The Distractable Mommy

Something I’ve not explored much here, if only to keep from seeming aloof or holier-than-thou, is our use of cloth diapers. We made the switch to cloth after 2 months of hauling 2 bags a week of dirty diapers to the trash. The guilt just got to me. I knew we were going through diapers like crazy, but seeing them go out the door and into the trash really changed how I saw things. I sat down one evening and did the math.  We would have to shell out some money up front, but after only 3 months, the diapers would pay for themselves, and every month afterwards, we’d save money. Our reasons weren’t just financial. I’d been more and more aware of the waste we were producing, as we filled two large trashcans full of trash in a week, and oftentimes, more than that. I began trying to cut back on what we threw away, tried to eat leftovers more, but still, our trash seemed to multiply.

So with much hesitation, we switched to cloth. I wasn’t entirely sure that I’d stick with it, so I didn’t make a huge deal about it. But here we are, 6 months later, and we’re still using cloth diapers. Believe it or not, I love cloth diapering. I love not having the waste we had. I love hanging them out to dry on the laundry line outside. I love folding them into nice, neat little piles. And I love how adorable the covers are, giving both Shepherd and Colette some definite “junk in the trunk”.

We have tried pocket diapers and plain old prefolds with covers. We’ve found that the best and easiest system for us is the prefolds with covers, which actually is the cheapest option to use.  I highly recommend Green Mountain Diapers for your cloth prefolds, as well as your covers. They seem to have the best quality around. Our favorite covers are the Bummis Super Brites and the Thirsties. Both have held up surprisingly well with all of the washes we’ve put them through.

We didn’t start off with cloth with Colette, and started when she was 2 months old, so we skipped the whole newborn diaper stage. My experience was that it was just too complicated to do cloth that first month or two. Once we did get started, we could start with the infant sizes.

For someone getting started after a few months, I’d suggest 2 dozen infant prefolds (yellow edge), and then 2 dozen regular premium (brown edge).  That will cover you from birth to potty training. I’d also recommend getting 6 small covers and 6 medium covers (if you’re going with the Bummi Super Brite). I wouldn’t purchase the large covers until you see if your child will actually outgrow the medium size.  Shepherd never actually grew out of his mediums, but since Colette was in need of mediums, we went ahead and purchased the larges for Shepherd. We recently purchased a few Thirsties covers, and absolutely LOVE them.  They’ve become my new favorite cover, as they are available in solid colors (and cute ones too!). I’d also recommend getting gender neutral colors, as you will be able to reuse these diapers for future children, as well as re-sell them once you are done. Gender neutral colors tend to sell much better and faster than others. In addition to the diapers and covers, we purchased a few (6)hemp day doublers to give the diaper some added absorbency for outings and nap times. Another thing we’ve recently added are the terrycloth inserts from the pocket diapers (since we’ve since stopped using them as much) to the middle of the diaper for a super absorbent overnight diaper.

The pocket diapers were wonderful at first, and we still use them for grandparents and church people. However, they tend to get detergent build-up rather fast, and aren’t quite as absorbent as the cotton prefolds. We had trouble with ours leaking, even though I followed washing directions to a T.  However, we did like them for a while, and the grandparents love them, if only for their ease of use, as they function a lot like disposables. We tried Fuzzi Bunz, Happy Heinys One Size, and the BumGenius OneSize. Of those, our favorites were the last two. The BumGenius had the least buildup problems, and looked newer longer than the Happy Heinys, however, we did recently have one tear at a snap, and are waiting on a replacement diaper.  The Happy Heinys were the best value, in my opinion, and if you were to do pockets, I’d highly recommend them, as buying 16-24 of them will get you from birth to potty training. But like I said, both Forrest and my favorite system is the cloth prefolds and PUL covers.

Another thing you’ll need in cloth diapering is a diaper pail. We purchased a pedal step pail at Wal-Mart for $10, then bought 2 wet pail liners. Our favorite (and only one we use) liner is the WHAMIES pail liner. They run about $16 a piece, but you will want 2 or 3 of them. That way, when one is being washed, you can replace the liner and start using the diaper pail even if the other diapers and the liner isn’t clean yet.

So, to set up our current system for 2 months old-potty training (which we love), you’d shell out the following:

2 dozen infant prefolds: $50.00

2 dozen regular prefolds: $59.90

6 small Bummis Super Brite: $73.50

6 medium Bummis Super Brite:  $73.50

4 large Bummis Super Brite: $49.00

6 hemp day doublers: $15.30

6 Small Mother of Eden Microfiber Inserts: $15.00

2 dozen Cotton Babies Flannel wipes: $19.98

1 step lid trash can: $14.99

2 Whamie pail liners: $33.90

For a grand total of : $405.07

Assuming you only have one child, and a very conservative estimate of one box of diapers a month (ha!) at $28 a box, you’d spend $1008 from birth until potty training. So, you save $602 in 3 years. However, you and I both know that you use way more than one box a month… and if you have more than one child, you can multiply the savings even further.

For us it works. For others, it wouldn’t. None of my friends cloth diaper, and I honestly don’t think any less of them. I believe that it is a personal choice everyone makes, and it does not make you a better mother or father just by cloth diapering. My main purpose in writing this, has been at the suggestion of a few friends to sit down and write what it is I do in cloth diapering so that they may see what all is involved. Hopefully, you’ve found this post helpful, and if not, my deepest apologies!