Cloth Diapering 101

Welcome to Cloth Diapering 101!!!!

I hope this blog post will answer lots of questions for lots of people. To start it off, I've included three photos of my sweet Drake as a newborn, in his CD gear.

The green part is a kissaluvs fitted, the red part is a XS thirsties cover

This is a small Green Acre Designs pocket diaper.
A prefold covered up by a blue thirsties cover. You can tell how inexperienced we were, b/c we didn't have the prefold tucked in well.

I've been meaning to write this post for what seems like forever. The reactions I get from people when they find out we use cloth diapers vary. Some think it's gross, and some are like "Good for you!". The most common reaction is, "How does that work?". The general public envisions the old school flats, that have to be dunked in the toilet, and fastened with pins. Well, while one could certainly do it that way, cloth diapers have completely been revolutionized. There are so many different types, brands, and methods, that I could go on and on. (And on). However, since wee man frequently demands my attention, I'll keep this post mostly about what we have personal experience with. And what my general recommendations are. This post was originally just going to be an email to my close friend Paula, but just this week a pregnant coworker was asking me questions. I've decided it would be easiest to just write one big blog post, and direct curious mommies-to-be here to my blog. So here goes nothing.

Let's start with the accessories, before we get to the actual diapers. First thing you'll need is somewhere to store those dirty dipes. We have a plastic bin from BRU. It's very simple. You can throw dipes in through the blue hole, or just lift up the entire white cover. I think it contains the stink just fine. It's very lightweight, and easy to take outside to wash out periodically. Now that Drake is on all solids, his diapers do stink more than the first six months or so. You can buy essential oils to go in the bin, but we just use a Glade plug in, in the closest outlet. Works just fine.

Next you need bags to go in that diaper pail. These are generally referred to as diaper pail bags (shocker), or wetbags. While there is no water in the pail or bag, they are still called wetbags. Just go with it. You need two of these big bags. Because while one is being washed with the dipes, you'll want to go ahead and have another placed in your pail. I recommend one with elastic (it'll stay on better), and one with a zipper. While the one with the zipper won't stay on as well, it's essential for traveling. The zipper will contain smells better than the elastic drawstring one.

You will also need small wetbags. These are for the diaper bag when out and about. You'll put dirty dipes in there when changing them at the mall or wherever else you go. Just a random FYI: the thing that makes all these bags waterproof is a layer of PUL. It's also the stuff in diapers that makes them waterproof. You'll become very familiar with PUL.

Now, stuff to clean with. Let's start with the baby's bottom. You'll need wipes. Cloth wipes are much easier, because otherwise you are going to have to keep a trashcan with your diaper pail. It's kinda pointless. It's SO much easier to toss the wipe and dipe together into the pail. You can use water, or make your own cleaning solution. We buy our stuff to make our own solution from Punkin Booty Bits. You'll need to buy a spray bottle to put the solution in it once mixed. You can also buy travel sized premade solution from them. This works well for the diaper bag. I'll get to cleaning and washing your dipes later, as well as diaper creams.

You will need snappis to hold the prefolds together. A prefold is a type of dipe, and we'll get to that later. A snappi is the name brand of a product that has essentially taken the place of pins, that used to fasten dipes together. They are plastic, and cheap. You can get them from any CD store. I'll make recommendations for stores later.

This picture is of wipes (left and center), plus snappis. The snappis are the yellow and white things in the bottom right hand corner. The bottles in the bottom left corner are travel sized punkin booty bits cleaning solution.

Another accessory you'll need are some liners. I like the Bum Genius stay dry liners, which come in packs of six. These are awesome to protect your dipes from creams, when you have to use them for bad diaper rash. They are also great for prefolds so that the wetness isn't up against the baby's skin.

Now, washing these diapers. Let me just refer you straight to www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com. If you click on diapering basics, you will find more information than you EVER wanted to know. It can be very overwhelming, so don't say I didn't warn you. Just remember, one item at a time. We've used the all free and clear, which worked fine. We now use seventh generation free and clear liquid detergent. Also, works just fine. We have an old, top load washing machine. We do a long cold rinse, a long hot wash, and then a short cold rinse. Three different cycles. Detergent only goes in the middle cycle. And always use the largest load. More water is better. That's how we wash, in a nutshell. We simply take the large wetbag full of dirty dipes, and hold it right over the washer. Then we throw the bag in too. Then start the washing! PUL can break down over time if you put it in the dryer alot. So, our prefolds, inserts, liners, and wipes go in the dryer. (NEVER use dryer sheets. They will cause build up on your dipes.) We have a drying rack for our covers and pocket diapers. I'll get to these different types soon, I promise. Once everything is done, we'll take the dipes off the rack, get the stuff from the dryer, stuff all the pockets, and then put it all away. Now you're good for another couple days. We wash every 2-3 days. I'm sure that will go up once Eli is here!

