Oct
22
2009
22
2009
Cloth Diaper Fun & Giveaway
Filed under: Cloth Diapering
Cloth diapers are making a comeback…but these aren’t your mama’s cloth diapers. They’re easy to use, adorable, and they save you LOTS of money. Here’s the scoop.
This “modern” cloth diapering business has exploded into a HUGE industry in the last 5-7 years…and it can be quite overwhelming to dive into. But, the best way to begin is to JUST BEGIN! You can spend weeks and weeks researching if this pocket diaper is truly better than that fitted diaper…but in the end, it really comes down to your preferences and your baby’s body type. Each diaper will fit differently. If you just jump in and start, it’s much easier to determine what will work for you.
Instead of re-writing all of the information that is already out there regarding the logistics of cloth diapering, I’m going to send you to my friend Sarah. She is the cloth diapering guru. 
Why Use Cloth Diapers?
How to Cloth Diaper
Is Cloth Really Cheaper?
Now that you’ve read all of the basics and know the terminology…I’ll tell you my personal experience with cloth diapers. Before Bella was born, I bought pretty much one of every type of diaper so that I could see what I liked best. I found that for the newborn stage, I LOVED the Kissaluv Size 0 fitted diapers with a plastic or wool cover (we used Proraps). As she grew out of the Kissaluvs, we transitioned into pocket diapers. I also had a handful of hemp fitted dipes for nighttime diapering and I LOVED the Aristocrat Soaker. Awesome.
When it came to diapering Bella, I was pretty fanatical. It was at least a year and a half before a disposable even touched her skin I took them on airplanes across the country and everywhere else. While I certainly think it can be done (never using disposables)…I don’t want anyone to think that is the only way to do it. This time around we’re a little more laid back. We used cloth and elimination communication with Lucy until we went on the road in July, and then used mostly disposables while traveling. Now that we have a larger RV with a washer and dryer, I’m starting up with cloth again. I am hoping to get going with elimination communication again as well…I LOVED being able to “read” her that way, and it will cut back on how many diapers I have to wash!
I’m super excited to receive my order of pocket diapers from Sarah…I need a diaper that dries quickly (our washer/dryer in the RV is a combo unit and dries slowly) and a pocket diaper stuffed with a microfiber towel fits the bill perfectly. I will continue to use disposables when we are flying home and when we are out and about. When we are “en route”, we don’t always have water and electric hookups…which means to do laundry, I need to run the generator (loud!). When we settle in one place for a little while, it’s much easier to do cloth because we have full hookups.
My personal diapering system looks like this:
- 18 Pocket diapers with microfiber inserts (I get the inserts at Costco)
- Cloth wipes
- Wet Bag (one big one for the diaper pail and a small one for the diaper bag)
- Large stainless steel step can (for dirty dipes)
And that’s it! Pretty simple. I don’t use any sort of special wipe solution…I just run the cloth wipes under warm water. If I am out and about, I might use a spray bottle with a simple solution of apricot oil, Dr. Bronner’s and water…or just put some wet cloth wipes in a baggie. Or you could try Sarah’s wipe solution here.
As far as number of diapers, you CAN get by with just 12. In the newborn stage, that would last 1 day. I like to have at least 12-18 on hand so that I can go a little longer between washing.
When it comes to washing the diapers…it’s just as easy. I think this is the part that scares people away…but it’s really no different than doing another load of regular laundry. I just grab the wet bag out of the step can when it’s full and dump it all in the wash on hot water with natural detergent. If you want to avoid staining in the early poop stages, you can do a cold soak first or “sun” the diapers to get rid of staining.
For more information than you could ever possibly take into your brain in one sitting, check out the Mothering.com diaper forums here. Just be warned…you may feel VERY overwhelmed after reading there. I use it as a tool, but I don’t spend too much time there because it’s information overload!
Once you get into cloth diapering, you might also consider starting “family cloth” or cloth toilet paper. I blogged about it several years ago. We don’t do family cloth while we’re on the road, but I LOVE it when we’re in a sticks & bricks house.
Bottom line…cloth diapering is fun and easy. Yes, it might cost more up front..but you can use them with multiple children, it’s better for the earth, and for their little bums. If you’ve ever been curious about cloth diapers, now is a great time to check it out! If you’re still intimidated, you can always do cloth just at nighttime to try it.
And now for the fun part! The Giveaway!
Sarah, owner of Wallypop, is a friend of mine “in real life” and Lisa, owner of Full Circle Baby is one of my online friends. Both ladies have generously donated some cloth diapering goodies from their stores for me to giveaway. Be sure to visit both of their stores to see a variety of cool natural living stuff!
Here is the giveaway stash:
- 3 tie-dyed premium sized prefold diapers (see photo above…great for a burp cloth or dipes!)
