I can finally say that we are now using cloth bumGenius diapers all the time now. I love these diapers! I have never used the old fashioned, cloth, pre-fold diapers before, like our parents used, but these cloth diapers are the latest invention and are like using disposible. They are great! When I tell people I'm using cloth diapers, they always get this look that streaks across their face. I'm laughing on the inside when I see this particular expression, because I know what they are thinking. I've once made that same expression and thought those same thoughts before upon hearing that one of my friends is using cloth diapers. Hee-hee!
Why? Why? is a good question with which to start. #1: Financial decision: Well...since I quit my job last December, AND with Hugh in Seminary and the only one working outside of the home, we have had to cut down on spending. Yeah right...cut down on spending when you have a newborn? Do you know how much people spend on diapers alone? Much less baby food, wipes, clothes, burp cloths, furniture, toys...whew..the list goes on and on.... Using cloth diapers was one way for us to cut back on spending and feel like we're being good stewards of our money. Disposable diapers can cost an average family, diapering an average baby, up to $2000 over the course of 2 years (that is assuming that your child potty trains at two). Budget can play a large role in determining what kind of cloth diapering system to purchase. We wanted to make our money stretch as far as it would go. #2- Health considerations: My baby's bottom is covered with natural cotton, and material that wicks away moisture better than a disposibles any day. There aren't chemicals on Laney's bottom. She has yet to have a diaper rash. #3 - It's environmentally friendly. Here's a paragraph taken from cottonbabies.com "Disposable diapers are the third most common consumer product in landfills today. A disposable diaper may take up to 500 years to decompose. I haven't met the scientist who stood there and waited for the diaper to turn into dirt -- but that's the theory. A biologist told me that landfills aren't meant to be friendly towards decomposing waste. Due to toxic waste and ground water contamination problems, most landfills are simply sealed capsules that don't allow any air or light to penetrate (both are needed for decomposition to occur). One baby in disposable diapers will contribute at least 1 ton of waste to your local landfill." Amazing!!
For those of you who are wanting a little bit more info on bumGenius! diapers:
Terminology: These diapers are called pocket diapers, because there's a pocket in the diaper where the micro-fiber insert is placed. That's the absorbant pad that holds the "stuff."
These particular diapers are called the bumGenius one-size diapers. They have snaps in the front that adjust the size of the diapers, so that babies weighing 8lbs - 35 lbs can wear these. Unbelievable! Laney will be wearing these diapers until she's 2 years old and potty-trained. Thus, now you can see the financial benefit of investing in bumGenius diapers.
When I started researching cloth diapers, to see if I wanted to jump aboard the cloth diaper bandwagon, I found out that there's a whole new world of cloth diapering terminology. I found it to be a little confusing and really didn't know which one was the best fit for us. A personal testimony is your best bet in learning the ropes. Here are some of the cloth diapers that are out nowadays. Get a load of these most clever of names:
Rumpsters, Kissaluvs Contours or fitteds, bumGenius, Happy Heinys, Re-Uz-ms , Hemp Babies Smaller/Bigger Weeds, Swaddlebees, Lana Wool Soakers, Fuzzi Bunz, Wonderoos, Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, Indian and Chinese prefolds, Bumkins, Motherease, Nappy, Nikky, One-size diaper, pocket-diaper, Dappi, Snappis, Ellas Pockets, etc... I mean! How in the world was I supposed to pick a cloth diaper out of that list?! Ha! I'm actually still learning.
Here are some abbreviations to the terminology used:
AIO- All In One diapers.
Aplix®-Aplix® is a hook and look fastener commonly used on cloth diapers. Other types of for hook and loop fasteners used on cloth diapers include Velcro® and Touch Tape®
CPF-Chinese Prefold Diaper
Chinese Prefold Diaper
DD-Disposable Diapers
'sposies-Disposable Diapers
I(d)SO - In (dire) search of...
FB-Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers, a diapering system designed to keep your baby's bottom dry.
FSOT-For sale or trade...
Nappy-is the European word for diaper.
OS - One size diaper
UBCPF- unbleached Chinese Prefold Diaper
WAHM- this abbreviation is commonly used for "Work At Home Mom".
