Cloth Diapering

Remember when I announced we were going cloth?

Drew and I got a good bit of negative feedback about this choice. I think that some people actually thought we were crazy. Why in the world would we use cloth diapers? Didn't we know there were ones you could THROW AWAY? Why would we make MORE WORK for ourselves? Don't those things leak? Good luck with THAT!

To be fair, we got a lot of positive feedback too, from people who actually cloth diaper their babies. But the negative stuff made us feel like maybe we WERE crazy. Maybe cloth diapering was too bold a move and we really couldn't handle it.

But, we forged ahead. We would save a ton of money using cloth diapers and this fact could not be ignored. Especially after Westley was born and we used disposables for the first 8 weeks and realized we would be spending an extra $80+ per month on disposable diapers if we continued to use them. Yikes.

So last week we started in on the cloth. The majority of the cloth diapers I have are BumGenius 4.0. I also have a couple Grovia and a couple Fuzzi Bunz, but in my opinion I think the BumGenius are the best.


Before I review the diapers I first want to let everyone who thought we were out of our minds to use cloth diapers know that IT IS GOING GREAT!

So booya.

:)

Really it is. They actually leak less than the disposable diapers we had been using. Also, the extra laundry is no big deal at all. We are doing so much more laundry now anyway, to throw in a few more loads a week is nothing (especially when those 3 loads a week save me about $20 in diapers). Even Drew Jones likes using them too.

So on with the review...

BumGenius 4.0 Cloth Diapers

Here is why I like them:

• They have these soft thick inserts that you stuff into a pocket inside the diaper. This means that the insert doesn't actually touch the baby's bum, the super soft fleecey fabric pocket does and it wicks moisture away from his little tush. This works so well. I've actually had a hard time telling if he peed in his diaper because it really does pull the moisture away.

• They are so easy to use. I wash em'. stuff em' and put them in the diaper basket underneath his changing table. When it's time for a diaper change the process is no different than using a disposable diaper. The dirty diapers go in a waterproof bag (like this one) and when the bag is full they go downstairs to be cleaned. We wash em' in hot water with a cold rinse using Charlie's Soap and then throw em' in the dryer. Easy peasy. Now this process will change when Westley isn't exclusively breast fed anymore because right now his poop is water soluble so it just washes away. Magical breast-milk-poop magic! When he starts eating baby food and his poops become more solid I will review this aspect again. I already have these flushable diaper liners ready to go though, so I can just swoop the poop right out the dipe and throw it in the toilet when that day comes.

• They are saving us cold hard cash. I know this for certain now that we've bought diapers for Westley for 8 weeks. But if you want solid proof of what we are saving here is a good post about it. We received all but two of our diapers so far as gifts (thank you!) and the BumGenius 4.0 last until he is out of diapers (and we can use them for our 2nd baby...and 3rd? Drew Jones is reading this right now shaking his head.)

• They are so much softer than disposables. When I pull the little diaper up and over his baby parts it makes me feel better that it is comfy for him. If it were me I would rather have the soft fleece against my butt than the paper. They are also softer than the Grovia diapers I have which is why I prefer the BumGenius. The Grovia diapers have inserts that are sewn into the diaper and are more of a cotton material so they aren't as soft and they sit right against the babies skin without the cushy fleece pocket that wicks the moisture away.

• I am not one for crazy cartoon character clothing on my baby and every disposable diaper out there has crazy cartoon characters on the front of the diaper. Big bird, Ernie, Elmo, Micky Mouse. It really isn't THAT big of a deal but my point is that cloth diapers come in great colors sans the baby cookie monster ruining all my photos.

Here are some slight downfalls:

• I had to wash the diapers and inserts like 6 times for them to become absorbent enough to not leak. After the 6 washes you're good, but it's kind of annoying that they don't just come ready to use.

• If you put more than one insert in them they are really bulky. Westley doesn't seem to notice or care, but it does look strange. Usually I only use more than one insert at nighttime though.

• There is extra laundry, but like I said it's really negligible with the extra laundry that comes along with a baby anyway.

So there you have it! We are successfully cloth diapering our baby child! So if you are considering cloth diapering I hope that this is encouraging to you. I know I was totally all for disposable diapers until I realized how much money covered in poop I would be throwing into a diaper genie.

Also, for those of you who are disposable diaper users, keep calm and disposable diaper on! (are you sick of those posters yet?) We just had to save money wherever we could and this route really is helping us do just that.