Time for a change!

While I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter Elenore, a few people would ask me if I was planning on using cloth diapers or disposable diapers. Having grown up only exposed to disposable diapers I would quickly rattle off my reasons why I would only ever use disposables. My main argument was that I didn’t have a washer and dryer. The truth was, I knew nothing about them!

I remember the day that I was first introduced to BumGenius. Elenore was 6 months old and I had found a You Tube video that explained exactly how they worked. I was amazed that they were no longer my grandmother’s diapers. From that moment I was hooked! The moment my poor husband came home he was bombarded with information that he really had no desire to ever know. It took me about 48 hours of obsessing before he finally relented and told me that I could have 50 dollars to spend on starting my self a stash. For any of you who know anything about pocket diapers you know that 50 dollars doesn’t get you very far. But like I said before, I was clueless.

I strapped Elenore in the peanut shell and walked the few blocks to my local Eco-Friendly baby store.

Because of my budget I ended up walking away with two dozen prefold diapers at 22.00 a dozen, one Snappi, one Wonder Wraps diaper cover, and a wealth full of information. The clerk tried to convince me that I would need more then one cover but I had a budget! (Little did I know that I would come crawling back to the store only the next morning to buy another Wonder Wraps and a Bummis cover after my darling one decided to have a blow out).

My total expenses to date on diapering are around 85 dollars as opposed to my budgeted 50 dollars a month. We would have spent over 350 dollars in the past 6 months we have been cloth diapering.

Cloth diapering has changed the way I think all together. Where as I would have previously distinguished things like cloth nursing pads and mama rags as “yucky” I now see them as tools to enhance the things I encounter every day! I have no idea how I used disposable nursing pads for so long those things are so scratchy! Using cloth diapers has also opened me up to a whole new group of wonderful mommies I never would have met.

It is amazing how when you step out of your comfort zone you can be opened up to a world of opportunities and friendship.

My advice to anyone thinking about using cloth diapers is to not be afraid! There are so many wonderful moms and dads (!) out there who would just love to answer any questions you might have. Making the change is possible and well worth it!

Time for a change!

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Against the Grain

You know I've always been the weird one in our family when it comes to doing certain things. I tend to go against the grain I suppose because sometimes it feels so good. My dream was to be a wife and mother (I know to some it seemed ridiculous because what would I do with the rest of my time?), I would rather sew something for half the price it would cost me to buy it, I decided to breastfeed (why wouldn't I just bottle feed?), I just am starting to home-school (what am I doing to my poor child?) and now I cloth diaper?!?!

One day when I was opening registries for my baby shower I came across disposable liners for cloth diapers and got me thinking. I started reading and reading and reading and boldly told my husband I would give it a shot, I don't think he was optimistic. All I we heard about cloth was negative and I had even been told that babies get more rashes with cloth! I sat there thinking about how for 3 years we had just thrown money away over and over with each diaper change just because its what you do, you just buy disposable diapers for your baby. I was flabbergasted when I read that to diaper one child from birth to potty trained can cost between $1500 to $3000 and it made me determined to try.

Shortly after my son was born I ordered some really inexpensive prefolds and diaper covers. They were thin and leaked if I didn't change it quickly but I liked it for some reason. I didn't seem like the burden everyone claimed it to be. I started doing more research on diaper quality and couldn't believe the variety there is and at the same time the prices of some of the diapers! For budget purposes I decided to go with Chinese prefolds and Wonderwrap one size covers. I bought my snappis and some Kushie disposable liners and was set! I haven't had a leak or rash with the cloth except for the time I put him back in sposies for an outing. I like to do the newspaper fold and the snappi makes it easy to clip securely, then I just put the cover over it and no leaks ever! I've since also gotten 3 one size BumGenius that we use at night and a thirsties cover that is wonderful because its so thin and roomy over the prefolds. The best part is that since my stash consists of premium size prefolds and one size covers and BGs my almost 2 year old can use them too.

Since I was on a roll with the diapers I thought about the wipes too and made myself a few dozen out of our older towels and receiving blankets and they work so much better than the disposable wipes especially with the aloe and caress soap mixture I use. They get so clean and are so fresh and their bottoms never dry out. It makes me feel like a super mom, lol.

It really makes me proud to be a part of a group of families that have decided that its important to be informed and do what is best for our children and ourselves. I just love holding my little son in his cloth diped bum. For right under $200 I got everything I would need to diaper him and my middle daughter until they learn to use the potty. There are so many other diapers I want to try but if I don't get a chance it still feels so good to say that I'm not taking thousands of dollars and putting them in the trash anymore.

