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.
I love CD updates! Plus, I have been thinking of writing a CDing post myself, at the request or absolutely no one. We use a different diapering system (diaper plus cover), with the one available setting on coin laundry, so things are… different!
I have to agree that SNAPS are the way to go! I had two covers that were velcro and I HATED them. I had to go out and just buy the snaps anyway. Live and learn! We have never once had a leak or blowout with them. We did have an EPIC blowout during the one pack of disposables we had to use when HGB was 11 weeks old and we had to take an unexpected 9 hour road trip. Traumatizing!
I’d love to learn more about the different types of CD out there – you should definitely write it!!
I agree about blowouts. We had ONE blowout in 8 months of using cloth, and it was one of those epic, runny tiny baby poops that there was NO way anything would have contained it.
I bought my first load of cloth diapers (nappies!) the other day. I am going to try part time use meaning use at home and disposable when out to start. It’s also getting warmer so I van hang them out on the line. I am still trying to wrap my head around the inserts and the liners so it will be a slow process! Thanks for the update to motivate me 🙂
Yay! I think it’s a great idea to start part time if you’re nervous about it. There are still random days where I’ll just toss a disposable in the diaper bag if we’ll be somewhere where it would be inconvenient to deal with carting around a wet bag, but those days are pretty few and far between now b/c it’s become so easy and natural. I hope you love it! It has saved us SO much money (yay!!), plus it’s good for the environment, so win/win!
I am so happy that we went back to CD’s. We do have some leaks but that’s because we sometimes forget to check if Matthew needs a new diaper (this is a side-effect of 12 months of using disposables which hold tons of pee) and he’s a heavy wetter. We absolutely must use disposables at night to get him through the night.
We have NEVER, and I mean NEVER, had a blow-out with the CD’s. We had them all the time with disposables. We did use disposables for our trip to Chicago and I was a nervous wreck about the potential blow-outs.
You are so right. We have a lot of cloth diapers for many reasons (they are FUN to buy!) and the longest they can go without washing is 3 days. Holy Ammonia! I’ve got they system down so well now that it doesn’t matter if they go longer, but my nose can’t take it.
I have to give you a MAJOR shout-out (and one to SRB and Jules as well) for supporting our transition back to cloth. You ladies were what I needed to commit to it and I thank you girls!
I’m so glad that you are happy you switched back and gave them another shot! It’s amazing how far they have come since our own childhoods.
So weird– we have to use cloth to get through the night; disposables leak on us! So strange.
We are having problems today as well. What am I doing wrong? Do you stuff them with both liners, or just one? I use two for naps but one for everything else. I may order the hemp ones – they’re supposed to hold more.
Hm..I have no idea. We use AIOs, so no stuffing at all. Jules?
I love the photo you used in this post!!
I’m using the BG Freestyle. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! I miss the EBF poo though and had bought some liners before G was born. Now that his poop has changed the liners have been a lifesaver for me! I tried the Elementals, but one of mine grew mold (ick). So I’ve been hesitant about using them again. I’m a part time CDing mom…Hubby is not into it, so to try and get him to use them more I bought ones with velcro. I HATE them come laundry day. But I’d rather deal with that than buying diapers every couple of weeks.
We *do* use a nighttime disposable though. I had plans to use CDs at night, but then G started sleeping well at night and I didn’t want to tempt fate by trying to figure out the right combo of stuffing and settings. Now we’re trying to get him to sleep through the night again I’d rather do what’s easy for now instead of *also* trying to figure that out. (I know it’s probably easy peasy but it’s so routine now… I plan on doing full time if #2 comes along.)
We have a CD store by us and I could spend all day there! I have been surprised at my willpower to NOT buy diapers since G has come along 🙂 I bought my stash before returning to work and that has been that!
Emma, what liners are you using? I’m still on breastmilk only, but I think liners will be good for when that changes in a few months…
I use the GroVia bio liners. They are flushable so there is less stink to deal with! I’ve only had to dunk the diapers in the toilet twice in the last month and a half since using them, but even then there wasn’t a whole lot of poop that needed to rinsed off because the liner caught most of it. My mom says I should suck it up, but I really don’t like messing with it now 🙂
And PS: I’m glad I’m not the only one who forgets when I last changed my little one. I feel awful when that happens, but it’s hard to remember when I get so caught up in the moment with other things!
We’re still loving cloth diapering too!! 🙂 We have a mixture of different kinds and I keep meaning to write a post on my favs. This is a reminder to do so. We also waited a few weeks to start fully after A was born but mainly because she was too small!
After reading this I also added “cloth diapering” to my list of posts I want to write 🙂
I’m so glad they are still working out. They are so stinking cute (pun intended). I just can’t see myself throwing away 10 diapers a day! That is crazy.
Thanks for the updates! SOunds like things are going very well for you!
You totally convinced me to go with CD from your first post, and I’m so happy with them! I do find that C leaks through them if we go longer than 2-3 hours during the day (totally my fault when it happens, I just can’t always remember when he was last changed!), and at night we just add an extra insert and he’s good to go. He’s only pooping once a week, if that, so I’m still washing them with other laundry, but I bet that will change when it’s real poop. Very glad to hear you still love them!
Oh, and DH is now using them too!!!!!
[…] was this post by Josey that got me thinking about it, as every CD mama seems to have a different way of doing […]
I love cloth diaper posts! This is fun to read the night before my friend and I hit the cloth diaper store 🙂
I’ve been trying to strip and de-stain our diapers with NO success lately. Trying water softener next, even though we have decently soft water here. Sun bleaching didn’t do anything 🙁 Maybe I didn’t leave them out long enough.
I love the pics and where you live, so jealous!
[…] Cloth Diapering – 8 Months In […]