Let's shit talk (a cloth diapering post).

I know, I know, diaper talk two day's in a row? 

It's just that I received so many similar questions via comments and email. Instead of replying the same thing over and over again to a select few (awesome readers), I figured I'd post all the juicy details here. 

So let's shit talk...

 

What type of Cloth Diapers am I using? 

In short: The all-in-one's (aka: AIO) and the one's with inserts. I have a few of each from a couple different companies. I wasn't sure which I'd prefer so I tried any I could. But it's not like me to give a short answer to anything so lets dig deeper shall we? 

We'll start with the best all-in-one's I've found so far, The BumGenis AIO. I love that its all one piece (go figure) and there's no 'assembly' requeired. But if I were ordering them again I would order ones with snaps instead of velcro. Sure the velcro is super easy as far as putting the diaper on a squirmy baby, but velcro creates its own set of issues in the washing machine. Plus there's the issue of pilling. 

Then there are the ones with inserts also known as all-in-two's. I have an assortment of a couple brands and to be honest, other than color and button placement they are all very similar. SO much in fact that I couldn't tell you the best brand at this point (But I am on the search so stay tuned). 

The 'insert type' seem to fit the snuggest around her legs because they're fluffier, in turn they're bulkier. The only downside I've found is process of stuffing the liner into the diaper before putting them away. The liners are made of microfiber, the kind that sticks to the end of my finger tips and gives me hibby-jibbies.  But on a positive note: if you had a heavy wetter or had issues with leaks you could easily use two inserts in one diaper to make them more absorbent. 

(...strike a pose girlfriend)

How do you handle the laundry? 

First you'll need to spray the poo into something. I'd recommend purchasing a diaper sprayer if you're serious about it. I searched on Amazon and found quite a few to pick from at varying prices ($25-50). 

I'd also recommend investing in a wet bag or diaper pail of some sort. You'll most likely want a place to 'store' the wet rinsed diapers until you have enough for a load of laundry. Since I'm a sanitary freak I prefer a food safe bucket with a twist on lid. 

The plan is: During the day it's filled with soapy water and at night after I dump the load into the laundry and start it, I fill it with hot bleach water. Not only does this santize it, it's also handy at keeping the toilet bright white when I dump it each morning. 

I do keep a wet bag in my purse, the one I have is small and can only hold two diapers at best but it came with my diaper bag and can easily be tossed in with the wash. Use what you have right? 

How many do you need?

If you want to cloth diaper a 3+ month old I would say at least 15, given that you plan to do a load each night, if not I'd double it. I would like to mention that the reason I didn't cloth diaper from the start wasn't the touching of the poo factor initially, it was because the ONE SIZE fits all diapers were too large. Chloe was a tiny little one weighing on 5.6 oz. The one size diapers 'say' they'll fit 8-30 pounds but I'd say that's a stretch. I can see how she could easily be 30 pounds in them BUT the didn't fit snug enough around her until she was about 11 pounds. 

(They do take up quite a bit more space)

That being said, I'd recommend starting out with disposable diapers. If you are concerned about the chemicals you can find awesome organic non bleach diapers at most grocery stores :o). Life with a newborn is hectic enough without having to worry about washing diapers that may or may not fit. Sure you can buy 'newborn size' but when the use 15-20 a day who wants to purchase that many diapers at roughly $20 a pop for such a short amount of time? Not I.

Well I guess…. 

Sorry I've been saving that one for a while. 

Feel free to leave any additional questions you may have in the comments section or as always you can send me an email. I hope you have a great day!