Creams:

The California baby diaper rash cream has not harmed our diapers at all. It's very mild. You won't need a liner when using it. However, we have had issues with bad diaper rash a few times, which the cali baby stuff just doesn't touch. We special ordered a cream called Calmaseptine from Walgreens, which our pediatrician recommended. It's really thick, and fabulous! It always clear Drake's bottom right up. However, it will stain dipes and cause buildup. You'll need a liner when using it.

I do alot of my CD ordering from www.jilliansdrawers.com. Their shipping is fast, and their selection good. I've enjoyed shopping in person at www.peekaboobottoms.com, but haven't ordered from them online. I've never ordered from www.tkcuddlers.com, but plan to soon. Adorable dipes with lots of designs available. Also check out www.greenacredesigns.com for cute dipes with embroideries, etc. You can order customs at these last two. For more info, other than the pinstripe site, check out www.justmommies.com. Go to their message boards, and then find the cloth diapering board. It's an active message board with lots of people to sound ideas and questions off of. I'm sure that www.mothering.com also has one too!

Okay, I think it's time to start talking about actual types of dipes. I'll go over the abbrevations once, and then use them. Prefolds=PF, All in ones= AIO, Bum Genius=BG, and Happy Heiny's=HH.

I think the best type of diaper for the newborn period are prefolds. First, you'll need a ton since you change dipes constantly. And prefolds are by far the cheapest. Here is a pic of my basket of prefolds.

We use unbleached Indian prefolds. Unbleached is important, because they are a beige color. So, they stain less than the Chinese white ones. I order mine from Jillians drawers. Green Mountain diapers are apparently popular for Chinese prefolds as well. I've never ordered from there, but have many online buddies who use those and are happy. Prefolds are the the flat pieces of material, that you have to fold around the baby and then fasten with a snappi. There is no PUL in a prefold, so you'll need a cover to make it waterproof. (Prefolds and fitteds require covers, and we'll get to that later). I was very intimidated by prefolds, and learning to fold it around a squirming baby. But honestly, it's really not that hard. Eric learned it very quickly too. So did my Mom, MIL, and nannies. You can watch videos on plenty of CD websites, and you tube as well. When a baby pees in a prefold, there is nothing to wick the moisture away. This isn't such a big deal with teeny babies who get their dipes changed constantly. But, if you don't want them to feel the wetness, just add one of those BG stay dry liners. The liner will feel dry, while the prefold is wet. The magic of microfiber!

The next type of diaper is the fitted. Fitteds are more expensive than prefolds. They will also require a cover, b/c there is no PUL in a fitted. Kissaluvs and Goodmamas are two popular brands of fitteds. I'm not a fan of fitteds, and here is why. If I have to make a second step and use a cover, why not just use the cheapest thing possible under it? I have some Kissaluvs, but they lost their softness after just one wash. The goodmama diapers are the cutest things, but I refuse to pay that much money for a diaper that I'm just gonna have to put a cover on.

So, now you know that prefolds and fitteds require covers. Covers are easy. There are tons out there, but all you need are a couple Thirsties Duos. They come in two sizes, with snaps to adjust them. Lots of colors available too! If you venture into other brands, I only have one big recommendation. LEG GUSSETS! If the cover doesn't have elastic gussets around the legs, then it will leak and be useless.

The next type of diaper is the AIO. This type of diaper has three main components. The "stuffing" to absorb, the liner part that will go up against the baby's skin, and the PUL outer layer. These three things are all sewn together, and then it fastens with either velcro or snaps.

We love velcro, and others hate it. I personally hate snaps. I recommend trying both. I didn't like AIO's for two reasons: they took forever to dry on the rack, and they got stinky. However, they are super duper convenient, so I'd try at least one.

