A few people have emailed me asking for another cloth diaper update, so here goes!
After the first couple of weeks of using them, I wrote this. I loved them.
After four months of using them, I wrote this. I still loved them.
After eight months of using them, here are my thoughts… (hint – I still love them!)
See – Stella loves them too! It’s a nice little cushion when she plops down onto her tush all day long. 🙂
As a background, there are obviously many different types of cloth diapers out there, but in all of my research, I read the best reviews about Bum Genius, so that’s what we went with. They were a few dollars more per diaper ($25/ea, though you can buy them in multi-packs for a little cost savings), but I figured that was way worth the benefit of having fewer leaks/blowouts/diaper issues. Because we knew that I might have to go back to work (which I did at 8 wks), we got the Elemental All-In-Ones (AIOs) because there is no folding or stuffing involved, so they generally are the most well received by daycare providers. It’s just as easy for them to drop a dirty diaper in the wet bag as it is for them to drop a disposable in the trash. FYI – my daycare provider LOVES ours, and has zero issue with using them.
- We still have 15 diapers, which has been an okay number for us. In the beginning, it meant doing laundry every 1.5 days. Once you’re past that newborn poop/pee constantly stage, we have used 6-8 diapers per day instead of 10, so we are easily going 2 full days between washing (and honestly, I wouldn’t want to go more than 3 days max anyway – they’re dirty diapers after all!). I’m still thinking about getting three more (in PINK!) just to have plenty of extras and for accessorizing reasons, because yes, I feel like CDs are an accessory to Stella’s outfits. 🙂
- Stella was 4 weeks old when we started using them (9#14oz) though we could have started sooner in retrospect. I was just afraid of the switch and too exhausted to try. 🙂 She is now 20#+ and wearing the same diapers – she should be able to wear these until she is potty trained. Not bad for a one-time investment of about $300!
- I no longer wash Stella’s clothes with the diapers. I used to do the first cold rinse with just the diapers with a touch of Charlie’s Soap, and then I’d toss all of her laundry in with the hot/cold wash with more Charlie’s Soap. I could probably still do that, but now that Stella eats solid food and her poops are more…potent…I just didn’t feel right about it. I know, I’m weird. Now the routine is (1) cold extra rinse cycle w/dash of detergent, (2) hot/cold wash cycle with extra rinse using half the recommended detergent amount, (3) line dry or dryer dry, depending on the day.
- Once a month or so they sometimes get a little ammonia smell to them, so when that happens, I just put 1/4 cup of bleach in the washing machine and it freshens them right up. I’ve heard a squirt of Dawn dish soap works too.
- Line drying 100% bleaches the liners back to bright white. It’s amazing. After 8 months of daily use, there isn’t a single stain on the diapers.
- We also have had zero issues with any tears or rips in the liners or any issues with the snaps. They look as good as the day we bought them.
- We do have to rinse her poopy diapers off in the toilet now. Breastmilk is water soluble, so if you are breastfeeding, you really don’t have to bother with that in the beginning if you don’t want to – we usually didn’t unless it was a massive poop. Ever since 6 months though, we have just turned the diapers inside out over the toilet, and if it’s a good day, the turn will be semi-formed and just plop out. If it’s a smushy day, it requires the sprayer. That thing is amazing and worth every penny, just be careful not to spray yourself or your feet with it. Ew.
- Wet bags are the shit. I have 1 small (for the short stroller type of excursions – it holds 2 AIOs max), 1 medium (for the diaper bag at daycare or for overnights at Grandma’s – easily holds the 4-5 diapers she goes through at daycare + soiled clothing and burp rags), and 1 large (for in her nursery – easily holds all 15 diapers that we have with room to spare). That seems to work great!
- We got diapers with snaps, not velcro. I’ve heard people say velcro is easier, but it breaks down faster because of lint, etc. that gets in the velcro over time. We have had NO problems with the snaps, and they are easy peasy once you figure out the right settings for the size of your kid. Stella has been in the same size setting for months now, and we’re just now thinking about increasing the rise.
- From about 6-8 months, I have having issues with Stella wetting through her diapers overnight (I wasn’t changing them for about a 10-12 hr span – when she was younger, I would change her diaper in the middle of the night). For that time, I usually used disposables at night, and most nights that worked, though she would even wet through those. However, once we cut back on the night nursing a bit to 1-2x/night instead of 3-4, we have been able to go back to using the cloth overnight no problem (makes sense, right? less nursing = less peeing!).
- I just asked my husband for his feedback. He says, “I like how much they hold, but I’m not a fan of going places with them.” So there is his 2 cents. 🙂 He doesn’t mind them at all at home, but I think he gets nervous that he is inconveniencing his Mom or whomever if we send her places with the cloth. FWIW, his Mom has no problem with them, so the worry is just in his mind. 🙂
So there you go! If you have any specific questions, ask me in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them. Here is another great resource for questions as well.