Yeah for cloth! I cloth diapered Rylee for the first three months, using a diaper service. Our washing machine was a stacked economy thing that would wash about three pair of Joel's jeans when packed to the max. Washing our own diapers was out of the question. But...I read all sorts of things about cloth diapers being better for babies. So, we tried it. After the first three months, we decided to forgo cloth because we were using disposables when away from home. (We used prefolds with a snappi and diaper cover. I only had two diapers covers and they were UGLY! And, Rylee blew out of these diapers waaaay too often.)
Fast forward two years to the twins. Yeah, didn't even cross my mind to do anything but disposables with them! I found the best diaper deal at Costco. When they were itty bitty I liked the Costco brand diapers, and they were the cheapest. I bought a box (about 4 "packs" of diapers) at one time and I'd say we went through them in under two weeks. Thankfully, my friend Summer had initiated a diaper blessing for us and we received oodles of diapers (in various sizes) one Wednesday during youth group (Joel was the youth pastor). But, we still bought plenty of diapers from about month three through potty trained age.
Fast forward a longer period of time to this year. We are using cloth again. First of all, I know LOTS more cloth diapering mamas. Second, the web and blogs and the movement to more natural things has grown immensely in the last five years. Third, I have a sweet friend who offered me the stash of newborn cloth diapers she made for her own son, who is now a year old. Now seven years later (I know...SEVEN YEARS!), I know a whole lot more about cloth diapering than I did during my somewhat unsuccessful time of diapering Rylee.
So, we are using cloth. We are still only using cloth at home. We do this because it just seems easier to us. The diapers we're using right now are all fitted diapers with covers. The fitted diapers all have snaps and there are two kinds of covers. I know one style of covers was purchased, but I think the others were made by Bonnie. You can
go here to see the stash. Bonnie wrote a post when she was still expecting her baby boy to arrive. (There's one stack of quick snap flat wraps that I used a little when Jett was first born, but I stopped using because they seemed to leak more than the fitteds.)
Maybe you think I'm crazy for using cloth diapers. Just to prove I haven't added a ton of work to our lives, I'll answer a few common questions about cloth diapering.
1. Isn't it a lot more work to have to wash diapers all the time?
No. I do about one extra load of laundry every 3 days or so.
2. Don't they stink? Aren't they messy? Do you dunk them in the toilet? etc...
No. I use a diaper pail with a washable waterproof liner. When I change a diaper, pee or poo, I simply take off the fitted diaper and toss it into the pail. I put on a clean fitted diaper and reuse the cover (unless it got soiled, in which case I just throw it in the pail too and get a clean one). Because Jett doesn't eat any solid food, I don't have to rinse the diapers at all. When the pail gets full, I pull out the liner and head to the washing machine. I empty the liner and then throw it in as well. I rinse the load once and then run a hot wash cycle. I use a cloth diaper-friendly laundry soap called Charlie's Soap and always use the large load setting. Then, I throw them in my dryer. That's it!
I've been pleasantly surprised just how easy these cloth diapers are to use. And, I've been even more impressed with how well they contain messes. The style we used with Rylee leaked a lot. These diapers Bonnie made are awesome in quality and they're cute, to boot!
We aren't sure yet what we're going to do once Jett outgrows this stash. I'd love to have some cloth diapers to use at home until he's potty trained. But, we'll see. Last week I scored a MAJOR deal on disposables...$1.99 per package. I don't think I could buy thread for that cheap.
One day when I was browsing through the 'as-is' section at IKEA, I came across a cushion slipcover that was black and white. I grabbed it, figuring I'd someday use the fabric for a bag.
Then, another day I was browsing through the scraps bin at JoAnn Fabrics and came across this lovely yellow and white fabric. Ahhh...the inside of a bag someday!
Well, someday finally came...yesterday.
The bag was pretty easy to make. I didn't have a pattern. The above mentioned blog referred to another blog that had a tutorial on how to make the bag. However, over time the creator of the bag decided to take down the post, improve the instructions for making the bag, and begin selling the pattern. Urgh. Well, thankfully, I had sketched the pattern with measurements. So, I just did it by memory.
I ended up pulling it back apart to modify the shape slightly since my fabric wasn't as long as the pattern called for. My bag is smaller than the one pictured. But, overall, I think it turned out pretty cute!
I was especially pleased that it only took me about two hours to finish the entire thing.
