Cloth diapering: doesn't have to be all or nothing


I recently bought some new cloth diapers for Owen. We had tried the GroVia brand until he was about 8 months old, but he was just too big for them. I LOVED them and hated to see them go. It had been our second attempt at cloth diapers for Owen, so I had pretty much hung up my dreams of cloth diapering again until we visited the awesome, local cloth diaper store, Green Bambino. She showed me what brands of diapers would fit my 33lb, 14 month old. We settled on FuzziBunz large diapers and as much as I love supporting local business, I had a coupon for Amazon and was able to get them at a really good deal from them. I ordered a total of 7 because with Owen being older, he won't require as many diaper changes and I don't mind washing every night to save on the initial investment cost. We also have never made the leap to cloth diapering overnight, so we just need them for daytime. I do know that there are cloth diapers, such as Thirsties, that do a great job at holding overnight pee pee quantities and I do plan on purchasing a couple of those after the first of the year. If you're local (OK), please check out Green Bambino or The Changing Table for hands on cloth diaper purchasing. Definitely the best idea for beginners!

When I first started cloth diapering almost 4 years ago, I got a lot of information from cloth diapering message boards on Babycenter and the diaper review site, Diaper Pin. There were a ton of options back then, so I can only imagine what's available now.  
 We have really loved all our cloth diapers that we've tried. I'm a big fan of Green Acre Designs, diapers made by a stay-at-home mom. Best quality we've used and Shannon is a huge help to newbies. We bought our diaper sprayer from her as well. The GroVia/GroBaby diapers were super easy to use. I just read on their website that they're having a 25% off sale tomorrow (Nov. 19) off all products. The FuzziBunz we just started using have been great too. They have huge pockets that I can stuff with extra microfiber towels for more absorbency. 

So here's my mini-stash of diapers. I also cut some cloth wipes from an old receiving blanket. If you're going to wash diapers, you may as well wash wipes too and save money there. A mini spray bottle filled with warm water, a tiny bit of coconut oil and 1 drop of lavender essential oil works great for baby bottoms. I just spray him down or spray it on the cloth wipe if I'm concerned about him peeing on me when the warm water hits him. :-)

I have never had a stain on my diapers and have never had a problem reselling them for at least half of what I paid. They normally pay for themselves within 3 months if not sooner if you use brand name diapers and wipes. 

I have used Charlie's Soap for my diapers and all our other laundry for 4 years now and love it. I buy it 4-5 gallons at a time and my mom and I split it for one year. It averages out to 10 cents a load I think. 

My washing routine is as follows:
  1. Dump diaper in toilet if it's a #2, spray to get solids off, if any. (I also read a tip to use your peri bottle from the delivery to squirt off solids if you don't have a diaper sprayer.)
  2. Separate cover and insert into two different pails (it helps keep the covers from smelling.)
  3. Pre-wash or rinse in washing machine and then heavy wash with charlie's soap. 
  4. Dry inserts and hang dry covers. I snap them all together and hang them over the shower curtain in the bathroom. They're usually dry in a couple hours. 
Front view - very excited about his diapers.

Back view - swiped my spray bottle. 

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