I don’t really know what started my interest in cloth diapers, but if you had met me before I was a mother you probably wouldn’t picture me as the cloth diapering type. I’m not super granola or crunchy. I’m really just into saving money! One of the contributors, Laura and I actually had our first boys about 15 days apart, and I remember right when I mentioned to her about thinking about cloth diapering that she was already considering it and had done tons of research. So naturally, I stole some of her knowledge to begin my cloth diapering journey.
It might surprise you that my husband was really supportive and all for cloth diapering. To start, we visited a local cloth diapering store. We got the run down on newborn sizes, all-in-ones, prefolds, wet bags, snappis, and everything under the sun. At the time, it felt overwhelming, but the little diapers were just SOO cute!
With my first son, we used Kissaluvs and prefolds when he was small. Prefolds are the most economical option of cloth diapering and when you have a newborn everyone knows you go through a MILLION diapers. We used the newspaper and angel wing fold as our go-tos and used Thirsties covers. My child has the skinniest legs ever (or did at the time), so a one-size fits all diaper was just not an option until he was much older. Once he grew, we did find my favorite diaper, the BumGenius 4.0. I’m a big fan of pocket diapers because you can stuff and de-stuff when washing.
Many people are scared to do cloth diapers at night time. Through both boys, we used a BumGenius 4.0 diaper insert and a prefold behind it. The microfiber insert keeps the wetness from your baby’s skin while the prefold is able to hold the volume of liquid.
If you had cloth diapered my first son, you would have thrown in the towel. That child has some dirty diapers that involve a diaper sprayer like nobody’s business. I’m mean it is just plain gross. However, with my second child I rarely even have to use it because his diapers are more of the solid kind.
The BumGenius 4.0s have held up through both the boys. My oldest is potty trained now, but for a while I was using these diapers for both boys. I did replace some of the inserts just because they did take some abuse from being used, but this is actually pretty economical. The BumGenius covers have never torn, and actually really never stained. If you find you can’t get rid of a stain, sitting them in the sun can do wonders for them.
Now the biggest question most people ask: does it save money? I definitely think so. And the real savings is when you use them on multiple children…you can end up saving $2k-$3k! That’s a big deal in my household, and it’s nice not to be going to the store all the time buying diapers.
I have never minded doing laundry, so for me washing them every two days is not a big deal. I wouldn’t recommend going any longer in between washes as they can start to REALLY smell. I have a normal trash can in our bathroom with this diaper pail to keep the dirty diapers. You don’t even know the diapers are in there.
If you are thinking of starting out with cloth diapers, the prefolds are a great start, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money. I would say with a newborn you would need anywhere between 15-20 prefolds and about 6-8 covers. Most of the time you can reuse a cover after a diaper change since the prefold is the one affected by the wetness.
The pocket diapers or even all-in-ones are the easier and fancier of the cloth diapers. As I said, the BumGenius 4.0s are my favorite, but if you want one that’s easier and works more like a disposable then the all-in-ones might be for you.
I have used the same diapers with both my sons without any real signs of wear. I’m been pretty impressed with the quality of the BumGenius, but there are many diapers to choose from out there. I find folding and stuffing my cloth diapers very therapeutic and love all the bright colors they come in. Seeing my little one’s bums in the bright colors just brings a smile to my face!
I however must warn you…once you start cloth diapering it becomes addicting. You will find a hard resisting all those cute prints!
Have questions? Drop us a line, and we can point you in the right cloth diapering direction!
IWe had a bunch of Kissaluvs fitteds, too. I never knew how easy cloth diapering could be. We used disposable until the meconium had all passed, and I was so scared to try cloth, even though I had spent some cash to buy a decent stash. Once we got started, though, it was really easy. Really easy. I wish those same products had been around when my first two were born. I didn’t realize that there was a difference between Gerber “cloth diapers” (burp cloths) and Indian and Chinese prefolds.
It’s amazing how far cloth diapers have come…some are just like disposables!