So I'm not sure exactly what came over me a few weeks ago, but I came up with the grand idea to give cloth diapering a try for Aldon. (Who is almost ONE!) When I hear the words 'cloth diaper', I immediately grimace. Um, ew? As my lovely husband puts it - "There's a reason they invented disposables; we don't live in the 1920s." (note, I have no idea when they invented disposables, so I can't fact check the date on that one.)
Diaper services sounded ok, but the costs associated are about the same as Pampers anyways, so that doesn't save any money in the long run. And it kinda freaks me out to think that some other baby pooped in my son's diaper. Just sayin'.
So I settled on purchasing some diapers, and washing them at home, just to give it a trial run. I know, crazy!, right?? Of course there's 9,009,362,188,001 cloth diapers on the market now, so it took some time and investigative skills to find which ones to buy. Lemme break it down: The two major types on the market now are
Pre-folds/Diaper Covers: These are what come to mind when people think of cloth diapering. You buy a waterproof cover, and inside is essentially a cotton (or hemp, or terry, or microfleece, the possibilities are endless these days) cloth that gets folded into thirds- this is what collects the pee and poo. For diaper changes, you simply switch out the pre-fold and as long as the cover didn't get anything on it, you're good to use the same one all day.
PROS: Less expensive than others on the market; variety of options for the actual diaper (you can use Indian pre-folds, Chinese pre-folds, make your own, variety of different materials) and many options for the covers; relatively low level of laundry (if you home wash); one-size covers fit baby from birth to potty training; you can typically buy a handful of covers and a 2-3 day supply of pre-folds and be set
CONS: More steps involved when changing the diaper; really bulky; for newborns you need to buy smaller sized pre-folds
AVERAGE PRICE: $-$$
BRANDS: Econobum, Flip Hybrid System, Bummis
All-In-One (AIO)/ Pocket Diapers: As the name suggests, these cloth diapers have a pocket for a liner to go in to collect the business. The liner is similar in shape to a pre-fold cloth diaper, but much thinner. There are no covers in this system; the cover and liner come together in one package. For diaper changes, pull out the insert from the diaper and toss both into a diaper pail; baby gets a new one with every change.
PROS: Much more convenient than pre-folds; great for people who aren't sure they want to give cloth a try since they are very similar to the style of disposables; variety of cute colors and patterns to bring out the inner fashionista in your tot; much more slim than traditional pre-folds & covers; one-size diapers fit baby from birth to potty training
CONS: Way more expensive than pre-folds & covers; a lot more laundry involved since you're washing both the pocket diaper and the liner; added hassle of stuffing the pocket and unstuffing with each diaper change
AVERAGE PRICE: $$$-$$$$
BRANDS: bumGenius, Kissaluvs, Fuzzibunz
So why did I venture out and try cloth? Like most people, my main motivator was money. I've tried other brands of diapers on the shelves, and store brands, though cheaper, don't absorb as much so you go through more anyway- the end result being not saving any money and using more wipes, butt cream, etc. Huggies seem to be everyone's favorite, and they are typically about a dollar less than Pampers, but when we tried these on Aldon even their smallest size was too big in the legs for our tiny babe. The end result? A completely dry diaper but a baby who just peed all over himself out the leg of the diaper. Pampers has been loyal to us since day one, but they're the most expensive disposable on the market. And, of course, disposable diapers don't ever decompose so there's gazillions of them in landfills all over that will NEVER GO AWAY.
For our trial run, I purchased a starter kit of Econobums- it came with 3 covers and 12 Indian pre-folds, plus a wet bag to store the dirty ones in. Since Aldon is older, he only goes through about six diapers a day so this would be about our two-day supply. I also purchased a package of flushable paper liners that sit on top of the pre-fold (between that and the baby's bottom) to collect solid waste, which you can then flush down the toilet. Trust me, this is a genius invention and SO worth it (a pack of 200 is only about $13, still way cheaper than Pampers). I made the mistake of not using one once, and of course that's when Aldon decided to void despicable things out of his body. As Keegan's aunt geniusly put it: "Scraping dookie off cloth is never any fun." The total cost was about $70.
So far, brace yourself, I am LOVING IT. Yes, it's more hassle. It took Keegan, myself, a crowbar, a dancing team of trained monkeys, and a whole lot of patience to figure out how to get that first diaper on Aldon. After a few times though it was perfectly fine. The main problem I'm running into is that Aldon isn't very big, and the pre-folds are just too big and bulky. Baby looks like he got a 'donk. If we stick with cloth diapering, next on my list is to try the Flip System- they have thinner, adjustable liners that seem to solve the problem I'm having. Aldon has also gone all night in one diaper and not leaked through, which I hear is a common complaint for cloth. For now we are still sending him to daycare in disposables.
I can't ever see myself using an AIO. If you're doing it to save money, that makes completely no sense. A scant day's worth of those things can put you out over $100. No joke. Plus you're spending more in laundry costs to wash that many. I can see why they're more convenient, but their ease isn't worth their huge costs.
For home laundering the diapers, you need either a specific cloth diaper detergent or one that is free of any perfumes, dyes, enzymes, brighteners, etc. Note: a 'baby' detergent (All Baby, Dreft, etc) will NOT do! 'Baby' just means it is essentially for sensitive skin and doesn't have the perfumes and dyes. All of those additives in the detergent, over time, will cause the diapers to not be as aborbant. Plus, ones with stain-fighting enzymes break down organic matter. Pee and poo are organic matter, but when they're on the baby's bottom this can lead to a severe and painful rash on the baby's nether regions. There's a great list of detergents that are great to use for cloth diapers and what to avoid on Diaper Jungle.I couldn't find any in any stores around here that fit the above criteria, so I ordered some bumGenius cloth diaper detergent ($12). The great thing is you only need to use about a tablespoon of detergent per load of diapers (say 12-18), so one container will last a while. Also, when you buy new pre-folds, they need to be washed 5-7 times, drying between each wash, before use so they reach their maximum absorbancy. Yes, it's another hassle, but it's a one-time thing and it sure beats spending money on diapers that don't absorb anything.
Like I said, so far we have not had any complaints. Even Keegan who was so against even trying cloth doesn't seem to be minding the switch. And more importantly, Aldon couldn't care either way. I will definitely be buying more than that starter kit in the future if we decide to stick with it; otherwise I'll be washing diapers every other day and let's be honest, sometimes my skills don't go that far. I was also hesitant, too, because I figured Aldon's room would start to smell like a dirty diaper with all the used cloth diaper in it. But again, we haven't had any complaints. I didn't buy a special diaper pail or anything (though they do make those with carbon filters to eliminate odors), just a small trash can with a lid. My total cost in this adventure was under $100, and if I keep up on my housework I wouldn't NEED to buy any more diapers (though for convenience I know I will be). Seriously, I'm in love with that!!
CottonBabies is where I got a ton of useful information from, and is also the cheapest source I could find on the web for purchasing cloth diapers and diaper detergent. They also have a great 'Growing Up In Cloth' program where you can turn in your old diapers that you don't use anymore for credit towards new purchases! You can also buy a ton of 'diaper accessories' from them, too (one that looks like a good idea is a diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet and you can use it to clean the business off diapers before throwing them in the pail. I opted for the flushable liners, but this would be the more eco-friendly option. Because, after all, scraping dookie is never fun).
I'll be sure to (try and) post updates of this adventure as we go along!!
*Note: the above opinions are of that of myself and don't reflect the views of Diaper Jungle, CottonBabies, or any other cloth diaper business.