Whew! If you'd like to do a little research on your own, check out this link for explanations of all of these cloth diapers: www.cottonbabies.com/clothdiapers or just go to www.cottonbabies.com
Diaper Washing:
At first, I was hesitant to wash Laney's poopster diapers in OUR washing machine, the same machine I was my towels, shirts, robest, underoos in. I didn't want poop all over my clothes. That was a misconception because there's no poop in the washing machine after they are washed. Here's a cottonbabies link to a diaper washing recipe. www.cottonbabies.com/product_info
Here's what I do:
-Cold pre-wash/rise with non-perfume detergent
-Cold soak with 1/2 cup baking soda or Borax
-Hot wash with 1/4 cup of perfume-free detergent and downey ball 1/2 full of white distilled vinegar
How often do I wash? Once I get enough diapers, I'll be washing every 2-3 days. I usually do most of the washing/soaking overnight, so it's easy. I want Hugh to build us a clothsline outside for me to hang these, so that the sun can bleach them(when necessary), kill all bacteria(if there is any there), and cut back on running the dyer.
How many diapers do I need? Usually between 24-28 diapers is a good stash.
How much do I save a year? Well, it depends on the cloth diaper you choose. bumGenius are the most expensive cloth diaper out there.
So...here's a comp that Shannon my friend figured up, as she considered the costs of investing in cloth diapers, knowing that she will have two little ones in diapers for the next few years. Thanks Shannon!
The Breakdown on the Diapers: This is if you were paying for each load in a laundry mat.
Bum Genius: 24 Diapers = $408 + tax & shipping (Estimated $445)
Pampers : Average 23cents per diaper = $755 / year / child
cloth - Cost of Laundering 3x / weekFor a year =$91
Pampers - Average of 9 diapers / day = 3285 diapers / year / child
Diapering Maggie for another year, plus Lilly for 2 years…
Cloth -Minimum PackageTotal Cost = $718 Savings: $1,547
Pampers - Total Cost = $2,265
Cloth -Add 12 diapers for less-frequent laundering = $222 Deluxe PackageTotal Cost = $940 Savings: $1,325
*Note: Using Bum Genius Diaper and Wipes could save from $1,604 to $1,826
Pretty amazing really! :)
The cloth diapers industry is booming now, and I'm so excited to be a part of it. A little bit on cottonbabies.com. I order my diapers from this website. They are a great company, very prompt in shipping orders, great customer service, and a percentage of your order goes to missions! What could be better? I once called them on a Saturday, left a message, and someone actually called me back ON A SATURDAY! they are a gret company! I could go on and on about these diapers, but there's the intro course to cloth diapering. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I might not know the answer, but we'll put our heads together and find an answer!
(I would love to know what's going through your mind right now. Post a comment and tell me your honest thoughts.)
14 comments:
Hey girl, thanks for all the info. I can't wait to get started with these...
Okay, here's a technical question, if you wanna get down and dirty... when the babies start having bigger, more solid poop, do you still throw it all in the wash, or do you "dump" or "flush" the poop first, before laundering the diaper?
You know I'm a details kind of girl! Just wondering if you know.
Shannon
Shannon,
You dump it in the toilet. Once they get more solid poos, you'll get a sprayer that attaches to your toilet. It's really nice. I don't have one yet, but they are at cottonbabies.com. I'll need to get one in the next few months.
Hollie
Hollie, I am totally with you on everything you said! I use cloth diapers exclusively and love it! I've used cloth with both kids and I feel like it is just as easy as diposable, it is nice to have someone who feels the same way I do! Great Post!
Great break down of cloth diapering! We've been full time cloth since the beginning of March and I LOVE it. We mainly have bumgenius and fuzzibunz, but also some fitted diapers and covers. I'm about to sell some of those (he's outgrown them) and get some prefolds. I am SO tired of fighting the buildup that comes with the synthetic fibers of most pocket diapers and their inserts. Prefolds are made only of cotton and therefore are so much less likely to have ammonia issues! I'll mainly use those around the house.
I'm loving cloth and glad you are too!
Hollie-
I cannot beleive all the people using cloth diapers!! I thought I was the only one...nobody around here is and they all think I'm crazy! I use the oldschool pre-folds.....my mom used them, and I grew up chaning all my sisters diapers so to me it wasn't that big of a deal. Especially considering how much moola I would be saving!! Joanna (cipolla) nehring
hollie,
thanks for the info...interesting post....we're disposable people ourselves. working from home and doing all the other laundry wouldn't leave me much time to soak/launder the diapers...plus i like the convenience of disposables. and we aren't pampers folks. we're parents choice/white cloud/whatever is on sale. but more power to you and other cloth diaper-ers! that's awesome. i loved learning about them...and they're stylish.
hey cloth diaper queen! i responded to your question about my mom's address on my blog's comments. hugs!