- One dozen cloth wipes
- One medium fleece cover
- 2 Kissaluvs (size 0) or BumGenius Organic (winner’s choice!)
- Baby’s Bottom Butter Cream
If you are local in the San Antonio, Austin, or New Braunfels, TX area and you want to check cloth diapers out in person…you can go straight to Lisa. Same with Sarah for those of you Des Moines area locals. Sarah also has adorable custom t-shirt fitted dipes and other fun stuff at her Etsy store, Boulevard Designs. And she conducts cloth diapering classes…contact her for more info.
To enter yourself in the diaper giveaway…answer one of the following questions:
- If you are cloth diapering already or have in the past, what is your favorite brand or type of diaper?
- If you aren’t using cloth yet…tell me your favorite fall food (I know, not diaper related…but I like to eat!)
I will choose a winner at random October 30 at 12:00 MST. Have a great weekend!
Posted by Sara @ 8:32 pm | Leave a Comment
22
2009
I looove Bumgenious and Happy Heinies but than again that is pretty much what I have right now:)
22
2009
We are cloth diapering TWO babies right now.
Ophelia is 2 and is wearing primarily medium pocket diapers with microfiber inserts. My favorite diaper in her stash is the Medium Green Daisy Fuzzi Bunz pocket diaper. The fit is amazing, the fleece liner is SO soft, the insert in incredibly absorbent, and the diaper is just plain cute.
Rowan is 3 months and her stash is a mix of different pockets, some sized and some one size fits all. My favorite diaper in her stash is the Happy Heiney’s One Size Pocket Diaper in a Monkey print. Super soft, goes from XS to L, super cute, and so far it’s been leak proof.
For night diapering, I like the Drybees Fleece Pockets. They are bulky to begin with, so better suited for night. I like that the fleece allows her bum to breathe while keeping everything outside the diaper dry. We double stuff them with a small and medium microfiber insert.
23
2009
Those are some gorgeous cloth diapers!
I like a regular ol’ prefold with either a Bummis Super Brite or Super Whisper Wrap cover. Those covers…I cannot express the depths of the love I have for them.
They wash up so nicely and easily, too.
23
2009
I am not cloth-diapering but have tried with “G Diapers” before, very expensive so I quit when my daughter was 3 months old.
I would love to find a better frugal alternative that works with our lifestyle, which is why I’m entering the giveaway
My favorite fall food is Pumpkin Bread
23
2009
We used Mother-Ease diapers which are an economical diaper since they fit new babies to toddlers. I didn’t like their covers, though, as they left red marks on the girls’ legs… preferred wool, recycled sweater covers which I discovered toward the end of our journey.
23
2009
We are cloth diapering a toddler and a five month old and my favorite for my toddler is either a Tiny Tush Trim one-size fitted or a Sposoeasy all-in-one. Four our baby, my current favorite is the Mother-ease one size fitted with a Thirsties cover over it. I also have six BumGenius organic one size aio’s and really like those for when we’re out and about. Overall, I’m a fitted mama.
23
2009
With my son we tried a lot of different things and eventually wound up with a stash of mostly fuzzi bunz. With my daughter I’m back to using a lot of the fitteds (kissaluvs 0) that I had from my son’s newborn days. I was also gift a bunch of other random fitteds from a friend, and right now I am finding myself really liking the fitteds and prefolds. Plus I knit now so I’ve been knitting up wool covers for her. At night we still use a pocket diaper because the fleece wicks the moisture away so she feels dry and sleep better (those wet fitteds wake her right up!).
23
2009
We are cloth diapering our 13 month old. And we just LOVE IT, both my husband and I are on the same page and he jumps in anytime. We use the BumGenius One-Size, but have been really loving prefolds with Bummis covers for now, I’m loking into getting more of the wraps as he grows, I like the way they fit a little better, and they are so easy to use! I’m looking at find some for our baby on the way, newborn size, I’m due in Dec!!!!
23
2009
My husband and I are trying to conceive and I come to your site a lot to learn about things I’ve heard about, but don’t know anyone personally who is doing them. Just spent some time on the elimination communication website-I’d never heard of that. So, it’s been a dark and rainy week in Seattle, but last night I made the perfect cup of hot chocolate. Spoon in some sugar, cocoa, a dash of salt and a quick shake of ground red pepper. I added warm milk I heated on the stove top and then used the frother to make it extra creamy. The salt enhances the chocolate and the spicy aftertaste from the red pepper complements the chocolate. Yum!
23
2009
I have been using cloth for over four years now and love it. My favorites are Blueberry pockets, Snap-EZ and Fuzzi Bunz.
