I didn't always intend to do cloth diapers with my babies. Growing up, I watched my mom slosh poopy diapers around in the toilet and thought "yuck! I never want to do that!"
Quite honestly, if any of the things that did happen last year hadn't happened, I doubt I would be using cloth now. But, I did marry a man who isn't afraid to do harder things if they're better, we did move to bush Alaska, and I have toughened up considerably since we moved.
So, we decided to go the cloth diaper-route. There are a lot more options now than there were during my mom's child-rearing years and it took a lot of research (read: consulting with my next-door neighbor who uses cloth and has already done all the research) to decide on one method. In the end, I decided to go with the exact same system my wonderful neighbor uses - pre-folds with diaper-covers! In particular, Cloth-eez pre-folds with Thirsties diaper-covers.
I chose this system because 1) It's similar to the one my mother used and is therefore, somewhat familiar 2) it seemed to be the most economical and 3) it is pretty simple to use and clean.
Basically, every time I change his diaper I toss the dirty diaper in my handy diaper pail (with a washable bag insert) and grab a clean one. Unless he's wet/pooped on the diaper-cover, then can I reuse it, fold the diaper over his bottom and snap the cover in place. Super-easy! Plus, the covers are adjustable, so they grow with him!
When it's time to wash the diapers (about every third day for me) I toss them in the washer, prewash them to get the poopy off, then add some bleach and detergent to the wash cycle and let it go! When the rinse cycle is done, I can throw them in the dryer and they'll come out fluffy and white, ready to go to work saving me money.
What I love about my cloth diapers:
~I hear a "ka-ching!" every time I change him. One more free diaper change!
~I can use them for any more babies that may come in the future (More ka-chings!).
~They're tons easier to use than I expected. Seriously, it's hardly any more difficult than disposables.
~They smell good when they come fresh out of the dryer.
~They make the best burp cloths!
~The trash guys don't have to deal with our kid's dirty, smelly diapers (Living out in the bush, all of our trash gets burned…yeah, gross!)
~I don't have to worry about running out of diapers while living out here with no accessible stores (that's a biggie for me).
What I don't love about my cloth diapers:
~They don't last as long as disposables. If I don't stay on top of keeping him in fresh diapers, he'll wet or poop out. As long as I don't forget to change him at every feeding, or when I notice him pooping, we're usually good. But we put him in disposables at night, and those definitely last longer.
~Hand washing the covers. They're machine-washable and I suppose I could throw them in with our clothes, since I only have six and they don't make up an entire load by themselves, but something about that thought just doesn't sit well… Besides, I'm coming up with a pretty good system for hand washing now. :) (Update: I only have to hand wash them when he poops because the elastic parts stain. If you don't mind stained elastic, it's really not a problem.)
~Using them when we go out. We do keep disposables in the house for emergencies and for nights. But it's terribly tempting to put him in disposables when we leave the house so I don't have to worry about him pooping out or forgetting to wash his diapers when we get home. (Speaking of which…I think there's still one in the diaper bag as we speak!)
Really, that's all I have to complain about, and when I consider all the benefits, those complaints seem even more insignificant.
Cloth obviously isn't for everyone, and it's not about being tougher or more "green" (though there is something to be said for that). Motherhood is difficult and it's really about what circumstances God has put you in, and what works best in those circumstances.
Check out these websites and resources for more help:
Amazon diaper-sprayer search - (for when they start eating solids and you need to rinse off dirty diapers before washing them.)
Feel free to comment and ask me more!
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