7 months into my 12 step program

I started my cloth diapering 12 step program the day my daughter was born, I stopped buying fluff – amazing huh? She was my first child and as a first time mom, I was so overwhelmed with caring for her, I had no time to look at or research cloth diapers. {If you read my first post “They have a 12 step program for that right?” {(Original Article){scroll down} you will understand.} I got through the first 3 weeks ok, AND THEN I was able to start thinking coherently, I had some routines down and started having some free time during the day when she was sleeping. So, off to the computer I went to catch up on my email and the cloth diapering blogs and boards.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED. I FELL OFF THE WAGON. I had purchased a variety of newborn diapers, and did not like two of the styles because they didn’t fit my daughter’s build and we were getting leaks. So rational dictated that it wouldn’t hurt to replace just those diapers with my favorite bumGenius Newborn AIO because I could resell them and recoup some of my money back.

That was the beginning of the end because a month later she was big enough to fit into her one sized diapers. That is when the ONGOING CHECKLIST started. She was sleeping through the night at seven weeks – yes I know I am very lucky - so I needed hemp doublers, check, bought 6. The hemp was so great, and my daughter is a HEAVY wetter, so double check; I replaced my entire microfiber stash with hemp inserts, a luxury but, wow, the BabyKicks Hemparoo Joey Bunz hemp is amazing.

I then thought I might have to change my wash routine because of the hemp, so check, I bought Tiny Bubbles, bumGenius and Rockin Green detergent to try out along side with my Charlie’s Soap. I read about funky smells - check, I bought some Bac-Out in case I needed it. I worried I may have to strip my diapers - check, I bought a box of calgon and some packets of RLR. Then of course I needed to get a bottle of blue dawn. FINALLY, I figured I was done, complete and I had it all – checklist was completed - I was ready to get back on the wagon.

Then, when trying to climb back up on the wagon - THE WAGON WENT AND ROLLED OVER ME. It happened, the BUMGENIUS FREETIME DIAPER. I.WAS.IN.LOVE. Check, I initially bought 2 just for fun to try them out. They were so easy to rinse with the diaper sprayer – those flaps just hang over the toilet easy peasy and the new colors Dazzle and Einstein were calling my name. I now have 7 more on the way. Truth be told, I’m trying to figure out a way to replace my entire stash with these diapers, however, I doubt my husband will go for it. I guess I’ll have to wait for baby #2 and use the “some diapers are worn out and need to be replaced line” before I can get some more.

What is surprising through all of this is that I am STILL saving money over disposables, even after all this spending. Off of my original stash of diapers we broke even with the cost of disposables when my daughter turned 5 months old. With the additional spending and the extra hemp, it went to approximately 9 months. So, depending upon when my daughter begins to potty train, I figure I should have about a year and a half of free diapering – and that doesn’t even include the savings I’ll have with child #2.

BIO: Brenda is a first time mom. She quit the financial word fast lane to become a full time mom at age 41 – and doesn’t regret the decision for one minute. She has a very understanding fluff loving husband named Mike and a beautiful daughter named Camden who has the cutest fluffy butt in the world.

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Cloth Diapering "Irish Twins"

A little over a year ago I gave birth to our second son. 9 months after our first one. That’s right, 9 months. My boys are 9 months and one week apart from one another.

At the time I was not cloth diapering. I had looked into it with my first son but was overwhelmed by all the options and the start up costs that would incur. But with the rising costs of diapering two children, I needed to look for other options.

In order to make cloth diapering a success for us, I have had to figure out the best way to maximize our budget while still getting diapers that work for both boys.

First, I had to make a decision about whether or not they were going to share diapers. While I know that some moms find this to be a disgusting idea, and I can completely understand where they are coming from, I was not one of those. I knew that I would be sanitizing them in between each child wearing them, so I was not concerned.

Second, I needed to decide which kind of diaper I was going to spend the most money on. I discovered that I prefer the pocket diapers the most. But I knew, with a bit of research, that having some covers with flats, inserts, and prefolds as another option, would stretch my budget even more, and also allow for some versatility.

