Cloth diapering in 2008
I recently took a look at what ways our family could save money and I stumbled onto the idea of cloth diapering my 6 month old daughter. No, I’m not insane and no, cloth diapering certainly isn’t the same as what we all remember! Diaper pins and vinyl diaper covers are no more the standard.
We had been spending roughly $20 a month at a minimum on my daughter’s diapers alone (this doesn’t count my son’s diapers – who we’re hoping will potty train soon!). So from now until she’s 2 years old I realized we’d be spending at least $400 just on diapers. Then I did some cloth diaper researching and realized I could spend roughly $150 and have all the things I would need for diapering her from now until 2 and beyond (but hopefully not too far beyond).
There are so many options in cloth diapering now it’s mind boggling. There are AIOs (All-in-ones), pocket diapers, fitteds, prefolds, diaper covers, wool and fleece covers and soakers….the list goes on. I determined that prefolds were the cheapest and simplest way for us to go. These diapers are what you probably remember your mom using on you or your siblings or what you picture when you think of cloth diapers. They are “pre-folded”, which means they have layers already sewed together for absorbency. They are rectangular, have 3 panels and, for infants, are either 4×6x4 or 4×8x4. They can be folded various ways and secured using the good old diaper pin, Snappis, or just folded into a diaper cover.
We decided to go with prefolds folded into a diaper cover, although I have since purchased Snappis for a more secure fit since my daughter will only become more mobile as time goes on. And by now I’m sure you’re probably wondering what the heck a Snappi is. They are a stretchy fastener used to secure diapers instead of using a diaper pin, therefore, there’s no risk of poking the baby with a pin. They have three ends that hook into the diaper threads without reaching through to baby’s skin and are much easier to use than diaper pins.
So far I am head-over-heels in love with cloth diapers. I have enough so that I only have to do laundry every third day and that’s great since I hate laundry. (That’s also why my husband thought I was crazy when I told him about my cloth diapering idea!) They are so easy to change when you find a fold you like and get the hang of it. You really can just toss the wet or rinsed-off soiled diapers into a diaper pail just as you would disposables. Washing them is easier than I would have imagined and my daughter was fine with the detergent I had already been using on her clothes, so I didn’t have to get a different one just for the diapers.
Washing seems to be the scariest thing for people and is also what I researched a lot. Some people make it seem like a science, but you really just need to rinse soiled diapers (in cold water so stains don’t set) and then toss them in the diaper pail. Wet diapers you can just toss in. For a diaper pail I just bought a regular pail with a locking lid at Wal-mart and it works great. When I’m ready to wash I just toss the diapers in the washing machine on a hot wash and cold rinse with only about 1/3-1/2 amount of detergent you’d use for a regular load. I do add an extra rinse at the end to make sure all the detergent is washed out of the diapers. I then dry everything but the covers and the micro fiber (those I line dry) on high heat in the dryer. It’s that simple – definitely not rocket science!
I also purchased other accessories aside from the Snappis. I bought fleece liners – these are wonderful and I definitely recommend them! These are liners you put on top of your prefold and they work by keeping baby’s skin dry since the urine goes through the fleece into the diaper and doesn’t sit next to the baby’s skin. I bought a dozen online, then realized I can go to a fabric store and just cut fleece into rectangles and they work just as well. I also purchased about 5 micro fiber doublers, which have worked great. These are good for heavy wetters and are excellent during naps or through the night. You just lay them inside the prefold before folding and it adds a great amount of absorbency without a lot of bulk. I love these for nighttime!
As for diaper covers, we got Thirsties brand diaper covers – they have Velcro closure and even have laundry tabs that you can Velcro closed for washing and drying. They come in great solid colors and we’ve yet to have a leak with them. They are excellent and I’ve heard nothing but good things about them from other moms online.
All in all, I can’t say enough great things about cloth diapering. It’s working great for us and it’s great for the environment too – we’re producing much less waste since we’re no longer throwing out disposables! Since I am a stay at home mom it’s definitely been easy for me to do this at home. Only time will tell how they will do on the road and away from home. I do know that I’m hooked and, crazy or not, I’m in for the long haul, even if that means a little more laundry!
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Theda K. says...
I’m a cloth-diapering mother too, and I agree it’s great. When I did try daycare, I just had to educate them about how easy it really is…no more work or unsanitary than putting dirty clothes in a bag. We used Fuzzi Bunz, and prefolds with a wool cover (with snaps). Now that she’s older, I’m having a harder time finding the proper absorbancy, but we still use our Fuzzi Bunz during potty training.
Great information!
Jenni says...
Hi! I’m from the Philippines. I have a 2-year old and we’ve been using cloth diapers since Day 1. In our tropical climate, disposables will surely get her ugly rashes. Like you, I decided to use the cloth diapers primarily for the baby’s welfare and the environment’s… the financial savings is an added welcome bonus, of course! Although my baby uses disposables at night and when we go out simply because all those other diaper accessories are not available here. I hope to be able to toilet train my baby soon so we can totally remove disposables.
I really appreciate you sharing this with everyone. It would be good to inspire and motivate more moms to be more conscious of the environment and not focus only on their convenience.