Impressed on all the research you've done Hollie! Sounds like you are going to be saving tons of money. I've gotta say, I'm a pampers girl and I've learned some great saving tips and ways to double coupons and the cheapest places to get the most diapers, but hearing your savings sparks my interest. You KNOW I love to save some money. I'm just not sure I could do it. Ethan is totally in the "SOLID" poop stage (ha, I'm cracking up to think that one day he's going to be like..."Mom, did you really discuss my poop on the internet with your friends?") So what do you do when you are in Target and your baby is on the changing table and he's got a solid poop. I can't leave him on the changing table to go and flush it and then run back. You don't have too much room in those places to be setting it off to the side until you finish changing. Then you do pack up the dirty diaper and put it back in your bag for the rest of the day?
Kimberly,
I carry 4 oz bags(they are $1 at the dollar store for 40 of them) in my diaper bag. I roll that diaper up just like I would a disposible and tie it up in the bag. Dispose of the poo when you get home. It's as simple as that. You won't smell anything, unless you leave the bag in your car overnight or something. Not that I've done that, but I never smell the diapers when they are sealed up in a bag and for just a few hours. :) You can do it Kimberly. Actually, the solid poo sounds SO MUCH easier than the splatter poo stage. Laney is about to start eating big time solids. The cereal alone is causing the poos to be WAY nastier than just breastmilk poos.
Well, there's my .02 worth.
Blessings
Hollie
Ya'll really know how to make a girl wanna have a baby :)
Be sure to read that last comment with slight sarcasm :)
Holly-
I found your blog from Shannon Bradley's, and I had three questions to ask you ( currently use disposable, but am open to cloth).
1. Do you find that you have to change cloth diapers more frequently or less frequently than disposable? I have heard that an advantage to cloth is that babies potty-train faster because they can feel when they are wet--I wonder if that results in more frequent changes.
2. If you are only washing every 2-3 days, what do you do with the dirty cloth diapers until you wash them, especially the poopy ones? My little girl is 7 months, and her poopy diapers are getting smellier every week. How do you prevent the odor from overtaking your home?
3. Do you use cloth wipes as well?
Thanks for your post, and your willingness to discuss the ups of cloth diapers!
Leah Finn
Leah,
Thanks for your comments. I'm new to cloth diapering, so I can only speak from what I'm experienced.
#1: With bumgenius diapers, they are AWESOME for holding a lot of wetness. It's wicked away from her too, so she doesn't feel it all that much. I am considering going to the old fashioned prefolds for the other half of my stash b/c they are cheaper and 100% cotton(synthetic diapers like bum genius are synthetic and are prone to hold odors after a while of use b/c of detergent build up. Cotton diapers rarely have that problem. you can strip synthetic diapers but it takes a whole day of washing in hot water.) I suppose if I had prefolds, I'd have to change her more, but not necessarily more than a disposible. :) Esp if I use a diaper doubler...a little insert to help hold moisture. The hemp ones hold A LOT. And they are cheap.
#2: The dirty diapers are in a waterproof bag that closes, inside of a trashcan that has a lid.... so I hardly smell anything until I open it up to put in another diaper. I just don't breathe then. hahaha! Also, if you dip a q-tip in tea tree oil, it soaks up a ton of odor, so really no need to hold my breathe in that case. I forget to do it sometimes, but I have done it and it works.
#3: I am using disposible wipes, but am really wanting to get cloth. it'd be so much easier b/c i don't have to have a trash can for disposibles and a container for my cloth diapers. I'd throw them all in one. :) They aren't dry either. You get Kissaluvs diaper stuff and you either spray their bottoms with it when you're on the go, or use your wipes that are already soaking wet. they now have wet cloth diaper warmers...isn't that cool? cottonbabies.com
#4: another cool site that i will probably order my prefolds from is greenmountaindiapers.com
HOpe this helped!
Hey Hollie - I didn't read your blog for a week, and WOW, what have I been missing? :)
As you know, we are a cloth diapering family. Samuel is 9 months and I've been using BumGenius with him since he was 3 months. I have 24 diapers that I wash every 2-3 days.
Here's what we do about poopies: I ordered the Rice Paper Liners from Cotton Babies. I ordered the Toddler size - you get 200 sheets that can then be cut into thirds. That's 600 sheets for $12. They pretty much look like dryer sheets, if you're having trouble picturing them. I put a sheet inside Samuel's diaper each time, and it collects the poop while letting the moisture pass through. When he has a poop, I just take that liner with the poop and flush it down the toilet. There is no mess on the diaper, and no smell to build up in the diaper pail. It makes diapering a snap!
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