fuzzibunz, Bumgenius, Justsimplybaby and I have some Alvababy on the way.
Fuzzibunz- These are one of the trimmest i've used. They're one size but they don't snap down like the others. They're adjustable in the legs and waste with elastic. They're a bit spendy as most pocket diapers are but they seem to be working well for us right now. I've only had these a week or so but we haven't had a leak even with wearing it for 12+ hours at nighttime. I double stuff with two inserts to keep them absorbant enough for night time, I do this with all my pocket diapers.
Bumgenius- many people LOVE bumgenius. I do like some of their products but the pockets aren't that much better than the cheaper ones i have though they do have some super cute prints in the artist series. With these you snap down the rise to adjust to the baby's size. They're about $20 or so a piece though i've seen them cheaper
JustSimplyBaby These diapers are relatively inexpensive at around $12 a diaper. They also have some that are a minky outside as opposed to the traditional PUL. Personally, i have found that the minky leaks a lot more than the PUL. I'm not quite sure why except maybe the wetness is wicking more to the minky. I do like these diapers though for the price and they have really good sales and ship free to military.
Alvababy- they appear to be JUST like the JSB but I haven't gotten them yet so i'll have to do an update when I do.
There are also All-in-One diapers. These do not require a pocket and come in different sizes, they aren't usually all one size. They DO have some that are but you have to look for
them. I know that Bumgenius has them but I tried them out to know how good they are. I have a sized ones from bumgenius and I LOVE them. They're more spendy though and if you're cloth diapering for budgetary reasons this isn't the way to go. I happened to get mine off the Cloth Diaper Swap board on BabyCenter. LOVE that board! Seriously, check it out! These are fantastic, i just wish they were cheaper.
I'm sure i'm missing some type but I'll fill in more if i do :) See next post for the "how-to"!
