Here's The Dirty On Cloth Diapering

So, I have been cloth diapering exclusively for almost 9 months now.  I wanted to document my routine so that when I'm done with diapering days, I can recall easily for friends or family who may be interested in using cloth too.

WHY CLOTH:

For me, I decided to try cloth diapering because I wanted to save money, avoid paper diaper chemicals, and be more environmentally friendly.  I have to admit, I don't like extra work if there's an easier way around something...especially as a mother of three boys.  Easy is my preference.  Lucky for me, cloth diapering is a LOT easier than I thought it was going to be.  Honestly, I thought I was going to fail miserably at using cloth.  So much so, that I didn't even buy any disposables for Jude before he was born because I didn't want to be tempted by the "easy" way out!  I used the disposables in the hospitals...and that was it!  With about two other exceptions...when I had to borrow a diaper from a friend because I forgot to put a diaper in my bag and another time when we went to Covington for a visit, I forgot to bring my load of diapers I had just dried in the dryer on our trip.  Other than that...it's been cloth all the way!  Even at night!!!

BUYING DIAPERS:

So, let me begin first with what diapers I use.  The first diapers I bought were from Fuzzibunz Diapers.  There was a special of 5 diapers, get one free.  So, my 1st 6 diapers averaged out to be $15/diaper.  Yikes!  This seemed a bit expensive to me.  But I was determined to search for more deals throughout my pregnancy.  The Fuzzibunz diapers I bought are one-size pocket diapers.  They adjust in the leg elastic and the wait elastic.  It is lined with snaps across the waist for a snug and secure fit.  According to other cloth diaper (CD) users, snaps are better than elastic because they last longer in the wash.  I agree.  Fuzzibunz are a very high quality, adorable diaper, in my opinion.  An added benefit to Fuzzibunz is that it's a Lafayette, Louisiana-based business owned by a Louisiana mom!  Love that!  Below is the link to Fuzzibunz.    

shop.fuzzibunz.com

Another mom-based business located in China is called Sunbaby Diapers.  This is where the rest of my diapers come from (24 of them).  At $5/diaper (including shipping) for decent quality pocket diapers, including the inserts, you just can't beat that!!!  Since I've ordered, she has made a size 1 and a size 2.  The diapers I bought from her before she implemented these two sizes is comparable to size 2.  Jude wore these as soon as we came home from the hospital at 9lbs 3oz.  So, I would suggest size 2 if you'd like them to fit longer.  After 9 months of use, I am very pleased with the quality of the diapers.  I've had no wearing problems.

Here is the link to Sunbaby Diapers:

http://www.sunbabydiapers.com

CHANGING DIAPERS:

I'll start with the diaper pail I bought.  I purchased it from Amazon (I love Amazon for most diapering stuff).  It's perfect for cloth diapering.  The wet bag I use to line it fits it perfectly. See pail link below.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009A4FBQ/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00

The diaper pail liner I use is this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039G7YII/ref=oh_details_o03_s01_i00
I bought two so that while one is washing, I can replace the pail with the other one.  It works perfectly!

Here's a video of the diaper pail and the diaper pail liner:

When I change Jude, I do it just like a regular diaper...only instead of throwing it in the trash, it goes in the pail.  There is no need to put water in the pail.  If there is urine or poop from a bottle fed/breastfed baby, just throw it in the pail (no need to rinse).  If your baby is older and the poop is more solid, you'll want to remove the poop and place it in the toilet first (I treated myself to a diaper sprayer http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G6NOYI/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00).  Then just throw the diaper into the pail.

Here's a video of me changing Jude (at 8 months old):

In the video, I forgot to show what I do when I take the diaper off.  I simply remove the diaper, then pull the wet microfiber insert out of the pocket and drop both pieces of the diaper into the pail.  Easy peasy!

Here's a video of the diaper sprayer:

You can even use cloth wipes.  This sounded disgusting to me.  But, if you think about it, when you change a baby with a disposable diaper, you stick the wipe inside the diaper, wrap it up and toss it in the trash.  With cloth diapers, if you use a disposable wipe, you can't just wrap it up in the diaper and toss it...you have to throw it away separately in the trash.  Remember, if I can make my life easier, I will...with cloth wipes, I can just wrap it up in the CD and toss it in the pail!  Surprisingly, it works so much better than disposable wipes too!  And saves more money!  And is more environmentally friendly!  YAY to all of that!

You can buy cloth wipes.  But I chose to just cut up an old flannel receiving blanket into several squares.  You can load the wipes in a Huggies dispenser container and pull them out just like disposable wipes.  The solution you use to make the wipes wet is up to you.  Here's a link with a ton of homemade solution ideas: http://www.zany-zebra.com/cloth-wipe-solution.shtml  You can either add the solution to your stack of wipes, or you can put the solution in a spray bottle and spray a dry wipe (or baby's bottom) with each diaper change.  Here's a video of my routine:

Here's another video of how I store the diapers.  The containers and shelf are from Target and they really are a perfect fit for the diapers.

