This post might be a bit scatterbrained.  It's been a while since my last post, and I'm tired.  But I feel the need to write down some of my experiences with cloth diapering the girls, so I can either look back and laugh at myself, or maybe be proud that I accomplished something that seemed so daunting.  I've yet to determine which it will be, but here goes.

About a month ago, I sat down and calculated how much we were spending on diapers for our girls (ages 2 and 16 months).  All told, for disposable daytime/nighttime diapers, wipes, rash cream (and lots of it!), we were spending $166 per month.  And that was only if we didn't randomly run out of something mid month - which happened frequently cause I'm a terrible planner.

I've been toying with the idea of cloth diapering since my oldest was a little bitty baby, but never got the guts to follow through.  I actually bought one BumGenius diaper when my youngest was born, tried it once (it leaked everywhere), and I *gasp* threw.it.away.  What I wouldn't give to have that diaper back!!  *I have since found that it leaked because I didn't do the prep washes required to make the absorbency function work (more on that later).

Realizing how much money we could be saving each month - or in my mind - spending on something I don't have to throw away - I decided to bite the bullet.  With some Christmas money I had saved up, I bought a random stash of cloth diapers (and did a TON of research in the process).  And I became obsessed, before they even arrived at my door. 

I checked the UPS status daily to see where they were.  I went online daily to look for better/different deals, and when I just couldn't wait any longer, I went to Whole Foods and bought one that I could hold in my hands. Yes, I'm still talking about diapers.  I live and breathe my children...forgive me.

So they all finally arrived, and after doing all the prep washing - I bought all pocket dipes so all the liners had to be washed 3-5 times: cold prewash, hot wash, double rinse, extended spin, hot dry, repeat!  (I just washed the shell once and line dried those) - I was ready to try them. 

Here's a rundown of my thoughts so far:

bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Stay-Dry - I have 5 of these, 2 hook/loop closure (aka Velcro) and 3 snap closure.  I prefer the snap, because even my 1 year old can take off the hook/loop by herself.  It's not very strong, but it holds when she's not messing with it.  As with every diaper in my stash, with one large insert, both of my heavy wetters can survive a 3 hour nap in them with no leaks.  Night sleep requires one large insert, and a doubler and they wake up after 13 hours (yes, I have awesome sleepers!) completely dry with no leaks.  The liners shimmy out in the wash on their own, so there's no need to remove them from their pocket before putting in your wet bag.  So far, these are one of my top favorites.  They are super simple to stuff, they keep my babies dry and they come in fun colors.  Snap is the way to go for me, since apparently I live with little nudists.

FuzziBunz One Size ELITE - This is the one that I bought at Whole Foods because I'm impatient.  I don't recommend being impatient.  This is the one diaper I would give back if I could.  They do not stuff well - the inside of the cover's liner is "sticky" and makes it very difficult to get the liner situated in the pocket (a common complaint I've read since).  It absorbs well, and does the job in the leak department, but I need things to be easy, and the stuffing part just makes this one too much of a hassle for me.  Also, no matter how tight or loose I put them on my girls, they always leave red marks on their skin where the elastic is (and there's nothing wrong with the diaper itself).  Perhaps it's just not a good fit for my girls.  Needless to say, but I won't be buying anymore FB.


Blueberry One Size Deluxe Cloth Diaper - I have one of these in my stash.  I loved the design, and just couldn't resist. I have the hook/loop closure, which is MUCH stronger than the hook/loop of the BG's.  But tonight my 2 year old proved it's not strong enough.  We'll be buying snaps from now on.  Same deal here.  No leaks, super cute designs and they wash well.  This one you can throw in the dryer on low if you're in a pinch, but I would recommend line drying to make it last longer.  And the liner shimmy's out on its own.  LOVE this dipe and will likely add more BB's to my stash.

Kawaii Fun Print Snap One Size Diaper - I received one of these as a freebie when I ordered another dipe on Kelly's Closet.  It has become my FAVORITE diaper out of all of them, and is about $10 cheaper than the others!!  Why do I love it more than the others?  A few reasons:  First, when I take it out of the wash, it's practically dry.  Much drier than the others.  So it's ready to use quicker.  Second, the lining of the cover (that touches baby's bum if you use it as pocket dipe), is this super duper soft material that I'm sure has a name, but I can't think of it right now.  Third - I put this diaper on my youngest before bed, and I thought she had pooped, so I removed it to check.  I felt the lining, and it was bone dry.  It had been a while since I put it on her, so I checked the insert and it was absolutely soaked.  I was so shocked that I went to check the 2 year old (in the Blueberry) and it was not the same story.  The lining was semi dry, but I could still feel some teetee there.  (both got changed just in case!).  But I was so impressed with the drying power of the Kawaii that I was instantly hooked.  And they come in SUPER CUTE designs!!  AND they're cheap!! Who could resist?!  *Hopefully they won't fall apart after a few washes, but I'll keep you updated!  Definitely buying more of this brand.

Thirsties Fab Cloth Wipes - I've gone full blast and am using cloth wipes too.  I just ordered these because the reviews were good, and they seemed like a good value.  I like that the sides are different colors, so you know which side you've used.  The colored side is better for big messes, while the white side is softer and seems to wipe more smoothly.  I like them alright, but I don't have anything to compare them to, so I'll be buying some other types just for comparison sake.

Applecheeks Gentle Cleansing Solution - I use this to moisten the cloth wipe before use and to clean dirty hands/faces when out and about.  It's all natural, and smells fabulous.  No complaints from the girls either!  It's a keeper.

I also have a bottle of California Baby Diaper Area Wash that I bought with the FB at Whole Foods.  I love the smell, and it's super convenient to be able to buy this locally.  However, the baby had a diaper rash today from napping in poop - how was I supposed to know?  The cloth diaper contained the smell so well, and she was sleeping so soundly!! - Anywho, I sprayed this on her, and she screamed her little head off.  Apparently it does burn, even though it claims not to.  I'll keep it, and will perhaps buy more, but only for use on non-red bums. 

I'm washing all of this in Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Laundry Detergent.  Partly because it has a cool name, claims to do cool things, and mostly because I can buy it locally!  It smells great, and so far is doing the job.  I understand that could change with the more use the dipes get, but I'll worry about that later.

Oh, and the ever present, "What do you do with the poop?" question....I just knock it off into the toilet.  Not a big deal.  If you have kids, you deal with poop on a daily basis.  Throwing it into the toilet instead of wrapping it up to stink up your room is actually working out better for our noses.  And my house smells amazingly more fresh.  No more stale diaper smell.  Oh, and the Bac Out helps!  I spray it on each poopy diaper before tossing it into the wet bag. 

My takeaway?  Cloth will be our new normal.  I wish I had done this year's ago!  With 2 girls, a husband and a dog, I do laundry multiple times a day, so what's one more load?  Nothing in my eyes.  I'll need more diapers.  I have 8 now, shared between two heavy wetters.  Because I have so few, I have to wash them daily which I know will wear them out faster.  I want at least 12 for the baby, preferably 18 (I've heard is a good number), and I've decided to forgo cloth with the oldest and start with fully potty training.  I'm thinking of trying the GroVia My Choice Trainer based on reviews and functionality. She needs more of a kick start than the Gerber undies are going to provide. 

So that's it for now!  Maybe more later as I get further along.

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