Third, I had to decide whether I wanted to go with sized diapers, or one-size diapers. For me, this was a pretty simple decision. It didn’t make much sense to me to buy a bunch of multiple sized diapers. While I do have a few sized diapers in my stash, the majority can be adjusted to fit either boy. At first this was important because they were of very different sizes. Now that they are both bigger they can fit on the same rise, simply with an adjustment of the waist.

Fourth, I thought about how often I wanted to be washing diapers. I knew that I didn’t want to be washing them every single day. But I also knew that we couldn’t afford to buy enough diapers to go too long in between washes. So I had to come up with the perfect number for my kids. Each child is different in the amount of diaper changes are necessary in a day. I kept track of how many changes I was doing on a regular basis and then bought that number of diapers I would need in order to wash every other day. That was then my goal number of diapers to purchase.

Fifth, I looked for sales. This was really important in order to get the most out of our money. I tried out a few different diapers and then watched for the ones I liked the most to go on sale. I was fortunate because Kellys Closet had a marvelous sale on said diapers at the time that I wanted to buy a bunch. I also looked online for creative ways to cloth diaper on the cheap using unconventional items (ie. flour sack towels as flats in covers).

Sixth, have fun! I was excited to receive my “fluffy” mail. And I was proud that I was making an impact on the world, our budget, and most importantly, my little guys’ bums.

Dana G is the proud stay at home mother of 2 handsome baby boys and the wife of a marvelous man who serves our country in the Air Force. You can check out more of her tips and stories on adaynasmile.wordpress.com.

Snaps or Velcro: Which is better?

In all my research on cloth diapers, the overwhelming response to the age-old question, “Snaps or Velcro?” was a resounding: snaps. Velcro gets pilly. Velcro wears out. Older babies figure out how to undo Velcro and take their diapers off, etc. All answers pointed to snaps, and I was satisfied. The first diapers in my stash were all snaps and I was pleased. They were easy to put on, they stayed put, and my husband didn’t mind them either.

Then two things happened: 1. I went back to work part-time and would be having a nanny (a wonderful young lady who had never heard of cloth diapers) watch my daughter, and 2. My daughter mastered what we call “the death roll” and diaper changes went from a fun, bonding experience to an Olympic event. My decision to swear off Velcro because of its downsides quickly reversed. All of a sudden Velcro sounded wonderfully easy for an inexperienced nanny and extremely quick and efficient to put on.

We purchased 6 bumGenius pockets with hook and loop closures (i.e. Velcro). They came, I prepped, and we tried them out. I was instantly in love. They are quick, efficient, and they fit like a glove around her thighs and waist every time. Do I still love my snaps? Of course, but my Velcro serve a wonderful purpose in my stash that I never knew I would need.

There are definitely still downfalls to Velcro aside from the common wear and tear. Although I remember to put them back on their laundry tabs each time, it isn’t usually on my husband or nanny’s mind to remember to do so. This typically isn’t a problem unless it’s a poopy diaper. Velcro + poop = a mess! My mother in law also likes to treat them like a disposable, because they are similar to one, and will roll them up and use the Velcro tabs to stick to the outside of the diaper (much like you would roll up a disposable and fasten the tabs around it to create a “ball”). This snags the diapers and makes my skin crawl! With Velcro, there is more reminding of others that you don’t have to do with snaps.

Downfalls aside, I would say I actually prefer Velcro. So if you are researching cloth diapers for a future baby, or if you were swayed in the “only snaps!” direction like I was, take note. Velcro has its place in a cloth diapers stash and serves a wonderful purpose that snaps do not.

Bio: Michelle is a part-time stay at home mom to a beautiful 9 month old baby girl. When she isn’t scouring the Internet for fluff deals, she can be found reading, running, and hanging out with her husband and baby girl.

