Thursday, January 20, 2011

Cloth Diapery Cuteness

In October, Andy and I made the decision to start cloth diapering.  I know this sounds silly, but the main reason we started using them was that we were SO tired of leaks/blowouts.  We constantly had a bucket of Oxi-Clean in the sink, which would take care of the blowout stains, but it was just a PAIN to always be stain-treating clothes.

I had always been apprehensive of switching because it grossed me out a little bit thinking of touching wet diapers and washing out poopy ones.  Well, first off, when you're dealing with blowouts, you often end up touching poop anyway, and secondly I learned about a little thing called a diaper sprayer.  My sisters who both cloth diaper were especially helpful in helping me figure out the ins and outs of cloth diapering.  Without them leading the way, I'm sure I never would have even known about cloth diapering.

Monica loaned me some Kissaluv Contours and a Thirsties cover and a Snappi so that I could try my hand at it before buying anything.  We were thrilled with how well they contained everything, and they really weren't that much trouble.  At that point, we decided to take the plunge.  I found some Kissaluv Hybrid Contour diapers (meaning they have elastic in the legs, but aren't really a fitted or a pre-fold) that I thought looked nice, so I ordered 9 of them as well as 4 Thirsties Duo covers, some Snappis and of course, a diaper sprayer!  I also ordered some Rockin Green soap to wash the dipes in as I had read very good reviews about it and Ruby had gotten a pretty bad diaper rash from a Free/Clear detergent.

For about 6 weeks, we washed dipes every other day (9 diapers don't last very long!)  (I waited a month for a rewards credit from the website I ordered them from.)  It was kind of a pain, but worth waiting for the credit.  Now we have 23 diapers.  I wash them about twice a week now, so that's a LOT easier!

Now, I'm not going to say that it is all flowers and hearts.  Cloth diapering is a little bit more work/trouble than good old disposables (which we still use at night - again - diaper rash issues)  but since we started using them, we have not had a single blow-out/leak.  At. All.  And we've had some FULL diapers.  That is reason enough for me to give them my stamp of approval.  And God-willing, we'll have lots more kids and get to reap the benefits financially as well!  (In my opinion, if you're going to cloth diaper only one child, the cost difference between disposables with coupons/sales, and cloth diapers is minimal - it's when you have MORE kids that they start to pay for themselves. - Well, that and the fact that you could probably sell your cloth diapers after using them for one child only.)

Now, for your patience in listening to me blather on about diapers, I will reward you with a cute picture.  Enjoy!!

7 comments:

Megan said...

Interesting! I've read a lot about cloth diapers and think they sound great....but just not for me. Ha. I'm too lazy I think. But good for you! Glad to hear you enjoy them!
Are you using PhotoShop for your edits?

Michelle said...

yes, Photoshop. I really do enjoy it now that I know how to work in it better. If you have it and are looking for pointers, try graphicreporter.com. She has an awesome selection of step by step tutorials!

Debi said...

Very cool photo!! I'm with Megan...just too lazy!!

Kansas Mom said...

We've been using disposables for a month now between traveling and me being sick, but I'm starting the cloth again tomorrow and can hardly wait. Second Son had four blow out diapers on Tuesday. Four!! That simply doesn't happen with the cloth.

Mary Elizabeth said...

I can vouch for cloth diapers over the long-term. We started using cloth when our youngest was about 3-months-old. We still use the same diapers now on our fourth child. We have not had to throw any away yet and they are all still white (given I can hang them out in the sun - and even if they are stained after a washing, if I use them, wash them and then hang them in the sun, they come out white the second or third or whatever time around). I hope you enjoy your cloth as much as we do - but don't ever feel guilty for using paper now and then (especially at night) - I think the PERFECT cloth diaper is still waiting to be invented :)

Blessings!

Angie said...

Yay cloth diapers!

Stephaniewhite said...

yeah for cloth diapers! We use bumGenius one size diapers and Flip diapers. I started when my 2 year old was 7 months...so we've done it for quite a while now! My 1 month old is wearing them now :) It is an investment, and more work, but I feel good doing it (even when people tell me I"m crazy!) I wash 2 times a week now with Planet powder detergent...but now that Hailey is using them, I am going to buy some more...and wash more often again (i used to do it every other day). Have fun with your cloth diapering experience!