My advice for anyone who thinks its terrible would be to try it for 2 days, you won't go back!


- by Tani

Against the Grain

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Works for our 2

I have three kiddos and two of them are in dipes, am I ready for my 2 year old to potty train? Well she is trying and I'm not going to push, she will get it before I know it. My son is 3 months now and since I ventured into cloth diapering because of him I figured why not with my daughter also (especially because her sposies are so much pricier).

Since I was buying to save money I decided to buy prefolds (PFs) and one size covers and some one size dipers. I have bleached chinese PFs (12) and unbleached chinese PFs (12) 4 snappis and 4 WonderWraps which I love, no leaks ever! I also have 1 med Thirsties cover and 1 small. My BumGenius OS 3.0 I reserve for overnight (my daughter is a heavy wetter), I have 6 in gender neutral and just added a blossom AIO for my daughter, just figured I could splurge on one girly dipe and I am hoping to add a few GroBabys into our mix.

Our stash works really well for 2 in diapers that are different ages because with the pfs you can fold them for each child depending where they need the most absorbancy. For my son I use the newspaper fold and for my daughter the jelly roll works great and then the BumGenius you can add the amount of inserts each kid needs for absorbancy. The best part is not having to make sure I have enough of each size in my diaper bag for outings or running to the store because I'm out of dipes. I do laundry every 2 days but I don't run out of clean ones because I have plenty of PFs. I can't imagine going back!


- By Tani

Works for our 2

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Back to Basics with Prefolds!

All too often we talk about how “easy” and “modern” cloth diapering has become… no more folding diapers and using pins and rubber pants. And, while I genuinely appreciate the advances in cloth diapering, I also appreciate the simplicity of prefold diapers too!

Now, I know some of you are a little intimated by prefolds… I, myself, thought there was no way in the world I would like prefolds; so much so I bought a couple dozen used prefolds so I could save my money for other diapers I liked better. However, after having experimented with them, I fell in love with their overall versatility and, believe it or not, their ease of use!

Prefold diapers, typically made from 100% cotton twill, are very absorbent, easy to clean and VERY multi-purpose! They can be fastened with either good old-fashioned diaper pins, a Snappi, or don’t fasten them at all – simply tri-fold the diaper and stuff it inside a diaper cover for a super quick and easy diaper change!

Oftentimes I recommend prefolds and covers to parents for the early weeks, especially when babies are little poo factories! Honestly, it never fails; just as soon as you put that fresh new diaper on, you hear the gurgle and the ensuing explosion! While Pocket diapers and All-in-One diapers are convenient, it is a lot of wear and tear on a diaper, especially if you’re using One-Size diapers which you intend to last for a few years! Prefolds are a perfect solution.

Prefolds are a wonderful staple in the cloth diapering world. It’s the only cloth diaper, Flat diapers aside, which can not only be used as a diaper, but as an insert for a Pocket diaper, a burp cloth, a household cleaning rag, and they do wonders for polishing furniture or even your car!

Prefolds can easily be dyed or tie-dyed for a splash of color too. Able to withstand more vigorous washes, these diapers last for years giving you the greatest value for your money!

Additionally, prefolds provide you with a plethora of diaper covering options! PUL covers such as Thirsties or One-Size Wonder Wraps diaper covers are wonderful, relatively inexpensive and long-lasting covers. Depending on how frequently you are doing diaper laundry and what prefold method you use, you can get by with as little as 4-6 covers; making prefolds the most economical cloth diapering options!

Other diaper cover options include fleece (which naturally repels and wicks away water) such as the Bummis Polar Fleece Diaper Wrap or wool (which naturally absorbs up to 30% its weight) such as the virtually bomb-proof Imse Vimse Wool Diaper cover. Fleece is the easiest to clean and can even be tossed in with your regular loads of laundry. Wool, quite surprisingly, isn’t difficult to care for at all (just takes a little while to dry). Wool is also a wonderful night solution for those of you with little super soakers!

Not interested in the “second step” of putting on a diaper cover? Then Shorties or Longies are a wonderful option to eliminate the need for pants altogether. Simply put on a pair of fleece or wool shorts or pants and voila! Instant, stay dry diaper cover and clothing solution all in one!

Crafty? Sew your own fitted or contoured shaped diapers for dollars less with prefolds…

Cloth diapering on a dime can still be fun and easy with prefolds! So consider getting back to the basics today!


- By Serena

Back to Basics with Prefolds!

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