Ins and Outs of Newborn Diapers

Diapering a newborn should come easily to me as a mother of four, but when you combine the pure lack of sleep with having three other “littles” in the house (I have four children, my oldest is only five), and having not one but two in diapers-it still is a little hectic. These are my findings and my advice for new moms.

I am currently using cloth diapers on my newborn, but she is the fourth child I’ve used cloth diapers on. I didn’t even realize people still used cloth until my oldest was almost ready to potty train and my second born was three months old. I switched, but naturally I didn’t deal with newborn diapering.

When pregnant with my third I stepped tentatively into using cloth on a newborn. It wasn’t as hard as I thought, but due to budget issues she was using cloth part time. Fast forward to the present and my newest baby…who is at present 90% cloth diapered. I prefer cloth to disposables, but unfortunately I have small babies and newborn diapers are not cheap-or used very long.

Overall cloth diapering will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars. I know it has our family. However, most newborn cloth diapers cost quite a bit and are not worn very long. We have five different kinds of newborn diapers and I will share the pros and cons we’ve found with each.

We have four Lil’ Joey’s from Rumparooz. They have CUTE written all over them and are an adorable size. However, these diapers are not for everyone. My babies are pretty small by most people’s standards-my smallest was 5 lbs 3 oz and my biggest 7 lbs 1 oz.. My babies are also built thin. Lil’ Joey’s have only fit my (youngest two) children till they hit nine pounds and then they are too small. Considering average babies are born closer to eight pounds and grow often half a pound a week, these aren’t for everyone. We’ve been fortunate to get to use them for about six weeks for each of my daughters.

I have one Happy Heinys Mini one size pocket diaper and it has been my favorite this time around. My daughter couldn’t wear it until she hit about seven pounds without it leaking, but now it is fantastic! The sizing is such that she will be able to wear it quite a bit longer than the Lil Joey’s and it fits her slim figure like a glove. I have another one on order to arrive this week. Can’t say enough good things about it!

I have one Thirsties size one Duo diaper and I also love that it is smaller than our regular one size pockets but started fitting both of my daughters when they hit eight pounds (manufacturer says six pounds, but my girls were both too skinny and it leaked). Thirsties diaper covers with prefolds were how I started cloth diapering, and will always have a special place in my heart.

Rounding out my newborn stash is a Newborn Pro Wrap (the only diaper I didn’t get from Kelly’s Closet) and a Bummis Super Brite Newborn diaper cover. I use a collection of small prefolds with these. I prefer pockets, but when budget matters, this is probably your best bet.

My advice to a first time mom-to-be would be to invest in the Happy Heinys. They are easy to use, will fit (most) newborn babies, and can be used longer than other brands poundage wise. If you are planning on having multiple children, go ahead and invest in a newborn stash as well as one for when your baby gets bigger. If you are only planning on having one or maybe two children it gets tougher…you really don’t know how big your babies will be and often babies don’t wear newborn size anything more than a week or so making a complete newborn stash pretty pricey for the time you’ll use it. However, cloth is always better for the environment and you can always sell or donate any diapers you no longer have any use for.

I probably would not recommend a first time mom to start off with prefolds/snappis/ and covers. Having a newborn has a huge learning curve of its own, let alone a diapering system that isn’t completely easy. Your first few weeks with your baby will be hard enough-getting the hang of nursing, all-nighters, and what her cries mean are challenging enough. Take it easy on yourself. Plus, you want daddy on board with cloth diapers, and trust me, pockets and all-in-ones are the fastest way to a man’s diaper heart.

My final newborn cloth diapering advice would be to get that diaper sprayer and install it while your baby is still small. If you are nursing exclusively there is absolutely no need to use it on your baby’s diapers until they start solids. However, the diaper sprayer also has a learning curve and it is always nicer to learn on a clean diaper than a dirty one that sometimes, when sprayed, the contents of the diaper may hit the wall…or your face…just sayin’.

Jenney is a mother of four and home daycare provider. She blogs about cloth diapering and raising her kids at www.thedraystoday.blogspot.com