I purchased 4 different diapers, and I get one free (because of a 'deal' going on at this website... kellyscloset.com). These 5 diapers should last me about a day and half (two of them are covers that you can reuse a couple times with different inserts before washing them). So I will do laundry every other day, which I do anyways. But I'll only need to do a small load and then I plan to hang them to dry because I learned that the UV rays from the sun naturally bleach them white and also kind of 'sanitize' them. (neat eh? I thought so!) If I like cloth diapers after those two months, then I'll order a couple more of my favorites. Now here is the cool money side of it... For about $200 (or less depending on the brands and styles I buy more of) Cameron will be diapered clear until he's potty trained!!!! TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. Yup. Sit there and add up all the money you spend on disposables... I'll wait...
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SEE?!?!?!?! Even if you buy the cheapest diapers around, you are still paying WAY more than $200 over those 3 1/2 years!!!
Yes, I am excited about the money part. Other pros for me? They are SO soft! Really! And they make so many cute styles and colors and fabrics! And... though I admit I've never been very dedicated to any environmental causes... I do like the fact that I'm doing something 'green'. I like the fact that instead of having thousands of dollars of my baby's poop filled paper diapers lying somewhere in the world... I get cute, SOFT, reusable diapers that I'm saving LOTS of money on.
I COMPLETELY realize this choice is not for everyone. I never thought I'd consider it myself. But the more I looked into it the more excited I got to try it!
Here are my purchases to start out with:
#1... Flip diaper cover in "twilight"
This is a diaper 'cover' so I only have to replace the insert each time, unless it's a really full/messy diaper and cover gets messy. It is more economical, though I have yet to decide if it will be easier... we shall see. This is what the inside of the Flip looks like:
the white part is the insert it comes with. I have also heard people like using it with prefolds, so I ordered some of those too (pictures below on this blog post). The Flip only comes with snaps, not velcro, which I'm not sure if I'll like yet. We'll see.
#2: BumGenius 4.0 One Size pocket diaper in "Butternut"
This is by the same makers of the Flip. If you get this with the snap closure instead of velcro, it looks identical. But this is a pocket diaper, you have to stuff it with an insert, instead of laying the insert on top. Pros: if I stuff them with the inserts after they're washed so they're all ready for use... it would be just like using a disposable. Cons: you use an entire new diaper ever time you change the diaper. You can't reuse this cover without washing it. Here's the inside of the BumGenius:
#3: Kawaii One Size pocket diaper in "olive"
... this is pretty much basically an off brand of the BumGenius. It's not as well known, but I've read good reviews on it, and it is a lot cheaper so I'm trying it. Not that this next fact is important... but I think it's neat: this diaper color coordinates with Cameron's room. : ) He'll match. : ) LOL#4: Thirsties Duo Diaper Cover in "cool stripes"... CUTE HUH?!?!? Some brands you can get way cute prints in! So this one is another 'cover' like the Flip (the first diaper on this post). It is a little bit cheaper brand. Velcro is an option with this one, so I opted for that, since it's more like a disposable I thought it might be easier. This one I'll use with the prefolds I got.
Here's the inside of the Thirsties cover:
... see the inside is kind of slick plastic-y but the outside of the cover is a soft fabric. I was worried these weren't really soft, but my cousin has one and I felt it and it's much softer than it looks in photos. And the inside of the cover doesn't touch baby's bum so it doesn't matter.Here are the chinese prefolds I got to use with the covers. I bought 8 of them. They come flat and after you wash them a few times they puff up and get soft and 'quilty'. they you just fold them into thirds along the lines, or there are a couple of fancy ways to fold them that I've heard about and seen some pictures of. I might try a few of them.
I also got these... Bummis brand Flushable Liners. They come in a roll like toilet paper and you just take one and lay it on top of the diaper and it catches the "#2" so you can just flush it in the toilet. Makes messes easier. I've heard some people prefer to use liners and some say it's not a big deal and they're fine cloth diapering without them. Some say it's good for newborns and other only like it with older babies. But they're pretty cheap for a roll so I bought some to try. And Cameron's bowel movements are pretty much like clockwork so I wouldn't even need to use them with every diaper change.
And this cute little number below... the one in 'blue'. I also ordered. It's a Bummis brand wet bag. It will be good for when we go places, I can stick the cloth diapers in here until I get back home. If we go on a long trip where I wont have access to a washer... I can see myself still using disposables... especially since I wont have enough diapers at first to go more than a couple days without doing laundry, but for overnight trips or a short weekend I could still go cloth.
And that is my little cloth diaper journey for the time being. : ) I think I ordered a good variety to start out with. I can see whether I like pocket diapers or covers... snap closure or velcro closure... and I can see if the cheaper brands work just as good as the more well-known brand.
I've thoroughly picked the brain of my cousin, who has started using cloth diapers, as well as MANY moms on cloth diaper discussion boards. I think I have a good grasp of what I'm in for. Will it be a little more work? Yup. But will it be a LOT more work? NO. Definitely not. About 10-15 minutes of my time every other day is all. Not a big deal I don't think. Really... that's the only con I can think of to this plan... just a little bit more time to put them in the wash and hang them up to dry. If I'm in a hurry I can throw them in the dryer. Lots of pros though I think. BLAINE has even agreed to still change diapers. That was kind of a shocker to me... although he has always been GREAT at changing diapers without putting up a fuss (even with our first baby)... I didn't expect him to be so "okay" with cloth diapers. His only request was that I do the laundry... which I do anyways. LOL
If anyone else is feeling brave... let me know & we can chat. I can share all my new-found cloth diaper knowledge. ; )
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