WASHING DIAPERS:

To wash the diapers, see video below.  I usually do diaper laundry about every 3 days.  Typically if I wash on Sunday, the next time I wash is Wednesday.  It's really not that much more of a commitment.  What's another couple of loads a week amongst the 1-2 loads/day of clothes I already do!?!  Haha!  Here's my diaper laundry routine below:

You do need to use a specific diaper laundry detergent.  It prevents build-up from regular detergents on your diapers.  If your diapers get build-up, they lose their absorbency.  We don't want that to happen.  Since you do diaper laundry separately, this isn't a big deal.  Here's what I use: http://www.amazon.com/Rockin-Green-Classic-Naked-Babies/dp/B003N0JXUW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340648316&sr=8-1&keywords=rockin%27+green

Here is a video of how to stuff/fold the diapers:

Side note:

You should always strip your new diapers after you receive them.  Through manufacturing they can have build up.  Stripping is basically just washing them several times before your first use.  I did 3-5 washes on my new diapers before using them.


NIGHT TIME DIAPERS:

A night time diaper is a more absorbant diaper for overnight.  For me, a night time diaper is just a Sunbaby Diaper with an extra insert.  The insert I use (along with the microfiber insert it comes with) is a hemp insert.  Microfiber is fast absorbing, but holds less than hemp.  Hemp is slow absorbing, but holds a lot more than microfiber.  So, the trick is to layer the two inserts.  The microfiber should be layered on top (closest to baby) and the hemp goes underneath the microfiber.  Makes sense, right...since hemp absorbs slower?!  The night time diapers are a bit bulkier, but they hold that wetness in perfectly!!!  Here is the insert I use. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002FB7FLY/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00  I bought 4 hemp inserts.  I think 4-6 is a good amount to have when considering how many you'll need.  I like to have a few night time diapers prepared ahead of time and that also allows a few days before having to wash again.

COST:

I figured the cost difference between cloth and disposables and it's pretty significant.  I averaged a baby wearing disposables for 3 years, 6-8 diapers/day at $0.22/diaper to be $1445-$1927.  I didn't include the cost of disposable wipes in this.  On the other hand, the cost of my 6 Fuzzibunz diapers and 24 Sunbaby Diapers, diaper pail, two pail liners, hemp inserts, 3 years of diaper laundry soap and splurging with the diaper sprayer...comes out to $533!  Of course there is the extra laundry water costs...but not enough to make up the difference between the two costs.  And if you use the cloth on future children...just imagine the savings!!!

Did you know you're not supposed to put poop in the landfill?!  Kind of crazy to think millions of people put baby poop in the landfill everyday!  I was guilty of it too!  The other crazy thing about disposables...is they can take up to 500 years to decompose!  That's downright depressing when you think of the number of diapers out there.  

And I forgot to mention how cute cloth diapers are too!!!  I love Jude's little fluff butt!

I hope this helps anybody who is thinking about cloth diapering.  As I've heard other CDing mama's say, "today's cloth diapers aren't your mama's cloth diapers!"  

Jude's Surgery

The morning of surgery, Jude was not allowed to eat (nurse) beyond 3am. So, I woke him up just before 3am Thursday morning and nursed him. Then we loaded up and drove to Birmingham. We needed to be there by 5:30am. Jude slept the whole way. We ended up arriving at 5am. I was hoping he'd continue to sleep once we got there, but he was wide-eyed and ready to play. It was 6:00 by the time we were admitted to his room. The entire team that was to work on Jude that morning came into the room and introduced themselves. Everyone was very nice.


Here's Jude in his hospital gown.


It wasn't until about 6:40 or so when Jude started fussing to be fed. He's used to eating after an hour or so from waking up.


So Jason put his feet and hands in the sink and let him play in the water. This distracted him for about 15 minutes, then he remembered he wanted Mommy to feed him.


So then Jason moved on to hospital-glove-balloon entertainment. This worked for another 15 minutes or so. By the time he started getting fussy again to eat, it was just about time for them to take him back. Below is a picture of the doctor's initials on the side of the skull to be operated on.


The nurse who came to get Jude had HUGE hoop earrings on. Instead of worrying about them taking Jude, I was distracted by my worries that Jude would yank her earrings out the instant she carried him off. So, just before she reached out for him, I asked her if she would prefer to remove her earrings because we have quite possibly the fastest, grabbiest baby EVER! She blew it off and said they come out easy if he pulls them. Well, sure enough, Jude went straight for the earrings instantly...distracting him from the fact that someone else was holding him (other than his mom and dad) and walking away from us. {can't say I didn't warn her} Jason and I were relieved to not have him crying as she walked off with him. What a blessing those hoops were!! The next toughest part was waiting for the procedure to be over and getting to see Jude. The doctor came to the room about 45 mins after they took Jude to tell us it went well. He was able to remove the growth without having to remove as much of the inner skull layer as the outer skull layer. He said they'll have the growth sent to pathology and identified by sometime next week. About another 1 hour after that went by before they brought Jude back to us in his room. He was still pretty lethargic from the anesthesia. He nursed a tiny bit, but kept falling asleep. He was super red in the face and feverish feeling. They decided to keep us a bit longer to make sure his fever diminished. I was glad they kept us. I felt a little uneasy taking such a lethargic baby home.


He slept the whole drive home. After a bit of wakeful time once we got home, he slept 3.5 hrs that afternoon. He went to bed a bit earlier than his normal time, but woke around 10pm to eat and again at 3am. Then he slept until 6-ish. Today he's been a bit more on schedule, so I'm hoping he gets back on track with his sleeping schedule.


He's been doing great, other than a little bit of swelling in his face today. Between his eyes and eyebrow area, he seems most swollen. He looks like a different baby. But he's eating, playing, and sleeping well today.


Hopefully tomorrow is even better. Love that boy!!!