In which I talk diapers....

When you wait years and years for a little one, you have a LOT of time to do research! ;) One of the things I researched was cloth diapers. After using them for about 3 weeks, I am by no means a pro, but I thought I would share some reasons why I chose to cloth diaper and what is working for us at the moment. Any other cloth diapering moms out there? I'd love to hear your take on things!

 Reasons why:

 #4: Less Waste! 
 I'm not huge into environmental issues, but I do feel it is our job as Christians to take care of God's world. So less trash is a good thing. I also just didn't see the point of pouring resources into something that couldn't be reused. Just didn't make sense! (This goes closely with number #1... so hang with me.) ;)

 #3: SO CUTE!! 
 I mean, really!! How stinkin' adorable is this? (Ok, poor choice of adjectives...) ;)

 I'm very much a texture/tactile/sensory person. (Part of my reason for my knitting love...) And I love the thought of these soft cotton/fabric diapers. (Especially when you think of what is in the disposables!)

Edit to add:
#2: Safer
One of the huge things that I like about using cloth diapers is that they are a lot more natural! There aren't any crazy chemicals in them. I'm not a mom that has to have 100% pure natural or organic. BUT I do think that there are so many chemicals that we don't even think about that we are daily in contact with. Using cloth diapers helps reduce that a bit. :) Edited yet again to add: One particular brand of disposables actually burned my poor baby. Enough of THOSE! :/


 #1: Saving Money!!
 Yep, this is the number one reason!! I can hardly stand the thought of using something I am just going to throw away, when there is an option of me just washing and reusing it. (Told you this went with #4!) And the more kids that use these, the more savings we will have! We know one family who's fourth child is using their cloth diapers. Imagine the savings!!!

Colorful fluffy shipment!!!

 What works for us: 

This is what is working for us now. Things may change - as they are very likely to with a little one. Right now, obviously we are on formula so dirty diapers are pretty (ahem) consistent. I know there will be some adjustments when we introduce more foods into Joy's diet.

We have seven diapers and more on the way... seven doesn't work. I am doing a load of diapers every day - ok if I am home every day to do laundry, but it gets a little old and doesn't seem to be a good use of resources. I'm thinking 12-15 diapers will be a good number for us. You don't want to go too long between washes anyway. ;) (and I just use Tide Original - I read that many CD moms like it just as well as the fancy stuff.)

 I have one diaper pail liner - and another on the way. One wasn't enough. (ETA: I wrote this last week. Since then I got another liner and also realized that it is ok to throw the liners in the dryer...ON LOW HEAT! So one is probably sufficient.) It takes a while for them to dry and about the time it's dry, it's time to do laundry again! I think two will be perfect. I also have a small wet bag and a medium wet/dry bag on the way. The small one fits about three (very squished) of her diapers when we are out and about. I think the medium will be just right. (ETA: Got the medium! I LOVE having a dry section in my bag... I keep the wipes and clean diapers in the dry section and then wet in the waterproof side. Kindof a mini diaper bag - easy to grab and go!)

 Right now we are using disposable wipes. But why buy wipes when I can (once again) wash and reuse something? So I have cut up some old stained knit and plan on keeping a few at a time damp in her wipe warmer ready to use. We'll see how that goes... :) (ETA: I love using cloth wipes. SO much easier just to throw them in the wash with the diapers than to have to throw them into a separate trash can. I just dampen them as needed - although I have kept them wet in the warmer as well.)

 As for the diapers themselves??? WOW. You can't imagine. I am so impressed with the quality, and we have yet to have a dirty blow out. (Some leakage when she's been in a wet one overnight, but nothing nasty.) Yesterday we had a nasty disposable - and one of the top brands too. Let's just say, I'd rather rinse out a diaper than a very nasty onesie that I have to pull over her head. The ick factor of the diapers doesn't bother me a bit right now. (Like I said, that may change when we diversify her menu.) The wet ones just go in her pail with the wet bag and I rinse the dirty ones before putting them in as well. No biggie. (eta: with milk only babies rinsing even the dirty ones isn't necessary... the wash takes care of any issues. Later "big productions" will go into the toilet before the wash.) :)

ETA: I also wanted to add that Mark has no problem changing the cloth diapers. I have still done the washing out on the dirty ones. But there really wasn't much of a learning curve for daddy to still do diaper duty. (And yes, I know I'm very blessed to have a hubby who will change diapers!! We both have much younger siblings, so we've both had lots of experience!) ;)

 Initially I thought I would use prefolds mostly at home and save the all-in-ones for daddy and out and about. (Someone gave us a huge stack of prefolds.) But she feels icky so much faster in the prefolds and cover than she does in the all-in-ones and I had to change quite frequently. The all-in-ones are very absorbent and the layers help pull the moisture away from her skin. So, yes, I'm a fan!

My first box - including supplies for using prefolds.

Negatives? Yes, I must be balanced... but really I can't think of many for us. Like I said, right now, the ick factor isn't an issue for me. I love that we are saving money (especially when we are hoping to get a house soon.) The diapers are rather bulky, so we have probably gone up a clothing size a bit faster than we would have, but really she's growing quite fast anyway... ;)

Do I think cloth diapering is for everyone? Nope! It works well for us - I am a stay at home mom and a bit more diaper laundry isn't a big deal. (Love a pile of clean diapers!) It may not work into someone else's schedule or lifestyle. OR you may be one of those coupon queens that can get disposables cheaper anyway. BUT I do think that cloth diapering is an awesome thing with the  amazing diapers that are available now. (Yes, I've only tried one brand, and I know there are other awesome ones out there. ETA: I've tried a couple other brands and the BumGenius Freetime are still our favorite and hold up the best.) I just think that it is something that most moms don't often think about and maybe after reading this you might see it as an option! :) I'd love to hear from other cloth diapering moms or even if you've chosen not to!
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 PS- None of the links or mentioned brands are asking me to advertise. They don't know I exist. I'm just sharing what is working for us.