Cloth Diapers are Gross!

I am a total Suzie Homemaker, occasional hipster, urban farmer, and environmentalist.  I drive a Prius, recycle e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, and hang dry my clothes (most days).  I am the epitome of what a true Oregonian is.  To. The. Core.  However, the thought of washing cloth diapers makes me cringe.  It doesn't matter how many disposable diapers would be saved from landfills.  It's just gross and I won't do it.  So, I guess that would make me an occasional environmentalist, because a hard-cord hipster would just suck it up.

My husband and I tried a diaper service with our first born son.  Each week, we got a nice, clean stack of cloth diapers.  We would run the pins through our hair to help them glide through the fabric... the many layers of fabric.  On paper, this sounds so nice and easy, but I left out the part with the screaming, impossibly uncooperative baby.  I left out the part that diaper pins are impossible, it does not matter how many times one slicks them through their hair.  We lasted (correction: my husband lasted) about three weeks.

Two years later, we had another son.  We didn't even try.  This baby screamed more than the first and our stress levels were a bit (understatement) elevated due to raising two little boys.  Excuses, excuses... I know.

Skipping ahead four years, we had yet another son (oy vey).  The thought of trying cloth diapers whooshed out of my mind, just as quickly as the idea stumbled in there.

"There is no way on God's green earth that I will have time to cloth diaper my son, while chasing the older two boys around," I convinced myself.

That was, until my sweet friend nonchalantly told me about her experience.  Diaper services and pins are no longer a required element of the process.  Apparently, there are geniusly designed adjustable diapers that can just go in the wash.  Just as I was about to spit out more excuses as to why cloth diapers aren't for me, she said something that stuck.  She told me that just because you're using cloth diapers, doesn't mean you don't always have to use cloth diapers.

Wait, what?

Going out of town?  Use disposable diapers.  Don't want to mess with them at night?  Use disposable diapers.  All of the handy-dandy cloth diapers are in the wash?  Use disposable diapers.  I'm not sure why this was so revolutionary for me, but it was.  So, you can cloth diaper your child, but if it's inconvenient, it's okay to use a supplement.  It's okay to do what works for you.

Duh.

That was it.  My husband and I were both in.  We planned to save some money and buy a stockpile of 20-24 reusable diapers and a couple wet/dry bags (we did our research).  They cost a pretty penny, but after doing some math we realized that our stockpile would cost the same as one year's worth of disposable diapers.  These diapers should last until our son is potty trained, so in the long run we would be saving money.

Then,  my sweet sister did something wonderful and unexpected.  She threw my husband and me a diaper shower.  Our amazing family and dear friends showered us with both reusable and disposable diapers, wet bags, and diaper detergent.  We were overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness and generosity.  Now, we were all ready.  Well, except for the baby part.

On June 1st, we had our third son, Beau.  Sweet, sweet Beau.  We used disposable diapers for the first six weeks.  That allowed us to get used to our new roommate and for little man to heal from his circumcision properly.  After that, we were ready to give cloth diapers a go.

Here's what we learned...

• STOCKPILE:  Have a stockpile of 20-24 cloth diapers on hand.  That way, you'll have enough to get you through wash day.  We have 14 diapers right now and can't quite get through laundry day and I don't want to wash diapers daily.  We like the BumGenius elemental diapers, but there are many different brands that are just as smart.

• WET BAGS:  Put the used diapers in a wet bag (we like this one too).  You'll want two of these so you can rotate on laundry day.  I even got a smaller one for when we're out for the day.  I may try a metal trash can with the reusable pail liners, because the snap handle of the wet bags doesn't hold when the bag gets too heavy.  Whichever method you choose, get two liners so you can rotate on laundry day.

• NO DIAPER CREAM:  Avoid getting diaper cream on the cloth diapers.  Use either a cotton insert or disposable liner to create a barrier.  When using the cloth liner as a diaper cream barrier, keep in mind that those liners must be washed separately from your diapers.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  We bought a box of disposable liners and they work just fine.

• REUSABLE WIPES:  Since you're using cloth diapers, you might as well use reusable wipes too.  We made ours out of old flannel receiving blankets and fabric remnants from my older boys' homemade pj pants.  (Note: Use regular old wipes to clean up diaper cream to avoid getting diaper cream on your reusable wipes and/or cloth diapers.)

• WIPE WARMER:  Store your flannel wipes in a Prince Lionheart Warmies Wipe Warmer.  It's fancy.  The recipes for wipe solution that come with the warmer work great.  

• LAUNDRY DAY:  Wash your diapers, wipes, and wet bag every two days (at least).  Just throw it all in the wash (that's why you'll want two wet bags).

• GENTLE DETERGENT:  We were gifted the bumgenius detergent.  It works well, but I'm sure my homemade detergent is gentle enough too.  For my homemade detergent, I grate three (3) Fels Naptha bars and mix them with a 4 lb. box of washing soda, 4 lb. box of baking soda, and a box of borax (2-3T./load).

• WASHING DIAPERS:  To wash your diapers and wipes, you'll run three cycles.  1st Cycle:  Half of a scoop of gentle detergent.  Cold wash/Cold rinse or warm/cold.  2nd Cycle:  Full scoop of detergent.  Hot wash/Cold rinse.  3rd Cycle:  No detergent.  Cold wash/Cold Rinse.

• DRYING DIAPERS:  To dry your diapers and wipes, put them in the dryer with a wool dryer ball (add essential oils, if that's your thing) on low heat OR hang those cute diapers out to dry.

• STAIN REMOVAL:  To remove stains from your diapers, line dry on a sunny day.  It's amazing how quickly the stains come out.  Uh-mazing!

• DISPOSABLE DIAPERS:  Don't stress.  It's okay to use disposable diapers when it's laundry day, you have a sitter, you're going out of town, at night, etc.  

So far, this process hasn't been horrible like expected.  The world wide web, our friends, and social media acquaintances have been an invaluable resource - with them, we've just about figured this cloth diaper thing out.    Yah, cloth diapers are gross, but so are disposable diapers.  It feels good to use cloth diapers to avoid throwing so many disposable diapers in the trash.  I feel like I'm doing my part.  My best advice would be to figure out a system that works for your family and your budget; stay organized; and don't stress over what other people are doing/not doing.  That's it.

What do you think?  Willing to give it a go?  Do you have any cloth diaper tips and tricks?  Do tell...

Thanks for stopping by.
Until next time...

Leslie-Anne