The next type of dipe is the pocket. We use a LOT of pockets. However, I can see why people don't like them. (They hate to stuff them, but we don't mind). Pockets have two main parts. The PUL outer layer that makes it waterproof, and the thin layer of microfiber or fleece goes against the baby's skin. You have to stuff pocket diapers with inserts, which is what gives it it's absorbency. There is a slit in the rear of the diaper to place the insert in. A benefit of this is that you can double stuff as babies grow and become heavy wetter's. The downside is pulling the insert out of the pocket diaper before throwing both pieces in the dirty pail. That's not as gross as it sounds, b/c the inserts usually have a little tag on them that's easy to grab. The other downside is that everytime you do diaper laundry, you'll have to stuff these pockets with inserts. Since it's just part of our routine, we don't even think about it. Our two favorite brands of pocket diapers are BG and HH. I like HH best, because the elastic velcro is stretchy and gives a good fit. Not all brands fit each baby the same. I'm really hoping the HH and BG fit Eli as well as they do Drake, b/c I really don't want to buy any more diapers.

So, those are the "types" of diapers. I've given a few examples of brands. There are a million different brands out there. Some are big companies, some are moms working from home. You can buy in bulk and save money. This is NOT something I'd do until you know that brand fits your child well. Do a test with the diaper before buying it. Many CD stores will let you try a certain dipe for free, as long as you return it unstained. If you like it, you can just keep it and send them the full amount.

On a side note: diaper services. Although there are some out there that market themselves as "green", I'd only imagine that they have to meet certain health codes. Which I'd imagine would require a harsher detergent than I'd like for my dipes. Since my desire to limit chemicals that my kids are in constant contact with was one of my reasons for using CD's, I feel that using a service to wash them defeats that purpose. (Run on sentence, I know). I also had a fear of not getting my own diapers back. Plus, I don't know of any diaper services where you could use anything but prefolds. I need some variety!

I almost forgot to talk about sizing! Hello Nikki, wake up! Start with the newborn/small prefolds. They will fit even a ten pound newborn. We pretty much exclusively use one size diapers. This means they will have snaps or fasteners that allow you to "grow" the diaper with your baby. Prefolds don't come one size, and I don't know of many fitteds that do either. You can find plenty of pockets or AIO that come one-size. A lot of one size diapers will be a little big on newborns. (Another fabulous reason to use prefolds on your newborn).

I welcome any additions to this post via comments. This means you Mom, Lindsay, and Kim! Future CD mommies need your advice! For example, Linds loves the BG flip diapers, which I know nothing about. I also welcome any questions via the comments! I'll answer them the best I can.

Now, I know Paula just wants a simple list of what to buy to start with. So, here you go, and this is purely my opinion.

Two large wetbags

Two small wetbags

One diaper pail

Cloth wipes

Wipe solution

4 snappis

4 small thirsty duo covers

36 unbleached indian prefolds

This will probably get you through a month, no problem. Then you'll be itching to try new cute stuff. Go to Jillians drawers and try their 21 day starter program. It only costs ten dollars! It doesn't start until 12 pounds though, so you may have to wait a couple of months.

As I'm sure you've noticed, I've included some pics of my wee man in his adorable CD's. Just to motivate anyone on the fence! How could you not want an adorable fluffy butt like that?

Diapering and Dining

So, diapering and dining. That's pretty much all Drake's life consists of. The only two other ingredients are sleeping and playing, but that's another blog for another day. Drake is almost 7 months now (next WEDNESDAY!!!), which I just cannot believe.

He is on solids, and thoroughly enjoying them. There is an older post about why we started at 6 months, which you could search and find if you really want to know. And to add to that, I read in Parenting Magazine yesterday, that starting before 6 months also increases the chance your child will have problems with childhood obesity. Anyhow, so he's on solids and loves it. He starts veggies soon. That's gonna be lots of fun- I've heard it makes the poop smelly and all kinds of funky colors. I make his food with the Beaba food steamer/puree. It is a fabulous kitchen gadget~~~I highly recommend it. I don't make his cereals, because the store bought ones include iron. I buy them organic from Earthfare, rather than making my own and having to give him a vitamin. I think that's about it for dining. In another couple years, I'll probably finally get around to posting photos of him eating carrots for the first time.

Now, diapering. Our little family enjoys cloth diapering. No, it's not gross. I personally find disposables disgusting. Our cloth dipes don't stink anywhere close to a sposie. And if you could feel how soft they are, you just may be convinced too. Did you know that the main ingredient in sposies that is there for absorbency was made illegal in the 1980's? However, it's only illegal in tampons, not diapers. So it's okay for my child, but not for me? Yehhh.....right....

