Adventures in Cloth Diapering

We've been using cloth diapers for almost a year now, and it's been an experience all of its own.  When I first heard of cloth diapers, an older friend of mine told me horror stories of collecting them in stinky buckets until you had enough to wash and of swishing them in the toilet to rinse them out.  I was completely turned off by that idea, but decided to try them anyway when other friends raved about them (and showed me the awesome snaps, elastic, and cute colors! Look! They're easy, we promise!)  This post isn't meant to be an extensive review of cloth diapering, just some commentary on some things I've discovered over the past year.

One thing I've learned is that it's worth your time to experiment with different brands of diapers, something I didn't do in the beginning and wish I had.  Before Anne was born, I wanted it to be as simple as possible, so I went with Fuzzibunz diapers because you could order a "Starter Pack."  It came with 18 diapers that could be adjusted from newborn to 30 lbs, 2 pail liners, a lined and zippered bag to put dirty diapers in when away from home, scented oil to help with the smell, a jug of special laundry detergent, and cloth wipes (which I use as washcloths, I actually prefer disposable wipes).  I can tend to be sortof a brand whore sometimes and had no interest in trying other brands of cloth diapers.  I figured one was as good as another and shopping around was too much work (I'm not a good shopper, for anything. I find and I buy, I'm terrible at comparing prices/quality/etc. to find the best deal).   This was a mistake, as I have recently learned.  If you're going to do cloth diapers, you owe it to yourself to try several brands.  Fuzzibunz worked great in the beginning, but it turns out my daughter is a Pee Monster(tm) and can now soak 3 Fuzzibunz diapers in less than 2 hours, so they leak like crazy.  I recently bought some BumGenius Elementals and discovered they work amazingly well.  Anne can wear one for at least 2 hours with no leaks.  

Natural fibers (cotton, hemp) rather than microfleece and microfiber are WAY more absorbent; the extra washing time required in the beginning (6-7 washes before wearable) is totally worth it even if it seems daunting at first.  Hemp doublers (a thin, extra insert for pocket diapers) have also helped considerably.  I like my Fuzzibunz diapers for the most part, especially the fact that they have adjustable elastic and snaps so I don't have to keep buying bigger sizes.  But there are definitely other brands that work as well or better and having a variety is a good thing.  (much thanks to my cloth diapering mama friends who helped me with this issue!)

Another thing I've learned is that  the reality of washing them is not that far off from the original presentation that I found so unappealing. Now, don't get me wrong, I like using cloth diapers and I will do it again if there's a baby #2 in the future.  But cleaning them is definitely a down side.  Newborn diapers are easy.  Their poo is liquid so you just toss them in the diaper pail (with nice, washable liner complete with tab for scented oil) and then toss them in the washer.  (for those of you who are still squeamish about the idea of poo being in your washer, let me ask you this...if you wash a muddy shirt does the mud stay in your washer for the next load? no? then why do you think poo is any different? it washes away like any other kind of dirt).  But then baby starts solid food and it gets much more interesting.  The hard solid kind is easy to pull off and put in the toilet.  The messy squishy kind, not so much, and I have wanted to murder my other cloth diapering friends for talking me into this pretty much every time I have to clean one of those off.  Some people use sprayers but I envisioned myself making a huge mess with one of those as I lack coordination on even my good days, so I use latex gloves and toilet paper to handle that.  Fortunately these messy diapers gradually dwindle to one on occasion so it's not the end of the world, but it does require some perseverance. And a lot of great air freshener for the bathroom.  That being said, there are far less poopy diapers than pee diapers and the pee diapers are gloriously easy to deal with, so I still think it's worth it to use cloth over disposables.  

Pros:

* Cost effective over time (pay for themselves in about 4-5 months)
* Greener / less trash

* No diaper rashes

* Cute
* Can change baby anywhere because you don't have to hunt down a trashcan if you're out because you pack the dirty ones with you

* Leak-proof if you have the right kind for your child

* No worry about crazy chemical burns / disposable diaper recalls

Cons:

* Daily/almost daily laundry depending on how many you own

* Cleaning the poop off is disgusting no matter how you do it

* Upfront cost is expensive

* Need special detergent / washing instructions
* Can have leaking issues if they get build-up or you're using the wrong kind for your child

* Bulky, may need to size up baby's clothes

If you're considering cloth diapering, just know you're getting yourself into a lot of extra work.  It's work that's worth it, though :-)