I haven’t posted about Cloth Diapering much since having baby #2 so I wanted to check in and let you all know how it’s going.
Answer: really well.
But first, if you haven’t read or heard much about modern day Cloth Diapering and you think I’m a crazy hippy and that it’s really weird and difficult and messy, etc., please read my original posts from when we first started with Gwen. It goes over our whole process, all the accessories we use and why we chose to do it in the first place. Unfortunately, some of the pictures I included in those posts have disappeared, but the content is there (and that’s more important anyway):
So, in anticipation of little Ivor’s arrival, we did purchase more diapers since Gwen wasn’t (and still isn’t) out of them just yet. Originally we purchased just enough to have to do laundry every other day (about 24 diapers). And that was enough for her. But it’s not enough for 2 kids (unless you don’t mind doing diaper laundry EVERY day…but I didn’t want to do that). So we bought about 12 more. Which ended up being perfect, still doing laundry every other day, or even every 3 days now that Gwen doesn’t go through as many. And I’m pretty confident she’ll be potty trained at some point soon since she’s already showing a lot of interest now (woo!) That’s another post for another day.
If you recall from my previous posts, we use BumGenius 4.0. I have no experience with any other kind. We did a lot of research and decided on those, they worked for us, and we didn’t look back. So I can’t compare them to other brands and styles, but lots of other moms can, and have. If you’re interested in trying cloth, I suggest doing your research, finding those comparison blogs or vlogs, and even going to a baby boutique that sells cloth diapers so you can see them in person first.
In the interest of full disclosure, I do feel obligated to let you know that I had some trouble with our diapers after a few months of use. The waterproof lining inside them started to crack and cause leaks. This could’ve been caused by poor washing and drying (most likely drying, they’re supposed to be line dried, not tumbled), but I always followed the instructions. So I’m not sure what went wrong exactly. But they were still under warranty so I emailed customer service and they replaced my entire stash and I haven’t had a problem with them since. So, I still very much recommend them and am pleased with their customer service. Yay, Cotton Babies.
So any leaks we experience at this point is always user error: not changing often enough. Having 2 kids, working from home, trying to get dishes and laundry done, keeping a toddler from destroying the house, etc. causes me to forget when the baby was last changed sometimes. “Didn’t I JUST change you?? Oh wait…I guess that was a few hours ago. Oops!” Don’t judge me, you’ve done it too 😛
Anyway, back to cloth diapering….
If you start looking into this method of diapering you might come across an accessory called a diaper sprayer. Well, we’ve managed just fine without ever buying one. If you want to save some $$ on that, it can be done! Solids can easily be plopped into the toilet, and occasionally you may need to grab some TP and wipe stuff out. No big deal. You’re already wiping poop off a baby’s bottom. Wash your hands and move on.
We still use disposables from time to time while traveling and for overnight. Cloth doesn’t seem to be working for Gwen overnight anymore, so I throw a disposable on her. But disposables always seem to leak overnight for little Ivor. So we do cloth with an extra hemp insert
for him. And some nurseries specifically request disposable diapers, which I find annoying…but whatever. So we keep a stash handy. Big picture, we’re still saving a lot of money.
Having 2 in disposable diapers could be expensive. But 2 in cloth diapers? Not that much more of an added expense. We probably could’ve gotten by with our original 24 diapers, but to make it a little easier on me with the laundry thing, I wanted to buy more. A one-time purchase like that still beats paying for disposables all the time. For us. Remember my disclaimer. I’m not trying to convert you. This is for informational purposes only, for anyone who’s interested.
I cloth diaper, breastfeed and make my own baby food. Because that’s what we decided to do for our family. That’s what works for us.
I always feel like I have to mention that because moms love to get offended by other moms who do things differently.
Anyway, that’s my update. Let me know if you have any questions!