In celebration of "cloth diaper week" on the blog, I asked a few cloth diapering mothers to share their experiences with cloth diapering. The first this week is my cousin, Heather.
Heather and her husband have two beautiful children, Jack and Ava. She gave me some great advice when I was first looking into cloth diapering, and so I've asked her to share her expertise for those who might be thinking about cloth diapering...
Why and when did you decide to cloth diaper?
I decided to cloth diaper when my favorite brand of disposable baby wipes changed their formula. Researching cloth/homemade baby wipes led me to learn more about cloth diapering. I also had a friend who cloth diapered and I remember thinking I could never do that! Now, I love it though and would definitely do it again with another child. I started when my daughter was about 2 months old.
What do you like most/least about cloth diapering?
We very rarely have a blowout or leak (even being exclusively breastfed), we never have to worry about running out of diapers, and we aren't buying diapers every month. The only downside is laundry--you do have to wash them every 2-3 days. But, it's not too bad.
What method do you use?
I started out with two dozen prefolds and covers which worked great. This is definitely the most cost effective way to go. Prefolds were just a little too bulky for me, though, so I tried several other diapers as well. Right now my favorite is a Bumgenius 4.0 with a Babykicks Joeybunz hemp insert during the day. I am also using the Bumgenius Elemental with a stay dry liner (now that she is moving around more she is more comfortable in "stay dry"). I also have a few Swaddlebees Simplex 2.0. These are all quite trim but still absorbent. The two trimmest diapers I have found are Peachy Green and Bottombumpers. I really like these as well. At night I use a fitted diaper with a stay dry lining and cover. I have one Sloomb Happy Little Clouds and a Grovia Kiwi Pie. I do prefer the Sloomb since it seems like it will fit longer. They are both very absorbent though. I have a variety of snap vs hook/loop closure and stay dry vs non stay dry diapers. I use them all and like them all for different reasons.
Any additional tips for people considering cloth diapering?
If you are thinking of cloth diapering, I would recommend trying a cloth diaper rental program. Kissedbythemoon.com has a good one where you can try a variety of diapers and return the ones you did not like for store credit. I would not recommend buying a bunch of one kind before you can try it on your baby and see what works best. Also, I found that "one size" diapers do not fit newborns. Even some of the one size diapers were big on my 2 month old. If diapering a newborn, I would probably just do prefolds and sized covers. Now that she is starting solids I do use our diaper sprayer and I recommend this also. (Or you could use a handheld shower/bucket). Another option is to use disposable liners that make it easier to clean up after a mess! There are many wonderful resources. Some websites that I have found helpful/have ordered from are momsmilkboutique.com, kellyscloset.com, kissedbythemoon.com and jackbenatural.com. I have had great experiences with all. Dirtydiaperlaundry.com is also a great resource with tons of diaper reviews. Just a note of caution--if you are cloth diapering to save money you may have to remind yourself that if you keep buying diapers you aren't saving money! There are seriously so many cute prints and fun diapers that it is hard to stop :)"
Thank you, Heather!
That's my sister! Isn't she amazing?!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Heather!
ReplyDelete