Anyhow, back on track here. Drake has some really cool diapers. Especially since I took all my prefolds to NY and Canada when we went to see Eric's family. Lindsay, Eric's sister, cloth diapers as well. She had the genius idea from this message board that we frequent, to tie-dye our prefolds. To give a brief synopsis on the types of CD, a prefold is an "old-school" diaper that wraps around the baby and requires a cover. We used Dylon, b/c it supposedly doesn't bleed as bad. It was SO much fun, and now our kiddos have cute prefolds as well as pocket diapers. Our SIL Dianna did her burp cloths, and they turned out really cute too. We're trying to convert Dianna to a CD user for her next kid:-) So, I've included some pics for your viewing pleasure below.

We asked for a clothesline, and voila.....a clothesline appeared. Thanks to Eric's dad Denny! We had to have a place for everything to dry. These are a bunch of the prefolds.

The red dye turned out to be hot pink. Lacey has lots of cool pink diapers, and Drake is getting in touch with his feminine side.
Lacey's onesie- too cute!
Some from the first day. That's a fitted diaper in the middle. And one of Gavin's burpcloths.
One of the keys to tie-dying is to wear old clothes and an apron. And gloves! That stuff gets everywhere. My dear husband requested a photo of me in an apron.
My stash from Peekaboo Bottoms. I LOVE that store. I will be going back there every summer. It's about 20 minutes from the cottage in Ontario Canada. They have a website you can order from too! If you become their friend on facebook, you can register for free diapers. I got some Blueberry velour/minky pocket diapers which are absolutely heavenly. Plus some containers for Drake's food that I make. Oooh- and a Thirsties Duo cover. These just came out, and I'm a big fan. I also got the big man an amber teething necklace, which works great. And,...........WOOL SHORTIES!!!!! I am very excited to be venturing into wool covers. Despite common misconceptions, wool is very soft, cool, and breathable.
The final product of my cooking, in the freezer. Something about seeing homemade, organic baby food beside breastmilk makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. And quite proud!!!!!!
The carrots, all done and ready for the freezer.
So, I got the wrong type of peas, so that was a no-go. But here are my carrots, squash, and zucchini~~~all ready to be steamed and pureed. Eric did the washing, peeling, and dicing. Only the carrots get peeled, because of their nitrates. The others keep their peel for the nutritious value. You wouldn't believe all the info out on the net about making your own babyfood. I'm apparently not the only mommy who has "gone granola".
Drake's first taste of rice cereal. He loves it. He's already moved on to oatmeal cereal. The veggies start Sunday!

I think we are as ready as we're gonna get, so I figured it was about time I take and share some photos. I wanted everyone to see his nursery, and the cloth diaper stash. Please feel free to ask any questions about the cloth diapering. Although it is becoming more popular, it's still not mainstream. I love educating people about it! I went to Babies R Us today and went through each aisle, picking up any last minute things we still need. I feel as prepared as possible. Now I just want him here to hold him! I may not put him down for awhile, b/c I feel like I've been waiting FOREVER to get him in my arms. Enjoy all the photos!

We're ready for Shim!

A close up of the bedding. My mom made all of this- she's uber talented. Isn't it gorgeous?

A bunch of cloth wipes, some snappis, and travel punkin booty bits solution.
I have all the bigger size covers (small and higher) waiting in a drawer with the inserts for my pockets. All my dipes are already stuffed and ready to go, so these are extra. I can see my husband now, putting the Shim into a pocket with nothing stuffed inside. And then being perplexed when it leaks...... I'm trying so hard to make this CD easy for him, so he'll continue being so supportive.
The top drawer are all his socks and baby legs. I can't WAIT to put his baby legs on him! The second drawer is full of bibs and burp cloths.
My prefold stash, I have 2 snappis if needed. Snappies are what alot of moms use rather than the old school pins. I've been practicing the folds! I'm sure it'll be much more difficult with a squirmy baby!
This bin has fitted diapers, mostly kissaluvs Newborn size. It also has 3 xsmall thirsty covers. Again, the design is to make it easy for my hubbie. He knows that everything in this bin has to have a cover.
This is the bin of AIO. (All in ones) Some are pockets, which allow extra 'stuffing' to go in. But to make it easy for Eric, the overall idea of this bin is that none of the diapers require a cover.

