A Woman of the Cloth

... cloth diapers that is!  Your reaction is probably one of the following: 

• WHAT?!?! isn't that something they did in the 'old days' 
• EWWW!! Gross! 
• **Eye roll** 
• Cool/Awesome!

We made the decision to cloth diaper for a variety of reasons:

• 1) Chemical avoidance - There are so many chemicals in modern disposable diapers. With my sensitive skin, I wanted to be cautious. Yes they're convenient, but I don't know that I want my baby to be wearing something that can absorb POUNDS of liquid.
• 2) Cost savings - Because of #1, we were going to buy sensitive/hypoallergenic diapers that average around .30 per diaper.  When you do the math, a $17 cloth diaper is roughly the equivalent of 56 diapers. The rough average for babies in the first few months is 8-10 diapers a day... so you see how that quickly adds up.  
• 3) Environmental Stewardship - Did you know it takes 500 years for a plastic diaper to dispose? Every year diapers account for just over 2% of the trash sent to landfills.  Certainly laundering does take energy, but it feels good to not throw out a big bag of plastic/chemical diapers all the time. They now offer more 'eco-friendly' disposables, which is a nice option.
• 4) Convenience - I know, it seems counterintuitive.  I like the fact that I don't have to run to the store if I run out of diapers!

There are so many options out there for cloth diapers.  You aren't restricted to the old fashioned single sheet of cloth origami that has to be pinned.  I had heard good things about FuzziBunz diapers, but wanted to get a few others to see if a particular brand fit the babe best. We had a local store that allowed full refunds after 60 days, so I got 12 FuzziBunz, a GroVia, Rumbarooz, BumGenius & Go Green.  I also picked up some unscented RockingGreen detergent (normal detergent can leave residue that snells when it mixes with the ammonia in the urine). The BumGenius is the most prevalent brand - they're sold in major chains.  The others are usually found online or through local retailers.  We also got 8 lil joey's (OMG...just saw their new madras print... OBsessed... wish they had these when I got mine... may buy them just because... I digress) - they're a line of Rumparooz (get the kangaroo reference?) but for newborns.  They specifically snap down at the umbilical chord and only fit babies up to 12 pounds.  Here's our stash:

the babe rocking his lil Joey's:

and another one (I can't believe he was ever this small!):

 The first time you wash the diapers you have to go through multiple soak rounds to make sure any production chemicals are gone.  We don't have an outdoor space, so we hung them from pant hangars in the door way:

Into the FuzziBunz at 2 months old (he was over 12 pounds at a month old).  He was 8lbs at birth, so other babies may be able to use the Joey's for longer. *forgive the iPhone photo!

We like one size diapers.  They are resized from the inside to adjust the diaper to fit from baby to potty-trained toddler.  You can buy 'sized' diapers, but you would have to buy new sets of diapers as the baby grows (cutting into the cost savings).  The FuzziBunz have 4 places to size: 1 for each leg and 1 on each side of the waist.  There are buttons that are moved along elastic that has helpful numbers to make sure you've got both leg holes even (and get your whole collection to the same size).  A side note, the diaper below has been in our rotation for over 7 months now - still white as can be!!

 We prefer this type of sizing to the external snaps of other diaper brands.  Plus, it keeps the front of the diaper looking sleek. Some disposable diapers have velcro waists, but I didn't like them because velcro doesn't always wash clean, it sticks to everything in the wash, and it's not as strong of a hold as snaps.

A rainbow of drying diapers:

It's easy to get dressed when all you need is a shirt!

We not only plan to use the diapers until the babe is potty trained, but to also use our set for future babies - cha ching$$$$.  The two brands we would recommend are FuzziBunz and Charlie Banana - they both have the internal sizing (as opposed to the rows of external buttons).  The CB use a 'bra-strap' sizing instead of a button/hole.  Think of how you adjust your bra to make the strap shorter/longer - that's how you adjust the legs/waist of the diaper (again, hidden inside like the FB ones).  They're both now available at Target - yeah!!! 

Unfortunately, our daycare doesn't allow cloth (many don't, but some do) so we still buy a box of Pampers Sensitive Swaddlers every other month. We are still enjoying the cost savings of using cloth at home.

Some people do cloth wipes as well, we use unscented/hypoallergenic ones from Sam's Club (bulk, baby!). We also use flushable liners to get rid of the solids so we're only washing minimal 'gross stuff' and mostly urine.

So far we've really enjoyed it, but realize it's not for everyone! Are you using cloth? Do you have a favorite brand/associated product?

SAVINGS DEAL: Use code 10OFFBUNZ on the FuzziBunz site for 10% off!!!