23
2009
i just had my first child and we are using Bummis Super Whisper Wraps with prefolds. i’d love to try out some different products, but money is always an issue and right now we can only spare to invest in what we know works! i cannot express my deep love for cloth. like you, i hesitate to use it out of the house. oddly, every time i do, we have some sort of “accident.”
ps. i LOVE your blog.
23
2009
I guess I should go for the favorite fall food….lol….pumpkin pie with whip cream. It isn’t good for me, and I only eat one serving a year.
23
2009
I LOVE bumgenius! I got mine before the organic came out and have been dying to try those! My best friend makes her own cloth diapers which is really cool–my baby uses those too. I can’t sew! She does a really good job and uses those with the “snappis” and either homemade PUL covers or homemade fleece covers that kind of look like granny panties. So cute!
p.s. I am a freak for tie dye!
23
2009
I love all these new diapering options! We sure have come a long way from “Biobottoms” & plastic pants!
23
2009
I’ve just been using some prefolds with covers that I made from holey wool sweaters that I picked up at Goodwill. I’ve been contemplating making some of my own diapers, but with four kids I never seem to find the time!
It’d be a great adventure to try some of these other diaper types.
23
2009
yay for cloth diapers! i am using a mixture of different brands & styles of cloth diapers with Jubilee but i think that my favorite out of all that i am using would be Happy Heinies, one size pockets. they soak up alot of pee & i never get leaks with them! plus they are one size so no worries about her outgrowing them!
23
2009
I really lucked out when it came to cloth diapering my boys. I didn’t get to pick through the different kinds and find just the right kind for my family, however, a friend from church (the only other cloth diapering mama in my town)offered to sell me her entire stash for $50. Since we live on a tight budget, I couldn’t pass it up.
In fact, had God not blessed me with that opportunity, I may not have been able to cloth diaper my boys. I use sized FuzziBunz- they’re several generations old, but they still work just fine, and talk about sturdy- they’re on child number 5!
23
2009
Dream-Eze fitteds & all in ones are my favorites. So easy, organic, soft. And adding wool makes them even more lovely.
23
2009
My favorite fall food is lentil soup! YUM!
23
2009
I used cloth with baby #5 and loved it but #6 is growing so fast he’s outgrown all of my cloth………
23
2009
So excited to see a cloth diaper post! I am expecting my first baby any day now and we have a small stash of cloth diapers. For money reasons, we just went with prefolds for now.
But since I haven’t actually USED a cloth diaper in about 15 years since I babysat for the crunchy families in my church, I will answer your second question…my favorite fall food is pumpkin. Messy to carve out, but so good in curry and soup and pancakes!
23
2009
My favorite cloth diaper for my first baby was the Fuzzi Bunz pocket dipes. But for my current 8 month old, I perfer the Bumgenius diapers. I have tried others, but those are my top two picks.
23
2009
I used all BumGenius with my son… But now with my daughter I have been loving prefolds and Goodmamas..
But my favorite diaper would be the prefolds.
23
2009
We already cloth diaper and I LOVE Mother’s Touch or Fuzzi Bunz (one size) because they fit newborn to toddler and have SnAPs! I love the snaps!
Sarah M
23
2009
I am due with my 4th baby in December – and have used the good, old fashioned prefolds with all three of my sons. (mostly because we didn’t have a big chunk of $ to invest in the fancier kinds) I grew up as the eldest in a large family and we always used prefolds, so I am very used to them and think they work wonderfully – and you can’t beat the cost! I would love to try some ‘new’ techniques, though, so please enter me!
23
2009
Thanks Sara for supporting two of my passions: natural birth and cloth diapering! And I love a giveaway too!
I am actually cloth diapering three little one’s. My baby wears a mix of wahm (work at home mom) fitteds with bummis wraps, bum genius all in one, and fuzzi bunz pockets. My three year old wears fuzzi bunz pockets for naps and night time. And my 5 year old wears starbunz instead of pull-ups at night.
I buy all of my diapers “gently loved” and try to buy low and sell high. I have actually made money on our diapers rather than throwing it away!
23
2009
My favorites are Fuzzibunz. Velcro just makes things a nightmare when I have to use my dryer!!
oh and favorite fall food – why not – pumpkin cheesecake roll!!
23
2009
Thanks for the post! We’re expecting our first baby in March, and I’m exploring the vast world of cloth diapering in preparation for our little one. So, since I’ve obviously not used cloth diapers yet… my favorite fall food is wassail!
23
2009
My favorite for newborns are prefolds with Thirsties covers but for bigger babies and toddlers Fuzzi bunz are my favorites!
23
2009
I did not cloth diaper my twins, but would like to cloth diaper my next child.
My favorite fall food is apples with caramel and spiced apple cider!