This is the bin his CD go in when dirty. There is a bag inside, so when it's time to wash, the bag just gets carried to the washer, and the contents dumped inside. Then the bag also goes in. It's made out of PUL, which is the same stuff CD covers are made of.
The spray bottles have punkin booty bits solution, which is what gets sprayed on the wipe to clean Shim's bottom. It's one of the more popular cleaning products for those who CD. The little green thing that says "oops" covers his little boy parts so we don't get sprayed. I'll let you know if that works or not.

The dresser with changing pad attached. Of course the pad is made of organic cotton, with no phthalates on the outer part. The cozy cover is also organic. The three bins on the right of the dresser are all CD organizers. I have the frames up, just waiting on cute Shim photos.

The chest of drawers, where the clothes are organized by size in each drawer. Yes, I'm neurotic. The cute sign says "I see the moon and the moon see me, God bless the moon and God bless me."
His first piggy bank came from his great grandma Sissy!
My chair to rock and nurse the little man! We're still waiting for the rocking chair cushions to arrive. I have my area set up beside me on the tray: a coaster for a drink, books, hand sanitizer, and lots of relaxing and lullaby CD's for the CD player.
The coolest curtain ever!
The sign above the crib, about a mother's love. All it needs now is a photo of me and Shim.
His crib!
Yes, the closet is also neurotically organized. By sizes, bin contents, toys vs. stuffed animals, etc. I cannot function with organization.
38 weeks and 2 days......I'm becoming large and in charge.
Whoa- I'm not a fan of the side view!

About there

I made Eric a nice little list of stuff today, all stuff he needs to finish for Shim. I told him he has until the end of the week, b/c time is passing very quickly. I had the jeep detailed today, so we are ready for car seat installation. That's one of the things on his list. I ordered a PUL bag for the diaper pail, and some stuff called punkin booty bits (people who cloth diaper will understand this). I got two travel foaming bottles, plus the sampler with five different scents. I can't wait until it comes in! The booty bits is essentially something you mix with water, and it makes a solution to put into a spray bottle. You then spray the solution on a wipe for diaper changes. Yes, that means I'm not using disposable wipes either. When you CD, it's easier to use cloth wipes, otherwise you have to have second trash can just for wipes. Plus, I'm all neurotic about chemicals and the such.

So many people ask me why I've chosen to use cloth diapers. There are a variety of reasons, and it's different for everyone who chooses to CD. My personal reasons consist of three things. Number one, I am much more comfortable with putting cloth next to Shim's bottoms than disposables. There are a lot of chemicals in disposable that I'm just not very comfortable with. For example, in the 1980's the government outlawed a particular chemical in tampons b/c of a high cancer risk. This same chemical is legal and present in current day disposables. I don't want that on Shim. I see alot of abcesses on poor baby butts at work; it's really just crazy. Cloth diapers are SO soft, and you can even buy them in organic fabrics. I figure it has to be more comfortable for my little man.

My second reason for using CD is the tremendous money saving that happens over time. It costs more up front, but in the long run we'll save thousands of dollars. Especially when you CD more than one child. My third reason is the environment. It can take up to 500 years for just one sposie to break down in the landfill.

So, those are my reasons. Most people I know don't think I'll last at CD, and maybe I won't. But as of now, I'm committed....and I've got a really supportive husband. I feel bad for women online who talk about their husbands, mothers, and MIL refusing to put a CD on their baby. I searched for weeks to find a daycare that will take CD, b/c I simply wouldn't have it any other way. My mom is supportive- she's even sewing some diapers for the little man! My MIL is on board as well, and it really helps that my SIL Linds is going to CD as well.

I'm not using a diaper service to wash the diapers. It in my eyes defeats the purpose, since they use harsh and potentially dangerous chemicals and cleaners. I'll be washing here at home, every other day. It'll create alot of work for me, but is worth it in my eyes. We all make sacrifices for our children, and this is simply one I've decided is right for me and my family.

Once the nursery is 100% done, I'll take pics, including the CD stash. We have pics on Tuesday night, and once those are developed and framed, we are done!!! I cannot believe we're almost ready and that he'll be here soon. I feel further along than 34 weeks and 2 days, probably b/c I feel humongous. Oh the joys of the third trimester.