I'll admit - at first it was very overwhelming to me. All-in-ones, fitteds, pockets, prefolds, covers, PLU... EEE GAWDS! I am lucky to have Shanda to walk me through (with concrete examples) each type and her personal experience (pros and cons) of each. I can see how just trying to understand cloth diapers would be enough for people to throw up their hands in frustration and give up entirely. Seriously.
Shanda is starting us out with a whole stash of newborn fitteds (these are diapers that are shaped and work JUST like disposables, except you need to purchase a diaper cover to go on top because the diaper outside is not waterproof). If Noah is too premature, he won't be able to fit them until he grows a little bit, so we'll probably use disposables in the hospital and until he gets big enough to use them (or unless we can find something else temporarily).
After he grows out of the fitteds, I plan on just purchasing different types to see what works best for us. I like the idea of the pockets because they don't need separate covers, so we'll see how those work out for us.
Anyway, the point of this post is to provide some quick cloth diapering links that have helped me navigate cloth diapering choices or offered a wide variety of options for cloth diapering.
Cloth Diapers 101 - a comprehensive description of the different types. I don't like that they don't have pictures to match the descriptions, but at least this is a good reference.
Moms Milk Boutique - they have so many options! What I really like is their trial system that provides parents with a variety of cloth diapers to "rent" for a month (only $20) so that parents can experiment and see which ones work best for their baby. Really amazing deal and BRILLIANT!
SimpleMom.net - Have I posted about Simple Mom being the best site EVA? It is all about conscientious, purposeful, reflective parenting. Every year they do a cloth diaper series that explains the ins and outs of cloth diapering. This resource has been the single most helpful in helping me understand and navigate my choices. They also explain about how to launder cloth diapers, how to put them on (maybe for the dads? because they are pretty self explanatory!) and some of the reasons people might be persuaded to cloth diaper at least part time. I love this site.
This is one of Shanda's diapers. Noah has one just like this. I am obsessed. In the summer, this is all he's gonna wear. Don't be reporting me to CPS, m-kay?I am FAR from a cloth diapering expert. But as I learn more, and find what works for us, I'll be happy to share!
I totally applaud you. I had (perhaps even "have"?) every intent to use cloth diapers as well for Ella...but we're at a conundrum. We're also concerned about the environment, but living in Arizona, we're also concerned about water conservation. So we're reconsidering what will be best... But like I said, I totally applaud you!
ReplyDeleteMaybe half and half? Or go all the way to 'sposies when there is a summer drought and diaper by cloth more in the winter? My friend Shanda always makes the point that before she cloth diapered Cole, she was always washing extra clothes, towels, sheets, etc. from blowouts. All that extra laundry stopped when she switched to cloth and she hasn't had a blowout since with either Cole or Finn (who was exclusively cloth diapered). She says it actually (surprisingly?) saved her several extra loads a week. If Ella has problems with blowouts, switching to cloth might make more sense in terms of the water conservation issue.
ReplyDeleteI love bum genius...but if you aren't feeling like a brand snob the cheapest place I have found to buy them is: http://www.theluvyourbaby.com/
ReplyDeleteWe love cloth diapering! It's also my favorite/easiest laundry of the week, although that will change when Aaron starts solids. We have prefolds and a bunch of Sunbaby diapers (super-cheap and great-quality, but made in China, don't judge!) ;) Surprisingly, once I got a bunch of pocket diapers, I have found that I still love prefolds best, with Thirsties covers. I can see how fitteds would be nice though. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAlso, we ended up getting PlanetWise hanging wet bags for the laundry from the Mother's Milk Boutique, and LOVE THEM! We got two, so that one could be used while the other is in the laundry. Awesomeness.
I just got some of the Kawaii diapers that Heidi mentioned. I LOVE THEM!
ReplyDeleteA little late coming into this conversation, but...
I can completely understand the concern over water conservation. Living in Portland, it really isn't a big concern of mine. If I were to live somewhere that it was a concern, though, I would probably still cloth diaper... I'd make sure I had a stash big enough to wash only twice a week (I wouldn't go any less often than that, though!) I'd probably have to really perfect the laundry routine. Really though, I've read that running a load of laundry is equivalent in water usage to flushing the toilet five times. My experience has also been that even with cloth diapers and a LOT of laundry from my 2 kids and meat cutter husband (blood on work clothes=more laundry), and all our cloth rags & dish towels (we don't use paper towels or napkins, etc-- that's a few extra loads a week here)... my water usage is still less than half the "minimum." We use around 2.5-3 units per month (I think a unit is 1000 gallons), if that helps give you an idea of how much water is required. I wash my diapers every other day (occasionally life happens and it's 3 days, but usually every other.)