We love cloth diapers. People do it for lots of different reasons (the environment, allergies, economics), but for us, it really just boils down to the moola. I haven't calculated exactly how much money cloth diapering has saved us, but it's a substantial amount.
When Lizzy was born, we spent a few weeks of experimenting with prefolds and covers. Once we decided to commit to cloth diapering, we dished out the cash for 12 one-size Bum Genius diapers, which are super easy to use. We freaking loved them and used the same 12, washing every other day, for about 2 years, no complaints whatsoever. We more than got our money out of those.
By the time Maren came along, the elastic and velcro on our trusty BGs needed replacement, so I replaced it myself, which was a royal pain in the butt (ha!), but it gave the diapers an extra year or so of life. Then a few weeks ago, our BGs started leaking, probably just because they've reached the end of their lives.
To replace the diapers, I decided to go with FuzziBunz one-size diapers, for one reason only: the leg elastic is both adjustable and easily removable. When it's time to replace the elastic, you just button in a new piece, no sewing required (I feel like ripping out and sewing in new elastic in the Bum Genius diapers may have weakened the waterproof material, hence the leakage issues we're experiencing now). I also really like the snaps; velcro gets all tangled up with everything in the wash, and I am happy not to be dealing with that anymore. I have to say that the shape of the BGs seem to fit my kids a bit better than the FBs, but ehh, it's a trade-off.
Dirty diapers get disassembled, sprayed with Febreeze, and go in a lidded garbage can that's lined with a nylon laundry sack. I have an HE frontloading washer; I do a full cold wash with no detergent, a "whitest whites" cycle with 1-2 scoops of Rockin' Green, and usually an extra rinse after that. Inserts get tumble dried; the waterproof covers air dry. Everyone washes differently, and it usually requires a bit of tinkering, but there are a zillion online forums and articles out there to help you figure it out. We do use disposable wipes, as well as disposable diapers at nighttime and on vacations. I tried cloth at night, but it's just kind of a pain.
It sounds like a lot of work, but really, once you get it figured out and do it a few times, you go on autopilot and it all becomes a no-brainer. Easy peasy.
If you are new to cloth diapering, don't miss Cloth Diapering 101 on The Cloth Diaper Report. It's the best resource I've found that explains the ins and outs (eeww) of cloth diapering in a clear, user-friendly way. There is a LOT of info out there and you could spend weeks trying to sift through it all.
More questions? Hit me...
12 comments:
I'm almost done with diapers permanently.
Not to worry, I've calculated it for you. We didn't start cloth diapering until our THIRD baby was a year old. Before that, we'd been purchasing disposables non-stop for 6 years--sometimes for two babies at a time. We spent just over $5,700. We were buying expensive Seventh Generation dipes (allergies) but I can't imagine that Pampers or Huggies would have been MUCH different. We recouped the $150 or so we spend on 6 BumGenius and 12 $1 prefolds in about 2 months. Had we used cloth from the get go, we probably could have done something exotic--like taken a cruise or gone skiing in the alps...twice.
I grew up with my mom using cloth diapers with all of us, but I didn't use them with my own. There was always the "ick" factor for me. I remember what my mom went through and it is pretty gross, but she didn't have the lovely diapers that you can get now. I think cloth diapers are great though.
Do you factor in the cost of water/detergent/energy when you calculate the cost? We have to practice water conservation where we've lived for the past 13 years so that was another reason for me not to use cloth.
I checked out the Rockin Green detergent from your link. Do you use that for all of your laundry, or just the diapers? I've been looking for a really good alternative to standard detergents. I've tried a lot of the "green" detergents, but haven't been happy with any of them.
I've used cloth diapers (on and off) for my 5 children. I finally bought Fuzzy Bunz for my youngest and they are the best thing ever. With my other children I would use disposables anytime I went anywhere, at night and any other time I could drum up an excuse. :-) I use the Fuzzy Bunz all the time, except at night. So easy and no leaks.
Nice post. I love using cloth diapers. The new Fuzzibunz (especially with that replaceable, adjustable elastic) are very appealing, but I'll have to wait till I need some replacements for my stash. That time will come soon, I'm sure!
I hear you about nighttime. We use two HUGE toddler prefolds and two covers (one huge Bummis Super Snap and a huge pull on rubber pant over that) at once each night. That's the only leak proof solution for us, including disposables, because we let our 2 year old drink water during the night... Smart, I know.
@ April, local water conservation is a great issue to be conscious of. :) If it sets your mind at ease, disposable diaper manufacturing does use large amounts of water (for cleaning, bleaching, cooling plastic, etc.), and they don't disclose their stats. However, I doubt that these manufacturing facilities are located in very dry places. Also, I love using Charlie's Soap on all of my laundry. It's very eco-friendly and I love how it works. I just got a few samples of Rockin Green, and so far so good!
@April, I use Charlie's Soap for all of my laundry as well. I bought a 5 gallon bucket over two years ago and am only half way through it. A little while ago I was feeling bored of it's unscented-ness and started added a few drops of essential oils to each load. I think Charlie's is great!
Ammie & Erin -
We have serious drought problems where we live so I try to do all I can to save water. I can't in good conscience add to it by adding more laundry. I've never seen a diaper plant in the places I've lived, LOL.
You know, I used Charlies Soap for about 3 years. I started having problems with it about 2 years in but stuck with it. So did my mother. It was strange. The clothes, towels, and sheets weren't smelling clean anymore, they were smelling like they did before I washed them. And my washer smelled so bad. I didn't realize at the time that it was the Charlies Soap causing the washer to smell bad. I tried everything I could to get the smell out of the washer and our clothing. Finally I decided to try something else and bought a perfume/dye-free detergent and the smell went from the washer and our clothing almost immediately and has never returned. The same thing happened to my mom. I hope you don't have the same experience. I found out about Charlie's Soap from an online diapering group ironically.
P.S. I'm using FBs and have them all washed and sized to "newborn"... now just waiting on our baby to arrive! :) And thanks for the great post.
How do you spray the Febreeze or what part of the diaper are you spraying it on? Does it effect the diaper's moisture wicking ability?
Shannel, usually I spray the inserts only. It seems to keep things under control. I haven't noticed any problems with wicking. Cotton Babies sells an odor control spray, which I tried and liked, but it's a lot more expensive. They claim that using anything else will adversely affect the diapers, but I'm skeptical.
ooh, perfect timing for me! i'm in the midst of trying to negotiate this new and strange world of diapering and wondering what diapers we want to use. i definitely know we'll be using cloth diapers, but there are so many out there! i was initially leaning toward gdiapers, but am now thinking those look overly complicated. my next choice is fuzzibunz, so i'm glad to hear that your experience with them has been good.
can i ask: what makes using cloth diapers at night so difficult? is it that you have to deposit poop in the toilet? or that they're complicated to take off and put on? or do they all just leak? i've heard this a lot, but honestly am totally unsure why it's difficult.
thanks, amanda!
Cloth diapering at night is difficult (though some would argue) only when your baby starts sleeping through the night. When they're teeny tiny, you change their diaper just about every time they wake up for a feeding anyway, so it doesn't matter. But if they're sleeping for 8-10-12 hours at a stretch, it can be nigh unto impossible to stuff the diapers with enough inserts so that they won't get completely saturated before morning. Some mamas with heavy wetters go so far as to do like 2 diapers stuff with double the inserts with wool pants over that (wool is a natural diaper cover -- I haven't gone there, but some mamas swear by it). So you get a diaper that's that huge on a baby's booty... ehh, it's just kinda cumbersome. So we opt for disposables.
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