23
2009
I am pregnant with my third and would love a chance to win some cloth diapers! I have used cloth with my first two children (and ec with the second). I don’t really have a favorite cloth diaper. My oldest is 11, so I don’t think there were quite as many options then. I used a nice unbleached terry/cotton prefold with covers. My favorites then were the Nikkys. With my second, we were blessed with all second hand diapers, so I didn’t really choose what style they were. I would love to try a least a few pocket diapers this time around. I have heard so much pocket diaper love!
23
2009
I loved Kissaluvs with Imse Vimse wraps. So cute and soft and easy to care for.
23
2009
I have two in cloth and I LOVE BumGenius and prefolds. When I get sick of stuffing the BGs I go to prefolds, when I get sick of folding prefolds, I switch back to BGs. Either way I love the whole cloth diaper experience. I would love a chance to win some free dipes! My favotire fall food is anything pumpkin
23
2009
I am using cloth diapers for my 15 month old son and LOVE them… I used them a little with our first child. I really like the Mother Ease Organic cotton diapers. Also, we have the Little Beatles Training pants that my 3 year old son wears at night. I hope I win!
23
2009
I love fuzzi bunz for my kids. They absorb well and dry fast.
My fave fall food would have to be the cider my dad presses from all the apples and Asian pears in our backyard!
23
2009
We cloth diaper our 3 month old, and LOVE it. We use prefolds and covers – mostly Bummis and Thirsties. I have been really wanting to try a fleece cover though!
23
2009
Pregnant, and planning to cloth diaper. Would LOVE to try an assortment before I dive into one kind, financially!
Favorite fall food is anything with apples and spices, mmm, mmm.
23
2009
What a great post on cloth diapering! It helps to get advice from someone who has done it because, like you said, it can overwhelming when you look at all the options. I’d love to try cloth diapering with my next baby.
As for fall food, I’d have to say mine is more of a beverage–fresh apple cider, right from the apple orchard to the press to me. No further steps required!
23
2009
What a fun giveaway! I, like you, find Kissaluvs to be my favorite newborn diaper! As for the rest of the time, over the last 3.5 years we’ve found Fuzzi Bunz to consistently be our most reliable diaper, though I think I can honestly say that I’ve tried pretty much one of everything else!! I’ve just started using receiving blankets and pins though and I have to admit, I’m kinda loving it!!
23
2009
I’m not cloth diapering yet because our little guy isn’t due until February. His cloth diaper stash has been started and I’d love to fill it up more.
As for fall food, I could eat pumpkin pie with cool whip every day!
23
2009
I really really love Mother-ease diapers. They are affordable, last FOREVER, and wash really well. Not to mention they fit really well too. With a new little one due in February, I’m planning on cloth diapering from the beginning this time. I’d love to try some newborn diapers!
23
2009
I lone thirstie covers and I love bummis AIO
23
2009
Hey Sara!
Our favorite cloth diapers are any that we can get for free!
Actually, 90% of our stash came from Freecycle. Our favorites from the bunch are the Fuzzi Bunz pockets. We use them as pockets w/microfiber at night and as covers with prefolds during the day (that way we can get more than one use!)
This giveaway is timely as I know 15 women who are expecting and I would love to gift them with such wonderful diapers!
23
2009
We don’t use cloth diapers now-my kids are out of diapers and we got free disposables for them because my husband works at a diaper-making plant. But, I have always been interested in trying them and probably will with my third child (we’re expecting now). As for fall food, I love pumpkin bread and apple crisp.
23
2009
We use BumGenius one size – so naturally they are our favorites. I have wanted to get into fitted and covers but we may wait until the next baby for that!
23
2009
I love CPF with wool covers!! <3 <3
23
2009
We’re still waiting on our little one [my due date is March 10], but we plan to cloth diaper. No favorites, because I haven’t used them yet.
My favorite fall food is sweet potato pie, with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg and fresh whipped cream.
23
2009
I’ve been cloth diapering for four years now, on three different little ones and I, too, was a little bit fanatical. I’ve never purchased a disposable diaper and one has never touched my children’s bums. =)
My favorite system is either prefolds and wool or fitteds with wool. Wool wool wool! I love it (as long as it is sustainably sourced, of course.)
And my favorite fall food is apples!
23
2009
I’m so glad you talked about cloth diapering on here! I have been wondering what you were doing now that you are on the road.
Anyway, we love using Growing Green diapers and proraps covers. I use babyology wool covers but hope to one day try the Aristocrats (when I have some extra money).
This is a really fun giveaway!!! I’ve always wanted to try the kissaluvs.
Oh and I’ll throw in my favorite fall food…pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. YUMMY!!!
23
2009
i are currently cloth diapering my 5 month old, and i’ve got to say my favorite diaper system is prefolds + covers, and my cover of choice being covers from my precious baby by april.